Rachlisztchopin is right. Mozart never finished this piece. But it gets worse. There is some pretty heavy evidence that the piece may not be by Mozart at all. Consider this:
1. There are no references to it in Mozart’s copious letters.
2. The original manuscript has disappeared.
3. It is not included in Mozart’s thematic catalogue (but this may be because it was never finished).
Here is the full story:
1. It was published in 1804 and ended in bar 97.
2. In the Breitkopf & Hartel edition of 1806 an anonymous composer added 10 bars after bar 97. This is the version available now.
3. The anonymous composer is suspected to have been August Eberhard Muller (1767 – 1817) one of the editors at Breitkofh & Hartel (as Rachlisztchopin said).
4. Mind bogglingly there is a little sign by these last ten bars pointing to a footnote, but there is no footnote.
5. Some say that the last ten bars were actually written by Mozart,but few people believe this nowadays.
6. Paul Hirsch was the first to figure out all this in the 1940s. In fact most pianists are unaware that this piece was never completed.
7. The conventional ending – it is now argued – should be dropped. It is at odds with Mozart’s style and it is only accepted because we became used to it.
8. Mitsuko Uchida was the first to provide an alternative ending.
9. Most of the dissatisfaction with the last ten bars centres on the fact that after a dark piece all in a minor key, it suddenly goes major. This applies to Mitsuko’s ending as well. Now there is a current of thought amongst Mozart scholars that it should end in minor.
10. Michael Davidson (“Mozart and the Pianist” – Kahn & Averill) suggests that a convincing ending should proceed thus: Go back to the opening after bar 97 – make the rest there quite a long one - Repeat bars 1-4 but skip bars 5-6. Move on to bars 7-8 and after bar 8 play the tonic harmony (second inversion) making the bass note the second A below middle C. Follow with a bar of the dominant harmony in the same figuration (broken triads) as the opening. Play the final tonic beginning at the D – same D as in the opening – and do an ascending arpeggio all the way to the second A above middle C, then following the same pattern of bar 10 descend to the final D just above middle C.
Best wishes,
Bernhard.
Topic: Ending to Fantasia in D minor