Which composer wrote 'Eine kleine Nachtmusik'?

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote “Eine kleine Nachtmusik.”

The piece’s formal title is Serenade No. 13 in G major, K. 525, and Mozart completed it in Vienna on 10 August 1787. The German phrase Eine kleine Nachtmusik is commonly translated as “a little night music,” although Mozart’s catalogue entry may have been a practical description rather than a specially chosen title.

It was written for strings—two violins, viola, cello, and double bass—and is famous for its bright opening Allegro. The surviving work has four movements: Allegro, Romance, Menuetto, and Finale. Mozart’s catalogue indicates that it originally included another minuet and trio, but that movement is now missing.

The serenade was not published until around 1827, long after Mozart’s death, and its original occasion or first performance is unknown. Its instantly recognizable opening has made it one of Mozart’s most familiar works, sometimes leading listeners to mistake it for a symphony or a piece written specifically for nighttime listening.