Difficile lectu

Autograph score (facsimile published by Gottfried Weber)

"Difficile lectu", K. 559, is a canon composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The music, in F major, is set for three singers. The words are most likely written by Mozart himself.[1]

The work was entered by the composer into his personal catalog on 2 September 1788 as part of a set of ten canons; it was probably written some time during the years 1786–87.[2]

  1. ^ Preface to Neue Mozart Ausgabe edition (External link below)
  2. ^ Source: Preface to the NMA edition. The honoree of the canon, Johann Nepomuk Peierl (see below) lived in Vienna only between late 1785 and 1787.