The Adagio and Fugue in C minor, K. 546, is a composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for strings.
Mozart entered it into his own work catalogue on 26 June 1788 in Vienna as "A short Adagio for two violins, viola and bass, for a fugue which I wrote some time ago for two Pianos".
[2] The work is in two sections: The 52-bar Adagio has a very ominous and foreboding tone; musicologist Robert D. Levin said: “Angular outbursts alternate with an unearthly hush; its suggestions of violence and mysticism make the ensuing geometry of the fugue seem a relief”.
1788 was also a time of significant contrapuntal composition for Mozart; in that year he composed a five-part fugue in the key of C major, for the finale of his Symphony No.
[1][4] In modern times, the work is typically played for string quartet, though, a few recordings can be found using the interpreted orchestral version.