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Mozart's fascination with the piano concerto parallels Europe's interest in the piano itself. In the composer's early years, pianos were still regarded as new inventions. Harpsichords, which had been the stars of the Baroque era, were as yet highly regarded. Gradually, though, the greater power and versatility of the piano gave it precedence over its predecessor. A growing demand arose for compositions suited to this new keyboard instrument, and a fine pianist (Mozart was acclaimed as one of the best) could earn a good living playing concerti for appreciative audiences, especially if one could do so in Vienna, where appetites for new piano concerti seemed insatiable. For this reason, Mozart abandoned his native Salzburg. He settled in the imperial capital in the summer of 1781. In the decade that remained of his life, he would produce seventeen piano concerti, many of which now number among the masterpieces of the repertoire.
The twenty-sixth of Mozart's twenty-seven piano concerti was completed in February of 1788. Many of his previous concerti also originated in late winter, for the composer was in the habit of presenting a concert series during each Lenten season, when the closure of the dramatic theatres led to increased concert attendance. However, there is no evidence that such a concert series was presented in 1788, for by this time, Viennese audiences had lost their taste for Mozart and he was having difficulty garnering an audience. Thus, it may be that the new concerto did not reach the public until April of 1789, when Mozart performed it during a concert appearance in Dresden.
The concerto's nickname, "Coronation," is of still later origin. In the fall of 1790, Mozart visited Frankfurt-am-Main to attend the coronation festivities for Leopold II, with whom he hoped to obtain a lucrative royal appointment, the sort of post that had eluded him in Vienna. To his wife Constanze, he optimistically wrote, "I am firmly resolved to make all the money I can here and then return to you rejoicing. What a fine life we shall live then!" Yet he would be sorely disappointed. His concert, featuring this concerto, as well as the Concerto no. 19 and one of his symphonies, was poorly attended, and the desired imperial post did not materialize. Mozart had no other option but to return to Vienna almost empty-handed. He would live for only another fourteen months.