Possible unpublished Mozart work discovered in eastern Germany

A short work attributed to Mozart, previously unknown and probably composed by the Austrian musician in his youth, was discovered in Leipzig, in eastern Germany, researchers announced on September 19, 2024.

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What works by Mozart were found?

This is a set of seven movements for string trio with a total duration of about twelve minutes, which is believed to have been written in the mid- to late 1760s, Leipzig’s municipal libraries said in a statement.

Mozart, a child prodigy, was born in 1756 and began composing at an early age under the direction of his father, Leopold Mozart. Researchers found the work in the collections of the city’s music library when compiling the latest edition of the Köchel catalogue, the complete collection of Mozart’s musical works.

“The manuscript is a copy or transcription made around 1780. It is not written by Mozart. Dark brown ink and white handmade paper were used. […] the manuscript is not signed“, the statement said.

In the new catalogue, the unpublished piece is called “Ganz kleine Nachtmusik” (“Little night music“), in reference to one of the musician’s most famous works.

It was performed in public for the first time on Thursday by a string trio in Salzburg, in Austria, where Mozart was born. In Germany, it will premiere at the Leipzig Opera on Saturday.

The new Köchel anthology states that “The work was written before Mozart’s first trip to Italy.“.

For Ulrich Leisinger, scientific director of the Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, quoted in a statement, this work provides a new approach.Until now, we knew the young Mozart mainly as a composer of piano music, arias and symphonies.“, he declared.

A list by Leopold Mozart speaks, however, of the existence of “many other chamber music compositions” dating from his youth, all of which are lost.

However, it seems that a complete string trio was preserved in Leipzig thanks to a series of favourable circumstances.As this model seems to have been written by Mozart’s sister, one might think that she preserved the work in memory of her brother.“Leisinger added.

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