Mozart, an unpublished piece discovered after 200 years: the discovery in a library

It’s as if, among the vinyl records in a shop, you came across an unreleased single by Jimi Hendrix or Freddie Mercury. It’s the emotion archivists felt when they recovered a 200-year-old score, about 12 minutes long, attributed to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Scholars at the Leipzig Municipal Library, engaged in the revision of the Köchel catalogue, a work that chronologically collects all of Mozart’s compositions, discovered this score dating back to the 1760s, when the famous composer was still a child prodigy. The piece, titled Serenades ex C.was affectionately renamed Ganz kleine Nachtmusik. Composed for a string trio, the piece is divided into seven movements and bears the name “Wolfgang Mozart”, without the famous “Amadeus”, since the musician only began using his second name after he was 19.

Ulrich Leisinger, head of research at the Mozarteum Foundation, said during an interview with the German Press Agency:

We have the certainty of being able to present a completely unknown and fascinating work by the young Mozart.

A historic performance in Salzburg

The first modern performance of this composition took place last week in Salzburg, Mozart’s hometown. The students of the Johann Sebastian Bach School of Music performed. The enthusiastic audience waited patiently in line for over half a kilometre, at the Augustusplatz, just to listen to an unreleased song by the great composer, an event that no one thought could ever happen.

Second Classical FMsome elements of the piece suggest that it was intended to be performed outdoors, as evidenced by the high-pitched, staccato introductory passages, probably intended to attract the attention of wealthy passers-by strolling through the parks.

Mozart is known to have composed over 600 operas in his short life, which ended at just 35 years old. His music is universally appreciated for its simplicity, symmetry and harmony. Even this unreleased song, with its sweet melodies and well-defined rhythms, is no exception, and adds a further piece to the extraordinary musical legacy of the Salzburg maestro.