A “new” Mozart work that could be celebrated in Graz

Wolfg. Amade Mozart is written in squiggly script on the sheet music that was dormant in the state archives of Graz for years. Nevertheless, the “Milan Variations” have so far only been assigned to Mozart’s environment. The reason: They were considered “un-Mozartian”. That could change now. The German scientist, Carsten Wollin, now attributes the work to Mozart. He was also the one who first published the manuscript, which was written in Vienna around 1791. During this, he also gave new arguments about the origin of the “Milan Variations” and concluded that they came from the pen of the boy wonder Mozart.

The work is little known and has probably not been performed for two and a half decades. The work falls within seven years of no prior exposure to piano pieces by Mozart. “Mozart was never in Graz in his entire life, which makes him all the more happy that the latest Mozart discovery was made in our house. The scientific work of Carsten Wollin makes it plausible that the ‘Milan Variations’ go back to the young Mozart,” explained the Director of the State Archives, Gernot Peter Obersteiner.

Writing for the Princess’s son’s wedding

However, the reason for the creation of “Milan Variations” was already known. The wedding of Archduke Ferdinand Karl, the fourth son of Empress Maria Theresa, on October 15, 1771. Mozart was 15 years old at the time and he composed the opera “Ascanio in Alba” for the wedding. The “Milan Variations” were created at the same time, but the authorship was hidden until now. Furthermore, they were only mentioned three times in music literature and never published.

The music historian at the state archives Paul Duncan has already given the first indication of who Mozart may have been. Because he was able to confirm that the manuscript of the “Variations” came from the workshop of the Viennese copyist Johannes Traeg and was therefore probably made during Mozart’s lifetime. “The historians have done a wonderful job with this fascinating discovery! We can be proud that Mozart celebrates his return in Styria,” emphasizes Governor Christopher Drexler, whose area of ​​responsibility also includes the Styrian State Archives.

The “Milan Variations” came to the state archives in 2005 as part of the so-called “Lannoy Collection”. Since 2005, parts of the library of the Johann Joseph Fux Conservatory have been stored in the state archive that owns the collection.