Frankfurt. A previously unknown short work attributed to Mozart, probably composed by the Austrian musician in his youth, has been discovered in Leipzig, eastern Germany, researchers announced Thursday.
The Leipzig City Library said in a statement that the work is a seven-movement set for string trio, lasting a total of around twelve minutes, and was written in the mid- to late 1760s.
Mozart, a child prodigy, was born in 1756 and began composing at an early age under the direction of his father, Leopold Mozart.
Researchers discovered the work in the holdings of the city’s music library while 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In the new catalogue, the previously unpublished piece is called “Ganz kleine Nachtmusik” (“Little Night Music”), in reference to one of the musician’s most famous works.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, Austria, Mozart’s birthplace. In Germany, it will be premiered at the Leipzig Opera on Saturday.
The new Köchel anthology states that “the work was written before Mozart’s first trip to Italy.”
According to Ulrich Leisinger, scientific director of the Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, this work offers a new perspective.
“Until now, we have known young Mozart mainly as a composer of piano music, arias and symphonies,” he said.
A list by Leopold Mozart, however, speaks 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,” added Leisinger.
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– 2024-09-20 08:02:00
