A previously lost work from the teenage years of renowned composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has recently been discovered in Germany. Mozart, who passed away in 1791 at the young age of 35, is still yielding new musical discoveries centuries later.
The manuscript was found by researchers at the Leipzig Municipal Library who were compiling an exhaustive catalog of all of Mozart’s known compositions. The piece, called “Ganz kleine Nachtmusik”, dates back to the mid-late 1760s and consists of seven short movements for string trio.
Though the recovered manuscript itself was not written in Mozart’s own hand, it is believed to be a copy of the original made in 1780. Experts have determined it was likely penned when Mozart was only 13 years old, prior to his initial trip to Italy in 1769.
The 12-minute work saw its world premiere performance by a string trio at the unveiling of the latest catalogue edition in Salzburg on September 19th. It will also be featured at the Leipzig Opera for the first time on September 21st.
Ulrich Leisinger of the International Mozarteum Foundation found the discovery particularly notable as Mozart had predominantly composed for piano, voice, and orchestra up to that point. Some historians speculate that the piece was kept by Mozart’s sister as a memento of her famous brother. The catalogue describes it as the sole surviving source suggesting its creation prior to his coming of age artistic journey in Italy.
