(Frankfurt) A short piece attributed to Mozart, previously unknown and probably composed by the Austrian musician in his youth, has been discovered in Leipzig, in eastern Germany, researchers announced on Thursday.
It is a seven-movement set for string trio with a total duration of around twelve minutes, which is believed to have been written in the mid- to late 1760s, the Leipzig City Libraries said in a statement.
A child prodigy, Mozart was born in 1756 and began composing at an early age under the direction of his father, Leopold Mozart.
The researchers discovered the work in the city’s music library while compiling the latest edition of the Köchel catalogue, the comprehensive collection of Mozart’s musical works.
“The manuscript is a copy or transcription made around 1780. It is therefore not in Mozart’s handwriting. Dark brown ink and white vat paper were used. […] The manuscript is not signed,” the statement said.
In the new catalogue, the unpublished piece is called Whole little night music (A little night music), in reference to one of Mozart’s most famous works.
It was first performed in public on Thursday by a string trio in Salzburg, Austria, where Mozart was born. A German premiere will take place at the Leipzig Opera on Saturday.
The new Köchel catalogue 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 press release, this piece sheds new light: “Until now, we knew the young Mozart mainly as a composer of piano music, arias and symphonies.
A list by Leopold Mozart, however, has informed us of the existence of many other chamber music compositions from his youth, all of which have unfortunately been lost.
It seems that a complete string trio was preserved in Leipzig thanks to a combination of favourable circumstances. As the model seems to have been written by Mozart’s sister, it is tempting to imagine that she kept the work as a memorial to her brother.