In September, researchers in Germany were working on an updated Kochel catalog of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s works in the Leipzig municipal libraries, when they stumbled on a previously unheard composition from the composer. The piece, titled Serenate ex C., also known as Ganz kleine Nachtmusik is dated to the 1760s, meaning Mozart was most likely between the ages of 10 to 13 when he composed the piece.
Mozart’s music career began early in his life. Born in 1756 in Vienna he was surrounded by music. His father Leopold and his sister Maria Anna were both piano players and composers.. By five, he was composing his own pieces, and at six he was touring Europe and performing for royal courts. His career only lasted three decades, dying at the age of 35, but in that time he composed 22 operas, 41 symphonies and 27 concertos.
While his life wasn’t long, Mozart’s influence on music is undeniable. He was one of the most popular musicians of the 1700s and is regarded as one of the best classical composers of all time, continuing to inspire musicians long after his death. Leopold Mozart kept a list of all the pieces composed by his son, which made researchers aware that there were more compositions they hadn’t discovered yet. But since these pieces were written over 200 years ago, they assumed they were destroyed or lost forever.
The piece discovered by the Leipzig libraries isn’t believed to be written by Mozart himself, but a copy of his original piece. Written in dark brown ink on handmade paper, each page is individually bound, and the back reads “This composition is attributed to Wolfgang Mozart.” The Kochel catalog has described the piece as “preserved in a single source, in which the attribution of the author suggests that the work was written before Mozart’s first trip to Italy.”
Ganz kleine Nachtmusik is a 12 minute piece composed for a trio of strings and containing seven movements. Its sharp, staccato intro indicates that it was intended to be played outside and catch the attention of passersby. Its first modern performance took place in Salzburg, Austria, the birthplace of the iconic composer. In late September the piece was performed at the Leipzig Opera, and the first commercial recording was released October 18.
