'New' Mozart work discovered in Leipzig

When Mozart (1756-1791) was about 12 years old or even a bit younger, he wrote a recently rediscovered serenade. He was already an experienced composer and churned out one work after another. One of these younger works had been gathering dust for many years in the music library in Leipzig (Städtischen Bibliotheken Leipzig). A collection by a certain Carl Ferdinand Beckers is nicely preserved there. That's where the unknown, soon-to-be-known, little work 'Serenate ex C', which in the meantime received the more appropriate name 'Ganz kleine Nachtmusik', was found among the other scores.

The composition was discovered while compiling a new edition of the Köchel catalogue (Köchelverzeichnis), the reference work on the composer's works in which every composition is numbered as chronologically as possible. The new edition is being compiled by the Internationalen Stiftung Mozarteum in Salzburg, better known as 'the Mozarteum'.

The twelve minutes consist of seven miniature movements, the first a march, for string trio. There are clear similarities with other works by Mozart from those years. External characteristics, such as the composer's name on the sheet music, prove according to researcher Ulrich Leisinger that it is an early work of the young 'Amadée'. "We are convinced that we can present an unknown and charming work by the young Mozart", clarifies the musicologist and head of the research department of the Mozarteum. How original the name on the score is can still raise doubt because it is a copy presumably from 1780 and not the original manuscript written and signed by Mozart. Mozart's signature is missing. However, the statement removes all doubt with this addition: "The manuscript consists of dark brown ink on off-white handmade paper and the parts are individually bound. Köchel's catalogue describes 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 journey to Italy." The music library of the municipal library in Leipzig is one of the largest public music libraries in Germany. The extensive collection of valuable old objects and rarities testifies to Leipzig's tradition as a city of music. The music library fulfills its task as a public library by offering music media in all relevant media formats and an extensive collection of sheet music for education, leisure and private musical interests. The Musikbibliothek Peters and the Sammlung Carl Ferdinand Becker are unique. Since 2018 it has been digitally available. Researchers and music lovers worldwide have access to the unique treasures of this collection. On 21 September 2024, the work was performed at the Leipzig opera. The 'renewed' world premiere took place in limited circles in Salzburg during the presentation of the revised Köchelverzeichni. The work was given the number KV 648. The drawback of this is that you might suspect it is a very late work by Mozart given the high number. But that's neither here nor there. It's a shame that Leipzig is not around the corner, otherwise we could, together with all residents of Leipzig, listen to the work for free, performed by Vincent Geer and David Geer (violinists) and Elisabeth Zimmermann (cello). [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEye2UQptIA[/embed]