New Mozart Song Released 200 Years Later—How It Was Found

Considered one of the greatest classical music composers of all time Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s music career ended at the time of his death in 1791. Or so we thought, until archival researchers in Leipzig, Germany recently discovered an unreleased Mozart piece written during his teenage years. Read to learn more about the unearthed manuscript and how fans are reacting to it. 

Mozart’s new song discovered two centuries after its writing 

Researchers at Leipzig Municipal Library were revising the K?chel catalogue—a chronological compilation of Mozart’s works—when they discovered Mozart’s previously unknown composition.

The newly discovered Mozart composition, written in dark brown ink on laid paper, was likely created during his early teenage years in the 1760s due to its compositional characteristics. 

The rediscovered manuscript was originally titled “Serenate ex C,” but has since been renamed “Ganz kleine Nachtmusik,” which translates to “quite or very little night music” in reference to Mozart’s famous composition “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”, or "a little night music”. The newly found piece had a live premiere at the Leipzig Opera shortly after its discovery. 

Fans online mused about Mozart’s new song topping the Billboard Hot 100 list and even joked about the deceased composer releasing new music before modern artists like Rihanna.

About Mozart’s new song

Throughout his career, Mozart composed over 600 works. His compositions are hallmarked by their simplicity, balance, and symmetry. 

The recently discovered and retitled “Ganz kleine Nachtmusik,” comprises seven miniature movements written for a string trio to perform. The piece’s runtime is about 12 minutes. 

In addition to stylistic choices that indicate the piece was penned around the time Mozart was between the ages of 10 and 13, the absence of “Amadeo,”—the composer’s middle name—in the attribution also offered a time frame. Mozart did not add “Amadeo,” to his signature until 1769, when he was 19. 

The live premiere of Mozart’s new song

On Saturday, September 21, “Ganz kleine Nachtmusik,” premiered at the Leipzig Opera at a heavily attended outdoor performance. 

Anxious fans formed a line nearly a quarter of a mile long outside the stage as they awaited to hear Mozart’s new song performed by graduates of the Johann Sebastian Bach Music School.

Fans who watched the live premiere of Mozart’s new song on video praised the performers and expressed excitement at hearing this long-lost composition.

You can watch the performance here:

Who was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756. Both his father, a composer, and mother instilled the importance of music from a young age. By the age of six, Mozart was already a proficient composer and keyboard performer. 

He composed the majority of his works during the Classical era (1756-1791). During this time, Mozart’s writing was prolific and, to this day, his compositions are revered as some of the most iconic operas and symphonies of all time. 

Mozart’s most famous pieces include Le Nozze di Figaro, K. 492 which notably appeared on screen in films such as The Shawshank Redemption and Trading Places. 

Mozart passed away in 1791 likely due to complications relating to frequent cases of tonsillitis that he suffered from throughout his life.

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