Previously unknown Mozart piece discovered

A previously unknown piano piece from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has been discovered in Tyrol in Austria. The Mozart Foundation in Salzburg has reported that the piece was recently found in a music book from 1780.

According to the “Stiftung Mozarteum”, the music book, which dates back to the 18th century, was found by university lecturer Hildegard Herrmann-Schneider from the institute for Tyrolean music research at Innsbruck University. The lecturer encountered the music when gathering handwritten pieces for the “Répertoire International des Sources Musicales”, an international organisation which catalogues music sources preserved around the world.

The handwritten piece was handed over to a professional music copyist in Tyrol who identified the writing. The piano piece, he and the foundation in Salzburg have claimed, “is clearly written by the young Wolfgang Mozart”. Experts have now confirmed that the work was produced by the young Austrian born composer.

The piece will be presented in the “Tanzmeistersaal” in the house of Mozart in Salzburg on 23 March at 11am. Prior to this, the most recent discoveries were in 2006 and 2010 of the so-called “Nannerl-music books”.  Leopold Mozart, the father of Wolfgang is thought to have written pieces in the books for his daughter Maria Ann known as Nannerl and later put in the compositions of his young son. The Mozart Foundation in Salzburg identified these as containing several piano pieces from the musician.