Lost Music by Mozart and Chopin Discovered

Lost Music by Mozart and Chopin Discovered If you had new music from these legendary composers on your 2024 bingo card, you're in luck.

By

Bryan Parys

November 13, 2024

Image by Kelly Davidson

Was this the year you expected to finally get new music from Rihanna? Cardi B? Frank Ocean?

While we still can't predict when we'll hear from those artists again, we can say that, somehow, in 2024, they were beat to the punch by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Fr d ric Chopin.

Mozart's Ganz kleine NachtmusikThe lost Mozart piece is a 12-minute chamber work for a string trio (two violins and a bass) that was recently discovered in a municipal library in Leipzig, Germany, as part of an ongoing effort to compile a definitive list of all Mozart's known works. While the exact date of composition is unknown, experts have guessed that it was written in the 1760s, when Mozart was anywhere between 10 and 13. Titled Serenade in C, the piece has been renamed Ganz kleine Nachtmusik (tr. Quite Little Night Music ), likely a reference to Mozart's famous 1789 composition Eine kleine Nachtmusik (tr. A Little Night Music ).

Watch the first ever performance of Mozarts newly unearthed chamber work:

Chopin's Waltz in A MinorWhile not as young as Mozart was, Chopin likely penned his new waltz in the 1830s, placing the Polish composer somewhere in his 20s. The composition was actually discovered in 2019, but it's musical style and brevity-it's only about a minute long-posed challenges to the authentication process, which involved both Chopin experts and archival specialists. The result has left little doubt that the piece is in fact by Chopin, and has the bonus of shedding light on the early days of the composer's creative journey.

Listen to an interpretation of Chopins Waltz in A Minor by the young Italian pianist and composer Gianluca Farullo:

While these kinds of rediscoveries aren't frequent, they're not uncommon, and have a way of making contemporary audiences feel closer to art and artists otherwise lost to time. When John Coltrane's lost 1961 live album Evenings at the Village Gate: John Coltrane (with Eric Dolphy) was unearthed in 2023, for example, it deepened listeners' understanding of both Coltrane and Dolphy's work performed during the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Any new writings, recordings or even photographs help us to learn more about one of the most impactful and influential creatives in the history of humanity, said ethnomusicologist Emmett G. Price III, dean of Africana Studies, about the significance of the discovery.

Related Categories

News

Most Popular

Jim Lucchese

Image by Kelly Davidson

Jim Lucchese Named Berklee's Fifth President A 20-year music industry veteran and a committed artist advocate with deep Berklee roots, Lucchese sets the tone for a new era at the institution.

Latest

Gustav S derstr m on stage at Spotifys Now Playing event in Los Angeles on November 13, 2024.

Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Spotify

Spotifys New Creator Program Is Here to Take On YouTube Spotify for Creators will let podcasters monetize their videos without ads.

Clockwise, from upper left: Leon Yamil, Bere, KEVN, Ela Taubert, Isabel Rodriguez Siblesz, Nico Gonz lez

Images by (clockwise, from upper left): marphotofilms, Elliott Muscat (@elliottmuscat), Miguel Silva, Alejandro Pazmi o, JG Pixel Media, Samueth (@samueth)

Meet the Berklee Grads Shaping Latin Music's Future The Miami-based alumni-along with collaborator and Latin Grammy winner Ela Taubert-share their insights and advice for up-and-coming artists looking to break into the industry.

Juan Luis Guerra 82

Image courtesy of HBO

Berklee Alumni Win at the 2024 Latin Grammy Awards Juan Luis Guerra '82 won four Latin Grammys, including two of the most prestigious awards: Record of the Year and Album of the Year.

Read All

Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.

LINK:	https://www.berklee.edu/berklee-now/news/new-music-mozart-and-chopin...
	See more stories from berklee

Most recent headlines