Unearthed Mozart piece raises questions, eyebrows and ears

By Stephen Arthur Allen

It is rare for any piece of classical music from previous eras to unearth from oblivion, but when that composer happens to be Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the corresponding astonishment is considerable.

 However, the recently re-discovered “Serenade in C” or “Ganz kleine Nachtmusik” – “A Very Little Night Music” in English – for string trio, raises not only one, but both eyebrows, alongside the ears. The more famous “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” or “A Little Night Music” is a much later and more substantial work, ironically a galant-style recollection from Mozart’s late “Stüurm und Drang” or “Storm and Stress” period. There is truth in advertising with the new find being “very little” and the late masterpiece “little.”

Hidden in the library of the Leipzig Municipal Library for around 250 years was a copy of Mozart’s 1780 manuscript, some 20 years after the original composition, according to experts. This manuscript derives from work Mozart produced in his younger teenage years, prior to his trip to Italy at just 13 years old. 

The piece includes a “Bolonesco” movement, referring to Bologna, Italy, that he wrote in anticipation of his Italian adventures. We are dealing with a short and slight work of background music composed in the prevailing galant style.

Galant is a “gentlemanly” manner that aligns with early classical perspectives. Emotions are hidden behind surface persiflage, reflected in fashion by the prevalent use of wigs and demonstrated through facial makeup and modest clothing.

“Serenade in C”consists of seven miniature movements for a string trio, lasting just over 10 minutes: Marche, Allegro, Menuett, Boloneso, Adagio, Menuett and Finale.This is the only chamber work from Mozart’s youth that focused on symphonies, vocal arias and piano music. Mozart’s ambitious father, Leopold, who had previously taken credit for his child prodigy son’s work, attested that there were “many” other early chamber pieces, which would fill the gap in works should they be found.

On the basis of a couple of listenings, the work aligns with the style’s sensible, delightful tone. While I doubt this is a great discovery, albeit a significant one, the piece fits neatly into the overall flow and flavor of the period. Each movement is characterful in that they demonstrate his early mastery of creating personality through a genre, be it dance (Minuet), march or adagio (slow movement). 

The suite appears as a metaphorical “social gathering” of sound rather than something realistically reproduced. The Adagio movement is a good example of galant melancholy with a dash of introversion and a series of light-hearted movements that are suggestive of the “don’t worry, all will be well” aesthetic. Collectively, the piece is a suite of courtly dances. 

A string trio performed the piece for the first time in Salzburg on Sept. 19, 2024. Its German premiere was at the Leipzig Opera on Sept. 21. Do take a listen, and treat yourself to just one more listen to his late, great masterpiece, “Little,” conducted by the legendary Mozartian Karl Bohm. I dare you not to recognize it in the first few seconds, so “Great” has it become. 

Stephen Arthur Allen is a professor of music production and media arts at Rider University