Emily Chan
When he was a teenager, he earned a reputation as a composer. He moved to Italy in 1769 after spending some time in Salzburg and Vienna.
In his early years, Mozart wrote many works, such as Serenade in C. Unfortunately, most of those works were lost over time. This particular piece was saved by the composer’s sister.
“It looks as if—thanks to a series of favorable circumstances—a complete string trio has survived in Leipzig,” said Ulrich Leisinger, head of research at the International Mozarteum Foundation.
“The source was evidently Mozart’s sister, and so it is tempting to think that she preserved the work as a memento of her brother. Perhaps he wrote the trio specially for her.”
At age 35, Mozart succumbed to illness and died. By then, he had composed over 600 works. His most well-known pieces are Requiem in D Minor, the Jupiter Symphony, Don Giovanni, and The Marriage of Figaro.
Serenade in C has been renamed Ganz kleine Nachtmusik in the Köchel catalog. The new catalog was unveiled on September 19 in Salzburg.
A string trio played the piece during the event. On September 21, the composition was performed again at the Leipzig Opera.
The new addition to Mozart’s catalog comes a year after it was discovered that Beethoven endured serious liver problems and a hepatitis infection before dying in 1827. Hopefully, more insights into these composers’ lives can be gathered in the near future.
