France’s National Library Unveils 7 Unknown Mozart Works From 44-Page Notebook
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 22
France’s National Library Unveils 7 Unknown Mozart Works From 44-Page Notebook
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 22
Summary
A 44-page lesson notebook announced by the National Library of France contains seven previously unknown works for flute and harp linked to Mozart and his 1778 Paris pupil Marie-Louise-Philippine de Guînes.
The manuscript captures Mozart’s teaching process through corrections and additions on de Guînes’s exercises, and experts say he wrote a substantial share of the newly found music himself.
Sunday’s first public performance at the library featured flutist Mathilde Caldérini and harpist Nicolas Tulliez; recordings are being broadcast on France Musique on Monday.
Armin Brinzing of the Mozarteum Foundation called it the most important Mozart discovery in decades, giving scholars new material on both his composition and pedagogy.
How will seven 'new' Mozart works, hidden for 250 years in a student's notebook, reshape our view of his genius?
If Mozart wrote his student's music, where is the line between a teacher's guidance and ghostwriting a masterpiece?
Confiscated during the French Revolution, what other lost masterpieces might be hiding in France's national archives?
Unveiling Mozart’s Lost 1778 Paris Notebook: Seven New Pieces for Flute and Harp Transform Classical Music Repertoire
Overview
The newly discovered Mozart manuscript, unveiled at a world premiere event at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, introduced the public to seven original pieces for flute and harp. This significant find, highlighted by BNF president Gilles Pécout, was celebrated as one of the most important musical discoveries in decades. The premiere on June 21, 2026, allowed audiences to hear these works for the first time in modern history. Experts noted that these pieces greatly enrich the limited repertoire for flute and harp. A special France Musique recording quickly made the music accessible to a wider audience, marking a major moment in classical music.