Mozart's 22-year-old composition notebook discovered in Paris

A recently discovered 44-page manuscript notebook by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, dating back to 1778, has generated significant interest in the music world. Written when the composer was 22 during his stay in Paris, the notebook was found within the collections of the French National Library (BnF).

The manuscript includes composition exercises and seven previously unknown pieces for flute and harp, with six of them reportedly complete. Musicologists and historians believe this notebook was used by Mozart to teach composition to Marie-Louise-Philippine de Bonnières de Guines, the daughter of a duke, during his final Parisian sojourn. The lessons reportedly ceased when the student married on July 26, 1778. The student played the harp, while her father, Duke Adrien-Louis de Bonnières de Souastre, was a flutist.

This discovery is considered the earliest tangible evidence of Mozart's methods as a young composer and teacher, illustrating how he explained and trained his students. However, the relationship between the Guines family and Mozart reportedly ended on a sour note. Mozart expressed dissatisfaction to his father regarding the payment of lesson and composition fees, stating he would rather not receive the promised amount at all.

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This is one of the most important discoveries in recent decades.

The notebook's subsequent journey is intertwined with the upheaval of the French Revolution. The BnF believes the document was part of a collection of musical materials seized from the Guines' Parisian residence on May 4, 1794, eventually entering the library's holdings. The discovery was made on February 2, by François-Pierre Goy, a curator at the BnF's music department, while examining anonymous scores from before 1800.

Laurence Pecq, director of the library, described the find as "one of the most important discoveries in recent decades" according to experts. She noted that it not only documents Mozart's last Parisian period but also reveals "what young teacher Mozart did on a daily basis in conversation with his student." The music within the notebook is set to receive its premiere performance on June 21 at the BnF's Richelieu site, performed by flutist Mathilde Calderini and harpist Nicolas Tilleuliez. Excerpts will be broadcast on the public radio station France Musique on June 22, with the full performance to follow.

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what young teacher Mozart did on a daily basis in conversation with his student.