So, apparently 2 “new” pieces of music by Mozart have been “discovered”. Is this the latest case of “I was looking in my attic and guess what I found…”? Well, no – the attic in question was the archive of something called the “Mozarteum Foundation“, and they knew they were there all along. But now that they’ve decided they were by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (and not, say, his Dad), suddenly they’re really interesting.
Now, I’m not saying they’re rubbish, but isn’t this a bit like saying “It may just be a doodle on a napkin, but I’ve just discovered it’s Picasso’s doodle on a napkin, which makes it Important”? Or, contarily, “I’ve had this great painting for years, but I didn’t know who it was by, so I didn’t put it on my wall…” Either it’s good music, in which case it should be performed regularly whoever it’s by, or it’s not, in which case it’s of interest only to music historians. Continue reading