The discovery of new pieces of classical music reveals much about how we as a society value connections to the past and of how easily art can become novelty.

Since September, two previously unknown pieces of classical music by famous composers have been discovered: a Mozart Serenade and a Chopin waltz.

 

The Mozart Serenade in C, K.648 is written for two violins and bass and is made up of seven miniature movements lasting all together around twelve minutes.

The manuscript was discovered in the Leipzig Municipal Library whilst researchers worked to complete the latest edition of the Köchel catalogue- the archive of Mozart’s music.

Deutsche Grammophon have celebrated the rediscovery by releasing three world premiere recordings of the Serenade dated to have been composed in the mid to late 1760s by the teenage Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

 

The Chopin Waltz in A minor was discovered in a library in New York. Despite being under two minutes in length, it has triggered extreme excitement throughout the classical music community.

Star pianist Lang Lang has recorded the Waltz, an evocative interpretation conveying the typical stormy style of Chopin’s waltzes.

 

Beyond the initial intrigue, the discovery of previously unknown classical music raises some interesting questions.

For one, in the case of the Waltz, Chopin was known to exchange small compositions as a kind of social currency so it wouldn’t be unwise to assume there are many more similar unpublished compositions out there which aren’t receiving the same attention- regardless of their compositional merit.

As well as this, people who do not engage with classical music are not likely to interact with Mozart and Chopin beyond the publicity behind the few newsworthy discoveries.

Does the discussion of these compositions in such a public way turn them into a novelty to the point that people are even less likely to properly delve into what classical music has to offer?

It could be argued that by turning the Waltz and the Serenade into novelties, the impression is given that classical music is something mysterious and of the past when in reality it is still alive and ever-evolving.

 

On the other hand, it is undeniable that within the classical music community, these discoveries are massively meaningful when utilised properly. 

Sixteen year old musician Chloe Chan commented “it’s really amazing that this new music has been found” primarily due to the fact that “it gives us great repertoire” displaying how significant the compositions are when exposed to the right audience. 

Music is ever changing so the debate between appreciating the past and welcoming what is new is unlikely to fall quiet any time soon.

For now, we can only be grateful that so many people have easy access to incredible music (from whichever century they choose).