Last Friday the BBC reported on  a newly uncovered composition by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, which had been ‘found in a notebook in an attic’ by the music historian, Hildegard Herrmann-Schneider, from the institute for Tyrolean music research at Innsbruck University.

The attic apparently belonged to a band leader who lived ‘in the Lech Valley of the Austrian Tyrol’, and the notebook, dated 1780, had belonged to an Austrian born in 1765 named Johannes Reiserer. Reiserer sang in the Salzburg Cathedral’s Choir, which had famous musicians on the staff – including Mozart’s father leopold.

The work, Allegro Molto in C Major, is thought to have been written when the composer was about 11. The pianist who had the honour of premiering it was Florian Birsak, a specialist in historical performance practice, and the first performance took place on March 23rd 2012 at Mozart’s childhood home in Salzburg on the composer’s original piano. The Mozartian hallmarks are apparent from the very first phrase! Enjoy.

---

My Books:

For much more information about practising repertoire, take a look at my two-book piano course, Play it again: PIANO (Schott). Covering a huge array of styles and genres, 49 progressive pieces from approximately Grade 1 – 8 are featured, with at least two pages of practice tips for every piece.

If you’re thinking about learning to play the piano, my guide-book, So You Want To Play The Piano? (Alfred) is full of useful help and support.

The Faber Music Piano Anthology (Faber) is also a valuable resource for those who desire a collection of standard repertoire from Grades 2 – 8, featuring 78 pieces in total.

My Compositions:

I have written a selection of educational piano music (both solo and duet) and you can hear it and find out much more here: EVC Music Publications.