MuseData: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Symphonies

Legitimate symphonies

Mozart symphonies are revered the world over, but far-reaching investigations of the underlying sources for the published version we know has reduced the number of holdings that properly belong in the the noted Köchel catalogue, which was first compiled in 1862. It continues to serve as living document, though its curation has passed through many hands. Neal Zaslaw's extensive revision has had a overall effect of reducing the number of works that are now considered legitimate.

Symphonies from Mozart's childhood

Mozart's prodigious musical development in childhood is widely acknowledged, but over centuries it spawned a cult focused more on the child prodigy than on his music. The image of the child prodigy was cultivated by an ambitious father, Leopold Mozart, who took the boy and his elder sister Nannerl on tour in their childhoods. Mozart's exceptionalism (in today's vocabulary) is one factor of several that contributed many works that were not his to Köchel's catalogue. To dampen some of the confusion we have separated legitimate works from those now attributed to others.

Sym. Number	Köchel Cat. (KV)	Key	Date	Notes
No. 1	KV 16	Eb Major	1764	Example
No. 4	KV 19	D Major	1765	Example
No. 5	KV 22	Bb Major	1765	Example
No. 6	KV 43	F Major	1767	Example
No. 7	KV 45	D Major	1768	Example
No. 8	KV 48	D Major	1768	Example
No. 9	KV 73/75a	C Major	1769?	Example
No. 10	KV 74	G Major	1770	Example
No. 11	KV 84/73q	D Major	1770	Example
No. 12	KV 110/75b	G Major	1771	Example
No. 13	KV 112	F Major	1771	Example

Symphonies no longer attributed to W. A. Mozart

• Symphony No. 38, K 504 ("The Prague")
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