Unknown Mozart manuscript with seven new pieces discovered at the French National Library

François-Pierre Goy, archivist at the French National Library, discovered an unknown music notebook containing seven previously unpublished compositions for flute and harp shortly before his retirement. The manuscript dates from 1778 and experts believe it is an autograph by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The authenticity of the document was confirmed in April by Armin Brinzing, researcher at the Salzburg Mozarteum.

The French National Library (Bibliothèque nationale de France) has witnessed an extraordinary musicological discovery: after 31 years working as an archivist at the library, musicologist François-Pierre Goy discovered an unknown music notebook on 2 February 2026 while browsing the library's holdings. The notebook contains seven previously unpublished compositions for flute and harp.

Discovery on the eve of retirement

Goy, who was responsible for collections at the library's music department created before 1800, immediately noticed that the handwriting and musical style of the 44-page notebook closely resembled the work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Unwilling to jump to conclusions, he sought assistance from colleague Laurence Decobert, who had previously curated an exhibition on Mozart and France.

Decobert confirmed Goy's intuition, and in April 2026, Armin Brinzing from the Salzburg Mozarteum research centre (Bibliotheca Mozartiana) definitively authenticated the manuscript. The music notebook dates from 1778, a period when Mozart was staying in Paris.

Why the discovery is extraordinary

Mozart's music is one of the most thoroughly studied and catalogued classical music repertoires in the world, making the discovery of an entirely unknown manuscript a surprising event. The emergence of seven new compositions adds a significant addition to the composer's body of work and provides scholars with rich research material.