Discovery of an unpublished autograph manuscript by Mozart in the BnF Music Department
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The Bibliothèque nationale de France has discovered and identified a previously unknown manuscript by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart dating from his stay in Paris in 1778. The document takes the form of a 44-page manuscript notebook containing the composition lessons he gave to Marie-Louise-Philippine de Bonnières de Guînes (1759-1795), an accomplished harpist and daughter of the Duc de Guînes. It was discovered and identified in the BnF Music Department in February 2026 and is a valuable insight into the way Mozart conceived and delivered his composition lessons.
Gilles Pécout, President of the BnF: “In the view of specialists, this is one of the most important discoveries in recent decades, for two reasons. First, it sheds light on Mozart’s final stay in Paris, and second, it reveals the day-to-day activities of Mozart as a young teacher in dialogue with his pupil. I am delighted to reiterate that Mozart is very much at home in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, thanks to the donations and acquisitions that have made our Music Department the second largest repository of Mozart materials in the world, after Salzburg. The identification of this autograph manuscript confirms the universal scope of our collections and points to new and rewarding international scholarly and artistic collaborations, with Austria in particular.”
A major discovery
Composition lessons given to the Duchesse de Guînes
The use of French paper and the content of the manuscript - composition exercises and seven pieces for flute and harp - suggest that it is a record of the daily lessons Mozart gave to Marie-Louise-Philippine de Bonnières de Guînes, daughter of Adrien-Louis de Bonnières de Souastre, Duc de Guînes (1735–1806), a renowned flautist who commissioned the Concerto for Flute and Harp, KV 299, between May and July 1778 during his final stay in Paris.
Convinced that his daughter was a genius, the duke wanted her to learn how to compose grand sonatas for their two instruments. During his tenure as Ambassador to London from 1770 to 1776, he had acquired a flute capable of playing the low C, an instrument for which both the Concerto KV 299 and the pieces in this manuscript are written, and which was rare, if not unique, at that time in Paris, where flutes could only reach as low as D, borne out by Mozart’s other works for the instrument. The lessons were suspended when Mademoiselle de Guînes was married, on 26 July.
This seemingly modest notebook comprising 44 pages is a precious resource for learning about Mozart’s approach to teaching composition, and is the earliest evidence we have of this kind. It contains the type of exercises that Mozart describes minutely in a letter to his father dated 14 May 1778, in which he deplores his pupil’s lack of musical invention, a deficiency she herself, it seems, was the first to acknowledge.
The last exercise in the notebook, however, remains unfinished and the final six pages are blank, suggesting that it contains the last lessons Mozart ever taught. The manuscript bears the same stamps as a French copy of the Concerto for Flute and Harp from the same period, which had long gone unnoticed and was only brought to the attention of specialists in 2020. These two documents bear witness to the ‘two packets of music’ confiscated from the Duc de Guînes’ residence on the Rue de Varenne on 4 May 1794, which were added to the Library’s collections the following year.
Apart from a few exercises written entirely in Mademoiselle de Guînes’ hand, the contributions of teacher and pupil are interwoven throughout in varying proportions. Six of the pieces for flute and harp are complete and will supplement the repertoire for this collection. These pieces, all of which, it is fair to say, start from ideas put forward by Mozart himself, may have influenced the unequivocal judgement he expressed in a letter of 9 July regarding his pupil’s incompetence at composition.
Radio France brings the score to life
This newly discovered work, recorded this week at the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique, will be performed in public for the first time on 21 June in the Salle Ovale at the BnF’s Richelieu site by two musicians from the Orchestre Philharmonique Radio France: Mathilde Caldérini, principal flute solo, and Nicolas Tulliez, harpist. The performance will also mark the world premiere of the manuscript.
Excerpts from the recording will be aired as a world premiere during the France Musique morning programme on Monday 22 June from 8am. Joining presenter Jean-Baptiste Urbain will be Gilles Pécout, President of the BnF, Sibyle Veil, President and Chief Executive of Radio France, and Michel Orier, Director of Music and Creation at Radio France. The complete work will be broadcast exclusively on France Musique at 3pm on 22 June on Lionel Esparza’s programme Relax! as part of a special “Mozart in Paris show”
Sibyle Veil, President and Chief Executive of Radio France: “It is an exceptional honour for any musical ensemble to bring a forgotten work by Mozart back to life. That this world premiere should be entrusted to the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France is a testament to the excellence of its musicians and their commitment to the transmission of our musical heritage. With this world premiere, Radio France fully reasserts its public service mission - to bring great works to life, to support creation and to share the moments that mark the history of music with the widest possible audience.”
Autograph manuscripts by Mozart at the BnF
The Department of Music at the BnF contains the largest collection of autograph musical manuscripts by Mozart in the world, outside Salzburg - the birthplace of Mozart and home to the Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum - and the Staatsbibliothek in Berlin. The majority of Mozart’s 45 manuscripts, including Don Giovanni and Concerto for piano and orchestra no 23, were donated or bequeathed to the library of the Paris Conservatoire, where the collections are now integrated with the Conservatoire’s overall holdings. Two of Mozart’s manuscripts, however, have been held at the Bibliothèque nationale from the outset - the concert aria Conservati fedele, KV 23, and this newly-discovered manuscript.