The Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) has identified a previously unknown autograph manuscript by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Dating from Mozart’s final stay in Paris in 1778, the document was discovered in February 2026 in the BnF’s Music Department. It comprises most of a 44-page notebook containing composition exercises and musical pieces that Mozart prepared for his pupil Marie-Louise-Philippine de Guînes, a gifted harpist and daughter of the Duc de Guînes.
According to leading Mozart scholars, the discovery ranks among the most significant of recent decades. The manuscript not only provides new insights into Mozart’s time in Paris but also offers a rare glimpse into his work as a composition teacher. Its authenticity has been confirmed by specialists at the BnF as well as by Armin Brinzing, Director of the Bibliotheca Mozartiana at the Mozarteum Salzburg.
The notebook documents the lessons Mozart gave to Marie-Louise de Guînes between May and July 1778. In addition to composition exercises, it contains seven pieces for flute and harp, making it the earliest known source to illuminate Mozart’s pedagogical approach. Particularly remarkable is the way the manuscript preserves the direct interaction between teacher and pupil, allowing their respective contributions to be traced throughout the notebook.
“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", said Gilles Pécout, President of the BnF.
Radio France brings the score to life
The newly discovered work was recorded this week at the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique and will receive its first public performance on 21 June at 5:00 p.m. in the Oval Hall of the Bibliothèque nationale de France’s Richelieu site.
The performance will feature two musicians of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France: Mathilde Calderini, principal flute solo and Nicolas Tulliez, harpist.
The performance will also mark the world premiere of the manuscript. Excerpts from the recording will be broadcast for the first time on 22 June during the morning programme on France Musique.
