Why This New Manuscript is 'The Most Important Mozart Discovery in Decades'

Summary

Podcast Summary:

All Of It with Alison Stewart – "Why This New Manuscript is 'The Most Important Mozart Discovery in Decades'"
Host: David Fuerst (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Emmy Ferguson (flutist, composer, and WQXR host)
Air Date: July 2, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the astonishing discovery of seven previously unknown Mozart compositions, found in a centuries-old notebook at the National Library of France. The discussion centers on what makes this find so monumental for classical music, how it broadens our understanding of Mozart as both a composer and teacher, and its special significance for flute and harp players around the world. Emmy Ferguson, an acclaimed flutist and Mozart enthusiast, joins the show to unpack the implications and emotional resonance of this "new Mozart drop."

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Discovery: Context and Significance

• Background:

  • On June 19, 2026, the National Library of France announced the discovery of a notebook containing seven never-before-heard works attributed to Mozart, written for flute and harp, two instruments for which he wrote very little.
  • The notebook belonged to Marie Louise, a French noblewoman and student of Mozart, and dates back 248 years.

• Significance for Musicians:

  • "This is super exciting for us. We flute players and harp players were thrilled to hear that there are seven new short works by Mozart for us." (Emmy Ferguson, 02:33)
  • "Anytime that the world is celebrating classical music and this kind of brilliant discovery is always really exciting for the community." (Emmy Ferguson, 02:38)

• Authentication:

  • The manuscripts were swiftly authenticated after being found in February 2026.
  • "This notebook has been in the holdings of the French National Library for centuries now...when the French Revolution happened, his manuscripts were confiscated and put into the library where they've been waiting for years and years to be discovered." (Emmy Ferguson, 04:30)
  • "This has been authenticated. It was a pretty fast turnaround." (Emmy Ferguson, 05:10)

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Debunking Mozart Myths

• Did Mozart Dislike the Flute?

  • Ferguson addresses the enduring rumor that Mozart disliked the flute, referencing a single letter as the likely source but cautioning against interpreting it as gospel:
    • "I don't think anyone who wrote an opera called the Magic Flute can hate the flute or dislike it that much." (Emmy Ferguson, 03:06)
    • "If we were to look at all of our text messages today and take them as gospel, you know, one fleeting, you know, frustration from one day would then make all flute players in the future to think about that..." (Emmy Ferguson, 03:34)

• Forgery or AI-generated?

  • Ferguson confidently dismisses the idea that the discovery could be a forgery or AI fabrication, pointing to the provenance and security of the materials.

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The Music: What Makes It Mozart?

• Musical Similarities:

  • The newly discovered pieces have striking similarities to Mozart's celebrated Concerto for Flute and Harp.
    • "You can hear those scales going up and down. That is the really familiar reminder and a great way to also say, like, hey, I think this could actually be Mozart." (Emmy Ferguson, 06:23)
    • "Any flute player or harp player sort of immediately recognizes those patterns that are a hallmark of Mozart's writing." (Emmy Ferguson, 07:06)

• Collaboration in Composition:

  • The notebook is likely a collaborative teaching tool, with sections composed by both Mozart and his pupil.
    • "Maybe they're not quite so fleshed out. Maybe they're taken in a slightly different direction because Marie Louise was the one who was doing that particular section..." (Emmy Ferguson, 07:24)

• Awaiting Manuscripts:

  • Full public access to the manuscripts will clarify which passages are Mozart’s and which are his student’s, providing a window onto their creative process.

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Cultural and Historical Impact

• Rare Addition for Flute and Harp Repertoires:

  • "For me, what's really special is that these are two of the oldest melodic instruments in the world. We find examples of flutes and harps in almost every civilization throughout history." (Emmy Ferguson, 08:14)
  • The discovery not only excites classical musicians but also connects global traditions across time.

• Performance and Transmission:

  • Musicians are already attempting to transcribe and play the works by ear, with anticipation running high for official editions.
  • The works offer rare insight into Mozart’s 22-year-old self—“fresh out of undergrad”—and his teaching of composition.

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Insight on Mozart as a Teacher

• Teaching Style through Manuscripts:
  • "We all get to sort of cosplay as a Mozart student by going into these manuscripts and seeing what it might have been like." (Emmy Ferguson, 10:12)
  • Comparisons are made to other teaching notebooks from Mozart’s life, promising new understandings of his mentorship style and high standards.

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Personal Reactions & Community Excitement

• Where Were You When…
  • Ferguson describes her genuine reaction upon learning about the discovery:
    • "I was scrolling through Instagram and saw the video and sort of stopped in my track. This is really incredible." (Emmy Ferguson, 10:56)
  • The clandestine world premiere in France was prepared under secrecy, evoking the drama and excitement of a pop star’s surprise album drop:
    • "This was a big drop in the classical world, you know, akin to, you know, a new Beyonce album dropping. That's what this was for us." (Emmy Ferguson, 11:13)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It's not every day that a long dead composer drops a new single.” (David Fuerst, 01:27)
• “I don't think anyone who wrote an opera called the Magic Flute can hate the flute...” (Emmy Ferguson, 03:06)
• “This was a big drop in the classical world, you know, akin to...a new Beyonce album dropping.” (Emmy Ferguson, 11:13)
• “We all get to sort of cosplay as a Mozart student by going into these manuscripts and seeing what it might have been like.” (Emmy Ferguson, 10:12)

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Key Timestamps

• 01:27 – Introduction to the discovery; guest Emmy Ferguson joins
• 02:24 – Classical music world reaction
• 03:06 – Did Mozart dislike the flute?
• 04:30 – Provenance and authentication of the notebook
• 06:06 – Broadcast of the newly discovered piece
• 07:06 – Elements in the music that identify it as Mozart
• 08:14 – The significance of new music for flute and harp
• 10:12 – Insights into Mozart’s teaching from the manuscripts
• 10:56 – Emmy’s personal reaction to the discovery
• 11:13 – The cultural resonance of the “big drop”

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Conclusion

This episode captures the cultural, emotional, and historical impact of the Mozart manuscript discovery with engaging, expert commentary from Emmy Ferguson. For musicians and music lovers alike, it’s a remarkable moment—one that broadens the living legacy of Mozart, reframes him as mentor as well as maestro, and unites performers worldwide in joyous anticipation.

Transcript

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[David Fuerst]

It's all of it on wnyc. I'm David Fuerst in for Alison Stewart. It's not every day that a long dead composer drops a new single. But that's sort of what happened on Friday, June 19 when the National Library of France announced the discovery of seven new Mozart compositions. The music was found in a 248-year-old anonymous untitled notebook that belonged to one of Mozart's pupils, a French noblewoman. She played the harp and her father, the Duke of Guisn, was an accomplished flute player. So the pieces were an especially rare find as very little of Mozart's work was written for flute and harp musicians around the world excited to get the chance to hear and play these new pieces. And joining us now to discuss this discovery is flutist, composer and WNYC host Emmy Ferguson. Emmy, welcome to all of it.

[Commercial Announcer]

Hi.

[Emmy Ferguson]

Thank you so much for having me today.

[David Fuerst]

So when this news came out, what was the immediate reaction like in your circles and within the classical music world as a whole?

[Emmy Ferguson]

Oh, well, in my circles it was revelatory. This is super exciting for us. We flute players and harp players were thrilled to hear that there are seven new short works by Mozart for us. And anytime that the world is celebrating classical music and this kind of brilliant discovery is always really exciting for the community.

[David Fuerst]

And he did not write much for the flute and it's sort of because. Is it true that he didn't like the flute very much?

[Emmy Ferguson]

Ooh, I don't know.

[David Fuerst]

That was a deep gasp.

[Emmy Ferguson]

It is a deep gasp. It's funny. I don't think anyone who wrote an opera called the Magic Flute can hate the flute or dislike it that much. But you know, we have this one letter from Mozart to his father complaining about the gentleman who commissioned his flute concertos, the first and second flute concertos and his flute quartets, saying that, oh, you know, I just cannot stand to write music for an instrument that I don't like. And we don't know the context of this letter whether he was complaining about someone that he didn't particularly like working for or who wasn't a particularly great performer. I like to think that maybe it was a moment of frustration that he was just venting. And if we were to look at all of our text messages today and take them as gospel, you know, one fleeting, you know, frustration from one day would then make all flute players in

[David Fuerst]

the future to think about that, we'll overlook this letter. We'll focus on the Magic Flute instead. I like that. By the way, is there any speculation that these were not actually long lost Mozart pieces but the work of another composer or maybe an AI prompt and then snuck into this notebook to try to disguise is some new Mozart discovery?

[Emmy Ferguson]

I don't think there's any speculation. This notebook has been in the holdings of the French National Library for centuries now. I think it arrived there during the French Revolution. The commissioner and the father of the co collaborator in this notebook. The notebook is a collaboration between Mozart and a student of his was aligned with Marie Antoinette. And so when the French Revolution happened, his manuscripts were confiscated and put into the library where they've been waiting for years and years to be discovered.

[David Fuerst]

And this has been authenticated?

[Emmy Ferguson]

This has been authenticated. It was a pretty fast turnaround. I think February was when it was found. And since then scholars and researchers have done everything they can to get it authenticated.

[David Fuerst]

Well, let's hear some of the actual music. This is a radio performance of one of these new pieces. Here it is it. You have mentioned that this piece sounds similar to another Mozart work, the Concerto for Flute and Harp, is that right?

[Emmy Ferguson]

Yeah. The Concerto for Flute and Harp is one of the most iconic works in our repertoire and one that is familiar to a lot of classical listeners, specifically for its gorgeous second movement. But the selection that you just heard, which is from one of the compositions in this newly discovered notebook, has some similarities to the first movement of the Mozart Flute and Harp Concerto, which was written for this father daughter duo. Around the same time, you can hear those scales going up and down. That is the really familiar reminder and a great way to also say, like, hey, I think this could actually be Mozart.

[David Fuerst]

And just in case I called you by accident, a WNYC host. You're a WQXR host. You can do both. You know, you're hosting right now. This counts. So is there something that, you know, you mentioned, there's some similarities there. So you can hear some. Something in this performance that indicates for you that this is Mozart's writing?

[Emmy Ferguson]

Absolutely. You hear that? And I think any flute player or harp player sort of immediately recognizes those patterns that are a hallmark of Mozart's writing. And when you listen to all seven of these different short vignettes that Mozart and his student wrote together, you start to hear other similarities. Maybe they're not quite so fleshed out. Maybe they're taken in a slightly different direction because Marie Louise was the one who was doing that particular section. We don't yet have the manuscripts available to look at. So once we finally get to be able to see these documents, the public can be able to see these documents, then we'll be able to get a better sense of where Mozart's writing started and where Marie Louise's writing continued and vice versa. And we get a much clearer picture of the tapestry of this collaborative composition.

[David Fuerst]

These pieces, all written for flute and harp, mean for you as a flutist, what is special about. About getting new pieces for this lineup, this combination of instruments?

[Emmy Ferguson]

Yeah, well, for me, what's really special is that these are two of the oldest melodic instruments in the world. We find examples of flutes and harps in almost every civilization throughout history. And so this is another wonderful touch point in that legacy that we can point to that I think really unites only flute and harp players who perform the music of Mozart, but flute and harp players from all around the world of all different genres and all different backgrounds. And so it's just really, really exciting.

[David Fuerst]

I know you said you're waiting for the manuscript, but are people already starting to perform this, this work and start learning it?

[Emmy Ferguson]

Well, I think you could listen and transcribe it, but I think Having access to the music will be very huge because one people will be able to get to perform it, but have even more of a sense of Mozart's personality, his teaching style, which historically we have another set of teaching notebooks with an English composer, Thomas Atwood, that have given us a really robust understanding of Mozart seven years after in Vienna and sort of what his teaching style was. But how we have a 22 year old Mozart. You know, think about someone fresh out of undergrad going into sort of one of their first teaching jobs and having to figure out what is it that I'm going to work on with this student and how do I impart the things that are important. You see that, you see his frustrations. We also see his frustrations in his letters to his father where he also complains about the quality of composition of Marie Louise and how she's just, she has no good ideas.

[David Fuerst]

Wow.

[Emmy Ferguson]

So we'll, we'll get a lot.

[David Fuerst]

Is there something we can learn from these manuscripts about Mozart the teacher as opposed to Mozart the composer?

[Emmy Ferguson]

Absolutely. And I think that's what's so important for us all to remember, is that we are all students of Mozart today. We all learn Mozart from when we were quite young. And as a general public we hear Mozart's music in so many different ways. But now we all get to sort of cosplay as a Mozart student by going into these manuscripts and seeing what it might have been like. And you know, I'm sure he was a very hard teacher because his standards were so high.

[David Fuerst]

I'm just trying to picture where you were when you heard about this news and where you were when you were listening to it. Just what that moment was like for you.

[Emmy Ferguson]

Yeah, I think I was scrolling through Instagram and it came up with the video when they announced all of this and the recording you heard a few minutes ago, they had a beautiful performance in France of these seven excerpts. And the musicians had been cloistered and rehearsing this in secret leading up to the performance because they didn't want it to leak. You know, this is, this was a big drop in the classical world, you know, akin to, you know, a new Beyonce album dropping. That's what this was for us. So I was scrolling through Instagram and saw the video and sort of stopped in my track. This is really incredible.

[David Fuerst]

Well, let's finish with some more of that new Beyonce. I mean, new Mozart ludus. Composer and WQXR host Emmy Ferguson. Thanks so much for joining us.

[Emmy Ferguson]

Thank you.

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[Emmy Ferguson]

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