Strep Throat Likely Killed Mozart

(NEWSER) - Two pieces by a 7- or 8-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart went undiscovered for more than a century because they were written in his father Leopold’s hand, the New York Times reports. Austrian researchers have disclosed new details about the works after announcing the finding in July: The music consists of parts of a piano prelude and a concerto, and was hastily scrawled in the back of Mozart’s sister’s practice book. More»

Two piano pieces surface in Austria

(NEWSER) - Two pieces of music found in the vaults of the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, Austria, have been confirmed as the work of Mozart himself, the BBC reports. The compositions are for solo piano, but other details are being kept under wraps until a formal announcement next month, said a foundation spokeswoman. They will eventually be performed on Mozart's original fortepiano. More»

David Garrett loves Metallica, sets world records

(NEWSER) - He covers Michael Jackson songs, and considers Mozart and Metallica equally influential—David Garrett is not your average classically trained violinist, but perhaps that’s why his self-titled debut has sat atop the classical crossover charts for three weeks. The German-born 28-year-old—who modeled on the side during his time at Juilliard—has been called the “David Beckham of classical music,” CNN reports—and he’s fast, too. More»

Melodic sketch was part of a collection given to a Nantes library in early 1800s

(NEWSER) - A single-page musical score located in a French library has been confirmed as a Mozart original, the Telegraph reports. “Mozart's handwriting is clearly identifiable,” an expert said. “There's no doubt that this is an original piece handwritten by Mozart.” The notation is for a melody only, with no orchestrations, but “one can really get a feeling of what Mozart meant,” he said. More»

Mixed-gender concert signals opening to outside world

(NEWSER) - Mozart hasn't challenged cultural taboos for more than 200 years, but last night he caused quite a stir in Saudi Arabia. A German-based quartet gave the nation its first public classical concert where men were allowed to hear Mozart and sit next to, gasp, women. "The concert is a sign that things are changing rapidly here," a German ambassador told the AP. More»