Mozart / Nannerl (Maria Anna Mozart) — Investigation

Status: Investigating. Hypothesis: Wolfgang’s sister Nannerl composed works attributed to him; her manuscripts were lost, destroyed, or appropriated.

Overview

Maria Anna Mozart (1751–1829), “Nannerl,” was Wolfgang’s older sister. Contemporary accounts describe her as “every bit as gifted a child prodigy” as her brother. Her career was curtailed by gender; her compositions did not survive.

Supporting Evidence (Deep Dive)

Wolfgang Credited Nannerl as His Teacher

Letter (1777): Wolfgang to Nannerl: “Dearest sister, if I have any skill at writing notes, it is you who taught me the slightest improvement.”
Interpretation: He explicitly credits her with teaching him composition. Pedagogical influence = potential compositional influence.

Leopold’s Letters — “My Daughter’s Sonatas”

Leopold referred to “my daughter’s sonatas” in correspondence.
Quote: “If only these were preserved, the world would know that my daughter possesses a mind and heart worthy of her brother.”
Implication: Nannerl composed sonatas. They were NOT preserved.

Manuscripts — Lost, Destroyed, or Appropriated

Serenademagazine: “Some scholars posit that these works were deliberately destroyed or allowed to deteriorate, victims of the era’s disregard for female compositional craft.”
Alternative: “appropriated or overwritten in careless copying.”
No authenticated Nannerl manuscripts survive.

Nannerl Notenbuch — Shared Notebook, Leopold’s Hand

Leopold created the notebook for Nannerl; it contained Wolfgang’s earliest compositions.
Leopold wrote most pieces; Wolfgang penned only four. Many works are in Leopold’s handwriting — attribution to Wolfgang is inferred, not proven.
NYT (2009): Two pieces attributed to Wolfgang (age 7–8) were in Leopold’s hand; Neal Zaslaw called it “highly plausible” but not “beyond reasonable doubt.”

Jane Glover (1986) — Nannerl’s Influence on Wolfgang

Scholar argued Nannerl’s influence “permeated Wolfgang’s work.”
“Certain playful minuets, intricate ornaments and expressive adagios” bear “the hallmarks of a sister who both taught and inspired her brother.”

Career Asymmetry

Nannerl toured Europe 1762–1766; praised for “clarity of touch, refined ornamentation.”
At 18, Leopold forced her to stop touring; she was redirected to “housekeeping.”
Wolfgang continued; Nannerl’s virtuosity confined to domestic sphere.
Pattern: Same as Fanny Mendelssohn — brother’s career prioritized; sister’s work suppressed.

Parallel: Fanny Mendelssohn

Six of Fanny’s songs published under Felix’s name (Opus 8, 9).
“Easter Sonata” lost 140 years; initially attributed to Felix; correctly identified as Fanny’s in 2010.
Felix presented Fanny’s song to Queen Victoria as his own; “red faces” when she said it was her favorite.

Open Questions

Which Wolfgang works, if any, may incorporate Nannerl’s material?
Were pieces in the Nannerl Notenbuch by Nannerl and later attributed to Wolfgang?
Full extent of Leopold’s role — scribe, editor, or composer?

Sources

Keywords: #Mozart #Nannerl #Maria #Anna