Mozart's Sister

Maria Anna Mozart was a musical prodigy just like her younger brother Wolfgang. Although the children toured Europe together, once Maria Anna came of age, she was left behind while her brother became a star. But controversial new evidence suggests she may have contributed to her brother’s earliest works while a global search for her compositions continues.

For researcher Martin Jarvis OAM, the childhood notebook Leopold Mozart used to teach his children, Maria Anna and Wolfgang, how to write and play music is the key to solving two ongoing mysteries: Did Maria Anna contribute to Mozart’s earliest work? And did she, too, compose music?

Roughly 700 letters written by members of the Mozart family have been preserved. Siblings Wolfgang and Maria Anna Mozart kept up regular correspondence while he was touring Europe, but only fragments of a handful written by Maria Anna still exist today. In at least one letter, Wolfgang praises his sister’s musical compositions — but written copies have never been found.