Nannerl's Music Book

Mozart's Family / Nannerl's Music Book

 

The Nannerl Notenbuch, or Notenbuch für Nannerl (English: Nannerl's Music Book) is a book in which Leopold Mozart wrote pieces for his daughter, Maria Anna Mozart (known as "Nannerl"), to learn and play. It was written from 1759 to about 1764, when Mozart was 3 to 8 years old. His son Wolfgang also used the book in which his earliest compositions were recorded (some penned by his father). 

The book contains simple short keyboard (typically harpsichord) pieces, suitable for beginners; there are many anonymous minuets, some works by Leopold, and a few works by other composers including Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and the Austrian composer Georg Christoph Wagenseil. There are also some technical exercises, a table of intervals, and some modulating figured basses. 

Interesting link (22 videos) by Ivan Rolon Piano:  Nannerl's Music Book. I-XXIII (no video for XX)

Refer to the Table of Contents that summarises the contents of the notebook, here. 

(Apology, this link is no longer available at Youtube. 6 April 2024.)  Leopold Mozart - Nannerl Notenbuch, Volume #1, No 1 - 32. Completely created using virtual instruments. Instrumentation: Harpsichord. Composition Year: 1759 to about 1764. Movements: 32. YouTube, uploaded by Midi Mozart. Accessed October 28, 2020. 

Wolfgang A. Mozart's earliest compositions at the age of 5. These are the first 5 completed pieces of music that he wrote, short pieces performed on the harpsichord. Kochel Catalogue n°1. YouTube, uploaded by fabonino1. Accessed October 28, 2020.

Wolfgang Mozart's Compositions in the Book 

1. Andante in C, K. 1a. 

2. Allegro in C, K. 1b. 

3. Allegro in F, K. 1c. 

4. Minuet in F, K. 1d. 

5. Minuet in G, K. 1e. 

6. Minuet in C, K. 1f. 

7. Minuet in F, K. 2.

8. Allegro in B-flat, K. 3. 

9. Minuet in F, K. 4. 

10. Minuet in F "Triolen-Menuett", K. 5. 

11. Klavierstück in C, K. 5a. 

12. Andante in B-flat, K. 5b

The notebook originally contained 48 bound pages of music paper, but only 36 pages remain, with some of the missing 12 pages identified in other collections. Because of the simplicity of the pieces it contains, the book is often used to provide instruction to beginning piano players. 

 

Resources: 

Nannerl Notenbuch. en.wikipedia.org. Accessed October 28, 2020.  

Wolfgang Amadeus Book / Nannerl's Music Book. Pianoshelf. Accessed October 28, 2020

(c) October 2020. Updated April 6, 2024. Tel. Inspired Pen. All rights reserved.