This list of Mozart symphonies of spurious or doubtful authenticity contains 39 symphonic works whose initial attribution to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has subsequently been proved spurious, or is the subject of continuing doubt. The number of symphonies actually written by Mozart is imprecisely known; of the 41 formally numbered, three (Nos. 2, 3 and 37) are established as by other composers and another, No. 11 (K. 84/73q), is considered by scholars to be of doubtful authenticity. Outside the accepted sequence 1–41, however, there are around twenty other genuine Mozart symphonies,This includes symphonies derived from opera overtures and from orchestral serenades. The Köchel numbers of these works are 19a; 35; 38; 45a; 46a; 46b; 62a; 62c; 74a; 74c; 111a; 135; 141a; 167a; 189b; 207a; 213a; 248b; 320; 383f. See Sadie, pp. 613–621 and beyond these, a larger number of problematic works which have not been authenticated as Mozart's. Some of these may be genuine; dubious works are often treated as authentic by the compilers of collected editions—eight (K. 76/42a in F major, K. Anh. 214/45b in B major, K. 81/73l in D major, K. 97/73m in D major, K. 95/73n in D major, K. 84/73q in D major, K. 75 in F major, and K. 96/111b in C major) are in the main body of the 1991 Neue Mozart-Ausgabe (NMA: English New Mozart Edition), and another two (K. Anh. 220/16a/Anh.C 11.18 in A minor and K. Anh. 216/Anh.C 11.03/74g in B major) are included in the supplementary 2000 volume of works of doubtful authenticity. Some, however, have long been accepted as the works of other composers, who in many instances have been positively identified.
Many of the authentication difficulties arise from early Mozart symphonies, where original autograph scores are missing. In some instances the main body of the work has been entirely lost, its identity being preserved only through an incipit (record of the opening few bars) cataloged by Breitkopf & Härtel, who published the Alte Mozart-Ausgabe (AMA) in 1883. The informal 18th century methods of publishing and distributing musical works caused additional confusion. Cataloging errors based on inadequate information, and an occasional over-eagerness to attribute new discoveries to Mozart has added to the problem. However, the "spurious and doubtful" list of symphonies is not fixed, as new evidence can sometimes lead to authentication; it can also throw doubt upon, or disqualify, symphonies once generally accepted as genuine Mozart.
Reasons for misattribution
There are numerous reasons why symphonic works have been misattributed to Mozart. For example: A habit of the youthful Mozart was to copy parts of the music of other composers, for his own study purposes. The later discoveries of music scores, or fragments, in Mozart's hand, sometimes led to the belief that the work was his. In particular this factor has led to confusion between the early symphonies of Wolfgang and those of his father Leopold, and also those of other composers in the Mozart circle such as Michael Haydn.See Zaslaw, pp. 41–42, pp. 399–401 and p. 384 Mozart, when a mature composer and performer, would sometimes include the work of another—usually young and struggling—composer in one of his regular symphony concerts. Although he would present the true composer to the audience, the work's tenuous association with Mozart would sometimes lead to a continuing belief that he was the composer.Zaslaw, pp. 392–93 Musical publishing and distribution methods were very lax in 18th century Europe, with manuscript versions of music being freely circulated. This could easily lead to confusion about authorship, and frequent misattribution.Zaslaw, p. 14 Early inaccuracies in identifying Mozart's works, for example by the Hamburg music dealer Johann Christoph Westphal, were carried forward into the later formal cataloguing by Breitkopf and Härtel and Köchel, and had a tendency to persist.Zaslaw, pp. 269–74 An unknown number of Mozart's works are lost. Occasional "finds" of late 18th century music, particularly in places which have association with Mozart through personal visits or concert performances, have sometimes been rather hastily attributed to him, only to be disqualified on the discovery of contrary evidence.See, for example, Kenyon pp. 153–54
Köchel catalogue: explanation The Köchel catalogue, generally accepted as the definitive listing of Mozart's works, was published by Ludwig von Köchel in 1862, and has been revised and updated on several subsequent occasions. The original catalogue, known as K1, listed incomplete or lost works in an appendix or "Anhang", without regard to chronological order. These works were identified by an "Anh.", not a "K" number. In the sixth edition of the catalogue (1964, K6), the Anhang was extended to include doubtful and spurious works, and this is retained in the latest edition (2024, K9). On the basis of the most recent research and discoveries, some of the old K1 Anhangs were promoted to "K" status, while others were relegated from the main catalogue into the K6 Anhang. However, as Neal Zaslaw (the editor of K9) pointed out,A Brief History of the Köchel Catalogue, Zaslaw, pp. 558–61 the K6 allocations between main listing and Anhang are not reliable indicators of authenticity or otherwise. Zaslaw deemed some of the divisions "arbitrary", and called for "clearer, more honest categories" for the problematic works.
"Deest" is used to identify works that have not been included in any of the Köchel catalogue versions, but which have at some stage in the past been thought of as Mozart compositions.
Mozart's symphonies of spurious authenticity YearTitleCommentsK. 17Anh. C11.021765?Symphony in B flat major "No. 2"(In AMA, Series VIII)4Attributed to Mozart in K1 on the basis of a 19th-century copy, and labelled his second symphony, the provenance of this work has since been questioned, chiefly on the grounds of low quality (Dearling calls it "rustic and rather awkward.") Current assumption is that it is not Wolfgang's, but could be a Leopold Mozart symphony.Zaslaw, pp. 36–39Dearling, p. 60 K. 18Anh. A511764?Symphony in E flat major "No. 3"(In AMA, Series VIII)(In NMA, Section 110 [for arrangements])3 Included in K1 as Mozart's third symphony, this has been identified as Symphony No. 18 by Carl Friedrich Abel, copied and re-orchestrated by Mozart in London, as an exercise.Dearling, pp. 57–60Zaslaw, p. 28, p. 42K. 444Anh. A531784?Symphony in G major "No. 37"(In AMA, Series VIII)(In NMA, Section 109 [for arrangements])3A symphony by Michael Haydn, Perger No. 16, for which Mozart wrote a 20-bar slow introduction and re-orchestrated the remainder. It was premiered in Linz at the same concert as Mozart's 36th ("Linz") symphony. Until 1907 the entire work was thought to be Mozart's, and it was frequently performed as his 37th.Zaslaw, pp. 391–92Dearling, p. 45, p. 143
Mozart's symphonies of doubtful authenticity YearTitleCommentsK. 15a–ssK. 15a–ss1764Keyboard sketches in E Flat major ("Symphony No. 0")4Mozart's London notebook contains 43 music sketches, catalogued K. 15a to K. 15ss. From four of these, Mozart scholar Neal Zaslaw has hypothesized a possible lost "London" symphony in four movements. The chief basis for this conjecture is his interpretation of remarks by Nannerl Mozart, quoted in Zaslaw, p. 17, but there is no independent evidence of the work's existence.Zaslaw, pp. 17–20Sadie (Mozart biography) p. 558K. 16bAnh. C11.011765Symphony in C major (LMV VII:C3)2, 3? This work from the London period exists only in sketch form, with the first two movements (an Allegro in C and an Andante in F) attributed to "Mozart"; the third movement (an Allegro in F) does not name a composer, and considering its key, cannot belong to the same work. The first movement matches an incipit of a lost symphony by Leopold Mozart (LMV VII:C3); the composer of the third movement is unknown.Dearling, p. 62, p. 209Zaslaw, pp. 41–42, p. 123NMA preface, x/29/3Anh. 220K. 16a(K9. Anh. C11.18)Unknown