A previously lost manuscript of a piece that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed in his early teenage years took the classical music community and the world by surprise when researchers discovered it at the Leipzig Municipal Library in Germany. Shortly after the piece's discovery, a string trio played it publicly for the first time in 230 years on Sept. 21, 2024. Characteristic of this generation’s online culture, the discovery and performance created a micro-trend on social media.
This reaction challenges the perceptions of classical music’s relevance in today's world.
In the days after the announcement from the Leipzig library, thousands of videos about the piece appeared on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, where millennials and members of Generation Z reacted to the rediscovery with memes and humorous references to 18th-century culture. Some shared videos as if a modern musician had dropped a new single. Hypothetical reactions, such as Beethoven’s supposed reaction to the news, surged. In an unprecedented way, this rediscovered work garnered immense attention and popularity with younger generations.
In recent decades, many have argued that classical music is either dying or already dead, claiming that musicians should focus more on new musical trends, popular genres and emerging cultures that younger audiences resonate with. Additionally, older generations have frequently criticized younger generations’ lack of appreciation for older genres of music, such as classical music.
This lack of interest could be attributed to easy music accessibility through streaming platforms and internet archives. Since young people are able to listen to classical music from their phones whenever they want, they don’t need to go to a concert hall to listen to or discover classical music. This is a double-edged sword since it increases accessibility to repertoire but also decreases attendance to live performances. The lack of interest in live classical music performances and a focus on modern music artists has led many to believe that classical music is not relevant or important to younger audiences.
However, this reaction to Mozart’s “latest” music raises questions about the validity of those claims and demonstrates that classical music is still important to younger audiences.
In addition to the reaction to Mozart’s new piece, there is other evidence that classical music is still on the radar of younger generations. Online trends and aesthetics such as dark academia and minimalism have created a relationship between younger generations and classical music, in part because of soundtracks from films such as “Dead Poets Society” and shows such as “Wednesday.” The interest in these aesthetics has directed composers such as Phillip Glass to make music that matches those aesthetics. Other musicians, such as Laufey, mix “dead genres” like classical music and jazz with modern features to make refreshing music that creates curiosity about the genres. These trends may have created an interest in classical music in younger generations, which could be why so many people reacted to the “new release” by Mozart.
Regardless of why younger generations are interested in this new piece, the important thing is that people are talking about it! Classical music—or “art music,” as some prefer to call it—might have another chance to stay relevant and significantly impact this century. Although younger people might not talk about classical music as much as they talk about more recent genres like pop or indie, this wave of reactions to Mozart’s rediscovered piece demonstrates that they also appreciate classical music and understand its importance and impactfulness. Even though younger generations may not be as interested in live performances because of the capabilities of music streaming, it just takes the right strategies to expose younger audiences to more musical repertoire and expand their knowledge of classical music. The phenomenon of Mozart’s “new release” and the reaction that it garnered demonstrates that classical music is still alive in today’s world.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.