Symphony in B♭ major (lost, doubtful), K. 66e
par Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart’s Symphony in B♭ major (K. 66e) is a lost work traditionally dated to 1769, when he was 13, but modern scholarship treats the attribution as doubtful. With no surviving score, it stands chiefly as a tantalizing name in the documentary record rather than a performable symphony [1] [2].
Mozart's Life at the Time
In 1769, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was 13 and living primarily in Salzburg, still under the close guidance of Leopold Mozart while preparing for the first Italian journey that would begin later that year (December 1769) [3]. K. 66e is usually placed in this Salzburg context, though the place of origin remains uncertain, and the work’s very authenticity is now regarded as doubtful [1].
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Musical Character
Because no score is known to survive, K. 66e cannot be described securely in terms of movements, orchestration, or thematic material. It is listed as a Symphony in B♭ major among a small cluster of lost symphonies whose attributions are uncertain; in practice, this makes K. 66e more useful as evidence of how Mozart’s early symphonic catalog was transmitted and sometimes misattributed than as a window onto his compositional technique at 13 [1] [2].
[1] Wikipedia: list and notes on Mozart symphonies of spurious or doubtful authenticity (includes K. 66e as doubtful/lost).
[2] Wikipedia: overview list noting that K. 66c/66d/66e are lost and of uncertain attribution.
[3] Wikipedia: Mozart biography for broad chronological context (Salzburg in 1769; first Italian journey begins December 1769).