In a move that is the stuff of nightmares for journaling teenagers everywhere, the British Library has made Mozart’s musical diary digitally available to the public.

The diary isn’t the kind that might include drafts of some of Mozart’s dirtiest or most irreverent jokes. It is actually a thematic catalogue of his music — specifically works completed between 1784 and December 1791 (the month of his death).

Notes on and the opening bars for “Piu Non Si Trovano” and two famed symphonies — No. 40 in G minor, and No. 41 in C, “Jupiter.” (British Library)

 

It’s a fascinating record of his creative output in the composer’s own hand. The pages on the left list the titles of the work and relevant information, such as instrumentation and for whom it was written. On the right, directly across from each, are the opening bars of the piece itself.

A chorus Mozart wrote for an opera by his contemporary Giuseppe Sarti dated April 20, 1791. There is no known surviving source for the work. (British Library)

The Library’s description points out that the notebook’s cover indicates Mozart’s intention to someday catalog all of his works — a project cut short by his early death. Additionally, he made several entries for pieces that have been unfortunately lost to time.

Via