078 Mozart, Pergolesi and Alison

 

The choir was rehearsing the Pergolesi Stabat Mater and Alison Robertson (Head of Choir) was studying Mozart's Requiem for 'A' level Music. She spotted the same theme used by Mozart in an Amen as she sang to different words in choir practice. You can't just jump in and claim all sorts of things in academic circles, so we wrote a letter to Music and Letters - an academic periodical - to test the theory that Mozart might be a plagiarist. The editor was interested and asked a few scholars, and the consensus was that Alison's discovery was original.

 

Mozart didn't need to steal themes, as Alison says on camera, but it made a good story and good publicity always helped school.

 

Alison was very busy for a few weeks - phone interviews, Radio 4 and TV appearances, from all over the world. In fact, I think she was quite glad when it was all over, and she could return to her studies. But with this revelation written up as her elective project for 'A' level, could the grade ever be in doubt? She went on the read Music at Edinburgh University I think.