Whatever happened to Mozart's symphonies #42 thru #54?

It's not a dumb question at all - the cataloguing and re-cataloguing of Mozart's works over the last 150 years can be a source of real confusion.

Mozart wrote more than 50 symphonies. Some early ones have only been discovered relatively recently, while one or two were mistakenly attributed to him which were written by other composers. When Ludwig von Köchel put the original Mozart catalogue together in 1862 only 41 numbered symphonies were listed. Curiously, Köchel also listed several symphonies to which history never attached numbers. Of these numbered works, 'No 2' is actually a work by Johann Christian Bach and 'No 3' is by Carl Friedrich Abel. 'No 37' is a symphony by Michael Haydn (the 'famous' Haydn's younger brother), with only the slow introduction to the first movement being by Mozart. So, already the confusion is setting in - of the 41 numbered symphonies, Mozart only wrote 38 of them! Some (but not all) early symphonies have, rather misleadingly, been given the numbers after 42 to 55 (although this is not a universally-accepted practice), but NOT, puzzlingly, a 'No 49' or a 'No 53'. In chronological order (the original catalogue got quite a few in the wrong order!), Mozart's known symphonies are as follows:

Symphony No 1 in E flat K 16

Symphony in A minor K 16a (lost until 1983)

Symphony No 4 in D K 19

Symphony in F major K 19a (lost until 1981)

Symphony No 5 in B flat K 22

Symphony in D major K 32

Symphony in G major K 45a (two versions)(Alte Lambach)

Symphony No 6 K 43

Symphony No 7 K 45

Symphony No 7a K 45a

Symphony in B flat K 45b ('No 55')

Symphony No 8 K 48

Symphony No 9 K 73

Symphony in F major K 76 ('No 43')

Symphony in D major K 81 ('No 44')

Symphony in D major K 97 ('No 47')

Symphony in D major K 95 ('No 45')

Symphony No 11 K 84

Symphony in D major K 111a

Symphony No 10 K 74

Symphony in B flat K Anh 216 (C11.03)('No 54')

Symphony in F major K 75 ('No 42')

Symphony in D major K 74a

Symphony No 12 K 110

Symphony in D major K 120 ('No 48')

Symphony in C major K 96/111b ('No 46')

Symphony No 13 K 112

Symphony No 14 K 114

Symphony No 15 K 124

Symphony No 16 K 128

Symphony No 17 K 129

Symphony No 18 K 130

Symphony No 19 K 132

Symphony in D major K 167a

Symphony No 20 K 133

Symphony No 21 K 134

Symphony in D major K 135

Symphony in D major K 161/163 ('No 50')

Symphony No 26 K 184

Symphony No 27 K 199

Symphony No 22 K 162

Symphony No 23 K 181

Symphony No 24 K 182

Symphony No 25 K 183

Symphony No 29 K 201

Symphony No 30 K 202

Symphony No 28 K 200

Symphony in D major K 121/196 ('No 51')

Symphony No 31 K 297 (Paris)

Symphony in C major K 208 ('No 52')

Symphony No 32 K 318

Symphony No 33 K 319

Symphony No 34 K 338

Symphony No 35 K 385 (Haffner)

Symphony No 36 K 425 (Linz)

Symphony No 38 K 504 (Prague)

Symphony No 39 K 543

Symphony No 40 K 550

Symphony No 41 K 551 (Jupiter)

Curiously, there is no Symphony 'No 49' or 'No 53'!

Mozart didn't write any symphonies past No.41. No.37 is K.444 and is probably not by Mozart. (As are 2 and 3). Only 39 symphonic works are confirmed as being by Mozart.

The ones numbered above No.41 are doubtful whether they are by Mozart and a few are incomplete or spurious. See the wikipedia article:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart_symphonies_of_...

Numbers 42 and up are early works that were discovered long after the rest of the cataloging had been finished. You don't hear them much because, frankly, they're juvenile works and not that great. My local classical radio station plays one now and then.