How did musicologists identify works that were not actually composed by Joseph Haydn?

The widespread misattribution of works to Joseph Haydn stemmed from his immense popularity and the frequent copying and publishing of his music throughout Europe during his lifetime. For many years, this resulted in an enormous number of compositions being incorrectly credited to him.

It was not until the 1950s that dedicated musicological research began to systematically identify and remove these spurious attributions from his recognized output. This process involved rigorous scholarly analysis to distinguish his authentic compositions from those of his contemporaries. Efforts to establish a definitive, accurate catalog of his works continued well into the late 20th century to ensure his true musical legacy was properly documented.12