An unknown waltz by Chopin, written almost 200 years ago, was found in New York

Frederic Chopin

The curator of the Morgan Library and Museum in New York found an unknown waltz by the Polish composer Frederic Chopin in the collection of cultural relics.

The New York Times writes about it.

Robinson McClellan found the manuscript this spring deep in storage, among postcards and letters from famous artists and composers. Item No. 147turned out to be a sheet music – dim and small in size, with the title “Waltz” and a small signature “Chopin” at the top.

McClellan is a composer himself, but he did not recognize this piece by Chopin. He photographed the manuscript and played the waltz at home on a digital piano. The found waltz was “explosive” – ​​it began with quiet, dissonant notes that spilled into sharp chords. So McClellan sent a photo of the score to Jeffrey Kallberg, a leading Chopin researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, who said he had never seen the piece.

Unknown Chopin's waltz/The New York Times

After checking the paper and ink of the manuscript, analyzing the handwriting and musical style, as well as consulting with outside experts, the experts agreed that this piece is most likely an unknown waltz by Frédéric Chopin. He probably wrote it in 1830-1835, at the age of 20-25.

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The waltz differs from Chopin's other works, but it has characteristic features of the composer, so experts have no doubts about the authenticity of the work. It consists of 48 bars with repetition and lasts 80 seconds. Despite its brevity, the work is complete.

“It's not Chopin's most difficult piece, but it's one of the most authentic Chopin works imaginable,” said pianist Lan Lan, who performed the waltz for The New York Times at Steinway Hall in Manhattan.

Professor of music at Cambridge university's John Rink says the manuscript of the work may reflect Chopin's imagination, a creative flash before he had time to develop an idea. During his lifetime, the composer painted over mistakes with scribbles and ink blots and told friends that he wanted his works to be destroyed after his death. However, pianist Stephen Gough notes that Chopin might now be delighted to think that his music is still adored.

Frederick Chopin was born in the Polish village of Zhelyazova-Wola in 1810. From the age of 12 he played the piano, and at the age of 20 he moved to France and at the age of 22 he gave his first concert in Paris. During his life, he wrote about 250 works, among which, according to experts, 28 waltzes. He died at the age of 39 in Paris, probably from tuberculosis.

Frédéric Chopin