Previously Unknown Manuscript of Fryderyk Chopin’s Waltz Discovered in New York Museum

The Morgan Library & Museum announced that the discovered piece is concise yet complete. The waltz fits on a small slip of paper measuring 102 by 130 mm (4 by 5 inches), only slightly larger than a library catalog card, and lasts less than a minute.

According to the museum, Robinson McClellan, curator of music manuscripts, first noticed the manuscript in 2019 while cataloging the Arthur Satz Collection. McClellan found a small manuscript that he suspected might be by Chopin.

McClellan, aware that the Polish composer often wrote brief forms, noted this piece was shorter than usual. The museum states that the most remarkable aspect of the piece is its opening: several moody, dissonant measures conclude in a loud outburst, leading into a melancholy melody. None of Chopin's known waltzes begin this way, making the discovery even more intriguing.

McClellan consulted Professor Jeffrey Kallberg, a leading Chopin scholar at the University of Penn, to confirm his findings. Together with other international Chopin experts, they conducted extensive research, concluding this is indeed an unknown waltz by the composer.

Numerous pieces of evidence support this. Based on similarly sized Chopin manuscripts, the museum suggests it was likely intended as a gift for inclusion in an autograph album. While Chopin typically signed such gifts, this one is unsigned, suggesting he may have reconsidered and held it back.

According to the BBC, the manuscript includes Chopin's distinctive bass clef. McClellan informed the BBC that the waltz has minor rhythmic and notational errors, but he is confident it is Chopin's work. "We are most certain it was written in Chopin's hand, on paper he used personally," McClellan told BBC Newshour.

"It's not entirely certain if this was music he intended to complete. I'm 98% sure it's his, and many who've heard it already feel it sounds like Chopin," McClellan added in his BBC interview.

He noted that while the waltz's stormy opening is somewhat surprising, it aligns with Chopin's musical style, and the melody confirms it as his work.

In the Morgan Library & Museum's statement, Robinson McClellan said, "This newly discovered waltz expands our understanding of Chopin as a composer and opens new questions for scholars to consider regarding when he wrote it and for whom it was intended."

"To hear this work for the first time will be an exciting moment for everyone in the world of classical piano," the curator added.

Family News Service