The Morgan Library & Museum in Manhattan has made a sensational discovery: while searching through collectibles, curator Robinson McClellan happened upon the sheet music of a short piano piece, which – according to several experts – was probably written by Frédéric Chopin (1810 to 1849).
The work, which is quite short at 48 bars and lasts about 80 seconds, is simply titled “Valse” (Waltz) and the name Chopin, the New York Times newspaper reports. It contains typical handwriting elements of the Polish composer, but no signature.
According to McClellan, he initially recorded the notes digitally and had doubts upon listening to them. The work begins with quiet, dissonant notes that break into crushing chords – unusually ‘volcanic’ for the composer, who is famous for his soft, imaginative melodies.
Chopin expert Jeffrey Kallberg of the University of Pennsylvania, who consulted McClellan, said his jaw dropped: “I knew I’d never seen that before.”
Paper, ink and handwriting analyzed
Examination of the paper, ink, handwriting and musical style in the document, as well as interviews with other experts, led to the conclusion that it is actually very likely that it is a previously unknown waltz by Chopin.
The Pole, whose melodies represent Romanticism like no other, must have written the waltz somewhere between 1830 and 1835, when he was already living in Paris and often looked anxiously at his politically turbulent homeland.
Chopin died at the age of 39 from complications due to tuberculosis.
Source: Krone
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