Previously Unknown Chopin Waltz Manuscript Discovered After Nearly Two Centuries

A musical composition, believed to be by the Polish composer Frederic Chopin, has been found almost 200 years after its creation. This previously unknown waltz was unearthed from the vault of the Morgan Library and Museum in New York. The rare manuscript, dated between 1830 and 1835, was discovered by curator Robinson McClellan while he was cataloguing new collections. He subsequently collaborated with a leading Chopin expert to authenticate the score. Although it is not signed by Chopin, the handwriting includes his distinctive bass clef. The waltz contains minor errors in rhythm and notation, but Mr McClellan stated he is certain that Chopin is its author. Speaking to BBC’s Newshour, he said: “What we’re most certain about is it is written in the hand of Chopin, paper that he wrote on himself in his own hand.” He further noted: “What’s not entirely sure is that it’s music that he composed. “I feel about 98% sure, and many people who have heard it already feel in their gut this sounds like Chopin.” He continued: “There are atypical aspects of the music, the kind of stormy opening is a little surprising but not entirely out of character. “And then the melody really to me is where you feel that Chopin quality.” Superstar pianist Lang Lang has recorded the waltz for the New York Times, which was the first to report the story. Chopin, who primarily composed piano solos, died in France in 1849 at the age of 39. Spanish researchers believe he was afflicted by hallucinations during his relatively short life and likely suffered from epilepsy. Classical pianist Sir Stephen Hough, who performed at this year’s Last Night of the Proms and has recorded all of Chopin’s waltzes, referred to Chopin as his “favourite composer”. He told the BBC: “He’s a composer that I feel very, very close to. He, to me, belongs with all the greats absolutely at the top of the pile. So, to find anything from someone you’ve revered in that way for so many years is thrilling.” Sir Stephen Hough believes this newly-revealed manuscript is likely Chopin’s work. He commented: “At first I felt a little doubtful about the authenticity because it seemed a little rough in places, it didn’t quite seem to be as fastidious as Chopin’s other compositions are.” However, he added it was “a little bit like coming across a sketch for a Keats poem that he hasn’t quite finished working out exactly the word order for, and there are a few spelling mistakes, but somehow you can still tell that it has that genius there”. Nonetheless, he does not consider it to be one of Chopin’s “best waltzes” nor “one of his worst waltzes”. He added: “There’s quite a bit of juvenilia which Chopin kept in a drawer and never intended to publish, which was published after his death against his wishes, and this probably belongs in that drawer.”