New discovered Piano piece: Chopin, still “composing”, despite the problem of being dead for 175 years.

A previously unknown manuscript by Frédéric Chopin has been discovered at the Morgan Library and Museum in New York. The handwritten score is titled “Waltz” and consists of 24 measures of music in the key of A minor and is considered a major discovery in the world of classical piano music.

The manuscript was found last spring by curator Dr. Robinson McClellan during a routine inspection of a collection of cultural memorabilia (‘Arthur Satz Collection’), also including letters from Brahms and Tchaikovsky as well as maps Postals signed by Picasso.

“I asked myself: what is going on here? What could it be? McClellan explained, adding that he did not recognize the music as one of Chopin’s known waltzes. Unsure of the authenticity of the work, he took a photo of the score and played it on his piano at home.

He sent a photograph to Jeffrey Kallberg, a leading Chopin scholar at the University of Pennsylvania, and after consulting with outside experts as well as Morgan’s paper conservators, who analyzed the manuscript’s paper and ink as well as handwriting and musical style, The Morgan Library has concluded that the work is indeed authentic and is therefore an important discovery in the world of classical piano music.

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‘We have complete confidence in our findings,’ McClellan said. ‘Now is the time to put it out there so the world can take a look and form their own opinions.’

‘This newly discovered waltz expands our understanding of Chopin as a composer and opens new questions for researchers regarding when he wrote it and who it was intended for,’ he said.

The discovery of an unknown work by Chopin had not occurred since the end of the 1930s.

“This is certainly one of the most interesting discoveries of recent years. Chopin’s original manuscripts are extremely rare, and the mere suggestion that we might be dealing with previously unknown music by the Polish composer electrifies pianists and musicologists,” said Dr. Artur Szklener, director of the Fryderyk Institute Chopin.

Chopin – Waltz in A Minor (Discovered in 2024) – Played by Lang Lang

Best Sheet Music download from our Library.

Lang Lang told the New York Times that the intro evoked, for him, an image of the harsh winters of the Polish countryside. ‘It’s not the most complicated Chopin music,’ he said, ‘but it’s one of the most authentic Chopin styles imaginable.’

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