It’s not every day you come across a ‘new’ work by a long-dead composer. So imagine how the Morgan Library and Museum’s Robinson McClellan felt when he did just that. McLellan was cataloguing items in the vault of the New York museum when he came across an unsigned music manuscript in an all-too familiar hand.
The Waltz, thought to be have been penned in the early 1830s, has since been authenticated by an expert and it is believed to be by none other than Polish composer Frédéric Chopin.
The New York Times broke the story this week with a special filmed recording by Lang Lang.
But if the manuscript is unsigned, how can we be sure it really is by Chopin? Well, the composer’s recognisable clef is said to be present and correct, and the style and form of the piece bears the hallmarks of the composer.
That said, there are also apparently errors present, so it’s likely Chopin never meant it to see the light of day. Composers past and present will have unfinished works, ideas for works, or even works they’re displeased with, locked away in drawers (or these days on hard drives).
Either way, it’s a fascinating discovery for Chopin fans and anyone interested in piano music, and for pianist Katherine Lam from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, it’s really rather exciting.
‘It’s a noteworthy and precious find, as several waltzes that Chopin originally wrote are believed to have been entirely lost or destroyed,’ she says. ‘Finding lost works of any great composer reminds us of their unique, musical fingerprint and gives us, no matter how small or fleeting, a fresh and treasured glimpse of their voice and genius.
‘Like any artist, or even a popstar putting out a new single, it’s really exciting to experience hearing a piece of music for the first time, especially one that you never expected.
‘In a mere 80 seconds, the waltz captures the listener with Chopin’s beloved and haunting gift for melody, his distinctive harmonies and the opening turbulent outburst which points to the drama and passion infused through so much of his work.’
Not the only recent discovery...
It’s not the only major classical music treasure to be uncovered of late. A hitherto unknown string trio by Mozart was unearthed recently by the Mozarteum Foundation of Salzburg. The work, now officially catalogued as K648, is the Serenade in C ‘A Very Little Night Music’ and was discovered in the collection of composer Carl Ferdinand Becker at a Music Library in Leipzig.
Thought to have been composed by a young Mozart in the early/mid 1760s, it has now been recorded in three versions by Deutsche Grammophon – listen to the original version on Spotify / Apple Music.
We imagine that it's only a matter of time before this ‘new’ Chopin waltz gets the same treatment!