A Chopin Waltz Unearthed After Nearly 200 Years
An unknown waltz by Chopin, dating from 1830 to 1835, was discovered at the Morgan Library & Museum. Experts confirmed its authenticity, generating excitement and skepticism in the classical music community.
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an important addition to Chopin's legacy, showcasing his unique style and emotional depth. The manuscript, discovered at the Morgan Library & Museum, is believed to be an unknown waltz composed by Chopin between 1830 and 1835. Curator Robinson McClellan found the piece while sorting through memorabilia, and after thorough analysis, experts confirmed its authenticity. The waltz, only 48 measures long, features unusual dynamic markings and a dissonant opening, which some believe reflects Chopin's emotional state during a tumultuous period in his life. The piece has not been published before and may have been intended as a personal gift. While the discovery has sparked excitement, it also raises questions about its origins and authenticity, as the classical music community is often skeptical of newly unearthed works. Pianist Lang Lang has performed the piece, describing it as authentically Chopin, despite its simplicity. The manuscript's journey from a private collection to public recognition highlights the enduring fascination with Chopin's music and the potential for further discoveries in the realm of classical compositions.
- An unknown waltz by Chopin has been discovered at the Morgan Library & Museum.
- The manuscript is believed to date from 1830 to 1835 and is the first significant find of its kind in over 50 years.
- Experts have confirmed the authenticity of the piece through analysis of its paper, ink, and penmanship.
- The waltz features a dissonant opening and unusual dynamic markings, reflecting Chopin's emotional depth.
- The discovery has generated excitement and skepticism within the classical music community.
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- Many commenters express doubts about the waltz's completeness and quality, suggesting it feels unfinished or thematically lacking.
- There is criticism regarding the debut performance's location and promotion, with suggestions that it should have been more culturally significant.
- Some users question the authenticity of newly discovered works, speculating on the potential for forgery or AI involvement.
- Several commenters highlight the significance of any new work by Chopin due to his limited output.
- Links to the score and related articles are shared, indicating a desire for further exploration of the piece.
30 commentsSometimes, they will discover a lost piece by some known composer, and the media will pick it up. But imo, when you have a listen, it often turns out that the piece had been lost for a reason.
What makes this waltz remarkable as a new discovery, in my opinion, is that it is more or less a finished work; the composition is so distinctively a work by Chopin; and the work brings something novel to the oeuvre.
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As for the debut, I think someone involved could have been more thoughtful. It feels as if some people in NYC saw a chance to be the first to debut, and they ran with it. It was published in the NYTimes, with a New York-based pianist, with New York’s “Steinway Hall,” which reads like a product placement. Chopin wrote these intimate pieces for the acoustics of small, intimate settings, and for nothing like a modern Steinway concert grand piano.
Maybe they could have instead worked with some local cultural organization in Poland, which could have made the debut a significant local cultural thing? Maybe taking the chance to promote an early-career pianist from Chopin’s homeland, rather than the career of a world-famous New Yorker?
However, the article notes that it's unusually short, while still claiming it's complete. But beyond being short, to my ear it is simply thematically incomplete. It ends exactly at the moment that my ear expects the second theme, the B of an ABA form, to be introduced, possibly, though not necessarily in a new key. Here, we just have A twice. Where's the rest of it? Even the famously brief "Minute" waltz has room for an ABA form. It's essential for closure that we at least travel somewhere and probably come back again. This new one doesn't go anywhere, but simply ends. It ends lamely as such, but its ending would be perfectly appropriate as a transitional moment, leading to the next part.
Anyone else disagree with the experts and think this waltz is incomplete?
https://www.moderndescartes.com/essays/chopin_waltz_posthumo...
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:19th-century_classica...
I can't recommend more Alan Walker's "Fryderyk Chopin: A Life and Times", which I happen to be reading now.
> While compiling the Köchel catalogue's newest edition – an authoritative list of all of Mozart's documented musical works – classical music researchers rediscovered the manuscript of the previously unknown piece from the Carl Ferdinand Becker collection in Leipzig's music library.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganz_kleine_Nachtmusik#Redisco... (Sept 2024)
How do they know they aren’t?
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