pidjoe/Getty Images
After consulting a specialist, the Morgan museum affirms that this “Waltz” would indeed be composed by Chopin. Illustrative image.
UNUSUAL – One treasure forgotten for almost 200 years. A previously unpublished waltz by Frédéric Chopin was discovered in a vault of the Morgan library museum in new York more than 175 years after his death. The score of composer Franco-Polish included in the header the words “Waltz” in French in the text.
It was discovered on a file by a curator of the establishment during the spring, as told by the New York Times this Sunday, October 27. “I was like, ‘What’s going on here? What could it possibly be?explained to the daily the curator, Robinson McClellan, adding “not having recognized the music”.
The piece features an austere opening and was described by the famous Chinese pianist Lang Lang as containing “a dramatic darkness that turns into a positive thing”.
A score written between 1830 and 1835
Robinson McClellan said he was initially unsure whether the waltz was actually composed by Frédéric Chopin after taking a photo of the score and playing it at home on a piano.
But the curator then consulted a specialist on the composer at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Morgan Library ultimately came to the conclusion that the waltz was authentic after an examination of the ink and paper.
The calligraphy also corresponded to that of Frédéric Chopin, including a bass clef as well as scribbles characteristic of the Polish genius who died in France in 1849. “We have complete conviction in our conclusions”Robinson McClellan told the New York Times. According to the Morgan Library, the music dates from between 1830 and 1835, when Frédéric Chopin was entering his twenties.
Also see on The HuffPost: