A previously unknown composition by 19th-century composer Frédéric Chopin has been discovered by a museum curator in Manhattan, New York.
Robinson McClellan, a curator and composer at the Morgan Library & Museum, found the piece while sorting through a collection of cultural memorabilia in the museum’s vault on Madison Avenue. According to The New York Times, Chopin’s composition was written on a battered musical scrap approximately the size of an index card, which bore the composer’s name. After analyzing the paper and ink, examining the handwriting and musical style, and consulting outside experts, the museum has confirmed that this composition is likely an unknown waltz by Chopin. This piece represents the first discovery of its kind in over fifty years.
The manuscript is believed to date from between 1830 and 1835, indicating that Chopin wrote the piece in his early 20s. It is thought to be a complete composition and is shorter than his earlier waltzes, consisting of only 48 measures with a repeat, which amounts to about 80 seconds of music. Before his death in 1849 at the age of 39, Chopin had composed approximately 250 known works—significantly fewer than those produced by many of his more prolific contemporaries.
Image Courtesy: The New York Times
This new discovery follows the recent unearthing of an unknown composition by 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart at a library in Germany about a month ago.
The newly found piece, referred to as Ganz kleine Nachtmusik, is estimated to have been composed in the mid-to-late 1760s. It consists of seven miniature movements for a string trio, lasting approximately 12 minutes. According to The Guardian, this previously unknown work was likely created when the musical prodigy was still in his teens.
–Silviya.Y