First Significant Discovery of a Chopin Work in Nearly 100 Years

200 Years After Chopin’s Death, New Enchanting Waltz Is Discovered

By Eva Baron on November 7, 2024

Chopin Waltz Discovery at the Morgan Library & Museum

Frédéric Chopin, “Valse,” between 1815 and 1849, recto. The Morgan Library & Museum, Bequest of Arthur Satz, 2019, Satz 1.10***. Photography by Carmen González Fraile (2024).

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) is undoubtedly one of the most renowned figures in the classical music canon. Throughout his life, Chopin wrote over 230 musical compositions, including masterpieces such as Nocturne, Op. 2 No. 9. On October 28, 2024, a curator at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York uncovered a previously unknown waltz by the prodigious composer.

The waltz marks the first significant discovery of a Chopin work since the late 1930s. Found by Dr. Robinson McClellan, the manuscript consists of 24 notated measures that are to be repeated once in their entirety. This work only lasts about a minute and is shorter than any other waltz by Chopin, despite his tendency to write in “small form.”

“It is nevertheless a complete piece,” the Morgan Library & Museum claims, “showing the kind of ‘tightness’ that we expect from a finished work by the composer.”

Slightly larger than an index card (about 4 x 5 inches), the waltz is suspected to have been meant as a gift based on other Chopin manuscripts of similar sizes. The composer, however, did not sign this particular manuscript as he typically did with other gifted pieces, suggesting that he changed his mind and withheld it.

“This newly discovered waltz expands our understanding of Chopin as a composer and opens new questions for scholars to consider regarding when he wrote it and for whom it was intended,” says Robinson McClellan.

McClellan, the Morgan’s associate curator of music manuscripts and printed music, first encountered the manuscript when cataloging the Artur Saltz Collection, which arrived at the Morgan in 2019. To verify the waltz’s authenticity and authorship, McClellan worked with leading Chopin expert Prof. Jeffrey Kallberg at the University of Pennsylvania. Extensive research concluded there is a strong likelihood the manuscript was written by Chopin.

“To hear this work for the first time will be an exciting moment in the world of classical piano,” McClellan says.

The waltz, though small in size and short in length, represents a fascinating departure within Chopin’s established oeuvre.

“Several moody, dissonant measures culminate in a loud outburst, before a melancholy melody begins,” the Morgan writes. “None of his known waltzes start this way, making this one even more intriguing.”

To learn more about this remarkable discovery, read the full press release on the Morgan Library & Museum.