The team of the Morgan Library and Museum of Manhattan has identified a musical manuscript that could belong to the famous Polish composer Frédéric Chopin, according to ‘The New York Times’.
Curator Robinson McClellan was cataloging the collection of cultural memorabilia in the museum’s security vault when he was surprised to find a perforated paper titled ‘Valse’ and signed with the name ‘Chopin’ in cursive. Intrigued, McClellan played the work on his digital piano and sent a photograph of the manuscript to Jeffrey Kallberg, an expert on the Polish composer at the University of Pennsylvania, who was impressed. “agape” upon receiving it.
After a series of analyzes of paper, ink, calligraphy and musical style, the Morgan Library has concluded that the manuscript probably belongs to Chopin, a crucial achievement for the study of the composer. Dates from between 1830 and 1835when the musician was just over 20 years old. Although it is believed to be complete, the work is shorter than his other waltzes: it only has 48 measures with a repetition, that is, a few 80 seconds.
Although it presents unusual characteristics – the shorter than usual length cited and an expressive intensity that begins with dissonant chords and culminates in a triple forte – the details of the writing, paper and symbols musical works are consistent with Chopin’s manuscripts.
The discovery sparks debate in the music community, where the discovery of new works is a rare event and often sparks skepticism. Alan Walker, biographer of the composer, highlighted that this work in the key of A minor could express the characteristic Chopin’s Polish “zal”a word that implies nostalgia or pain. This emotional trait was frequent in his pieces from the early 1830s, years in which the famous composer left Poland and He suffered because of the distance from his homeland.
The score, however, raises questions. Although it is signed with the name ‘Chopin’, Morgan experts suspect that this signature was added by someone else, as it contains rhythm and notation errors that the meticulous musician would have corrected. The piece was discovered among the archives of collector A. Sherrill Whiton Jr., a classical music lover who acquired the manuscript in a New York autograph shop.
McClellan explained in ‘The New York Times’ that the museum will present the piece to the public to invite experts and music lovers to analyze and form their own opinion about the enigmatic waltz. Piano star Lang Lang, who performs the work in the video, believes that the waltz reflects Chopin’s style at its most authentic, and noted pianist Stephen Hough commented that, although “a trifle,” it has a “charm and unique beauty.
If officially authenticated, this waltz would become a valuable piece in the collection of Chopin, who, despite not being as prolific as other composers, remains a beloved figure in classical music.
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