Chopin’s ‘New’ Waltz and Rediscoveries of Lost Musical Works

You read that right. As if Mozart’s recently unearthed piece was not enough for this year, a lost waltz by Frederic Chopin was found in a New York library the Morgan Library & Museum, and was announced by the New York Times on Oct. 27, 2024. 

One might have questions about how these discoveries are made. Firstly, why have not all the pieces by composers like Chopin, Mozart or even Beethoven been found? Secondly, how are they found? Finally, what is their impact on things like music history, textbooks or current narratives about those composers?

Lost works and their known or unknown existence

As much as the music scholar community would love it, having all of a historical composer’s pieces is impossible, especially if the composer wrote many compositions and did not keep track of all the pieces they composed. Historically, after composers died, their compositions went to one of several places: Many of their manuscripts went into private collections or were collected by libraries and museums but placed in storage, where many materials needed to be identified, classified, organized and stored correctly. Because of this, the existence of compositions could be unknown until the compositions themselves are discovered or written records of the pieces' existence are found.

One example of the latter is Ludwig van Beethoven’s Concerto for Oboe in F Major, of which only the second movement’s manuscript was found (it is missing the first and third movements). Its existence as a complete work is verified by written accounts from composer Joseph Haydn and the archbishop-elector of Cologne (who employed Beethoven when the piece was written). Another example is Claudio Monteverdi’s lost operas; the knowledge of their existence is taken from contemporary documents, including some letters written by Monteverdi himself. 

Just as in those two examples, many works by composers are yet to be found, and scholars and librarians work together to recover them, if possible. In the meantime, they are declared as lost, and scholars hope for their return to public knowledge.

Becoming a detective of scores

Unlike Monteverdi’s and Beethoven’s undiscovered works, the existence of Chopin’s rediscovered waltz was unknown until the manuscript was found. In such cases, as well as for rediscovered pieces whose existences were known, curators and librarians have to go through extensive analysis and research to ensure the manuscript is a genuine lost work and not a forgery. 

Robinson McClellan, the curator who found the manuscript, had to examine the composer's words and musical notes to make sure the score came from Chopin himself. McClellan’s evaluation process included the ink used, the type of paper and even the music itself—to confirm whether it was a new piece or a manuscript of an already known one. McClellan also contacted outside experts to ensure his conclusion was correct before he and the library could publicly announce the discovery. 

Karin Thompson, an associate professor of music at Andrews University, was happy when she learned about the news. 

“I find the experts’ comments about Chopin’s handwriting and the musical traits of the newly discovered waltz especially intriguing,” she said. “There is still some mystery about the composition, but the commentary by the experts provides a good illustration for students of the factors that must be considered when deciding what is authentic or not.”

Someone in the Andrews community who had a similar experience is Marianne Kordas, director of the Music Materials Center. She actively researches the life and works of women composers, particularly former Andrews faculty and Adventist composer Blythe Owen. Two years ago, Kordas discovered a piece by Owen that had not been seen or mentioned before.

Kordas kept in communication with the music historian of the Musicians Club of Women in Chicago, of which Owen was part. The historian and Kordas went one day to the Newberry Research Library, looking for more material on the history of the club and, with luck, on Blythe Owen. As Kordas was diving into some archival material, she opened one folder and found a handwritten piece of music she had never seen before. 

“I recognize this handwriting. I do not recognize this piece,” she thought while analyzing the manuscript. 

Then, she had a shocking thought: She had discovered a new piece! The piece was later cataloged as “Legacy of Songs,” Opus 94, No. 1, for soprano and piano. 

Kordas also explained how finding such a piece was not a matter of days but a long time, as it took time to learn about the composer, network with knowledgeable people and find hints of where to find more material. She noted that “it does take a trained eye” to recognize the value of materials, like that manuscript, “at the right moment, by the right person.” 

However, as technology advances and things go digital, she shared concerns about how essential materials will be found in the future, as items could disappear in a matter of seconds if platforms like YouTube—where many composers post the performances of their pieces—shut down one day. Even if files were saved on physical drivers like diskettes, the reader devices for such items would not be as common as they were at their time. 

“I think scholarship in late 20th-century and 21st-century figures and composers is probably going to be a bit more difficult,” she said.

When history gets an update

In situations like this, music history needs to be rewritten to accommodate new findings—whether they are scores, written accounts or any other material that may change the record of a composer’s life and works or broader historical context. While technology makes it easier to get current information and any updates that may apply, it still takes time before published articles and textbooks include such information in upcoming editions. 

Nonetheless, having experts who contribute findings to the music world is invaluable. The process requires funds, people and tools to make it happen and get results like the discoveries of Mozart’s and Chopin’s works this year. While many works are probably still waiting to be found, since libraries and museums have several works that have not been curated and appropriately cataloged, the current findings are still as necessary for the music community. 

“This discovery is a wonderful example of how scholarship is a continuous and evolving process,” Thompson said of the unearthed Chopin piece. “What students may read in a textbook or other reference works may be superseded at any time by another discovery of a physical artifact or any other kind of document that sheds light on the past in a new way.”