NOVEMBER 21, 2024
Lucy Moses School Composition Faculty Member Robinson McClellan recently made an astounding discovery: Deep in the archives of the Morgan Library & Museum, where he serves as music curator, he found an index card-sized musical score with the name "Chopin" written at the top. He felt cautious excitement, hardly daring to believe it could actually be genuine. “I did allow myself to enjoy the moment when I printed out a copy and brought it home to play at the piano,” Robinson says. “It was fun to think that I might be one of the first people in modern times to hear this tune, lost for almost 200 years.” Consultations with scholars and experts confirmed that the piece is indeed an unknown waltz by the great Romantic composer!
Watch an interview with Robinson. Read about the discovery in The New York Times, and watch Special Music School student Alex perform the piece here.
