Sacred music by Chopin?

[stevebob]

A composition that I imagine would be described as a hymn for SATB was recently uploaded to Chopin's page at IMSLP:

Libera me, Domine

There's no discussion of the piece (i.e., "talk page") at this point, but the person who uploaded it commented on its provenance at a choral wiki site:

I found the handwritten manuscript of "Libera me Domine" in my country Latvia in one of Riga's Church's library, where Chopin was indicated as the composer of this score. But nothing other info I didn't find more. I'm not sure that he is right composer of this score, too. It looks more closer to Joseph Gruber, but it was so indicated on that manuscript, written by one old and famous organist of that Church, who now is died. I can't verify this question, because there are many people, who ask me about it... Sorry, but I have no more other information about this piece of music. If someone would be able to find the different composer of the same music I'm ready to change it in all sites where I put it. Any accompaniment I couldn't find.

(From the Choral Public Domain Library.)

Is anyone aware of a "discovery" of sacred music by Chopin?

[rienzi]

Well, if this is by Chopin it must have been written long before old Zwyny or Josef Elsner got their hands on him. Surely they wouldn't have allowed all that terrible part-writing, hidden octaves, etc. to pass without comment.
I think this is a mare's nest, and IMSLP ought to remove the piece from the Chopin files as quickly as possible!

[lisztrachmaninovfan]

But it's still a piano piece by Chopin. And it still is a great piece for someone with not so much musical theory skills. Why would you want to have IMSLP remove it? 

[shaulhadar]

Well, Chopin beliefs were quite of a mystery, but it is known that if he was a religious person, he almost never showed it in public, though Liszt once said that Chopin has a strong connection to religion, only privately.  This piece is supposedly a reference about a song, (maybe in two parts) that Chopin wrote in 1846, based on the Veni Creator, and kept it private and only performed it in a wedding of his best friends.  This is supposedly a copy by a person that was in that wedding and he inscribed the song that Chopin played there, But we need more evidence to know for sure.

[rafant]

Interesting that discovery and the history behind it. Besides that, the closest to a religious piece by Chopin that I know is a segment of 25 measures inside the Nocturne Op. 37-1.

[ch101]

why does the international score project's website look so much like wikipedia's?

[pianist1976]

why does the international score project's website look so much like wikipedia's?

Who knows... That's as difficult to answer as the question of why are you flooding the forum with stupid replies to old threads. Life mysteries...