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Composer

  Chopin,

Title

 Valse, #1 Op. 64 [Minute Waltz]

Era

 2

Level

 8

Key

 Db Maj.

Meter

 3/4

Tempo

 Medium

Measures

 123

Highlights

 Ornaments,Passagework,Waltz bass

Comments on Piece

  A few years before the time of composition, Chopin's personal life was in turmoil: Chopin had sided with George Sand's daughter, Solange, in a family dispute (in which Solange accused Maurice, Sand's son, of seducing Augustine Brault, a distance cousin adopted by Sand). The ordeal provoked Sand and Chopin's final break. It is said that George Sand was amused by her pet dog chasing its tail in her home in the Square d'Orléans. She begged Chopin to set the tail to music, hence the subtitle of 'le valse du petit chien.' The Paris edition was dedicated to Countess Delfina Potocka whom Chopin met in 1830. At one occasion, when Chopin improvised 'musical portraits' of people (as he has done occasionally), he threw Countess Potocka's shawl on keyboard, portraying the true character and soul of this brilliant and famous queen of fashion being so hidden under habits, ornamentations, and the decoration of elegant life. The three waltzes of op. 64 were the last to be published during Chopin's lifetime. Op. 64 no. 2 is in C-sharp minor, and op. 64 no. 3 is in A-flat major. The opening of this particular waltz is similar to Trois nouvelles étude no. 3 (1839) with its RH only texture, meter, notes, and key.

Teaching Tips

 For more information on Edition Comparisons and Teaching Tips, visit http://www.ayahiguchi.com/chopin_waltz/chopinwaltz_op64_no1.html

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