Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 69, No. 1, is a

waltz The waltz ( ), meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom and folk dance, normally in triple ( time), performed primarily in closed position. History There are many references to a sliding or gliding dance that would evolve into the w ...

composed by Frédéric Chopin in 1835. It was posthumously published by his friend

Julian Fontana Julian (or Jules) Fontana (31 July 181023 December 1869) was a Polish pianist, composer, lawyer, author, translator, and entrepreneur, best remembered as a close friend and musical executor of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin. Life Born in War ...

in 1855, six years after the composer’s death, together with the earlier composed Waltz Op. 69, No. 2. It is also called "The Farewell Waltz" or "Valse de l'adieu".

History

The waltz was originally written as a farewell piece to

Maria Wodzińska Maria Wodzińska, ''primo voto'' Skarbkowa, ''secundo voto'' Orpiszewska (7 January 1819 – 7 December 1896), was a Polish artist who was once engaged to composer Frédéric Chopin. Life Maria Wodzińska was a daughter of Count Wincenty Wodzi ...

, to whom Chopin is said to have been engaged. This autographed copy ''Pour M^lle Marie'', given to her in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label= Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

, Germany, in September 1835 is now lost. Another autographed version of the piece he dedicated in 1837 to Eliza Peruzzi. A third autograph, held by the Bibliothèque Nationalen de Paris, Chopin dedicated 1842 to ''Mademoiselle

Charlotte de Rothschild Baroness Charlotte de Rothschild (6 May 1825 – 20 July 1899) was a French socialite, painter, and a member of the prominent Rothschild banking family of France. Early years She was born in Paris, the daughter of Betty von Rothschild (1805� ...

''. Various copies of this waltz exist, among them one presented as the posthumous edition of

, but it has not been substantiated by any known autograph.

Music

The waltz is in A-flat major, with a

time signature The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note va ...

of 3/4. The

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

is marked at ''tempo di valse'', or a waltz tempo. The beginning theme, marked ''con espressione'', is melancholic and nostalgic, and reaches a small high point with a fast flourish. The second part is marked ''sempre delicatissimo'', or ''con anima'' in other versions. It is somewhat more cheerful than the previous theme, but soon gives way to the same first theme. After a second rendition of the first theme is a third theme, marked as ''dolce'', the most playful theme. It leads to another theme with a series of ascending double-stops. This fourth theme is marked ''poco a poco crescendo'', with other editions adding ''ed appassionato''. This leads back to the third, playful theme, and returns to the beginning with a ''da capo al fin''.

References

External links

*
Hear a performance of the piece
a
The Chopin Project site
{{Authority control Waltzes by Frédéric Chopin 1835 compositions Compositions in A-flat major Compositions by Frédéric Chopin published posthumously Music with dedications