The Waltz in C minor is a piano

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 wa ...

composed by

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

in 1847, the second work of his opus 64 and the companion to the ''"

Minute Waltz The Waltz in D-flat major, Op. 64, No. 1, sometimes known as "" (French for "Waltz of the puppy"), and popularly known in English as the Minute Waltz, is a piano waltz by Polish composer and virtuoso Frédéric Chopin. It is dedicated to the Cou ...

"'' (Op. 64, No. 1). Chopin dedicated this Waltz to Madame Nathaniel de Rothschild. It consists of three main

themes Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (arts), the unifying subject or idea of the type of visual work * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical ...

: * Theme A ''tempo giusto'' chordal with a walking pace feel; * Theme B ''più mosso'' (faster) — theme stated in running

eighth note 180px, Figure 1. An eighth note with stem extending up, an eighth note with stem extending down, and an eighth rest. 180px, Figure 2. Four eighth notes beamed together. An eighth note (American) or a quaver ( British) is a musical note pla ...

s, with all harmony in the left hand. * Theme C ''più lento'' (slower) — a

sostenuto Piano pedals are foot-operated levers at the base of a piano that change the instrument's sound in various ways. Modern pianos usually have three pedals, from left to right, the soft pedal (or una corda), the sostenuto pedal, and the sustainin ...

in the parallel key of C minor (D major,

enharmonic In modern musical notation and tuning, an enharmonic equivalent is a note, interval, or key signature that is equivalent to some other note, interval, or key signature but "spelled", or named differently. The enharmonic spelling of a writte ...

equivalent to C major). Besides the slower general pace, the melody is in

quarter note A quarter note (American) or crotchet ( ) (British) is a musical note played for one quarter of the duration of a whole note (or semibreve). Quarter notes are notated with a filled-in oval note head and a straight, flagless stem. The stem ...

s except for a few flourishes in eighth notes, giving this section the quality of an interlude before the dramatic restatement of Theme B. The overall layout of the piece is A B C B A B. In an orchestrated version, it forms part of the ballet ''

Les Sylphides ''Les Sylphides'' () is a short, non-narrative '' ballet blanc'' to piano music by Frédéric Chopin, selected and orchestrated by Alexander Glazunov. The ballet, described as a "romantic reverie","Ballet Theater", until 1955. A compact disk ...

''.Hazel Gertrude Kinscella, 200
''Music and Romance''
P.186 Kessinger Publishing, ,

References

External links

*
Hear a performance of the piece
a
The Chopin Project site
{{Authority control Waltzes by Frédéric Chopin 1847 compositions Compositions in C-sharp minor Music with dedications