Three Waltzes, Op.64

Chopin: waltzes op64

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Three Waltzes, Op.64

No.1 in D flat major

No.2 in C sharp minor

No.3 in A flat major

However regrettable the “Minute Waltz” nickname attached to Op.64, No.1, it is surely preferable to “Valse du petit chien” which is sometimes applied in France in the belief that Chopin was inspired by the sight of a little dog chasing its tale. Whatever the truth of that notion, “Minute Waltz” is appropriate at least in that the Waltz in D flat major is a very short piece and one that is not inclined to drag its feet.

The other two waltzes in the Op.64 set are not much longer. Written and published in 1847, they represent a kind of purification of the form with a clearly defined ternary structure and an evident thematic economy. The charmingly poignant C sharp minor Waltz - a not too distant relation of the mazurkas in the same key - has only three main themes, the expressive syncopations in the D flat major middle section offering a valuable relief from metrical regularity. As for the A flat major, the last of Chopin’s published waltzes, it is the most subtle construction of all. The first section is economically based on one theme and several variants in eight-bar periods, the last them presenting a left-hand anticipation of the theme of the C major middle section.