The Waltz in D flat major, Opus 64, Number 1, is also called "Valse du petit chien," which means "Waltz of the puppy" in French. It is commonly known in English as the Minute Waltz. This piano waltz was written by Frédéric Chopin, a Polish composer and virtuoso. The piece is dedicated to Countess Delfina Potocka.

History

Frédéric Chopin wrote the waltz in 1847 and had it published by Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig the same year as the first piece in the set called Trois Valses, Op. 64. The second waltz in this set is written in the key of C sharp minor. A faster version of the waltz, performed by Arthur Rubinstein, has been used as the theme music for the BBC Radio 4 program Just a Minute since the show began.

Structure

The waltz is written in the key of D flat major and has a tempo marking of molto vivace, which means "very lively." Chopin instructs that the sustain pedal should be used while playing the waltz, and he includes many changes in volume, such as getting louder and softer. The piece follows a simple ternary form, a structure used in many of Chopin's works. The A section is marked leggero, meaning light and bouncy, while the B section is marked sostenuto, meaning long and smooth. The A section contains two themes separated by a double barline. The first theme features the well-known opening melody played over typical waltz accompaniment, often rising to a high note and then returning to a lower one. The second theme is similar but not the same, with broken scales spanning multiple octaves between repeated quarter notes and triplet rhythms. The B section is calmer, using alternating half and quarter notes over waltz accompaniment. After a long trill, the A section is repeated again, with the ending changed to a three-octave descent instead of a two-octave one.

Tempo

The piece is marked with the tempo instruction Molto vivace. It is commonly known as the "Minute" Waltz, but this nickname meant "small" in the sense of a "miniature" waltz, as chosen by its publisher. Chopin did not intend for the waltz to be played in one minute. A typical performance lasts between 1 ½ and 2 ½ minutes. The waltz contains 140 measures, including one fifteen-measure repeat. To play it entirely within one minute, the piece would need to be performed at nearly 420 quarter notes per minute. Some pianists still try to play it as quickly as possible. Camille Bourniquel, a biographer of Chopin, notes that Chopin was inspired to write the waltz after observing a small dog chasing its tail, which led him to name the piece Valse du petit chien, meaning "The Little Dog Waltz."

Derivative works

A vocal version of the piece, with lyrics written by screenwriter Lan O'Kun, has been performed by many artists, including Barbra Streisand on her 1966 album Color Me Barbra. Streisand's version reached number 23 on Billboard's Easy Listening chart. O'Kun's lyrics suggest the piece should be performed in one minute, but Streisand's version lasts just under two minutes. Because the low notes were difficult to sing, she used a spoken voice for the ending phrases. This version was also performed by a female Muppet during the 1969–70 premiere season of Sesame Street. The same version was used in a skit on Captain Kangaroo in the 1970s.

New Orleans rhythm and blues pianist James Booker included an instrumental version of the piece on his 1976 album Junco Partner.

Composers Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji, Rafael Joseffy, Max Reger, Leopold Godowsky, Jeannot Heinen, Moriz Rosenthal, Giuseppe Ferrata, Sam Raphling, Marc-André Hamelin, and Bertold Hummel created paraphrases of the "Minute Waltz."