Valse No.6 ''Petit chien'' Des-Dur Op.64-1 - Chopin, Frederic

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Chopin, Frederic : Valse No.6 ''Petit chien'' Des-Dur Op.64-1

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Work Overview

Music ID : 23218

Instrumentation：Piano Solo　
Genre：waltz
Total Playing Time：2 min 00 sec
Copyright：Public Domain

waltz

Piano Solo

piano solo

Des dur

Commentary (2)

Author : Yasukawa, Tomoko

Last Updated: January 9, 2019

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Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

Waltz in D-flat Major, Op. 64, No. 1

Basic Information on the Work

Composition Year: 1846–47

Publication Year: 1847 (Paris, Leipzig)

Dedication: To Countess Delphine Potocka (A Madame la Comtesse Delphine Potocka)

Score Information

Paderewski Edition: No. 6
Ekier Edition: No. 6
Cortot Edition: No. 6
Henle Edition: No. 6
Peters Edition (Urtext): (No. 6, Appendix 4 [based on autograph manuscript])

Commonly known by its nickname, “Minute Waltz” (or “Waltz of the Little Dog”). In addition to an autograph sketch, multiple autograph manuscripts survive. It is a short piece in three-part form, featuring a main theme marked “leggiero” (lightly) and a middle section marked “sostenuto” (sustained). The opening theme, characterized by intricate movements reminiscent of a spinning ball of yarn, employs hemiola, creating a large triple meter over two measures. This intertwines with the left hand's triple meter, which enters from measure 5, weaving a complex texture. Conversely, the middle section, beginning at measure 37, is dominated by the note A-flat (As). It incorporates chromatic progressions within its zigzagging melodic figures, and the beautiful, gradient-like shifts in sound add depth to this work. Despite being a short piece, it is a masterpiece filled with intricate craftsmanship.

Countess Delphine Potocka, to whom the work was dedicated, was one of the first women to host Chopin upon his arrival in Paris and subsequently became his piano student. Extremely beautiful and musically gifted, she remained a steadfast friend and supporter of Chopin throughout his life, and a profound connoisseur of his music until the very end. Chopin had previously dedicated his Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 21, to her. Notably, Chopin performed this Waltz in D-flat Major at his last Paris concert, held at Pleyel Hall on February 16, 1848.

(February 2010, Tomoko Yasukawa Revised July 2014)

Writer: Yasukawa, Tomoko

Author : Saitoh, Noriko

Last Updated: June 25, 2019

[Open]

Note: This article is automatically translated from the original Japanese text. The author of the original work did not supervise this translation.

In D-flat major, Molto vivace, it is dedicated to Countess Delfina Potocka. There is an anecdote that Chopin composed it after observing a puppy named Marquis, owned by George Sand, chasing its tail in circles, leading to its affectionate nickname, the 'Minute Waltz'. It is written in ternary form. Marked leggiero at the beginning and sostenuto in the middle section, it is a waltz that demands changes in touch. Furthermore, the use of short appoggiaturas on A-flat in the middle section is striking. The piece concludes with the right hand descending four octaves.

Writer: Saitoh, Noriko