Chopin’s next waltzes, the three that make his opus 34, appeared some years later. The second of the set was the earliest to be composed and was written in 1834. The opening waltz was written the following year, and the last in 1838, which was also the same year that the three together were published. Perhaps nothing more than a curious observation, each of the three waltzes approximate the corresponding movements of the Classical sonata: the lengthy A-flat Waltz serving as its first movement, the Lento Waltz in A minor as its slow movement, and the brief F major Waltz as its witty finale.
Waltz in A-flat major
The first of the opus 34 Waltzes, in A-flat major, is the most closely related of the three to the spirit and gaiety of the earlier Grande valse brillante. It begins with an extended sixteen-measure introduction featuring a similar fanfare-like motif, yet this time punctuated by ascending chromatic chords, and ultimately takes flight in a series of arpeggios upon the dominant. Three contrasting themes make up the opening section. The first, marked dolce, has a relaxed lyricism and moves gracefully about in an elongated quasi-turn figure. The second theme, on the other hand, abounds with a vigorous energy that erupts with virtually no warning into sweeping arpeggios. Lastly, the third theme is stated after a repeat of the previous two. It bears a close kinship to the introduction, and indeed presents itself as a sort of varied inversion of the introduction’s motif. Immediately, it is repeated in a decorative variation. With the structural weight placed upon this theme by its placement at the end of the first section, it becomes a kind of refrain throughout the waltz. It appears again to close the middle section, and its memorable closing strain becomes the impetus for the lively coda.
Moving to the key of D-flat major, the middle portion of the waltz features two themes that alternate with each other, and are concluded as mentioned before by the distinctive third theme of the opening section. The first theme, in D-flat major, channels the lyricism of the waltz’s very first melody, though somewhat enlivened by a characteristic dotted-eighth rhythm. The second theme, however, moves into the key of B-flat minor and has a peculiar “un-waltz-like” feel. Opening with a strident dominant minor ninth, it interjects a feeling of tension into this otherwise ebullient piece, and its characteristic descending motif strikes one as too dramatic for the blithe vivacity of the waltz.
The reprise of the opening section, true to form, follows much the same course and, of course, omits the repeat of its first two themes. The closing refrain of the third theme ushers in the coda and a lengthy passage of swirling eighth notes. With fragments of the third theme’s head motif, the music fades away, finally evaporating into a decorated ascent through the tonic triad before the final fortissimo chords. Joseph DuBose
Recorded line in the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory in 1964
Classical Music | Piano Music
Frédéric Chopin
Waltz op. 34, no. 1 Play
Recorded on 12/31/1969, uploaded on 05/24/2015
Musician's or Publisher's Notes
Chopin’s next waltzes, the three that make his opus 34, appeared some years later. The second of the set was the earliest to be composed and was written in 1834. The opening waltz was written the following year, and the last in 1838, which was also the same year that the three together were published. Perhaps nothing more than a curious observation, each of the three waltzes approximate the corresponding movements of the Classical sonata: the lengthy A-flat Waltz serving as its first movement, the Lento Waltz in A minor as its slow movement, and the brief F major Waltz as its witty finale.
Waltz in A-flat major
The first of the opus 34 Waltzes, in A-flat major, is the most closely related of the three to the spirit and gaiety of the earlier Grande valse brillante. It begins with an extended sixteen-measure introduction featuring a similar fanfare-like motif, yet this time punctuated by ascending chromatic chords, and ultimately takes flight in a series of arpeggios upon the dominant. Three contrasting themes make up the opening section. The first, marked dolce, has a relaxed lyricism and moves gracefully about in an elongated quasi-turn figure. The second theme, on the other hand, abounds with a vigorous energy that erupts with virtually no warning into sweeping arpeggios. Lastly, the third theme is stated after a repeat of the previous two. It bears a close kinship to the introduction, and indeed presents itself as a sort of varied inversion of the introduction’s motif. Immediately, it is repeated in a decorative variation. With the structural weight placed upon this theme by its placement at the end of the first section, it becomes a kind of refrain throughout the waltz. It appears again to close the middle section, and its memorable closing strain becomes the impetus for the lively coda.
Moving to the key of D-flat major, the middle portion of the waltz features two themes that alternate with each other, and are concluded as mentioned before by the distinctive third theme of the opening section. The first theme, in D-flat major, channels the lyricism of the waltz’s very first melody, though somewhat enlivened by a characteristic dotted-eighth rhythm. The second theme, however, moves into the key of B-flat minor and has a peculiar “un-waltz-like” feel. Opening with a strident dominant minor ninth, it interjects a feeling of tension into this otherwise ebullient piece, and its characteristic descending motif strikes one as too dramatic for the blithe vivacity of the waltz.
The reprise of the opening section, true to form, follows much the same course and, of course, omits the repeat of its first two themes. The closing refrain of the third theme ushers in the coda and a lengthy passage of swirling eighth notes. With fragments of the third theme’s head motif, the music fades away, finally evaporating into a decorated ascent through the tonic triad before the final fortissimo chords. Joseph DuBose
Recorded line in the Great Hall of Moscow Conservatory in 1964
courtesy of YouTube
More music by Frédéric Chopin
Ballade N° 3
Mazurka Op. 33 No. 1 in g-sharp minor
Waltz Op 34 N° 2
Mazurka Op 67 N° 4
Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 2
Prelude in F major, Op. 28, No. 23, Moderato
Barcarolle in F-sharp Major, Op. 60
Mazurka Op 63 N° 2
Fantasy, Op. 49
Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp Minor, Op. 66
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