What meter is Chopin waltz in a minor?

The waltz, one of the most popular dances of the 19th-century, evolved from a German folk dance (Ländler) in Austria in the late 1700s. Over time, the rustic nature of the Ländler was refined from a folksy peasant dance into an elegant high-society dance, and the Viennese waltz became immensely popular in elite society. Many composers became known for their orchestral waltzes, most famously Johann Strauss I and II (the younger one wrote still well-known waltzes such as The Blue Danube). As the waltz became popular in ballrooms, composers such as Frédéric Chopin interpreted the genre in salon culture, where the pieces were intended for intimate concerts rather than dancing.

One of the characteristics of the Viennese waltz was the incorporation of several different waltz tunes into one pieces. Folk dances tend to be musically repetitive, which did not appeal to Classical art composers, so to elevate the form without losing the easy grace of a lilting melody accompanied by oom-pah-pahs, composers used multiple tunes in related but contrasting keys to add harmonic and melodic interest. This Waltz in A Minor Op. 34 No. 2 does the same thing – there are a total of 5 different melodic sections, using 4 different tonal areas.

In this video, I have labeled each of the sections as it comes up, and noted what key area they are in so you can follow what Chopin is doing harmonically. A “key area” refers to the harmonic center of a section of music – i.e. the bass note and chord that feels like “home” during that section. This piece is in A Minor, which has a home bass note of A and uses a scale with no sharps or flats (start at A on a piano and play only white notes). The most closely related key to this is the one that shares its key signature – if you start at C and play only white notes, you get C major (major and minor keys that share a key signature are so closely related they are called “relative keys”). It is a simplification to say that major keys are “happy” and minor keys are “sad”, but in this piece, Chopin does give his minor sections more melancholy affects and the major ones are more cheerful. So when Chopin goes to C major, the character of the piece changes – instead of a lyrical melody, there are more trills and athletic leaps.

Chopin then changes it up more by moving to a different related key – one that shares the bass note of the original key but not the key signature. So instead of being in A minor, he suddenly is in A major, which involves using different accidentals, or black notes on the piano (major and minor keys that share a bass note are called “parallel keys”). This shift is more notable to the ear than the earlier shift to the relative major, and Chopin gives the arrival on A Major that starts this section an almost triumphant tone.

Chopin then does something that really helps highlight the difference between key areas – he repeats the A Major melody in A Minor, without a transition. It’s boom, we just ended a happy major section and suddenly we’re back in minor, and the triumphant melody turns introspective. We are also back in the home key – in this era of music history, pieces almost invariably start and end with the same “home base”, so if you veer away from the harmonic home, you then have to get the listener back.

Chopin repeats sections B-D verbatim, then near the end, throws in a final, more complex idea. After a repeatition of the opening section in the home key of A Minor, he again introduces a theme in the closest key (C major - same key signature), but shifts harmonic centers within the phrase, going instead to E Major. This key isn’t related to home by either key signature or home bass note, so it is the “farthest” tonal moment of the piece – not coincidentally, it is also one of the most delicate, distinctive moments in the piece.

As you will notice while following the analysis in the video, Chopin strongly correlates changes in key area to shifts in mood, and the farther away from the home key he is, the more unique and special the new affect. One does not need to understand any music theory to appreciate these changes in character, which are self-evident to any attentive listener, but this video shows how music analysis can help us understand the mechanisms of expression in a deeper way.

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After decades of teaching the Chopin Waltzes, I’ve come to the conclusion that the A minor, No. 19, Op. Posthumous is the best student introduction to the form as the composer cultivated it. While many other Waltzes in Chopin’s collection are far more substantial and technically challenging, No. 19, is in my opinion, easiest to assimilate, study, and play. In part, it’s because the harmonic structure is very straightforward, leaning toward tonic, sub-dominant, and dominant chord relationships. In addition, a frequent interchange occurs between the tonic A Minor in which the piece is written and its relative C Major. (Good material for introductory theory) Finally, there’s an abundance of thematic repetition.

The big climax of the piece, on the third page, (measures, 33-40) is a modulation to the Parallel A MAJOR, which makes a conspicuously audible impression. This section also has the most notes phrased at a Forte dynamic level.

Following the composition’s peak, the composer returns to the opening theme, which is in the home key of A minor.

Palmer Edition, Chopin Waltzes:

About the Composer, Frederic Chopin
(1810-1849)

Chopin lived during the height of the Romantic Period, and composed very expressive music that included free flowing phrases, ornamented notes, a colorful harmonic palette, and a tempo rubato (flexible, borrowed time that if taken too far, is a bit of a parody of itself) The pedaling for this music is rich, but tasteful. (The player should not over use the sustain)

The Way to Practice:

1) First, trace the path of melody through the opening section, (measures 1-16) in SLOW motion, following the phrasing very carefully. Chopin was very much a molto cantabile composer, who stressed the singing tone capability of the piano. In this first section, the composer offers the preponderance of material for the complete Waltz. Note that ornaments are played on the beat and with good directions in the editor’s annotations.

2) Continue by separately practicing the fundamental bass of the first section. (only the first beat of each measure, known as a “downbeat”) Draw each one out with a deep, resonant stroke.

3) Then play “after beat” chords only–the two sonorities following the downbeat. Isolate them from measure to measure and notice the voice leading. Knowing they are neighbor chords will make the jump from the downbeat bass notes seem less awesome. Lighten the third beat or chord in each measure. Approach with a flexible or spongy wrist. (The wrist is the great shock absorber)

4) Next play the downbeats followed by the after beat chords in each measure. Draw out the downbeats without poking at them. You want a rich bass, not an accented one.
The after beat chords should be lighter, as previously mentioned.

5) Finally, put hands together for the first section. The melody should be very singable and prominent. The fundamental bass gives the ground energy; the after beat chords fill in with colorful harmony. The balance between the melody, fundamental bass, and after beat chords is very important.

Part II (Measures 16-24)
The same advice for part one applies here. Keep to the order of practicing separate hands, with an awareness of balance between right hand and left hand.
Notice that this part of the composition is more extemporaneous, and feels improvised. It begins in the Melodic form of A minor and lets go with a DOMINANT key arpeggio (E Major) If you’ve been conscientious about practicing arpeggios, this passage should not be too difficult to execute, but consider it a freely rendered figure and not meant to sound forced, regimented, or robotically played. Remember that the Romantic style is characterized by a sense of freedom and improvisation.

The next section is a return of the opening phrase in A Minor. (measures 25-32)
Follow the method of practicing separate hands, as introduced in the beginning of the work.

The Climax: Measures 33-40 The longest phrasing in the piece and in A MAJOR (The Parallel MAJOR) with a Forte dynamic.

Practice with the same parceled out approach as the beginning.

Finally the opening section returns in Measures 41 to 52 with a Codetta (small, modified ending) as the last line.

***

The Waltz played in tempo:

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Published by arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

International Online Piano Teacher, blogger, recording artist, composer, piano finder, freelance writer, film maker, story teller: Grad of the NYC H.S. of Performing Arts, Oberlin Conservatory, NYU (Master of Arts) Studies with Lillian Freundlich and Ena Bronstein; Master classes with Murray Perahia and Oxana Yablonskaya. Studios in BERKELEY, California; Member, Music Teachers Assoc. of California, MTAC; Distance learning by Skype and Face Time with supplementary videos: SKYPE ID: shirley kirsten Contact me at: OR http://www.youtube.com/arioso7 or at FACEBOOK: Shirley Smith Kirsten, http://facebook.com /shirley.kirsten; https://www.facebook.com/skirs.7/ TWITTER: http://twitter.com/arioso7 Wordpress Blog: https://arioso7.wordpress.com Private fundraising for non-profits as pianist--Public Speaking re: piano teaching and creative approaches View all posts by arioso7: Shirley Kirsten

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