Valse romantique is a piano piece by Claude Debussy composed in 1890.

Presentation

Romantic Waltz was composed in 1890. Claude Debussy gave it to Antony Choudens on January 31, 1891, along with Styrian Tarantella and Slavonic Ballad. The work was published by Choudens in 1891 and then by Fromont in 1903.

The piece is dedicated to Mlle Rose Depecker, winner of a first prize in piano at the Paris Conservatory in 1888.

Analyse

While Guy Sacre considers the Romantic Waltz to be “one of the salon trinkets of an era when Debussy was still feeling his way at the piano,” “it is not the ugliest,” especially since the score “is not without irony; this adds to its charm and makes up for a few facile fillers here and there.” For Harry Halbreich, “the unexpected abruptness of certain modulations and the charm of the instrumental sound fortunately save it from banality.” The musicologist even notes that “certain half-toned arpeggios and certain pianissimos in thirds in the extreme high register are truly Debussy-esque in color.”

The work is in the main key of F minor, tempo di valzer moderato, and “bears witness to the young composer's love for Chopin and Borodin.” In the first part, “airy volutes punctuate the melodic phrases and introduce asymmetry into the structure.” The central section uses the Lydian mode (G in D-flat major) and the conclusion, “robust with its ample crescendo,” is in F major and is reminiscent of that of the Prelude from the Suite bergamasque.

The average performance time of the piece is approximately four minutes.

In the catalog of the composer's works compiled by musicologist François Lesure, the Valse romantique is numbered L 79 (71).

Source: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valse_romantique / License: CC BY-SA 4.0