Frederic Chopin : The Minute Waltz Op.64 No.1 - for piano

Frederic Chopin composed several waltzes for his favourite instrument, the piano. This waltz is probably the most famous of all the waltzes composed by Chopin, but its nickname is rather obscure. Many books and radio announcers interpret "Minute" literally as meaning "60 seconds" which is far too fast as a tempo. The work should last somewhere between a minute and a half and 2 minutes with our version being almost 2 minutes - press the play button below or download the midi and mp3 files using the left hand menu. An alternative interpretation (and pronunciation) of "Minute" simply means small, which is a more accurate description. However Chopin's original name for the piece is "The Little Dog Waltz" since the inspiration for it is reported to have been Chopin watching his dog chase its tail. The complete set of Chopin's waltzes is available from Sheet Music Plus (US) or The Music Room (UK). The video below gives a piano roll animation of the Minute Waltz, while below that you can play the mp3 file and see the music before downloading.