3.4 (popular)
Tune of the Day: Valse Op. 69, No. 2
Frédéric Chopin's Deux Valses (“Two Waltzes”), Op.69, were not published during his lifetime, and in fact are products of his earlier days. A rather clear distinction can be made between those of the composer's waltzes that could potentially be used for actual dancing purposes and those which serve more purely musical functions. In this publication, only the latter category is represented.
The Valse in B minor, Op.69, No.2 was composed in 1829, when Chopin was nineteen, and is one of several works that the composer hoped would be burnt upon his death (his wishes, as composers' wishes about such matters so often are, were ignored). Instead, it has become quite popular, and is often performed. It is a melancholy work with three primary melodies and a somewhat more optimistic middle section.