The three Waltzes, Op. 34, were composed by
Frédéric Chopin from 1834 until 1838 and published in 1838.
These three
waltzes were published as Grandes valses brillantes, but this title is usually reserved for the
Waltz in E-flat major,
Op. 18.
Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 34 No. 1
Being among the longest of Chopin's waltzes, this waltz is in
A-flat major. The piece is introduced with a fanfare before
modulating to
D-flat major for a dreamy middle section. The A-flat material is succeeded by a
coda, which leads to the end of the piece. This waltz was dedicated to Josefina von Thun-Hohenstein.[1]
This waltz is a sorrowful, slow waltz in
A minor. Although it was the first to be written out of the three, the waltz was the second to be published. The
Fryderyk Chopin Institute believes this piece was composed in 1831.[2]