“Farewell” Waltz in A-flat major, Op. 69 No. 1

The piece

Chopin wrote this waltz in Dresden in 1835 and gave a copy to Maria Wodzińska, whom he hoped to marry; hence its nickname, "Farewell". He never published it. His friend Julian Fontana brought it out after his death, in 1855 with Meissonnier in Paris, as Op. 69 No. 1, marked Lento with a metronome of 138 to the quarter note. That first posthumous edition is followed here, repeat included.

The A-flat major melody sings over a waltz left hand, bass then chord. The challenge is rubato: the right hand may linger while the left stays steady. Three times, a run of thirteen grace notes slips into a single gesture (bars 28, 60 and 125): practise it on its own, slowly, aiming for the note it lands on, then put it back in the bar. The con anima section asks for more sound without harshness; the dolce part that follows, full of ten. markings, invites you to hold each stressed note a little longer. A reduced tempo helps you find the flexibility before the speed.