Waltz in E Minor (Op. Posth.)

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Harmonic Reduction and Overview

Unlike a lyrical Nocturne, where melody reigns supreme, a waltz of this kind is essentially a set of chord progressions fleshed out with brilliant pianistic figuration. There are melodies, of course, but they are largely made of broken chords and arpeggios that surge up and down the keyboard in waves – hardly the kinds of tunes we are likely to sing in the shower. It follows, then, that learning a piece like this is basically a matter of assimilating the chord progressions, then working out the technical difficulties posed by the brilliant piano writing. We begin our study therefore with...