Chopin, Waltz Opus 70 No 2

With the city occupied by the Russians, the cultural life of Warsaw around 1830 did not compare to that of Vienna or Paris, but it was not so poor either. At the theater, one could attend performances of Racine, Moliére, or Shakespeare. In music, Chopin did not miss any of the ten performances Paganini gave there.
He also listened to his colleagues Hummel, Rossini, and some ladies, such as the Polish pianist Maria Szymanowska, and his French colleague Anne Caroline de Belleville, only two years his senior, on tour in Warsaw. Of course, all this was before the November uprising, which inspired Chopin's "Revolutionary" Etude.

Anne Caroline de Belleville had been a talented pupil of Czerny's and had attracted the attention of Beethoven. She was also compared with Clara Wieck, favourably. In a letter to a friend, Chopin speaks of her in very good terms: "Here is also a certain Mlle Belleville, French, who plays the piano very well, with much grace and elegance". We know that Chopin was not at all fond of complimenting colleagues, so we must assume that Mlle Belleville, called Ninette in private, must have been a remarkable performer.

Anne Caroline de Belleville
French pianist (1808 - 1880)

A little waltz
Ten years after writing these words, having already become in Paris the famous pianist and composer we admire today, Chopin sent Ninette a "little waltz", dedicated to her and for her own exclusive pleasure, as he did not wish to see it published. And so he tells her:

"As for the little waltz I had the pleasure of writing for you, I beg you to keep it. I do not wish it to be published. But I would like to hear it played by you, dear lady, and to attend one of your elegant réunions, in which you wonderfully perform such great masters as Mozart, Beethoven and Hummel, who were the masters of us all. The adagio by Hummel which I heard you play a few years ago in Paris, at the house of Mr. Erard, still resounds in my ears; and I assure you that in spite of the great concerts offered here, there is little piano music that can make me forget the pleasure of having listened to you that evening."

Waltz Opus 70 No 2

The little waltz, dated 1842, was finally published, in 1855, six years after the death of its author. It is one of the three waltzes of opus 70, and one of the six (of the total of fourteen) waltzes published posthumously. Given its incomparable and simple beauty, it is surprising that Chopin did not want to see it published. But... he also wanted to throw his Fantasie Impromptu on the bonfire.

The performance is by eight-year-old Anne-Laure Bride-Lanoë, in a 2010 performance at the Salle Pleyel, Paris.