Chopin Minute waltz

[hemlock]

Hello fellow piano-lovers!

I have a little question with respect to Chopin's Minute Waltz. I know that the "minute" does not refer to the interval of 60 seconds but rather means "small". But does this also mean that Minute is pronounced /mainju:t/ (I hope you understand that...  ) instead of /minit/? What is the correct pronunciation?

Thanks for your help,
hemlock

[birba]

That's a new one!  Hadn't thought of it. 

[invictious]

My-newt.

[_nisa_]

Seriously?


FYI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt

[quantum]

So My-aquatic-salamander would be a variant in pronunciation?

[stevebob]

Hello fellow piano-lovers!

I have a little question with respect to Chopin's Minute Waltz. I know that the "minute" does not refer to the interval of 60 seconds but rather means "small". But does this also mean that Minute is pronounced /mainju:t/ (I hope you understand that...  ) instead of /minit/? What is the correct pronunciation?

Thanks for your help,
hemlock

Chopin didn't coin the nickname (or any of the others by which various of his pieces have become popularly known).

Whatever its origin, it's a widespread misconception that the "Minute" Waltz has (or should have) a duration of one minute.  It doesn't (and shouldn't); however, the misunderstanding has become a durable part of popular culture, and the corresponding pronunciation ("MINN-it") seems to be the most common one by far.

The other meaning and pronunciation of minute (i.e., "my-NEWT," minuscule) makes a whole lot more sense, given that the piece is one of Chopin's briefest waltzes.  It's the one I would choose, but, in my opinion, the most correct approach is to avoid nicknames altogether. 

[birba]

Oh you're such a killjoy!     

[magio]

But 1 minute = speedy as 1 minute, of course, use a little bit of your mind at last!!!!!

[systemdowns]

Originally called "little dog waltz" Minute refers to speed but not to be literally interpreted

[shaulhadar]

Hello, Chopin's "minute waltz" was never intended to be played in one minute, this is only a thing that came with time. The name "minute" actually came from the German publisher of that piece, and it stuck and with time it became the minute waltz by name. But the pronunciation in the original German publishing, was "Minuet", like the old dance that Bach and those fellas wrote those days, hope that help and if you need anything just PM me.

[birba]

What, are you some sort of Chopin expert?  You really seem to know a lot.  When the German edition used the word "minute" - did they mean the one minute time or "minute" like in "tiny".  Or did they mean minuet - which would REALLY make a difference!  Can you imagine it played like a minuet?

[shaulhadar]

Hello again Birba, i can't claim to be a Chopin expert, but i am one of the biggest enthusiastics out there for his music, and i researched it for years, and i specially like the little snippets of information other people don't read most of the time. But i play the piano for over 21 years now, and i can play almost all of Chopin's music, so i assume it gave me a bit of perspective.  And yeah, the German publisher did mean it in the Bach's reference of the dance Minuet, which is really interesting.  There is another urban legend about this piece, which it was conceived when Chopin was at Nohant with Sand, and he saw her dog chase his own tail, and as the legend says, Sand asked him if you he can convey this scene musically, so Chopin sat at the piano and started improvising, and from these improvisations, the Minute waltz was conceived.

[birba]

 

[sonatainfsharp]

"Hey, darling, if you come home with me, I'll play you the 'Minute Waltz' in 30 seconds."

Name that movie...

(Hint: It's in B&W and from probably before most of your parents were even born.) 

[birba]

Oscar Levant?

[magio]

Perhaps Chopin himself?!?
LOL
 

[ch101]

nobody can play it in 1 minute.

[pianisten1989]

ch101 - Stop posting in dead threads! You don't even write anything valuable!

And to go back to topic - it's minute, as in small. Not minute as in time.