Contained in the first volume of "Les Contemporaines" (Contemporary Composers / 4 volumes in total), a collection of pieces for beginner to intermediate learners, supervised by Lucette Descaves. Descaves was a pianist particularly adept at contemporary music, but she was also highly regarded as an educator, and her piano class at the Paris Conservatoire was known for producing many talented individuals. It can be said that such an ambitious publishing project was realized thanks to Descaves' extensive network and exceptional teaching ability. While collections of this kind from France, such as Lemoine's "Jardin d’Enfants" and "Cahier de Lemoine," are popular in Japan, we wish to draw renewed attention to the educational practicality and high artistic value of this collection, which gathers high-quality works by over 60 leading contemporary composers across its four volumes.

Milhaud's work was specially composed for this collection in February 1950. It is a one-page miniature designated "Mouvement de Valse" (Waltz Movement), in 3/4 time, beginning in F major, ending in C major, and adopting a simple ABA ternary form. While tonal, it also features contrapuntal treatment that hints at bitonality, offering a unique flavor despite its small scale and simplicity. It is useful not only as teaching material for beginners but also as a sight-reading piece for intermediate to advanced players. Daniel-Lesur, in the preface to the collection, introduces this work by stating, "Milhaud took a break from painting large religious frescoes to write a charming waltz." This remark likely takes into account Milhaud's prolific work on large-scale compositions during his mature period.