Publication: Leipzig, Breitkopf & Härtel, 1878

Dedication: Frau Léon Charité in Rouen

This is one of nine waltzes from the collection. Heller's intermittent engagement with waltz composition, which began in the mid-1840s, can be seen as a continuation of the creative work of Chopin, whom he deeply admired. According to an anecdote recounted by Heller, one day while Heller was in front of the publisher Schlesinger's shop, Chopin appeared. When Heller asked him to play any waltz, Chopin, in turn, asked Heller which waltz he liked best. When Heller replied that if he had to choose one, it would be Chopin's Waltz in A minor (Op. 34, No. 2), Chopin was delighted, saying it was his favorite too. For Heller, who composed works based on Chopin's themes after the latter's death, Chopin's presence held a special significance, comparable to that of Schumann.

No. 1 Moderato

An improvisatory waltz that opens the collection. It is broadly divided into two sections before and after the double bar line. Beginning on the subdominant (IV) of A minor, the piece's tonic key (A minor) is not immediately apparent. Throughout the piece, no distinct thematic melody appears; instead, the sound of arpeggiated chords based on two types of ideas (a: measures 1-6, b: measures 11-20) alternates while modulating. The hard, transparent sound of this piece recalls Schumann's impression of Heller's early works, in which he perceived a 'silvery gleam'.