Sheet Music: Les Patineurs

TitleLes Patineurs
Alternate titlesThe Skaters' Waltz
Die Schlittschuhläufer
Opus numberOp. 183
ComposerÉmile Waldteufel (1837–1915)
InstrumentationFlute solo
KeyA major
RangeC#4–B6
Time signature3/4
Tempo66 BPM
Performance time8:15
Difficulty levelintermediate
Download printable scorePDF Sheet Music (125 kB) (preview)
Download audio tracksMIDI (change tempo/key) MP3 (4 MB)
Date added2010-09-13
Last updated2010-09-13
Download popularity index☆☆☆☆☆ 0.5 (below average)
Categories
Romantic, Waltzes

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Monday 13 September 2010

Tune of the Day: The Skaters' Waltz

by Émile Waldteufel, arranged for Flute solo

“Les Patineurs” is a waltz by French composer Émile Waldteufel. Known in English as “The Skaters' Waltz”, it was composed in 1882 and was inspired by the Cercle des Patineurs (“Ring of Skaters”) at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. His introduction to the waltz can be likened to the poise of a skater and the glissando notes invoke scenes of a wintry atmosphere. The other themes that follow are graceful and swirling, as if to depict a ring of skaters in their glory.

Extremely simple and catchy, Waldteufel's Waltz once enjoyed a popularity rivaling that of the works of his near contemporary, Johann Strauss, Jr. It has featured in dozens of films, from the earliest talkies to the present, including the Academy Award-winning Chariots of Fire.