Valse des fleurs (Stravinsky)

The Valse des fleurs (originally in Russian, ) is a short composition for two pianos by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky. It was completed in 1914.

Composition

Stravinsky's music post-Rite of Spring in the 10s was devoted to Gebrauchsmusik. This example of Gebrauchsmusik was specifically conceived for educational purposes, as he was trying to produce music either for four hands or two pianos intended for himself and his son Soulima Stravinsky. For this reason, the Valse des fleurs is generally associated to other compositions for four hands from this period, as Three Easy Pieces and Five Easy Pieces. As other compositions for Soulima, this composition was finished in Clarens, Switzerland on August 30, 1914. This piece remained unperformed and unpublished for decades after its completion. However, fellow musician Robert Craft brought it to light when he played it as part of a Stravinsky concert that he organized in New York City in 1949. As most of his American works and works earlier than his American period published in the US with the expressed intention of making money, it was published by Boosey & Hawkes.