Chopin’s inspiration for the Minute Waltz, (Op. 64 #1) came from watching a little dog named Marquis enthusiastically chase his tail. Chopin was very fond of Marquis and named the piece “Little Dog Waltz”.
My little Harvey, a Westie full of Westitude, loved to sleep in the middle of the living room carpet while I played the piano. He would sleep soundly through any piece I played from Mozart to Billy Joel’s Piano Man. It didn’t matter.
When I first started to play some of Chopin’s waltzes, he continued to nap as usual. Then, something happened when I played the Minute Waltz. As I began to play the first few measures, Harvey lifted his head up and turned to look at me. By the time I got to the middle of the piece he had come over to the piano and looked up at me as if to say, “Hey, I like this one!”. At the end of the waltz, he stretched out and put his paws up on my lap, wagging his tail!!
From then on, any time I played the Minute Waltz, Harvey had the same reaction. He loved it! Mysteriously, I played all of the other waltzes Chopin wrote, yet not one other piece interested Harvey. He slept through every other piece of music.
Did Harvey know Chopin’s waltz was inspired by a little dog? Play the Minute Waltz for your dog, and see the reaction you get. Every dog has a special song. You just have to find it.
Paws for Chopin: A Dog's Tale 