Frédéric Chopin - Waltz Op.69 Nº 2 arranged for classical guitar
Chopin’s Waltz in B minor, Op. 69 No. 2 (Here given in A minor) is a deeply introspective piece with a poignant personal backdrop - less flamboyant than his salon waltzes, and more like a whispered memory. It was composed in 1829, when Chopin was just 19 years old, during his time in Warsaw before moving to Paris. Chopin left Warsaw in 1830, at the age of 20.
He departed shortly after the premiere of his Piano Concerto in F minor, and just weeks before the outbreak of the November Uprising against Russian rule. His departure was intended as a short trip to Vienna to launch his international career, but it became permanent: he never returned to Poland. His life became a permanent exile, first in Vienna, then Paris.
Chopin’s Waltz in B minor, Op. 69 No. 2 (Presented here in A minor), offers the kind of intimate lyricism that suits the guitar beautifully. Unlike his more extroverted salon waltzes, this one feels like a private reflection - a melody shaped by gentle sighs, soft shadows, and subtle shifts of color. On the guitar, its understated character becomes an invitation to explore touch, tone, and expressive nuance without relying on virtuoso display.
Chopin wrote the piece in 1829, at just nineteen, during his final years in Warsaw. The music carries the quiet emotional weight of that moment: a young composer sensing change on the horizon but not yet aware of its magnitude. Within a year he would leave Poland, expecting only a brief professional trip to Vienna. Instead, political upheaval and circumstance turned that departure into a lifelong exile.
Knowing this history adds a special resonance for the performer. The waltz’s wistful turns and delicate phrasing feel like the voice of someone looking back at a world already slipping away. On the guitar, those emotions come through with striking immediacy - the instrument’s natural warmth giving the melody a confessional, almost spoken quality.
This arrangement offers the guitarist a chance to shape long, flexible lines, to experiment with subtle rubato, and to discover how a quiet piece can carry profound emotional depth. It is a miniature that rewards sensitivity over display, and one that lingers long after the final cadence.
Score: 6 pages
Comments: 4 pages
Below is a link to Youtube which will allow you to get an idea of what this piece sounds like on the piano. (Performed by Dalia Lazar)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39DwsS6UAAk&list=RD39DwsS6UAAk&start_radio=1
Over the coming months, I will be playing short excerpts from all pieces listed in this catalogue on classical guitar myself and post them on my Youtube channel, titled:
Michael De Baker Arrangements for Classical Guitar.
Thanks for tuning in. Wishing you much musical enjoyment and many rewarding hours with our instrument, the classical guitar.
Michael
Contact. If you’d like to reach out - whether about repertoire, arrangements, or upcoming projects - feel free to email me at mdebakerclassicalguitar@use.startmail.com