Different Shades of a Minute of Your Time by Debra H. Goldstein
Did you ever realize that Chopin’s Minute Waltz is actually longer
than a minute? Piano versions run about one minute and fifty-one seconds while
Barbra Streisand’s lyrical rendition, which made it up to #23 on the Billboard
charts, clocks in at two minutes. Chopin - Minute Waltz (Op.
64 No. 1) - YouTube and STREISAND
"THE MINUTE WALTZ" - COLOR ME BARBRA - YouTube.
According to Wikipedia, the Minute Waltz, which is also referred
to as Valse du petit chien (French for "Waltz of the
puppy") was dedicated by Chopin to Countess Delfina Potocka.
Somehow, I don’t think either the Countess or Chopin envisioned his lively tune
being given lyrics and made into a pop number.
Is it a matter of What’s in a Name? Revision? or It’s
all in the Eye of the Beholder? I’m not sure, but I know I enjoy the
classical version for the clarity of its notes and Streisand’s for her comedic
spin.
The written word in books, poems, and plays can also be
interpreted in an analogous manner. We all grew up hearing fairy tales read by
parents or teachers, but for many of us, these were sanitized versions of the
original. The gore of the original tales of the Brothers Grimm was stripped for
our sensitivities. Later, if you were a fan of The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show,
you may have become addicted to Fractured Fairytales. Like
Streisand’s song, Fractured Fairytales took the original bones of
stories and hyped them in a deliciously funny way. In some instances, the
subtle humor was more like the original Grimm stories.
Can you imagine if the rewrite of the Minute Waltz had instead
emphasized a puppy related theme? Why don’t you try your hand in the comments
at a few lines of how the song might have gone?
