La plus que lente (Valse)

La plus que lente, L. 121. "The more than slow"), is a waltz for solo piano written by Claude Debussy in 1910, shortly after his publication of the Priludes, Book I.The piece debuted at the New Carlton Hotel in Paris, where it was transcribed for strings and performed by the popular 'gipsy' violinist, Lioni, for whom Debussy wrote it (and who was given the manuscript by the composer). Despite its title, La plus que lente was not meant to be played slowly; "lente," in this context, refers to the valse lente genre that Debussy attempted to emulate.Typical of Debussy's caustic approach to naming his compositions, it represented his reaction to the vast influence of the slow waltz in France's social atmospheres. However, as Frank Howes noted, "La plus que lente is, in Debussy's wryly humorous way, the valse lente [slow waltz] to outdo all others." The work is marked "Molto rubato con morbidezza," indicating Debussy's encouragement of a flexible tempo. Arranged for standard wind quintet.