Les Patineurs (waltz)
Les Patineurs Valse or The Skaters' Waltz or Der Schlittschuhläufer-Walzer (German), Op. 183, is a waltz by Émile Waldteufel.
Known in English as The Skaters' Waltz, it was composed in 1882 and was inspired by the Cercle des Patineurs or 'Rink of Skaters' at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris. His introduction to the waltz can be likened to the poise of a skater and the glissando notes invoke scenes of a wintry atmosphere. The other themes that follow are graceful and swirling, as if to depict a ring of skaters in their glory. Bells were also added for good measure to complete the winter scenery. It was published by Hopwood & Crew and was dedicated to Ernest Coquelin who was the younger brother of two celebrated actor brothers of the Comédie Française.
Use in motion pictures
Les Patineurs Valse has featured in dozens of films from the earliest talkies to the present. These include The Hollywood Revue of 1929, My Favorite Wife, Chariots of Fire, A Simple Wish, My Beautiful Laundrette, and many others. It was also played at Rose's "Coming-out" ball in London in the last episode of Season 4 of the TV show Downton Abbey, as well as in the episode "Secret Shopper" of the kids' TV show Fanboy and Chum Chum as the titular characters pretended to skate across the wet floors of the Frosty Mart convenience store. It was also used in the original version of the children's television series Pingu in the third episode, The New Arrival, when the midwife is skating to the igloo to help the egg (Pinga) to hatch.
Other uses
The music is played in every level of the NES game Antarctic Adventure.
A small part of it is played in the TV series Daredevil.
The Skater's Waltz is also a music record on Nintendogs + Cats.
External links
- Les Patineurs Valse MIDI at Classical Music Archives
- Les Patineurs Valse Sheet Music at the Petrucci Music Library (subject to change)