**Waltzing with Kabalevsky sheet music**
The music of Dimitry Kabalevsky has had a big influence on me both as a student and teacher. The first work of his I learned to play was The Clown, a comical and indecisive caricature of a piece that every beginner pianist will recognize. I fondly remember learning his 24th prelude from op. 38 in the first year of my undergrad. This work barrels ahead like an industrial tempest but subsides in the closing section as the sun peaks its head out. Among my other favourite Russian composers such as Rachmaninoff, Shostakovich and Scriabin, Kabalevksy has influenced me greatly as a composer and it’s no surprise that soon after starting this funny waltz it seemed only fair to dedicate it to him.
It’s composed in two parts. The first is clown-like with lots of Kabalevsky idioms such as octave leaps into the bass and the chromatic “boom-chuck-chuck” left hand chords. I started writing this when I was reviewing augmented 6th chords in my theory text. The first part is littered with them. The second part is more overtly a waltz. I think I was subconsciously influenced by Rachmaninoff’s arrangement of Fritz Kreisler’s Liebesleid. Hope you enjoy a listen. If you’re a pianist feel free to download a complimentary copy of the score. It’s around an RCM 6 level.
**Waltzing with Kabalevsky sheet music**