Chopsticks (music)
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Chopsticks (original name The Celebrated Chop Waltz) is an extremely well known, simple waltz for the piano. It is often one of the first that a new player of the instrument learns.
It was written in 1887 by Euphonia Allen under the pseudonym of Arthur de Lull (alternatively, Lulli). Allen, who was the sister of a music publisher, was only sixteen when she composed the piece, with arrangements for solo and duet.
The title Chop Waltz comes from Allen's specification that the melody be played with both hands held sideways, little fingers down, striking the keys with a chopping motion.
The piece is known as the Cutlet Polka in Russia. The Mighty Handful, a group of Russian composers, wrote variations on the theme for Alexander Borodin's daughter Gania, except for Modest Mussorgsky, who thought the composition would be meaningless. The variation is published as Paraphrases on the Cutlet Polka.