La plus que lente solo

LA PLUS QUE LENTE, ("The more than slow"), was originally a waltz for solo piano written in 1910. The piece debuted at the New Carlton Hotel in Paris, where it was transcribed for strings and performed by the popular 'gipsy' violinist, Léoni, for whom Debussy wrote it. Debussy arranged the piece for small orchestra (flute, clarinet, piano, cimbalom and strings) which was published in 1912. 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 emulates. Debussy was writing a slow waltz to outdo all other slow waltzes. The work is marked "Molto rubato con morbidezza," indicating Debussy's encouragement of a flexible tempo.