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 Préludes, Book I. The piece debuted at the New Carlton Hotel in Paris, where it was transcribed for strings and performed by a popular Romany band.
The title may be translated as "The even slower waltz" or, word-for-word, "The more than slow". Despite its translation, 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."
Le Petit Nègre is a bouncy Cakewalk in C Major, with overtones of the earlier Golliwogg’s Cakewalk from The Children’s Corner Suite. The eponymous Cakewalk was a popular dance at the time. Debussy later used the opening theme to represent the English Soldier in the delightful ballet La Boîte à Joujoux of 1913, which was orchestrated by Caplet. Le petit Nègre has an attractive charm for player and listener.
1. La plus que lente ("More than slow" waltz) (0:00)
2. Le Petit Negre ("The Little Negro") (4:45)
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