High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Valse triste (Sad Waltz), Op. 44, No. 1, is a short orchestral work in waltz form by Jean Sibelius. It was originally part of his incidental music for his brother-in-law Arvid Järnefelt's 1903 play Kuolema (Death), but is far better known as a separate concert piece. Sibelius wrote six numbers for the 2 December 1903 production of Kuolema. The first number was titled Tempo di valse lente - Poco risoluto. In 1904 he revised this piece and it was performed in Helsinki on 25 April of that year as Valse triste. It was an instant hit with the public, took on a life of its own, and remains one of Sibelius's signature pieces.