Waltzes 1–5, H 5, Martinů's very first music for piano, were written in 1910, when he was still essentially self-taught, even before his first consultations with Josef Suk.
Like the Polkas [H 101, 1916], the earlier Waltzes feature repeated tunes in different keys. While Schubertian in texture, these earlier pieces still hint at signature Martinů chord progressions, with uncanny chromaticisms and astonishing cadences, but they are metrically normal, without the more fluid slipping and sliding that are apparent in the Polkas. The final cadence of the first Waltz, however, is a real harbinger of later Martinů. In several of these Waltzes one may curiously find allusions to Spanish music, perhaps a flavour of the music of Enrique Granados or the Spanish dances of Claude Debussy, but there is no historical evidence to suggest that Martinů had any interest in things Iberian at the time these were written, although later in life he would occasionally express wonder at whether his family name was derived from Italian or Spanish roots (perhaps Martini or Martinez respectively). The bass at the beginning of the first has that downward series of steps (A-G-F-E) that is typical in so much guitar music, but, as can be found more prominently in the third waltz, a Richard Straussian influence cannot be overlooked either. By the fourth Waltz, it has become progressively more fun to see how far afield Martinů is going to go for the final splashy cadence. It is less than a minute into this one that the planing harmonies bring to mind Debussy's Spanish music. The final fifth Waltz is not so square in phrase lengths, with a middle section that is more dreamy than any of the others in this set. One hears some surprising accidentals in the melody, a nice Richard Straussian emphasis on leaping and landing a half-step away from the resolution, and once again an astonishing ending.
While these early Waltzes were written in the year when young Martinů began seriously devoting himself to continuous work as a composer, it was not a particularly comfortable time for him, academically speaking. Martinů found himself expelled from the Prague Conservatory for a second time – the first had been for playing with an amateur orchestra without permission, this time for 'incorrigible negligence'.
The recording of the composition was released for the first time by Naxos in 2009 (Martinů: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 5 – Polkas 1916, Five Waltzes; Giorgio Koukl).
Mark Gresham and Cary Lewis, Martinů: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 5 – Polkas 1916, Five Waltzes, Naxos, 2009.