Standards
Once Upon A Summertime (La Valse Des Lilas) chords & key
- Key
- F minor
- Form
- ABCD
- Bars
- 34
- Groove
- Jazz waltz
- Time signature
- 3/4
“Once Upon A Summertime (La Valse Des Lilas)” is a jazz standard by Legrand-Barclay-Marnay-Mercer. It is usually played in F minor as a jazz waltz, and the 34-bar ABCD form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 5 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres F major, B♭ major and F minor. In this atlas it appears on 3 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — F minor
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Dm7×5
- Gm7×5
- C7×4
- C7♭9×3
- Fmaj7×3
- Fm7×2
Key centres reached by ii–V
F major, B♭ major and F minor
Recorded on these albums
| 1963 | Quiet Nights Miles Davis · “Once Upon a Summertime” |
| 1963 | I Wanna Be Around Tony Bennett · “Once Upon a Summertime” |
| 1966 | Je m’appelle Barbra Barbra Streisand · “Once Upon a Summertime” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Mountain Greenery 38% | C major |
| Why Do I Love You? 33% | A♭ major |
| The Blue Room 28% | F major |
| Love Is The Sweetest Thing 27% | D major |
| For You, For Me, For Evermore 26% | E♭ major |
| Look For The Silver Lining 26% | E♭ major |
| Making Whoopee 26% | G major |
| My Shining Hour 25% | C major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Once Upon A Summertime (La Valse Des Lilas) in?
Once Upon A Summertime (La Valse Des Lilas) is usually played in F minor. For B♭ instruments that is G minor, for E♭ instruments D minor.
Who wrote Once Upon A Summertime (La Valse Des Lilas)?
Once Upon A Summertime (La Valse Des Lilas) was written by Legrand-Barclay-Marnay-Mercer.
What is the form of Once Upon A Summertime (La Valse Des Lilas)?
Once Upon A Summertime (La Valse Des Lilas) has 4 sections (ABCD) with 34 bars in total.
How fast is Once Upon A Summertime (La Valse Des Lilas) played?
The usual groove is Jazz waltz.
What are the chord changes to Once Upon A Summertime (La Valse Des Lilas)?
The opening bars are Fm7 | Abmaj7 | Gm7b5 | C7b9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.