Richard Rodgers, along with lyricist Lorenz Hart and later with Oscar Hammerstein II, penned an impressive array of musicals and songs that have captured the imagination of American audiences for years. The Carousel Waltz, a purely instrumental tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein production of Carousel, is from a lavish scene originally choreographed by Agnes de Mille. The 1956 film version, choreographed by Rod Alexander (with only one dance excerpt, the "Dream Ballet," retained from the original de Mille choreography), features Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae. This "big waltz" has came to be thought of as "the Carousel tune."

— Dave Kopplin