Wiki entry: Johann Strauss
International Music Score Library Project [IMSLP] entry: Johann Strauss
Johann Strauss [1825-99] was born in Vienna, and is known as the `Waltz King'. He is known as Johann Strauss II or Jr, to distinguish him from his father, also Johann and a famous composer in his own right. Brothers Edouard and Josef were also composers with regular slots in the New Year's Day concerts in Vienna. Although best known for his waltzes, especially the Blue Danube, Strauss was also a prolific composer of polkas and other dances, and of operettas.
| Piece | MP3 | Midi | Genre |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maskenzug Polka, Op. 240. | MIDI | classical piano | |
|
This Maskenzug, Polka Francaise is a piano arrangement of
the original orchestral version. There is no indication in the text
of either the arranger or the date of composition, but my copy
is certainly 19thC, and probably dates from around 1860, judging
from the published dates of some pieces with nearby opus numbers. A polka francaise is somewhat slower and more measured than the original Czech style. A Maskenzug is a masked parade. The score shows what looks more like a puppet show! Sequenced in 2022 from the copy in my collection. | |||
| Waldmeister-Walzer | MIDI | classical piano | |
|
These waltzes are taken from a late operetta, Waldmeister,
first performed on the 4th of December, 1895.
The full score of the operetta and of various extracts from it
were, it seems, copyrighted in 1896; whereas my copy of the
waltzes is copyrighted in 1895, so is perhaps a little earlier.
To add to the slight mystery, my version seems to be unknown
to IMSLP and Wiki, except for a comment that a piece
Trau, Schau, Wem! [`Be careful in whom you trust']
is also known as Waldmeister-Walzer.
The piano score of TSW is later than that of WW, as several
manifest errors have been corrected.
Also, one of the waltzes has a different middle section.
On the other hand, the orchestral version of TSW seems to be
virtually identical to WW. TSW is Strauss's Op. 463; nearby opus numbers are given to other dances taken from the operetta. The operetta itself and these waltzes have no opus number. The publisher is Bote and Bock, of Berlin. The waltzes are dedicated to Franz von Lenbach. He was a society artist, who did a well-known portrait of Strauss in 1895; presumably this dedication was the pay-back! Waldmeister is not, as those with my sort of rudimentary German might suppose, some sort of `wood master', perhaps a forester or a wood carver, but is a woodland plant, the woodruff, a strongly-scented white flower. The point of the operetta is that a woodruff gets covered with black ink, apparently creating a brand-new flower, so of great interest to botanists. Followed by the usual love interests and misunderstandings of 19thC operettas. Sequenced in 2022 from the copy in my collection. I've added the pedalling, completely absent in the original, and also put in some rubato in places. But I have to admit that the orchestral version has a lot going for it. My copy is inscribed [in German] Miss Gertrud Lissa, with thanks, Johann Strauss, which pretty much dates it to be original. On the other hand, copies of Strauss's signature on-line look somewhat different. On the third hand, allegedly Strauss used to send bits of the hair of his dog to fans who asked for a lock; perhaps he was equally cavalier with his signature, and passed off the autography to his assistants? | |||
| See also: Arabesques on the Blue Danube of Johann Strauss, by Schulz-Evler, a virtuoso piano piece swirling around the Blue Danube. This piece is quite faithful to the original, but with many more notes. | |||
Sequencing: Copyright © Andy Walker, 2022. You may use all my work freely for private purposes; commercial use is permitted only with my permission.
Andy Walker, anw [at] cuboid4.me.uk [remove digit to construct address]