Josef Strauss (1827-1870): Edition * Vol.20 Liechtenstein March, Op. 36 In May 1857, the celebrations for the fiftieth anniversary of the Austrian Imperial and Royal Agricultural Society in Vienna included a concert attended by the leading representatives and many guests from other regions. The orchestra was conducted by Josef Strauss, who had composed a march for the occasion, dedicated to the President of the Society, Prince Alois von Liechtenstein. A contemporary newspaper praises the performance of gems from the Strauss family's compositions, and particularly of the specially composed Liechtenstein March, which was "distinguished by vitality, agility and charm, and covered the composer with fresh laurels". The March was published some time later. The orchestral parts printed at the time have been preserved in Berlin, in perfect condition. Flattergeister, Waltz, Op. 62 They come whirring along in the introduction, those social butterflies after whom Josef Strauss named the Flattergeister Walz, that he wrote for the annual Fair in Hernals, held on 30th August 1858. On the title page of the first edition, they are pictured as lightly clad spirits hovering over bouquets of flowers, one of them turning towards a musician holding a guitar. Josef Strauss may, of course, have had in mind the more earthly kind of butterflies, and local song-writers were not slow to compose rhymes to fit his charming waltz-melodies. Cupido Polka, Op. 81 In Fasching, the carnival period before Lent, in 1860, Josef Strauss dedicated his Cupid Polka to "the sweet little god of love". On the title page of the first edition for piano, Cupid is pictured as a charming boy armed with bow and arrow. Many balls were held during this Fasching, in which the Viennese were just beginning to recover their spirits after Austria's expulsion from Italy in the campaign of 1859, and it is uncertain for which one the piece was composed. The Polka is first mentioned at the charity ball organized by the brothers Johann and Josef Strauss on 13th February 1860. No printed orchestral parts have been found, but a new edition has been completed from a draft of the piece. Wiener Bonmots, Waltz, Op. 108 Josef Strauss composed his "Viennese bons mots" in the early summer of 1861, and in his diary he gives the date of its first performance as 4th August 1861, perhaps at a garden party in the suburb of Hietzing. All classes of Viennese society were very fond of bons mots — witty sayings or plays on words. The playwright and comic actor Johann Nestroy, in particular, prided himself on the bons mots for which he was well known in his r？les both on stage and in real life. The musical bons mots Josef Strauss presented to his public in this set of waltzes consisted of amusing, typically Viennese melodies, which of course greatly appealed to his audiences. On the very day of its first performance, however, a theatrical newspaper recommended that the Strauss brothers should include more works by their father and by Josef Lanner in their programmes since "the Strauss repertoire could not be said to suffer from an excess of interesting new works". This first performance may have redressed the balance, since Wiener Bonmots, published shortly afterwards, can certainly be classed as an "interesting new work". Künstler-Caprice (Artists’ Caprice), Polka fran？aise, Op. 135 In January 1863, Johann Strauss published an announcement in several Viennese newspapers to the effect that doctors had forbidden him to compose because of the risk of cerebral paralysis. His brother Josef promptly took over all the commissions Johann had accepted to write new pieces for balls held during the carnival. For their ball on 28th January 1863, the Hesperus artists' society was not vouchsafed a full-scale waltz, but had to make do with a polka fran？aise — albeit a witty and tuneful one. The work was given the unflattering title of Artists' Caprice, but society in general was quite prepared to grant the members of Hesperus — Viennese actors and singers, musicians and writers — the right to be whimsical. The "caprice" is expressed especially in the first theme and in the second section of the Trio. Pêle-mêle, Polka (fast), Op. 161 Josef Strauss composed his Pell-Mell Polka in the spring of 1864, and it was first performed under the composer's baton at a gala concert in the Viennese public gardens. It is a spirited work, with a fascinatingly turbulent Trio, guaranteed to enliven audiences. Frauenherz (Woman’s Heart), Mazur polka, Op. 166 The Woman’s Heart Polka, first performed on 6th September 1864 in the public gardens, is the second musical declaration of love that Josef Strauss wrote for his wife Caroline. On this occasion he had good reason: he was secretly preparing a journey to Wroclaw, of which he had not told even his brother Johann in Pavlovsk. Josef wanted to prove that he, too, was capable of achieving international success. So he left this declaration as a farewell to his wife, made the solitary journey to Wroclaw and — was a failure. But this does not detract from the quality of his Mazur polka, which expresses his heartfelt feeling and pays homage to his beloved wife. Actionen (Legal Actions), Waltz, Op. 174 Josef Strauss wrote his Actionen Waltz for the Lawyers' Ball held on 31st January 1865; the title "Actions" is intended in the sense of "legal processes". When he composed it, the 38-year-old Strauss was already seriously ill, and shortly after he had conducted the piece at the carnival festivities, he suffered a complete breakdown. He was forced to abandon his feverish activity for a time, and took a holiday that summer. His farewell offering to his audiences was the Transactions Waltz, Op.184, possibly linked in some mysterious way to the present one. Pariser Quadrille, Op. 209 It is hard to get a clear idea of how and when Josef Strauss came to compose his Pariser Qaudrille. A "Paris quadrille" containing themes from French songs is mentioned on the extensive programme of a carnival revue given on 18th February 1866; but since it is not mentioned in any of the subsequent newspaper reviews, we cannot ascertain whether it was in fact performed. French chansonettes were readily available to the composer, since chanteuses had already begun performing in various Viennese establishments, but Johann and Josef Strauss had taken a trip to Paris during Lent in 1866, so it is possible that the Quadrille was written after that, to include the composer's impressions of the French metropolis. Indeed, both Josef Strauss and the horn-player Franz Sabay note 19th January 1867 as the first performance of the piece, at a masked ball in Vienna. The piano score was first published on 12th January 1867, the orchestral score on 10th May the same year. The work is, however, mentioned in several Viennese newspapers on 14th February 1866, so it may be that Josef Strauss drafted this quadrille in 1866, and later revised and modernised it. However that may be, this spirited, tuneful piece, which soon disappeared from the Strauss orchestra's programmes, has long been rediscovered and is well worth hearing. Delirien (Deliria), Waltz, Op. 212 The 1867 carnival in Vienna got off to a dreary, listless start, since Austria was still smarting from her defeat by the Prussians at K？niggr？tz in July 1866. The end of the Habsburg Empire was in sight. A contemporary Viennese chronicler described the atmosphere: "This year, no-one sets foot on the polished dance-floor in festive mood; everyone is merely hoping to find festivity there." Amid this carnival of discontent, Josef Strauss had the problematic task of composing a waltz especially for the grand Medical Ball on 22nd January 1867. He met the challenge with Deliria, in which the feverish fantasies of the introduction lead with brilliant simplicity into a lively waltz. Dithyrambe, Mazur polka, Op. 236 The strictly rhythmic Mazur polka Dithyrambe had two first performances. The orchestral version was played at the Strauss Charity Ball on 13th February 1868, together with the fast polka Galoppin, Op.237, and was published on 20th February. These two new pieces were the only ones offered on the occasion, since the hoped-for contributions from the other two brothers, Johann and Eduard, were evidently not forthcoming. The second première of the work was on 22nd June 1868, at the summer concert of the Vienna Choral Society in the suburb of Hietzing. A text in praise of song had been set to it by the Society's resident poet, and newspaper reviews of the concert were enthusiastic. Johann Strauss had taken advantage of the occasion to play his new waltz masterpiece Tales from the Vienna Woods, Op. 325, for the Choral Society audience, who applauded so warmly that the piece had to be played four times. Josef Strauss dedicated the choral version of his Dithyramb Polka to the Vienna Choral Society, who showed their gratitude with a pro forma payment of one florin. Vélocipède, fast polka, Op. 259 The development of the bicycle began in 1818, when Baron Karl de Drais invented the "draisine", a two-wheeled foot-propelled machine. This clumsy vehicle was improved upon by others, and later versions were given the name "velocipede" [Latin: velox - swift; pes, pedis - foot]. In 1869, the invention of the ball-bearing enabled the construction of high-wheelers, which were used primarily for sporting purposes — at some risk to the rider, as demonstrated by a Viennese actor whose attempt at showing his prowess on stage ended notoriously with a broken ankle. It may have been this incident that inspired Josef Strauss to compose a fast polka entitled Velocipede, first performed at the 1869 Fasching at a tempo much faster than any boneshaker could hope to achieve.