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Vienna Waltz Ensemble proudly releases their second premiere recording featuring 19th century Viennese dance music recovered from the depths of European archives. The revival of this music for two violins and bass honors the legacy of the "Linzer Geiger" (Linzer fiddlers), musicians from Upper Austria who traveled in ships down the Danube, stopping to perform dance music for ever widening and appreciative audiences. The demand for new music intensified with the completion of splendid dance palaces for a dance-obsessed public. A new style of dancing was emerging, with dancers gliding across the floor, holding each other closely and sending shock waves through society, prompting cries of outrage, scandal, and immorality. This new dance, the waltz, proved to be the most celebrated and enduring of dance forms and, along with the minuet, had the greatest influence on musical history. Despite such a vibrant and auspicious inception, this dance music is largely overlooked by today's performer and ignored by even the most prestigious music conservatories. So much of Western European music incorporates dance rhythms and melodies that it is difficult to name any composer of the last 250 years who didn?t employ some form of dance in his music. Johann Nepomuk Hummel (1778-1837) German Dances for the Redoutensaal At the tender age of seven, musical prodigy Johann Nepomuk Hummel, was invited to Vienna to study and live with the Mozart family and be tutored free of charge. He was considered one of Europe's greatest composers and as a brilliant piano virtuoso and teacher, his influence is still apparent in the modern piano school. At Beethoven's funeral in 1827, Hummel paid tribute to a lifelong friendship at a memorial concert of piano improvisations on Beethoven's themes. Hummel also wrote annual sets of dances for the Apollosaal, the fanciest and largest dance hall in Vienna, said to hold 6000 dancers. These German Dances for the Redoutensaal could have been titled Allemandes or Deutsche Tanze depending on where they were published, but were probably regarded as concert Walzer. Anonymous Tanz / Schellerl-Tanz / Brat-Lenerl On the avenues of 19th century Vienna, improvised melodies spilled out from every corner café. These three charming dances by the most famous of all composers, "Anonymous," were discovered in a set of piano reductions by the 19th century Viennese band leader, Eduard Kremser. The noted Viennese musicologist, Dr. Rudolf Hopfner, restored these works to the traditional instrumentation of two violins and bass. The Schellerl-Tanz, (Little Bells Dance), is reminiscent of a graceful and elegant era when patrons were entertained by a band of two violins and bass playing a Tanz at the Brat-Lenerl Inn. Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) Landler for the Seasons Joseph Haydn's oratorio "The Seasons" (1801) evokes Autumn as a boisterous festival celebrating the joys and rewards of the harvest, especially the grape harvest and the intoxicating wine produced from these grapes. Borrowed from Autumn, these spirited Landler for the Seasons are introduced by a droning "bagpipe" inviting us to a jubilant feast in a pastoral landscape filled with drunken swagger, passionate flirting, and frenzied dancing. Johann Strauss, Sr. (1804-1849) Wiener-Carneval-Walzer Johann Strauss, Sr., along with Joseph Lanner (1801-1843), is credited with laying the foundation for the Viennese Waltz. IN the Wiener-Carneval-Walzer, Strauss teases the listener with the popular practice of slipping in a familiar tune from someone else?s work and molding it into a dance. The surprise in the sixth waltz is a "quote" from the opera, "Oberon" (1825-26) by Carl maria von Weber (1786-1826). Original music commemorating special occasions was encourage by 19th century society and the Carnival of 1828 probably inspired these seven waltzes and coda, initially also published for various instrumentations including orchestra, four-hand piano, violin and piano, and two violins and bass. Ignaz Michael Pamer (1782-1827) Walzer Ignaz Michael Pamer Thrilled and entertained audiences every night with performances at a favorite Viennesse tavern, Zur Goldenen Birne (The Golden Peach) whose famous guests through the years included Beethoven, Prince Rasumofsky, and the French writer, Balzac. Legend maintains that Pamer, cheered on by his audience, would down a stein of the local favorite after each piece. Despite this rumored penchant for drink and a difficult personality, Pamer was greatly admired by both Johann Strauss, Sr. and Joseph Lanner. These Walzer open a window into the earthy, charismatic character of the gifted violinist and composer. Frantisek Gregora (1819-1887) Mazurka/Polka Czech double-bassist, composer, and teacher Frantisek Gregora lived in Vienna and Bohemia and is noted for writing one of the foremost music harmony textbooks of the period. Continuing in the tremendous Czech double bass tradition, the esteemed double bassist, educator and composer, Miloslav Gajdos, affectionately arranged these dances for violin and double bass in 1990. From its origins with the Mazurs in the Polish province of Mazovia, the wild abandon of the Mazurka captured the imagination of many composers, most notably Frederic Chopin, who composed over 50 Mazurkas. The Polka, a lively couples' dance in 2/4 time, originated in Bohemia and continued on to become one of the most popular ballroom dances of the 19th century. By the 1840's jokes could be overheard in the USA concerning a certain presidential candidate by the name of James K. Polk, and as far away as India, Queen Victoria was honored at a ball at which they danced the Polka! Franz Alexander Possinger (1767-1827) Six Minuets In 1803, a dispute raged between Beethoven and his music publisher, Artaria, regarding the Quintet, Opus 29. The highly respected Viennese composer and violinist Franz Alexander Possinger was summoned to give expert testimony. He was employed by the National Theater Orchestra, the Court Orchestra, and the Chapel Orchestra, (which later became the Vienna Philharmonic), and admired as a successful composer of chamber works and instrumental arrangements of popular opera melodies. These Six Minuets (1819) illustrate his skillful and inventive compositional style. Ignaz Michael Pamer (1782-1827) Landler The Landler, a rustic folk dance from upper Austria, featured hopping and stamping with the male partner wearing heavy hob-nailed shoes or boots. Towards the end of the 18th century, with the opening of urban ballrooms with delicate parquet flooring, this robust character gave way to a lighter and quicker style - including a change in footwear. These Landler by Ignaz Michael Pamer are specifically instrumental, though occasionally music for the landler was provided by a cappella singers. How does the Vienna Waltz Ensemble find this music? Though some of this music comes from oral tradition passed down from generation to generation, many of Europe's greatest composers were inspired to write dance music. Over the past several years, bassist Greg Sarchet has gathered information about the history, tradition, and repertoire of the double bass. After noticing a handful of publication for two violins and bass by such well known composers as Mozart and Beethoven, he sought further insight and established contact with fellow bassists and other European musicians. Independent research and international exchange provided a springboard for more thorough investigation resulting in a 1996 Chicago Artists International Program residency award which enabled travel in the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary and Germany. With music in hand, Sarchet returned to the USA where our ensemble of two violins and bass resolved to bring attention to the historical significance of this music. To a violinist this music is irresistible and adds a fresh new dimension to a large, but very familiar violin repertoire. |
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