Eduard Poldini was born in Budapest, Hungary, on June 13, 1869. His
music study took place at the Vienna Conservatory. Poldini subsequently
established his home in Vevey, Switzerland, where he devoted himself to
composition. His most significant works are for the stage—both comic and
serious operas that include _The Vagabond and the Princess_ (1903) and
_The Carnival Marriage_ (1924). He was also a prolific composer of salon
pieces for the piano, familiar to piano studies throughout the world. In
1935 Poldini received the Order of the Hungarian Cross and in 1948 the
Hungarian Pro Arte Prize. He died in Vevey, Switzerland on June 29,
1957.
_Poupée valsante_ (_Dancing Doll_) is Poldini’s best known composition,
a fleet, graceful melody contrasted by a sentimental counter-subject.
The composer wrote it for solo piano. Fritz Kreisler adapted it for
violin and piano, and Frank La Forge for voice and orchestra. It has
also often been transcribed for orchestra.