Emil Waldteufel, waltz-king of France, was born in Strasbourg on
December 9, 1837. His father, a professor of music at the Strasbourg
Conservatory, gave him his first music instruction. After that Emil
attended the Paris Conservatory, but he never completed his course of
study there, leaving the schoolroom to take on a job with a piano
manufacturer. He published his first waltzes at his own expense in 1860,
_Joies et peines_ and _Manola_. The latter so enchanted the Prince of
Wales that he willingly accepted the dedication of Waldteufel’s next
waltz, _Bien aimé_, a fact that played no small part in establishing
Waldteufel’s reputation in England. Waldteufel now decided to sidestep
all other activities to concentrate on the writing of waltz music. In
short order he became the idol of Paris in the same way that Johann
Strauss II was of Vienna. For a period, Waldteufel’s fame throughout
Europe was second only to that of the Viennese waltz king. Waldteufel
made many tours of the European capitals conducting his own
compositions, scoring triumphs in Covent Garden in 1885, and in Berlin
in 1889. In 1865 he became chamber musician to the Empress Eugénie and
director of the court balls. He died in Paris on February 16, 1915.
Waldteufel published over 250 waltzes. A comparison with Johann Strauss
is perhaps inevitable. The French waltz king never equalled Strauss’
remarkable melodic invention, original approaches in harmony and
orchestration, and overall inspiration. Most of Waldteufel’s waltzes are
functional pieces, and make far better dance music than concert music.
But a handful of his waltzes are classics, and deservedly so. They are
buoyant and inviting in their spirit, aristocratic in style, spontaneous
in expression. Waldteufel’s most famous waltzes include the following:
_España_, op. 236, which utilizes for its waltz melodies the basic
themes from Chabrier’s rhapsody of the same name; and _The Skaters_
(_Les Patineurs_), op. 183, in which the main elegant melody has the
lightness of foot and the mobility of motion of facile figure skaters.
Other popular Waldteufel waltzes include the _Acclamations_, op. 223;
_Dolores_, op. 170; _Estudiantina_, op. 191; _Mon rêve_, op. 151; _Les
Sirènes_, op. 154; _Toujours ou jamais_, op. 156; and _Violettes_, op.
148.