Luogo e data di registrazione		Palais Schönburg, Vienna (Austria) - 24/26 febbraio 1974
	Registrazione: live / studio		studio
	Production		Dr. Andreas Holschneider
	Recording supervision		Werner Mayer
	Recording Engineer		Klaus Scheibe
	Prima Edizione LP		ARCHIV - 2533 182 - (1 LP - durata 47' 46") - (p) 1975 - Analogico
	Prima Edizione CD		ARCHIV - 439 964-2 - (4 CD's - durata 71' 35"; 70' 09"; 70' 42" & 72' 56" - [CD3 26-31; CD4 1-4]) - (c) 1992 - ADD
	Cover		Pietro Longhi (1702-1785), "Der Tanzmeister", Archiv für Kunst und Geschichte, Berlin
	Note		-

 

Viennese Dance Music from the Classical Period Dance music is a phenomenon which retains its fascination quite apart from dance itself or the pleasure of dancing. It reflects the character both of a certain epoch and of its people who of ten in straightforward works like these present themselves in an informal light and reveal much more of themselves than they micht in their great pieces of music which whether consciously or not aspire to immortality. This, together with their general pleasure and entertainment value, iswhat in so intriguing about these dances. Amongst the dances native to Austria in the later eighteenth century there is, as well as the courtly minuet, the popular “ländler” (slow waltz) and the faster “Dreher”, the so-called “German dance”, out of which the Viennese waltz grew. Of all the dances in duple time, the country dances are the most important. Polish dances (polonaise, polacca and mazurka) are the most significant of the dances coming from abroad; they excited the interest of composers as early as the beginning of the eighteenth century and, after the division of Poland and the influx of Polish nobility into court circles in Vienna, Prussia and Saxony, this interest was reawakened. Joseph Eybler, a friend of Mozart, wrote three polonaises for a large orchestra, one of which is presented here. The orchestration, modelled on Beethoven, gives the dance a grand ceremonial splendour such as it still enjoys nowadays at the great Viennese balls when the polonaise opens the proceedings. One can find much clear, spirited, well-balanced dance music in works by Gluck, Salieri and Haydn. Gluck gave the ballet new impetus and was as much a reformer here as he was in the world of opera, In Gluck’s operas dance plays an important rôle; this is illustrated by the "balletto" from the opera "Orfeo ed Euridice", which is basically a slow minuet. The "Allegretto" from the ballet "Don Juan" reveals Gluck’s flair for writing lively dances in duple time; in this case he lays down the pizzicato for the strings, making the piece sound like a precursor of the pizzicato polkas written later by members of the Strauss dynasty. Salieri, who is best known as Beethoven’s and Haydn’s teacher, and is alleged to have been Mozart’s arch-enemy, was a respected composer of considerable ability. Whilst we were looking through his manuscripts in the Austrian National Library, we came across the minuet in B flat major included here. Thematically related to Gluck’s "balletto", it seems a real find: a piece of fine poise and classical mien. Haydn’s minuets in contrast make a more popular and robust impression. The G major minuet (Hob. IX 16/12) is actually a German dance and has little in common with a minuet. In the E major minuet taken from the "Katherine Dances" (Hob. IX 11/4) on the other hand we are confronted with the classical world; the radiance of the work reveal this is the composer of "The Creation" and "The Seasons". Mozart’s "Six Landlerlike Dances" (KV 606) for two violins and bass were composed in February 1791 and belong to the bourgeois provincial scene. They are scored for a trio as was usual in dance music: two high stringed instruments and a double bass (“Bassel”), just as popular musicians used to play at dances in local inns. For dances at court and for great balls the number of players was increased and the scoring included wind instruments. Mozart captures the popular sound in the most charming way, forging a true link between popular and classical music. The "Contredances" (KV 609) also date from the last years of his life. In this case the obligatory trio of two violins and double bass is augmented by flute and drum. The first of these dances includes a quotation from the famous aria “Non più andrai” from "The Marriage of Figaro", revealing how well-known melodies were transformed into dance music as a matter of course. In these "Contredances" three straightforward dances are followed by a Dreher in 3/8 time. Mozart adopted the pairing of duple and triple rhythms usual in popular music. Only nine years separate these compositions by Mozart from Beethoven’s country dances, but they are worlds apart. Even in these slight pieces the power and revolutionary spirit of Beethoven’s personality are made clear. The original manuscript bears the heading, “Contredances de L.v. Beethoven pour Monsieur de Friedrich Nomé Liederlich”. Dance No. 7 was included in the ballet "Prometheus" (Op. 43), acted as theme for the piano variations Op. 35 (1802) and was used in the finale of the “Sinfonia Eroica” (1803/04). Our selection groups together those dances which belong together because of their scoring (for two clarinets, two bassoons and strings). They also have a formal element in common: a halt in the middle of the dance. Such fermata are found incidentally not just in Beethoven’s dances but in many other country dances of the period. This characteristic feature (like the slow opening of the Vienna waltz) compelled the dancers to stop whilst in full swing and to move slowly, which no doubt led to the most amusing situations. Some of the dances out of Wranitzky's "Quodlibet" are closely related to these country dances. This is a collection of various dances of the period, including some very well-known pieces (such as the "Fandango" from Mozart’s "Figaro"), and it seems very like a compendium of the various forms of dance during the eighteenth century. The "Quodlibet" is probably an extract from the ballet "Das Waldmädchen" (The Woodland Maiden) by Wranitzky. The first dance, a "Strassburger" is like a country dance but it is followed by a leisurely "Altvatter", the slow stepping dance in triple time with a fast after-dance in duple time (here the pairing of the dances is in the reverse order, three and then two). A "Cosacca" with a "Masur" and a "Russian" dance provide ample evidence of Eastern influence. Beethoven wrote twelve piano variations (WoO 71) on the theme in the "Russian" dance, and Haydn too used it in a piece as a flute-clock; it probably originated with the violinist Jarnowic (Giornovichi, 1745-1804). It is interesting in this dance how all the violin’s effects using flageolet and pizzicato are included in a manner reminiscent of gypsy music. The "Fandango" proves the Spanish influence, and Italy is represented by the "Furlana veneziana". The "Quodlibet" also includes an "English dance", a precursor of the "Ecossaise", as it was known later. Wranitzky’s second opus in our series consist of humorous German dances using the most extraordinary instruments. It was no easy job puzzling out what the names of the instruments meant, and it was finally only made possible with the help of experts on popular music and popular instruments; furthermore someone had to be found who was familiar with late eighteenth century Viennese jargon. The "bellows" turned out to be a portable organ, the "coffee grinder" was a chime of bells, the "Rasteysen" was an early version of modern metal rods, the "Nadlpixl" (Tin of Nails) a little pipe of the kind one blows on a key, the "Apolloleyer" a psaltery; the "Leyer" was of course a hurdy-gurdy. The only names we recognized were the "Papageno pipe" (pipes of Pan), "kettle-drums" and "Tschinellen" (small cymbals). Since there are also two glasses of water in unison included in the score, these must have been real folk dances. Once again in this series of dances from the Viennese classical period the works are played according to their original scoring. The small group of stringed instruments (short-necked) provide the ideal balance for the solo wind instruments. E. Melkus - W. Gabriel (Translated by Jane Wiebel)