Figaro-Polka
Encyclopedia
Figaro-Polka op. 320 is a French polka
written by Johann Strauss II
in 1867 and was dedicated to Auguste Delaunay de Villemessant, who was the editor-in-chief of the Paris
newspaper 'Le Figaro'.
Strauss was persuaded to travel to Paris
after the 1867 Fasching by Comte Charles Xavier Eustache d'Osmond, a friend of Strauss who had earlier came for the 1866 Fasching in Vienna
and had advised the composer cum conductor to give concerts in the French
capital. Strauss, with his astute business capabilities coupled with his wife, Henrietta Treffz
's equally shrewd financial management sought to secure contracts to perform and organise concerts at the Paris World Exhibition in spring 1867. Strauss could not travel with his Strauss Orchestra and he had to conclude an agreement with the King of Prussia
's Director of Music Benjamin Bilse
to attempt that venture, sharing the conducting of Bilse's orchestra
.
Bilse's excellent and well-trained orchestra stole the show in Paris under Bilse himself but is ironically not a signal of enthusiasm for Strauss' waltzes and polkas as Bilse conducted works by other composers, with Strauss only managing lukewarm interest when he had the opportunity to conduct his share. Paris was a melting pot of musical entertainment with stiff competition and there was little encouragement for Strauss at the beginning. Further, he was against the idea of making his entry into Paris as grand as possible as advertisements and other so-called 'trumpetings', in the words of Henrietta 'Jetty' Treffz reached 10,000 francs a day.
Strauss had hoped for a miracle and he got one in the form of de Villemessant, the dedicatee of the 'Figaro-Polka' who skillfully championed Strauss in his newspaper 'Le Figaro' on 24 May 1867 onwards that the composer was able to score a triumph when invited to conduct at a ball hosted by Princess Pauline Metternich at the Austria
n embassy on 28 May. Since that conducting venture, Strauss' fortunes turned for the better and a relieved Henrietta noted that their sojourn had been a success after the initial setbacks. Having won over the Parisians, he readily acknowledged de Villemessant's role and therefore dedicated the new polka to the latter, with its premiére on 30 July 1867 at the Cercle International building within the Exhibition complex with Bilse's orchestra.
The polka is in the 'French-polka' style, with deliberate 'feminine' steps. The piece begins with attention-arresting chords in F major, with a tapping quality in the main melody. The piece proceeds at its own relaxed pace although it lacks nothing in terms of gaiety and delighful musical froth. As expected, its cheeky finale sufficiently affirms the polka as one of Strauss' more inspired pieces of the year.
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
written by Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
in 1867 and was dedicated to Auguste Delaunay de Villemessant, who was the editor-in-chief of the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
newspaper 'Le Figaro'.
Strauss was persuaded to travel to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
after the 1867 Fasching by Comte Charles Xavier Eustache d'Osmond, a friend of Strauss who had earlier came for the 1866 Fasching in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
and had advised the composer cum conductor to give concerts in the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
capital. Strauss, with his astute business capabilities coupled with his wife, Henrietta Treffz
Henrietta Treffz
Henrietta "Jetty" Treffz was best known as the first wife of Johann Strauss II and a well-known mezzo-soprano appearing in England in 1849 to great acclaim.-Biography:...
's equally shrewd financial management sought to secure contracts to perform and organise concerts at the Paris World Exhibition in spring 1867. Strauss could not travel with his Strauss Orchestra and he had to conclude an agreement with the King of Prussia
Prussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
's Director of Music Benjamin Bilse
Benjamin Bilse
Benjamin Bilse was a German conductor and composer.Bilse was born in Liegnitz in the Prussian Silesia Province. He obtained a rich musical education, as at the Vienna Conservatory under violinist Joseph Böhm, and played in the orchestra of Johann Strauss I...
to attempt that venture, sharing the conducting of Bilse's orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
.
Bilse's excellent and well-trained orchestra stole the show in Paris under Bilse himself but is ironically not a signal of enthusiasm for Strauss' waltzes and polkas as Bilse conducted works by other composers, with Strauss only managing lukewarm interest when he had the opportunity to conduct his share. Paris was a melting pot of musical entertainment with stiff competition and there was little encouragement for Strauss at the beginning. Further, he was against the idea of making his entry into Paris as grand as possible as advertisements and other so-called 'trumpetings', in the words of Henrietta 'Jetty' Treffz reached 10,000 francs a day.
Strauss had hoped for a miracle and he got one in the form of de Villemessant, the dedicatee of the 'Figaro-Polka' who skillfully championed Strauss in his newspaper 'Le Figaro' on 24 May 1867 onwards that the composer was able to score a triumph when invited to conduct at a ball hosted by Princess Pauline Metternich at the Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n embassy on 28 May. Since that conducting venture, Strauss' fortunes turned for the better and a relieved Henrietta noted that their sojourn had been a success after the initial setbacks. Having won over the Parisians, he readily acknowledged de Villemessant's role and therefore dedicated the new polka to the latter, with its premiére on 30 July 1867 at the Cercle International building within the Exhibition complex with Bilse's orchestra.
The polka is in the 'French-polka' style, with deliberate 'feminine' steps. The piece begins with attention-arresting chords in F major, with a tapping quality in the main melody. The piece proceeds at its own relaxed pace although it lacks nothing in terms of gaiety and delighful musical froth. As expected, its cheeky finale sufficiently affirms the polka as one of Strauss' more inspired pieces of the year.