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Émile Waldteufel (December 9,
1837–February 12, 1915) was a French composer of popular music as well as
waltzes and polkas.
Émile Waldteufel was born as Charles Émile Levy in Strasbourg, France. It
was not generally known that his ancestry was also Jewish. Later, he took
the alsacian surname of Waldteufel.
Waldteufel was born into a family of musicians. His father, Louis, had a
well-reputed orchestra, and his brother Léon was a well-liked musician. When
Léon got a place at the Conservatoire de Paris as a violin student, the
entire family moved there. It was in Paris that Emile would spend the rest
of his life. He studied the piano at the Conservatoire de Paris from 1853 to
1857. Among his fellow pupils was Jules Massenet, the famous opera composer.
During this time, his father's orchestra became one of the most famous in
Paris, and he was frequently invited to play at important events. At the age
of 28, Émile became the court pianist of Empress Eugénie. After the
Franco-Prussian War, the orchestra played at the President's balls in the
Élysée Palace. At this time only a few members of the French high society
knew of Emile, and he was already 40 before he became better known.
In October 1874 Waldteufel played at an event that was attended by the
Prince of Wales and future King Edward VII of the United Kingdom. The Prince
was enthralled by Waldteufel's "Manolo" waltz, and was prepared to make
Waldteufel's music known in Britain. A long-term contract with the
London-based editor Hopwood & Crew followed. Part of the company belonged to
Charles Coote, director of the Coote & Tinney’s Band, the first dance
orchestra in London. Through these means, Waldteufel's music was played at
Buckingham Palace in front of Queen Victoria. Waldteufel dominated the music
scene in London and became world-famous. During this period he composed his
best known works, many of which are still heard today around the world. He
became well known for the waltz "Les Pâtineurs" or the "Ice Skaters",
created in 1882.
Émile Waldteufel gave concerts in several European cities, such as London in
1885, Berlin in 1889 and the Paris Opéra Balls in 1890 and 1891. He
continued his career as conductor and writing dance music for the
Presidential Balls until 1899 when he retired.
In 1915 Émile Waldteufel died at the age of 77 in Paris. His wife Célestine
Dufau, a former singer, had died during the previous year. They had two sons
and a daughter.
Waldteufel conducted with a stick rather than the violin bow. His
compositions were first created at the piano and later orchestrated. The
typical Waldteufel orchestra consisted of strings and a doubled woodwind
section, two cornets, four horns, three trombones, and a tuba, along with
some percussion instruments.
His music can be distinguished from Johann Strauss II's waltzes and polkas
in that he used subtle harmonies and gentle phrases unlike Strauss' more
robust and 'masculine' approach. The noted 19th C. American bandmaster and
dancing instructor Allen Dodworth referred to the long legato melody lines
of Waldteufel's compositions as "Hymn-tune waltzes", adding "They are
beloved of pianists on account of the great rest they give to the hands,
which is why they cling to them with loving laziness". It was considered
that Waldteufel's music was not revolutionary, which explained why his
waltzes fell out of favor as the age of Impressionism came to Paris.
Some Works of Waldteufel
* Mello waltz op. 123 (1866)
* Dans le champs polka-mazurka op. 125 In the Fields (1868)
* Térésa (Antoinette) waltz op. 133 (1864)
* Bien aimès waltz Op.143 (1875)
* Entre nous waltz op. 144 (1876)
* Violettes waltz op. 148 Violets (1876)
* Mon rêve waltz op. 151 My Dream (1877)
* Les Sirènes waltz op. 154 The Sirens (1878)
* Pomone waltz op. 155 Pomona (1877)
* Très Jolie waltz op. 159 Very Lovely! (1878)
* Pluie de diamants waltz op. 160 Rain of Diamonds or Golden Rain (1879)
* Ma charmante waltz op. 166 My Charming Lady (1879)
* Dolorès waltz op. 170 (1880)
* Chantilly, Walzer, Op.171 (1880)
* Solitude waltz op. 174 (1881)
* La Source waltz op. 180 (1882)
* Les Pâtineurs waltz op. 183 The Skaters (1882)
* Estudiantina waltz op. 191 Band of Students (1883)
* Coquetterie waltz op. 218 (1887)
* Acclamations waltz op. 223 (18xx)
* Rococo-Polka op. 232 (1888)
* Vision valse op. 235 Visions (1888)
* España waltz op. 236 (1886)
* Les Grenadiers military waltz op. 207 The Grenadiers (1886)
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