Strauss, J :: Emperor Waltz

Musicians Publications presents Johann Strauss Emperor Waltz arranged for woodwind quintet by Bill Holcombe Jr.

If any Strauss waltz can be said to hold the honor of second place in popularity to The Blue Danube , it is probably this one, usually called the Emperor Waltz; properly speaking, it should be Emperors Waltzes. Like many other works of its kind, Kaiserwalzer is really a whole string of waltzes, not just one, and Walzer' serves as either the plural or the singular form of the word.

Furthermore, there were two Kaiser in German this word, too, remains unchanged in the plural involved in the creation of Strauss music. The first was the popular Franz Josef of Austria, ever so much a symbol of Strauss Vienna, who was in the 40th year of his reign when Strauss composed his tribute. The other was the newly elected Wilhelm II of Prussia. Strauss wrote the Kaiserwalzer for some concerts that formed part of the ceremonies surrounding the first state visit of the first of these, Franz Josef, to Berlin in 1889. As Peter Kemp deftly put it, by not dedicating the music to either Kaiser specifically, Strauss could satisfy the vanity of both. And regardless of its background, this is unquestionably an emperor among waltzes! -Robert Markow, 2015

This woodwind quintet is intermediate in difficulty.