Strauss, J :: Tritsch-Tratsch Polka [Chit-Chat Polka]

Musicians Publications presents Johann Strauss' Tritsch-Tratsch Polka arranged for flexible woodwind quartet by Bill Holcombe and Bill Holcombe Jr. Scored for flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon, this arrangement also includes a second clarinet part (to replace the oboe) and a bass clarinet part (to replace the bassoon) when necessary.

According to an authority on European dance music, the polka was invented in the year 1830 by a servant girl who lived at Elbeteinitz (Bohemia), the music being written down by a local musician. It went by another name but when introduced in Prague in 1835 it obtained the name, Polka. Others claim it originated elsewhere, but that matters little here. The Polka was soon carried everywhere by students, strolling players, bands and royalty. Though a Bohemian dance, Paris went crazy over it. 'Polkamania' set in wherever this delightful infection was carried. Now what can be so intriguing about polka? First of all, it is 'earthy', folk-like and physically stimulating. Its rhythms are aggressive, the note patterns of which cannot be illustrated here by the means at our disposal. It is a round dance in two-four time. Polkas are more melodically engaging than they are harmonically challenging. Tritsch-Tratsch (chit-chat) Polka has all the earmarks of the true polka, dealing with everyday chit chat in an un-gossipy but refreshing manner. Johann Strauss was a genius at saying light-hearted things in a worthwhile way.

- Sandra Foust, 1962