A Theory of Greatness

[keokime]

Personally, I love Strauss...Die Fleidermaus...doesn't get any better. That is one of my all time favorite pieces. Now, the Beethoven Emp. Concerto is really good, and in fact, it was the first piece I ever heard live, so it is kind of special to me. But, I must admit I have tired of it. In light of that, I would have to say that it all comes down to our tastes. We are all different, we like different things, so the arguments will abound.

[dkm32]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Peter:<BR><B> Donna,<P>From looking at your profile, & reading the above, you are obviously a Josef Strauss fanatic! Nothing wrong with that, of course, but I am curious about it. He is the least known of the Strausses, & he wrote very little that is popular. So, what's the story, please?<BR>Peter</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE><P>I think Eduard is really the least known of the Strauss Family. But, no you don't hear too much of Josef's work.<BR> <BR>(You may be sorry you ask, but here goes...)<P>Josef didn't start out in music. He headed down an Engineering road: Foreman of building of a dam on the Danube and of buildings in Vienna; published several mathematics books; invented the street-sweeper. And more. <P>In 1853 Johann became ill and the family forced Josef to take over the Strauss Orchestra. He did so unwillingly. While he was considered a piano virtuoso and composed a number of pieces for piano and bass voice, he had no training in conducting, the violin, or composing. He composed "The First and Last" waltz for his first outing as conductor as he intended to return to Engineering.<P>Because the Strauss Orchestra was in demand everywhere, both Johann and Josef were needed to conducted and composed. Josef took lesson for both composing and the violin. Josef quite often out produced Johann. Josef pieces stood up well when compared to Johann's and most of the time were superior. A real artistic contest flourished between the two. Jealousy developed on Johann's part. Josef style was different than Johann's, using more minor key and of a more romantic nature. <BR>In addition to a superior craftsmanship, shown in the more balanced and concentrated form of his waltzes, and generally greater ingenuity in both harmonic and melodic invention, there is true poetry and a pessimistically romantic touch about Josef's music, reminiscent of Berlioz, Liszt and Wagner.<BR>Johann's quote: "Pepi [Josef] is the more gifted of us two; I am merely more popular."<P>If you'd care to give a listen, you could go to my website. It has samples of his work. <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/JosefStrausser/Josef/JosefMusic.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.geocities.com/JosefStrausser/Josef/JosefMusic.html</A> <P>As time past, Josef began moving away from dance music and turned more and more toward more serious work. However, family finances always got in the way of his breaking away completely. To quote Peter Kemp of the Strauss Society of Great Britain, "Beyond a doubt, Josef's tragic early death denied the musical world a rich heritage. One can only wonder how his musical style might have developed had he, like his brothers, not been fettered by the commercial constraints of his time."<P>Another thing of interest, when Wagner's "Tristan" was first introduced it was considered unplayable. That was until Josef wrote an orchestration and the Strauss Orchestra, under his direction, played it.<P>Josef was never very healthy. He died at the age of 42. In only 17 years of composing he produced over 300 works which are still available. Unfortunately, in 1907, Eduard saw fit to burn the Strauss manuscripts. Over 500 pieces of Josef's were burnt. <P>He has often been called a Genius Against his Will, and, in fact, that is the title of an excellent book by Franz Mailer about Josef's life. Good reading.<P>--Donna<BR><p>[This message has been edited by dkm32 (edited 04-02-2001).]

[dkm32]

<p>[This message has been edited by dkm32 (edited 04-02-2001).]

[audiogirl]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by treebeau:<BR>[<BR>(I believe many do this because they are TOLD that it's great, not because THEY think it's great).<P>Tim,<BR>I have often thought that there is an "Emperor's New Clothes" element to some works of art, that we sometimes admire things and like them just 'cause somebody said we ought to.<P>BenG,<BR>Somewhere along the lines of tire-ability, I think that there are some works of art, music, or literature that bear re-visiting because there's a good chance you'll get something out of them that you didn't the previous time.<P>

[BenG]

AudioGirl,<P>That's true--there are some works of art that we dismiss in our youth...only to find appreciation for them later in life.<P>As for tire-ability, there are certain works that I once liked very much--and I still do--but there must elapse a long period of time between listens. My top 5 in 'tirebility:'<P>1. Tchaikovsky: 'Nutcracker Suite'<BR>2. Rimsky Korsakov: 'Scheherazade'<BR>3. Strauss: 'Blue Danube Waltz'<BR>4. Cesar Frank: 'Symphony in D'<BR>5. Dvorak: 'Piano Concerto in D minor'