The Kuss-Walzer (Kiss Waltz),
Op. 400 is a
waltz
The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...
by
Johann Strauss II
Johann Baptist Strauss II (; ; 25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (), was an List of Austrian composers, Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas as well ...
composed in 1881. The waltz was originally dedicated to his second wife, Angelika Dittrich (1850–1919), but Strauss withdrew that dedication after their divorce in 1882. The waltz comprises melodies from Strauss' popular
operetta
Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...
''
Der lustige Krieg'' (The Merry War) and is an orchestral treatment of the act 2
aria
In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
"Nur für Natur" which was a hit when first performed.
Eduard Strauss
Eduard "Edi" Strauss (15 March 1835 – 28 December 1916) was an Austrian composer who, together with his brothers Johann Strauss II and Josef Strauss made up the Strauss musical dynasty. He was the son of Johann Strauss I and Maria Anna Streim ...
, the composer's brother, first conducted the orchestral piece at the Court Ball in Vienna in 1882.
Piece
;Introduction
:
\relative c'
The introduction consists of arresting chords in the key of G major before proceeding discreetly into a quiet yet poignant waltz theme. The Kiss Waltz differs from Strauss' other waltzes in that the first theme recurs very often, and there are only three other waltz sections of which the first theme would be played again after concluding those successive sections. Despite being of such an economical structure, the waltz was well received at its first performance.
References
*
Waltzes by Johann Strauss II
1881 compositions
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