The Great Waltzes

Among the most widely popular composer of light classical music ever, Johann Strauss, Jr., wrote over 150 waltzes and brought the form to perfection as an extended musical composition. By the 1860s the waltz had become the exhilarating symbol of an elegant way of life, its lively sophistication mirroring the sparkle and joie de vivre of imperial Vienna and charming the world into dancing in three-quarter time.

Now musicians and music lovers can enjoy eight of Strauss's finest waltzes, reproduced from authoritative editions, in this sturdy, attractive collection. They include The Beautiful Blue Danube; Artist's Life; Tales of the Vienna Woods; Wine, Women and Song; Wiener Blut; Roses from the South; Voices of Spring; and Emperor Waltz.

Replete with inspired melodic invention and harmonic felicities, most of the scores have been reprinted directly from excellent German and Russian editions. In this inexpensive treasury they offer a rich source of inspiration and delight for every waltz lover.

Reprint of the Breitkopf Härtel, Leipzig, n.d., and Izdatel'stvo "Muzyka," Moscow, 1981 editions.