[Emile WALDTEUFEL, 1837–1915, an Alsatian composer who was h - Lot 21

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[Emile WALDTEUFEL, 1837–1915, an Alsatian composer who was h - Lot 21
[Emile WALDTEUFEL, 1837–1915, an Alsatian composer who was highly regarded by Empress Eugénie, for whom he served as the official pianist; Director of Dance Music at the Imperial Court of Napoleon III, he was the one who enlivened the balls and soirées at the Tuileries, in Compiègne, and in Biarritz; He remains well known for his waltzes, which earned him the nickname the “Parisian Strauss”] / “Caprice Impérial,” “a romantic operetta in 2 acts and 11 scenes,” music by Emile WALDTEUFEL, musical adaptation by Robert ANTONI, libretto by Robert ANTONI and Raymond CREMI: 1°) complete musical manuscript of 113 pages (on music paper, 24 x 32 cm) – 2°) libretto, mimeographed on recycled paper (21 x 32 cm, on the back of printed scores by Robert Antoni due to a paper shortage) / The libretto’s title page states that this operetta premiered at the Opéra Municipal de Clermont-Ferrand on November 19, 1942; however, one might wonder whether this performance actually took place, given that the Germans invaded and occupied Clermont-Ferrand (then in the Free Zone) on November 11, 1942. Furthermore, the cast list includes Jacqueline Waldteufel among the dancers, specifically identified as the great-granddaughter of Emile Waldteufel; and given that the Waldteufels were a Jewish family, staging this work by a Jewish composer with his own family would have been highly unlikely at the time. / We are not aware of any operettas composed by Waldteufel; the musical manuscript lists “Caprice Impérial” on its first page, but this conceals an earlier title, “Valses de France”—this is clearly a working document, evidently written by Robert Antoni, containing lyrics and performance instructions; since the music for this operetta was unknown at the time of its creation in 1942, we must establish the connection between Waldteufel and Antoni - Little is known about Antoni; he is known as a songwriter and collaborator of Georges Sellers, whose father-in-law he was (1907–1987, composer and conductor for music hall, arranger of Vincent Scotto’s Marseille operettas). Assuming Antoni was about twenty years older than Sellers, he might have met Waldteufel toward the end of his life, but this is highly unlikely, as the two men did not move in the same circles – The only connection, therefore, is the presence of Jacqueline Waldteufel (Emile’s great-granddaughter) as a ballerina in this show; her grandmother is thus Berthe Waldteufel (1883–1969, Emile’s daughter, herself a musician) – It is reasonable to assume that, having taken refuge in the unoccupied zone in Clermont-Ferrand, the Waldteufels met Antoni, a great enthusiast and admirer of Waldteufel; the libretto written by Antoni features the composer Waldteufel himself, alongside Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie—which shows just how much he tailored the plot to reflect the composer’s personality and his aura at court – This operetta thus likely originated when the family made available some previously unpublished (and perhaps even unfinished?) operetta music by Waldteufel to create a production celebrating Waldteufel - Ultimately, this operetta appears to have remained truly unperformed, which is of considerable importance since it introduces us to an unknown and unexpected work by Emile Waldteufel - The libretto states “Property of Editions Durand in Paris,” so there was a contract between Antoni, the Waldteufel heirs, and Durand, but there is no evidence to suggest that the work was ever published or performed
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