My orchestration of this potpourri by Carl Michael Ziehrer. It’s supposed to be a chronological survey of the Viennese dance scene in the 50 years after the Congress of Vienna. It isn’t chronological though.

Have you ever wished you hadn’t started something? I ordered this up as I thought this would be interesting as it promised to contain a bit of music by just about everybody who stood up in front of a dance orchestra in Vienna between 1815 and 1865 even ones who are so forgotten that even Google struggles to conjure up a hit for. What I hadn’t counted on was how many there were and how many were forgotten for a reason.

The choice of music is odd. Presumably these are pieces that were still remembered when Ziehrer was writing this. It is difficult to explain three minutes of mundane Hummel (Was anybody dancing to minuets at this period?) and a Beethoven polonaise that was surely never intended for dancing.

I ploughed through it but it mainly confirmed that the people I was already familiar with were writing the best quality music at that time. Carl Bendl might be worth a look, and I do have a waltz by him, and Ludwig Morelly might be worth a bit of attention. There a couple of pieces by more famous composers that I might track down complete versions of. On the whole I was glad to get to the end of it. It will be interesting to see if anyone listens to all of it!

I know some people like to try to identify the extracts in these potpourris. If you can do that here you really need to get out more.

For those masochists who would like to know who wrote what -

0 Johann Nepomuk Hummel – Marsch
52s Johann Nepomuk Hummel – Minuet and Trio
2m11s Johann Nepomuk Hummel – Deutscher mit Trio
3m19s Ludwig van Beethoven – Polonaise
5m2s Michael Pamer – Unter und Ober Österreicher
5m37 Joseph Wilde – Foppländler
6m47s H. Hirtl – Walzer
7m29s Franz Schubert – Gratzer Walzer
8m37s Franz Schubert – Trauer Walzer
9m16s Mathias Schwarz – Minuet
10m11s Johann “Zwickerl” Mayer – Gs – Gs – Ländler
11m2s Joseph Lanner – Steyrische Tänze (uncredited)
11m10s Joseph Lanner – Die Schönbrunner
12m23s Johann Strauss I – Polster-Tanz
12m49s Johann Strauss I – Walzer
13m Johann Strauss I - Spanischer Triumfmarsch
13m38s Johann Strauss I – Wiener Carneval Quadrille
14m5s Johann Strauss I – Sperl Polka
14m40s Johann Strauss I – Donaulieder
15m42s Franz Morelly – Schnepfen
16m30 Philipp Fahrbach I – Pfau Federn
17m40s Philipp Hubovsky – Erinnerungen an Gräfenberg
18m42s Leopold von Meyer – Valse Noble
19m44s Ludwig Morelly – Blumenlieder Walzer
20m32s Carl Bendl – Galanthomes Walzer
21m22s Philipp Fahrbach I – “Flora” Walzer
22m28s J A Adam – Frohsinnswecker Walzer
23m49s J Huber – Flinseria Oberöstereicher Ländler
24m36s Em. Titl – Fabriks Walzer
25m20s Johann Strauss II – Napoleon Marsch
26m33s Johann Strauss II – Juristenball Tänze
27m34s Johann Strauss II – Annen Polka
28m53s August Lanner – Die Ersten Gedanken (uncredited)
29m Josef Strauss – Bellona Polka Mazur
30m46s Josef Strauss – Wiener Kinder
32m46s Josef Kaulich – Raupenball Tänze
3m52s J Haag – Immergrün Schottisch
34m38s J Fuchs – Kobold Polka
35m38s J Jeschko - Harlekin Polka
36m18s Eduard Sechter - Netterl Polka
37m28s J. Kovacs – Nachtigall Polka
38m21s E Strauss – Die Candidaten
39m19s C.M. Ziehrer – Die Jägerin
40m15s C.M. Ziehrer – Ziener Tanzweisen
40m52s C.M. Ziehrer – Hoch dem Wienern