July, 2000 Edition

European Popular Music Traditions - page 2

Of course another form of music that has its origins in Germany (& Austria) is the Waltz. The waltz was brought to its pinnacle of development and popularity during the mid to late 19th century by the Strauss family whose music is still very much in the common repertoire.

      On 1-Aug-1914, the Great Powers of Europe were at war as a result of the assassination of the heir to the Hapsburg throne, Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo on June 28th, St. Vitus Day, a Serbian holiday. By the time this song was written, the great war was already well in progress and death and destruction was touching the lives of the people of Europe. Though it may be my own imagination at work, it seems to me that this waltz has a darker tone to it, as though the pall of war is affecting the composer and coming through in his music. At the same time, the lyrics speak of better times and memories as well as a chance encounter, quickly consummated and just as quickly ended. Certainly, not an uncommon human theme during wartime.

      Again, we have a rather lengthy work, at 4:20. Enjoy this romantic Austrian waltz. It is a beautifully romantic work.

German Lyrics

English Translation

Er sas auf der Te-ras-se vom Caf-fee L'Eu-rope, die Früh-lings-nacht war vol-ler Klin-gen und-er sah auf dem Tur-m vom Ste-fans-dom, ob die leuch-ten-den Zif-ferl'n sprin-gen, a-m Ne-ben-tisch a-ber saß Wieß in Weiß en blon-des Mä-del und löf-felt Eis u-nd las schein-bar voll In-t'res-se den Leit-ar-ti-kel der Pres-se, n'ur ab und zu traf ihm wie son-der-bar ein leuch-ten-der Blick aus dem Aug-gen-paar Da nahm er lä-chelnd ein Stück Pa-pier und schrieb die-se wer-ben-den Zei-len ihr Ich weiß auf der Wie-den ein klei-nes Ho-tel, in ei-nem ver-schweige-nen Gäß--chen. die Nacht ist so kurz und der Tag kommt so schnell, komm mit mir du klei-nes Com-teß-chen was machst du dir Sor-gen was mor--gen ist, die Welt hat nur Son-ne und Lie-der, und hast du ein-mal ei-ne Nac-ht ver-küßt, so tust du es im-mer wie-der! Und der! Ich ging heut mor-gen mit mei-nem Schatz ganz sitt-sam ü-ber den Ste-phans-platz, Da la-g zu mei-nen Fü-s-sen mir ein kle-nes Stück Papier, I-ch hob es auf und hab ge-lacht es war das Ge-dicht das der Jun-ge ge macht die gan-ze Welt vol Früh-lings-duft ein Wal-zer-klin-gen lag in der Luft und Al-les war so leicht so frei, im Mai! So se-lig war mir, und es schein als summ-te heim-lich ganz Wien Ich weis auf der Wie-den ein klei-nes Hö-tel, in ei-nem ver-schie-ge-nem Gäß-chen, die Nacht ist so kurz und der Tag kommt so schnell, komm mit mir, du klei-nes Com-teß-chen, was machst du dir Sor-gen was mo-r-gen ist die Welt hat nur Son-ne und Lie-der und hast du ein-mal ei-ne Ni-cht ver-küßt so tust du es im-mer wie--der.

He sits on the terrace of the Cafe L'Europe The spring night was full of sound And he saw the tower of Stephansdom and wanted to see if the lit up numbers were moving On the next table sat a blonde girl in white As she spooned ice cream it seemed she was fully interested in a newspaper article Now and then she looked over with a light in her eyes Then he laughingly took a piece of paper He wrote these lines to her: I know of a little hotel in a quiet lane. The night is so short and the day comes too quick, Come with me you little Countess Why worry about tomorrow The world has only sunshine and songs And if you had one night of kissing Then you would do it over and over again Then that day's morning I went with my sweetheart Very modestly to the Stephans Platz There lay under my foot a small piece of paper I picked it up and I laughed It was that poem about a young boy Who had made the whole world full of springtime smells A waltz tune in the air And everything was so light so free in May So blissful was I It seemed as if the whole of Vienna secretly hummed I know of a meadow a small hotel In a quiet lane The night is so short and the day comes so quick Come with me my little Countess. Why worry about tomorrow The world has only sunshine and song And had you ONCE, a night kissed So you would do it over and over again

One of the phenomenons of the early 20th century in America was the introduction of new dances. It seemed everyone was creating them and the public ate them up.It appears France was no exception. Here we have a "new dance" created in 1906 and cited as "Le Grand Succes Parisien", The great Paris sensation.

      Interestingly, with this dance, published in Paris, we see an attempt to cross over to the English speaking market through a subtitle in English, "New Dancing". From this period on, we began to see a cross influence in music and where before, American music was largely influenced by continental tradition, we find that the sweeping changes in America begin to influence European music.

      This publication is very unique in that it also includes a very detailed sheet of instructions (in French only) on how to perform the dance. Though I have seen a number of dance introduction sheets, this is the only one I have seen with the dance instructions included. Of course, I don't expect you to be able to read the instructions and am providing the image here to document this curiosity. If any of you want a larger copy of the image, e-mail me and I will be happy to send you one you can read. You are on your own though with translating it!

      Though again, we have a work with no lyrics, musically this work is very enjoyable, I found it a delight to listen to. Though it is still very much a product of the continental musical tradition, you can hear elements that promise a blend of new an emerging musical trends.

By 1912, the influence of American music was beginning to make itself felt around the western world. As a result, Europe began to turn from the pure classical forms of song to forms that were influenced by trends in America. Ragtime and the blues were styles that were quickly assimilated into European songs and enjoyed great popularity.

      When you listen to this song, you can close your eyes and imagine it as a song you would hear on any day in America. You can hear elements of the blues as well as the very popular Tango that swept Europe and then America around this time. (See our essay on German and French popular music for more about the tango and to hear a great Tango published in France in 1911)

      This song was quite popular and was republished in the twenties. It was sung by the great Marlene Dietrich and interestingly, there was a SILENT movie made in 1929 using the same title, "I Kiss Your Hand Madame", available on video. (Thanks to Robbie Rhodes for finding this information and sharing it with us)

One thing that is often associated with the French is romance and bawdy behavior. Having visited France and associated with a number of French "amies", I can vouch for the fact that the French attitudes towards sex and the body are much less inhibited than ours in America.

      This was no doubt true at the turn of the century and was expressed in all art forms, including popular music. This sweet chansonnette is about a young girl who is concerned about the development of her body and its attractiveness to young men. The song is musically enjoyable but it is the lyrics that make it. I have laughed out loud each time I hear it and read the lyrics and I hope you will too. At the same time, for those of you with some inhibitions, perhaps you might want to pass and move on to this months essay . If not, please don't say you were not warned. I have verified the translation of this song with three translators and can assure you, it is accurate. The French word "nichon" translates to the more common term "tit" as compared to the word "poitrine" which means breast. In the interest of accuracy, I have used the literal translation. I trust we can all approach this with good nature and no offended feelings.

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