‘Dear Sirs / Herewith I have the honour to submit to the esteemed committee the title “Shooting Star” for a composition – to be precise a quick polka – for the Hesperus Ball.’ This brief announcement was sent by Jetty Strauss to Hesperus, an association of actors and musicians, and the letter was signed ‘Yours faithfully’ by her husband Johann. The date for the Hesperus Ball had already been advertised as 16 February in the Wiener Zeitung, a Vienna daily, on 10 January 1868. Jetty’s letter is undated.
Hesperos – the evening star of Greek mythology – is the planet Venus, seen sometimes in the evening, sometimes in the early morning (Hesperus had a sister society named Aurora). So how did the polka get the title “Shooting Star”? On the evening of 30 January 1868 a meteor was observed in towns to the north of Vienna. It must have been an impressive event, as from 1 February it was reported in many newspapers, both in Austria and abroad, ‘The phenomenon, a ball of blue flame […] disappeared with a crash like thunder’ (Neue Freie Presse, 1 February); ‘The luminous phenomenon was one of splendour and magnificence […] a meteor moving slowly forward in an easterly direction […] The speed of the luminous body increased unusually rapidly and with it the phenomenon grew bigger […] almost the diameter of the sun […].’ (Neue Freie Presse, 3 February).
This means that Jetty’s letter was written at the beginning of February 1868, not earlier, but not later either, because from 6 February there were already announcements that Johann Strauss was preparing a quick polka with the title “Shooting Star” for the Hesperus Ball. He thus had ten days to complete a composition which is orchestrated so as illustrate in music dazzling flashes of light and thunder.
Johann Strauss II. Thunder and Lightning op. 324 © by WJSO-Archive
火曜日, 1月 07 202018.00 Uhr 三重 / 四日市市民会館
四日市市でのコンサート 37日本ツアー
ヨハネス･ ヴィルトナー 指揮者
Programm ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : 序曲／喜歌劇「ジプシー男爵」 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ポルカ・シュネル「突進」 op. 348 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ワルツ「もろびと手をとり」 op. 443 ヨーゼフ シュトラウス : ポルカ・マズルカ「とんぼ」 op. 204 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : 「騎士パズマン」のチャルダッシュ op. 441 ヨハン·ヨーゼフ シュトラウス : ピツィカート・ポルカ ヨーゼフ シュトラウス : うわごと op. 212 Pause ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ポルカ「雷鳴と電光」 op. 324 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ワルツ「ウィーン気質」 op. 354 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ポルカ「クラップフェンの森で」 op. 336 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ポルカ・シュネル「観光列車 op. 281 ヨハン･ シュトラウス2世 : ワルツ「美しく青きドナウ op. 314
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