"Night in Vienna" music

[Gretchen Cover]

I was contacted by the high school music director to find out if I had any “solo harp music with orchestral accompaniment” for a January fundraising concert. The high school is raising money to perform in Vienna next spring. The theme is “Night in Vienna.” I think the translation here is a piece that has a meaty harp part that fits the theme or is written by an Austrian composer and should be somewhat light or waltz-like. I found one piece on youtube, Romanze in d minor for cello, harp and orchestra by Strauss.  Does anyone have any suggestions?

[patricia-jaeger]

Wikipedia has a list of compositions by Fritz Kreisler, famous late Austrian violinist who composed many waltzes and adapted many Old Viennese Folk Songs to be published as violin solos with piano accompaniment. You could compile a list of titles from the Wikipedia list appropriate for the “Night in Vienna” event but then to adapt these Kreisler compositions for harp solo with orchestra seems like a huge amount of work for some brilliant arranger. Perhaps consult Sheet Music Plus online, Carl Fischer Publishing in NYC (they published many Kreisler works) and over time you may find some works already adapted for orchestra, and from those to draw out the main themes for a harpist to play with our eight fingers would simplify your search somewhat. Respect copyrights and get permission if it is a performance where funds are raised. Surely there would be orchestras already playing Kreisler favorites like Liebesfreud, Liebesleid, Midnight Bells and other favorites your adult audience would likely already recognize. Your conductor needs to help! Also, surely the Kalmus publishing company expert who was long the orchestra librarian of the Philadelphia Orchestra in the days of Ormandy and Stokowski, conductors, sometimes has posted here on harpcolumn.com. He would have good suggestions.

[Ann]

If the student soloists are up to it, perhaps the orchestra could include one movement of the Mozart <b>Concerto for Flute, Harp, and Orchestra in C major</b>, K. 299/297c, on the fundraising concert since Mozart is so closely associated with Vienna.  Since it’s a popular piece, the parts shouldn’t be difficult to obtain.

 

 

[Gretchen Cover]

Thank you both for your suggestions which I  will pursue.

[patricia-jaeger]

Gretchen, I apologize for not looking up Mr. Kreisler’s dates. which are 1875 (Vienna) to 1962 (New York City). This means his compositions are still under copyright and it is too soon for them to be in public domain.The Kalmus publishing company expert I referred to in my previous post here, is Clinton F. Nieweg, another lapse of memory I had. The world of music is vast and full of beautiful sound but also too much detail for anyone to know it all!

[Gretchen Cover]

Patricia, I am not looking for  music only in the public domain.  The music director uses and pays for music appropriate to the program. I did look up Kreisler and found harp and flute duets.

[MusikFind1]

The Kreisler works for violin and orchestra are PD as there were written before 1923. The composer death date is not considered in U.S. copyright law. EMS lists 15 titles for sale in the Kalmus orchestra editions.
“https://www.emsmusic.com/SearchResults.asp?
Click on the titles to see if the instrumentation includes harp or possibly use the original piano parts.

[Gretchen Cover]

I found Caprice Viennois by Fritz Kreisler. Very strong, lovely harp part and a beautiful piece over all.   Thank you so much. I found a clip on YouTube in which the composer himself plays the violin part.

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