Emile Waldteufel

Regarded as the Johann Strauss of Paris, Emile Waldteufel wrote some 300 dances (more than half of them waltzes) for French society balls and private functions. Although his music has been criticized for its lack of melodic and rhythmic variety compared to Strauss, it is generally less ceremonial-feeling than that of Waldteufel's Austrian counterpart, with smooth, singing themes epitomized by his popular Les Patineurs. Waldteufel was born to a family of musicians; his Bavarian mother was a pianist, and his father was a violinist and dance composer. The family moved from Stras...