Josef Strauss - Les Géorgiennes-Quadrille, Op. 168 (1864)

Josef Luckhardt Strauss (20 August 1827 – 22 July 1870) was an Austrian composer. He was the brother of Johann Strauss II and Eduard Strauss. His father wanted him to choose a career in the Austrian Habsburg military. He studied music with Franz Dolleschal and learned to play the violin with Franz Anton Ries.

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Les Géorgiennes, Quadrille, Op. 168 (1864)

1. Le Pantalon ("Trousers") (0:00)
2. L'été ("Summer") (0:48)
3. La Poule (The Hen") (1:28)
4. La Trénis (2:41)
5. La Pastourelle ("The Shepherd Girl") (3:22)
5. Finale (4:10)
Razumovsky Symphony Orchestra conducted by Alfred Eschwé

Les Géorgiennes is a "buffoon-opera" in three acts by Jacques Offenbach, with a libretto by Jules Moinaux, premiered at the Variétés, Salle Choiseul, on 16 March 1864.

In August 1867 the Revue et gazette musicale reported an excellent reception of Les Géorgiennes in Germany, more particularly in Breslau.

In 1874, "Un Monsieur de l'orchestre" recounted in Le Figaro that Les Géorgiennes had been given about a hundred performances in New York.

All the parts of the Quadrille were popular dances and songs from that time (19th century): Le Pantalon was a popular song, the second and third part were popular dances, La Pastourelle was a well-known ballad by the cornet player Collinet. The finale was very lively.

Sometimes La Pastourelle was replaced by another figure; La Trénis. This was a figure made by the dance master Trenitz. In the Viennese version of the quadrille both figures were used: La Trénis became the fourth part, and La Pastourelle the fifth, making a total of six parts

The quadrille was a very intricate dance. The standard form contained five different parts, and the Viennese lengthened it to six different parts. The following table shows what the different parts look like, musically speaking:

part 1: Pantalon (written in 2/4 or 6/8)
theme A – theme B – theme A – theme C – theme A

part 2: Été (always written in 2/4)
theme A – theme B – theme B – theme A

part 3: Poule (always written in 6/8)
theme A – theme B – theme A – theme C – theme A – theme B – theme A
Part 3 always begins with a two-measure introduction

part 4: Trénis (always written in 2/4)
theme A – theme B – theme B – theme A

part 5: Pastourelle (always written in 2/4)
theme A – theme B – theme C – theme B – theme A

part 6: Finale (always written in 2/4)
theme A – theme A – theme B – theme B – theme A – theme A
Part 6 always begins with a two-measure introduction

All the themes are 8 measures long.