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Updated: May 1, 2025
When I tell you that all the mayors and their assistants, the councillors from the Baraques-d'en-Haut and the Baraques-du-bois-de-Chênes, from Holderloch and Hirschland, received the fleur-de-lis because they headed their village deputations with a white flag, and that Pinacle received the cross of honor, for having arrived first with the band of the Bohemian, Waldteufel, who played "Vive Henri IV.," and had five or six white flags larger than the others; when I tell you that, you will understand what reasonable people thought.
And how Strauss played it!... With what fire and entrain! We had thought Waldteufel perfect; but when you heard Strauss you said to yourself you had never heard a waltz before. The musicians were partly hidden by gigantic palmettos, plants, and pots of flowers arranged in the most attractive way. But he!
They say that the Emperor, who has a horror of publicity in private life, was very displeased last year by the indiscretions and personal anecdotes, and especially the caricatures made by Gustave Dore, which appeared in the Figaro. The Emperor vowed that no outsiders should be invited again; therefore poor Waldteufel has to pay les pots casses, and we must make our own music.
There were things they had done that never in all their lives they could do again. Waldteufel Waltzes played on the old Cramer piano, standing in its place by the door, waltzes that would never sound the same in any other place in any other room. And there was the sumach tree. It would die if you transplanted it.
I told him that Monsieur Gautier had said that I was blasee. The Emperor exclaimed: "Vous blasee! Il faut y mettre beaucoup de bonne volonte pour etre blasee a votre age!" I said I did not know whether to be angry or not with him. "Be angry with him," answered the Emperor. "He deserves it." Waldteufel began playing his delightful waltzes, and every one was boon whirling about.
He was an accomplished waltzer, after the manner of that day, when one went round and round like some mechanical toy wound up. Strauss and Waldteufel tingled his feet; and he whirled ambassadors' wives till they were breathless and ambassadors' daughters till they no longer knew or cared where they were.
"Ubique quo fas et gloria ducunt." That was the meaning of the noble, serious, passionate music. Roddy called out, "Oh, not that dull old thing." No. Not that. There was the Funeral March in it: sulle morte d'un eroe. Mark was going away. "Waldteufel," then. One two three. One two three. Sustained thrum in the bass. One two three. Thursday Friday One two three. Saturday Sunday.
This brought our famous reel, which proved to be a dead failure, to an abrupt close; and the old generals, for whose sake we danced it, never got a chance to show what they could do; and we were thankful when Waldteufel returned to the piano and played a waltz, to which we could dance until it was time for the Emperor's tea, and then, Bonsoir! November 27th.
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