Franz Behr
Encyclopedia
Franz Behr was a prolific, but minor, and now almost forgotten, German
composer
of songs and salon pieces
for piano.
He was popular at one time, and many of his works were published (his opus numbers reached at least 582, with Royal Gavotte). His works include names such as The Camp of the Gypsies, Will o’ the wisp, Valse des Elfes (Op. 497), Perciotta, serenande catalane, and Evening Chimes in the Mountains. He also wrote under the name G. Bachmann (Marche bulgare, Succès-mazurk, Collier de rubis, Paris-valse, Gavotte duchesse, Floréal mazurka).
However, the only piece of his that appears in the modern-day repertoire is Lachtäubchen, Scherzpolka in F major, Op. 303 (also known by its French title La rieuse, polka badine), and then only in the form of a transcription as a virtuoso piano piece, Polka de W.R., by Sergei Rachmaninoff
.
The tune was a favourite of Rachmaninoff’s father Vassily (the "W. R." in the title refers to his father’s initials in the German transliteration, Wassily Rachmaninoff), but it is not known whether Rachmaninoff knew its true author to be Behr, or whether he believed the melody was concocted by his father. Behr was given no mention in the published edition of Polka de W.R., and it was universally believed to be an original work of Rachmaninoff’s until the late 20th century, when the true author of the melody was identified. The piece is now generally listed as being by "Behr/Rachmaninoff", or "Behr, arr. Rachmaninoff".
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of songs and salon pieces
Salon music
Salon music was a popular music genre in Europe during the 19th century. It was usually written for solo piano in the romantic style, and often performed by the composer at events known as "Salons". Salon compositions are usually fairly short and often focus on virtuoso pianistic display or...
for piano.
He was popular at one time, and many of his works were published (his opus numbers reached at least 582, with Royal Gavotte). His works include names such as The Camp of the Gypsies, Will o’ the wisp, Valse des Elfes (Op. 497), Perciotta, serenande catalane, and Evening Chimes in the Mountains. He also wrote under the name G. Bachmann (Marche bulgare, Succès-mazurk, Collier de rubis, Paris-valse, Gavotte duchesse, Floréal mazurka).
However, the only piece of his that appears in the modern-day repertoire is Lachtäubchen, Scherzpolka in F major, Op. 303 (also known by its French title La rieuse, polka badine), and then only in the form of a transcription as a virtuoso piano piece, Polka de W.R., by Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Rachmaninoff
Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff was a Russian composer, pianist, and conductor. Rachmaninoff is widely considered one of the finest pianists of his day and, as a composer, one of the last great representatives of Romanticism in Russian classical music...
.
The tune was a favourite of Rachmaninoff’s father Vassily (the "W. R." in the title refers to his father’s initials in the German transliteration, Wassily Rachmaninoff), but it is not known whether Rachmaninoff knew its true author to be Behr, or whether he believed the melody was concocted by his father. Behr was given no mention in the published edition of Polka de W.R., and it was universally believed to be an original work of Rachmaninoff’s until the late 20th century, when the true author of the melody was identified. The piece is now generally listed as being by "Behr/Rachmaninoff", or "Behr, arr. Rachmaninoff".