There's nothing like a Christmas mystery story, so I thought it might be fun to consider some of the real puzzles that crop up in musical history. I don't suppose we'll actually solve any, but the exercise might prove entertaining. I'll kick off with Josef Strauss's unpublished works.
Josef Strauss died suddenly in 1870 (he collapsed while conducting). No-one knows what was wrong, since there was no autopsy. (He may have been brain-damaged from birth, and he certainly showed signs of mild autism, or more probably Asperger's Syndrome, all his life.) Anyway, all his existing music passed to Johann's keeping. Some eight years later, Josef's widow Caroline wrote to Johann, asking for the return of her husband's unpublished works, so that she could arrange their publication. Johann denied he had ever received anything except copies of the scores that had been published in his lifetime. There were no unpublished pieces, or even sketches. In saying this, he was backed up by Eduard Strauss.
Caroline was quite miffed, as she knew at least that Josef had worked on an operetta that he called her 'pension'. There must also have been many sketches and completed pieces, as the Strausses were expected to introduce new music continually. She continued to make a fuss till the end of her life, and their daughter Karolina continued until after WW1, but nothing ever came to light.
Of course, the very strong suspicion is that all the music surfaced under Johann's name, but there is absolutely no evidence of it. In 1907, when Eduard wound up the Strauss Orchestra, he burned the entire library, and that is known to have contained some 500 pieces by Josef.
Perhaps the most tantalising thought is that Johann produced Die Fledermaus in 1874, less that four years after Josef's operetta disappeared!
None of this is particularly well known. It is covered reasonably well in Josef Strauss: Genius Against His Will, by Franz Mailer, but I've never seen it discussed in English anywhere else.
Josef Strauss died suddenly in 1870 (he collapsed while conducting). No-one knows what was wrong, since there was no autopsy. (He may have been brain-damaged from birth, and he certainly showed signs of mild autism, or more probably Asperger's Syndrome, all his life.) Anyway, all his existing music passed to Johann's keeping. Some eight years later, Josef's widow Caroline wrote to Johann, asking for the return of her husband's unpublished works, so that she could arrange their publication. Johann denied he had ever received anything except copies of the scores that had been published in his lifetime. There were no unpublished pieces, or even sketches. In saying this, he was backed up by Eduard Strauss.
Caroline was quite miffed, as she knew at least that Josef had worked on an operetta that he called her 'pension'. There must also have been many sketches and completed pieces, as the Strausses were expected to introduce new music continually. She continued to make a fuss till the end of her life, and their daughter Karolina continued until after WW1, but nothing ever came to light.
Of course, the very strong suspicion is that all the music surfaced under Johann's name, but there is absolutely no evidence of it. In 1907, when Eduard wound up the Strauss Orchestra, he burned the entire library, and that is known to have contained some 500 pieces by Josef.
Perhaps the most tantalising thought is that Johann produced Die Fledermaus in 1874, less that four years after Josef's operetta disappeared!
None of this is particularly well known. It is covered reasonably well in Josef Strauss: Genius Against His Will, by Franz Mailer, but I've never seen it discussed in English anywhere else.
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