Unter Palmen und Blumen

The waltz Unter Palmen und Blumen (Under Palms and Flowers) by the Bohemian composer Ludwig Stasny (1823-1883) is of comparable quality to the famous waltzes of his Viennese colleagues which are still famous today.

Having studied music in Prague, Stasny went on to be the conductor of a touring military band, the “Stasny Kapelle”. Following permanent positions in the Mainz Opera and a series of other musical tours, the Palmengarten Society appointed him to the position of Music Director of the Palmengarten Orchestra in Frankfurt am Main, a position which he held from 16 March 1871 until his death in 1883.

16 March 1871 also happens to be the birthdate of the Palmengarten and its Society House which is now famous well beyond its home in Frankfurt. The official opening celebrations of the Palmengarten took place following the end of the Franco-German war of 1870-71.

From the very beginning, the Palmengarten not only attracted visitors with its collection of southern exotic plants but also with its many concerts and events. They therefore required a musician of Ludwig Stasny’s calibre for the position of Music Director. At the time, he was extraordinarily popular across the regions for his numerous dance compositions and Wagner ‘potpourri arrangements’. From the middle of the 19th century, he was regarded as one of the most important composers of the Mainz publishing house, Schott.

Stasny composed Unter Palmen und Blumen especially for the opening of the Society House and his orchestral version of the waltz was performed in the Banqueting Hall as the celebration meal was served.

The following edition is a new arrangement for violin and piano commissioned by the Palmengarten owned by the City of Frankfurt am Main for the 150th anniversary of the Palmengarten. This arrangement is based on the orchestral version op. 161 and the version for piano op. 157, both published in 1877 by Schott in Mainz. Copies of these original prints are held in the collection of the Mainz City Library.