Sax Octets

Wein, Weib und Gesang

Johann Strauss II, arr. Ben Tordoff

Composed:
1869 Arranged:
2020 Grouping:
sSAATTBb Duration:
06:30

Originally a choral piece composed for a male voice choir "fools evening" in Vienna, this is Johann Strauss at the height of his powers. The title is a contraction of the old German saying "Who loves not wine, women and song remains a fool his whole life long".

A brief introduction leads into four back-to-back waltzes each with two themes, including some very memorable melodies. Here, as in most modern performances, we omit the full 137 bar introduction and opt for the suggested cuts to get waltzing away as soon as possible.

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This music is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Licence.