The Estudiantina waltz (or Band of Students Waltz) is a musical

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orches ...

, made in 1883, by

Émile Waldteufel Charles Émile Waldteufel (9 December 1837 – 12 February 1915) was a French pianist, conductor and composer known for his numerous popular Salon music, salon pieces. Life Émile Waldteufel (German for ''forest devil'') was born at 84 Grand ...

, his

Opus ''Opus'' (pl. ''opera'') is a Latin word meaning "work". Italian equivalents are ''opera'' (singular) and ''opere'' (pl.). Opus or OPUS may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Opus number, (abbr. Op.) specifying order of (usually) publicatio ...

191, No. 4. Its melody was composed earlier in 1881 by

Paul Lacôme Paul-Jean-Jacques Lacôme d'Estalenx (4 March 1838 – 12 December 1920) was a French composer. Between 1870 and the turn of the century he produced a series of operettas and operas-bouffes that were popular both in France and abroad. Interest i ...

, with lyrics by Julien de Lau Lusignan. Waldteufel first adapted it to a two-piano version, and later to an

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

l version with which classical music audiences are familiar today. The main melody is universally recognized by Americans of a certain age as the

Rheingold Beer Rheingold Brewery was a New York state brewery which sold Rheingold Beer from 1883 to 1976. The brewery held 35% of the state's beer market at its peak. The company was sold by the founding Jewish American Liebmann family in 1963. According t ...

jingle, with the words "My beer is Rheingold the dry beer. Think of Rheingold whenever you buy beer. It's not bitter, not sweet, it's the extra dry treat—Won't you try extra dry Rheingold beer?". And in Germany the main melody is very popular because of a song called "Spaniens Gitarren" sung by the singers Cindy & Bert in 4/4 time which was a great hit for them in 1974. \relative b' The waltz does not have the extended

introduction Introduction, The Introduction, Intro, or The Intro may refer to: General use * Introduction (music), an opening section of a piece of music * Introduction (writing), a beginning section to a book, article or essay which states its purpose and g ...

so often favoured by Waldteufel and begins instead with a brief

fanfare A fanfare (or fanfarade or flourish) is a short musical flourish which is typically played by trumpets, French horns or other brass instruments, often accompanied by percussion. It is a "brief improvised introduction to an instrumental perfo ...

which announces the waltz's 3/4 time. The refrain is in

D major D major (or the key of D) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B, and C. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative minor is B minor and its parallel minor is D minor. The D major scale is: : Ch ...

, and is repeated twice. The second section is in

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable compositi ...

, with a quiet repetitive note melody followed by a midsection D major part. The third part of the arrangement is in D major, with a contrasting

B minor B minor is a minor scale based on B, consisting of the pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A. Its key signature has two sharps. Its relative major is D major and its parallel major is B major. The B natural minor scale is: : Changes neede ...

part. The final section is back in G major, this time a quieter part than the previous sections, rounded up by an ebullient chorded phrase. The main introduction is played again, as is the refrain. After a brief reprise of the second section melody in a different key, the refrain is repeated again and the waltz ends on a high-spirited note.

References

"Rheingold Beer Jingle (theme, based upon Estudiantina Waltz)"
classicthemes.com

External links

* * {{Authority control Compositions by Émile Waldteufel Waltzes 1881 compositions 1883 compositions