At the end of the eighteenth century the waltz became popular in salons and court dances, especially in Vienna, and by Ponchielli’s time it had spread widely throughout Europe. The musical structure of the genre had by then become standardized: an introduction followed by a sequence of five dance episodes, each internally bipartite, and a coda.
Precisely because of this richer structure compared with other dance forms, Ponchielli devoted greater compositional effort to the waltz in terms of melody, harmony, and formal design.
Follie di donna, completed in January 1866, is Ponchielli’s first waltz written in Cremona. The piece follows the established form: it opens with an introduction in 6/8 in the key of B♭, followed—marked by lightness and grace—by five waltzes in 3/4. The first and second are in B♭, while the following three are in E♭. Only the opening of the fourth waltz is announced, for four measures, by brass fanfares. The final coda begins with a modulating section that returns to the key of B♭ and the reprise of the first two waltzes.
When performed, Op. 122 was always placed at the end of the Cremona Band’s concert programs, and there is little doubt that audiences danced to its music.
Centro Studi Amilcare Ponchielli
Giuseppe Riccucci
Follie di donna Op. 122 - Historical version
Follie di donna Op. 122 - Symphonic version
Follie di donna Op. 122 - Symphonic audio version
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