Waltz Kings: Felix Godin - Ravissante Waltz (Lovely Waltz) (1912) (Piano)

Johann Strauss Jr was not the only Waltz King. There were many others, who composed mainly waltzes and other dance music, or were famous because of their waltz compositions. This series features the other waltz kings.

Felix Godin, a pseudonym of Henry Albert Brown (c1864-1925), was an English composer of light music. He is largely forgotten, now remembered only for his "Valse Septembre", a piece of music supposedly played on the doomed Titanic, and made famous in the 1997 "Titanic" movie.

Godin never equalled the success of that waltz, though he tried often enough - most notably in similarly French titled waltzes such as Juin Charmant (1910), Valse Décembre, Valse d’Avril, Valse Ravissante and Valse Mai (1912), as well as such later examples as A True Lover’s Knot (1920) and Anticipation (1922).

Although an English composer, he assumed a French pseudonym, and his compositions had mostly French titles, because it was apparently fashionable to be French at that time. He composed a series of waltzes based on each month of the year.

Ravissante (Lovely) Waltz certainly lives up to its name. It is one of the few waltzes of Godin where the sheet music is still available. The waltz begins quietly with an introduction based on the trio melody. Then comes the main waltz which contains the lilting and beautiful melody, one of the loveliest written by Godin. The trio section sounds more stately, offering a contrast to the first and last sections of this piece.

[kennethryesky]

Some strains from this seem to have found their way into Lecouna's "Vals Romantico."

[tylerbaldwin]

Thank you for providing a Piano rendition of this lovely waltz. I just found this waltz on a british record by a mysterious record label called "The Imp". On the flip side, there's a waltz called "Mondaine", and no other information is given besides it being a waltz and performed by the Meister Orchestra. Do you happen to know any waltz by the name of "Mondaine"?