The Washington herald., 1911-08-20
FRANZ LEHAR, COMPOSER OF MERRY
WIDOW" is COMING TO NEW YORK

your Broadway" which, by the way, ia
another English word in Franz Lehar's
vocabulary
This year the operettas Wien Eva
and 'Endich Allein' were heard for ths
first time in Vienna. 1t is difficult to an
swer the question as to which of all my
musical productions is my favorite 1 am
in the position of a mother who loves all
her children, but has a special feeling
Tor the youngest at her breast. At pres
ent 1 have several operettas in hand
Composing keeps me busy practically all
the time, and 1t seems to me that there
are hundreds of books of operas and op-
erettas coming to me every day which
| cannot even look at
Il do all of the detail work connected
with composing and orchestrating works
in my studios in Vienna and Bad Ischl,
but great many OF my ideas for the
waltzes and other music come to me
while am walking in the woods. 1t was
while out with nature with beautiful
flowers and trees about me and birds
singing their melodies above my head,
that the Merry Widow waltz and the
Lost Waltz came to me-"
Tale of "Lost Waltz
Everybody knows the alluring waltz
, from The Merry Widow" but nobody
in this world, not even Franz Lehar him.
self, knows the Lost Waltz" as he calls
1t, and only few of his friends know ths
story Of it. OF all the dance music that
he has composed Franz Lehar thinks
the Lost Waltz would have been the
most popular. The melody suddenly oc-
! CURED to his mind in the woods, and he
himself thought il most wonderful. So
that the notes would not slip away from
him he searched his pockets for pencil
and paper. Paper he had not but a pen-
Gil was at hand. To get the music in
some sort of permanent form he removed
his linen collar, sat down on the edge
of the path and got busy with the pen
ell and collar. After the music Of the
waltz had been transcribed to the collar
it was in such a condition that he would
not make himself presentable wearing it,
and then, too, 1t was too valuable piece
Of property to run the risk of having his
coat rub off the notes.
so I put the collar manuscript fnl an
inside pocket said Franz Lehar, and
turned up my coat collar, starting for
home. People may have wondered why
/ carefully kept my coat collar UP around
my neck on a pleasant day with the
sun shining brightly. When I reached
home I sat down at the piano with my
collar before me. After playing 1t
was even more delighted with the waltz.
Just at that time received a note which
necessitated my going to see some
friends. i put or another collar and laid
the musical one on my writing table.
Collar Notes Washed Out.
But while I was gone" continued
Franz Lehar, smiling all the time be-
cause of and in spite Of the recollection
of his lost waltz, our laundress gathered
up the collar with other soiled linen.
When / returned to transcribe the music
to a paper I found that the collar had
disappeared. My investigations led ne
to the laundry; my collar had reached
the stage of cleanliness, and the notes
in liquid form had been poured out.
Since then 1 have been absolutely unable
to recall any part of the waltz, and that
is the reason why nobody is dancing to
my Lost Waltz"