Moulinet (Little Mill): Polka française, Op.57

Josef Strauss (1827-1870)

Moulinet (Little Mill): Polka française, Op.57

Other ways of getting round the limitations of the polka included slowing it down and calling it a “polka française” and, more ingeniously, combining it with the triple-time rhythm of the mazurka and calling it a “polka-mazurka.” Josef Strauss was particularly adept in all the polka forms. His Moulinet, its two beats in the bar clicking with mechanical precision in the percussion, is a particularly attractive example of both the gently paced polka française and the distinctive melodic charm of its underrated composer.