Valses: Estudiantina; Dolorés; Mon Rêve by Émile Waldteufel. Copyright © Played By Dr Michael Spacie.

Eight Émile Waldteufel lesser known waltzes have been recorded by me and appear on this SoundCloud page. The waltzes were played by reading the music from the original piano book of Walteufel's waltzes that was published. This was the first edition by Ascherberg, Hopwood & Crew Ltd and the book was published around 1900 or the early 1900s. The music in this historic first edition is as Émile Waldteufel wrote it without any subsequent editorial tweaking of later editions. The order of audio recordings of the Waldteufel waltzes on this SoundCloud page follow the very order the 8 lesser known waltzes appear in the first edition. Very few audio recordings of Waldteufel's Waltzes are in existence and particularly for piano with, to my knowledge, none reading specifically from the old Ascherberg, Hopwood & Crew original edition. At the time of recording these Waldteufel 8 lesser known waltzes in November 2025, my audio recordings are therefore possibly somewhat historically unique.

The said music book was given to me as a young person for my future use by Miss Cathleen M. Byrnes, originally from Alnwick in Northumberland and sometime Latin mistress at Rotherham High School for Girls and who was born circa 1895 and in her retirement taught me about music and the piano when I was a beginning pianist; she was a viola player and pianist as well as an expert in Latin and Classics. Although my musical pathway has taken me through many stages of development, in part, she can be credited for the pianist I am today, albeit many children/young people nowadays would 'crumble' under such disciplined and focused tuition, as of course, in over half a century since her tutelage, times have changed.

The titles of the waltzes are mainly romantic/mythical ideas which bear little resemblance to the quality of musical composition. If the music in the Ascherberg, Hopwood & Crew first edition is to be played and realised fluently, musically, and convincingly performed, ideally it is beneficial to have the required pianistic skills on LRSM (Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music) level in order to allow the music to speak with required technique and artistry.

Émile Waldteufel born in 1837 in France adopted the German name 'Waldteufel' following a family tradition. He attended the Paris Conservatoire and died in 1915.

Waldteufel would have been musically influenced by what was happening in Vienna at the time in terms of orchestral waltz writing, particularly the 'waltz king' Johann Strauss II. Waldteufel engaged in piano composition, composing at the piano for the piano but also later orchestrating some of his writing for dance orchestra. Waldteufel's father and paternal family were renowned musicians and his mother was reputedly a student of Austrian pianist and composer Johann Nepomuk Hummel who wrote waltzes and influenced Fryderyk Chopin. Hummel studied fortepiano with Mozart and made his debut in Vienna in 1787 at a Mozart concert. His mother also reputedly met Austrian-born composer Franz Joseph Haydn.

Significantly, Émile Waldteufel perhaps helped to establish a 'trend' of waltz dancing - evident in almost every UK town, certainly up until the 1950s (not to metion the modern revival of ballroom dancing) where many members of the general public would learn to dance and have a social evening out. Many marriages were begun with meetings in the local dance halls and my late parents in 1954 met at such a dance, got engaged in 1955 and married the following year in May 1956. I was born three years later. Both my parents were very accomplished dancers with many awards to their name and thus both had a great musicality, and also taught dancing in their spare time.

The 8 Waldteufel Valses that I have audio recorded are a tribute to my late parents and the late scholar, Cathleen M. Byrnes, hitherto mentioned.

Dr Michael Spacie
Copyright ©

Valses - Estudiantina; Dolorés; Mon Rêve by Émile Waldteufel. Copyright © (Click For Details)

A Musical Oasis.

A Suite of 9 Pieces for Piano Composed and Played by Dr Michael Spacie.

The Musical Oasis Suite is Copyright ©

A Musical Oasis Op. 13, No. 9. Copyright © Composed And Played By Dr Michael Spacie.

A Musical Oasis Op. 13, No. 8. Copyright © Composed And Played By Dr Michael Spacie.

A Musical Oasis Op. 13, No. 7. Copyright © Composed And Played By Dr Michael Spacie.

A Musical Oasis Op. 13, No. 6. Copyright © Composed And Played By Dr Michael Spacie.

A Musical Oasis Op. 13, No. 5. Copyright © Composed And Played By Dr Michael Spacie.

A Musical Oasis Op. 13, No. 4. Copyright © Composed And Played By Dr Michael Spacie.

Welcome to my SoundCloud page and a variety of audio recordings. Headphones or speakers are advantageous and recommended for listening. To continue reading, please click 'Show more' below:

Please note: click on any audio track for details about the music. 

A big thank you to all those listeners who have 'liked' tracks; most tracks have now been listened to many times. Statistics are not displayed publicly on this SoundCloud page as all tracks are then presented equally as pieces of music. My thanks to listeners who 'follow' me - thank you for enjoying my music performances and compositions. Thank you also for the messages/comments of appreciation. I hope to share more music with you on my SoundCloud page in the future.

My first piano lesson was on my tenth birthday and ever since, the piano has been a life-long study with a pursuit of classical music. By 18 years of age I was able enough to achieve Grade 8 piano with distinction from The Associated Board of The Royal Schools of Music as well as Grade 8 Theory of Music (Grade 8 being the final student Grade) and at the time, quite rapidly discovered that Grade 8 was not the end but just the beginning in terms of musical skill and musical development and knowledge.

Post Grade 8 and after further study I achieved two piano performance diplomas (ALCM) and (DipABRSM), I then went on to be successful with the highly demanding and prestigious Licentiate of The Royal Schools of Music Piano Performance Diploma Examination (LRSM) which is recognized the world over; the LRSM examination involved the performance of demanding repertoire, an extensive viva voce of verbal questioning and also, in my case for the 'Quick Study', a previously unseen baroque-style whole Gigue to prepare and perform with only 5 minutes preparation time; there are several examiners assessing live and the whole exam was audio recorded to ensure a rigour and standard appropriate to holding the LRSM. 

Also, I am twice piano performance Licentiate of Trinity College London (LTCL) with different repertoire, and twice piano performance Licentiate of The London College of Music at The University of West London (LLCM) with different repertoire; this along with other music successes including an academic FLCM (Fellow of The London College of Music) - some of my academic study in music being with the London College of Music at the then Thames Valley University. 

My qualifications in music are as follows:
LRSM (Piano Performance), LTCL (Piano Recital), LTCL (Piano Recital), LLCM (Piano Recital), LLCM (Piano Performance), DipABRSM (Piano Performance), ALCM (Piano Performance), LVCM(Hons) (Piano Performance), FLCM (Diploma in Music Literacy – Research Thesis (Music)), FVCM(Hons) (Musicology (by Thesis)), FVCM(Hons) (Composition), BA(Music), MMus, PhD(Music).

I am an experienced music tutor with advanced piano tuition specialty at higher education level as well as experience in teaching all levels of piano from absolute beginner to performance diploma standard with excellent learner results. One of my students of piano wrote: "Michael is calm, professional, patient, and exceptionally talented."

I have also studied the organ and singing and I also enjoy conducting. In addition, I have composed many pieces of piano music. My own original piano compositions consist of the following which can all be heard on this SoundCloud page: 
- Opus 1, Reflections Series 13 piano pieces.
- Opus 2, 4 piano pieces dedicated to my wife, Mrs Sandra Spacie.
- Opus 3, 4 contemporary piano pieces.
- Opus 4, A set of 45 Mysteries which have something of an 'other-wordly' sound and ethereal feel. They can be used for general relaxed listening and enjoyment, meditation and spiritual life or to ponder the mysteries of the Universe.
- Opus 5, 4 piano pieces dedicated to my wife, Mrs Sandra Spacie.
- Opus 6, 4 Classical Preludes for Piano.
- Opus 7, O Tannenbaum [O Christmas Tree]: Variations and Faux Bourdon Composed by Dr Michael Spacie and Finlandia by Finnish Composer Jean Sibelius: Chorale Variations and Faux Bourdon Composed by Dr Michael Spacie.
- Piano Solo Arrangement: Cantique De Noël (O Holy Night) by French Composer Adolphe Adam.
- Opus 8, Funeral March in D minor followed by modulatory Interlude and Funeral March in C minor followed by concluding Interlude dedicated in memory of two musical associates.
- Opus 9, A set of 12 Rhapsodies for the piano.
- Opus 10, No. 1. Processional Wedding March in D major composed for friends.
- Opus 10, No. 2. Recessional Wedding March in E major composed for friends.
- Opus 11, A set of four pieces for piano 'Stillness in the Music'. A spiritual inspiration of the flowing energy in music. Composed for the piano with many subtle sounds, harmonics, overtones, and infused with delightful multiple colours and layers of musical sound with an ever present 'stillness'.
- Opus 12, A set of 4 Novelettes in various keys.
- Opus 13, A Musical Oasis - A Suite of 9 Pieces for Piano.

I was lucky enough to purchase a hand-crafted acoustic upright 'Welmar' piano manufactured by the piano factory Whelpdale, Maxwell and Codd, London. It has a delightful responsive touch and 'warm' sound and resides in my dedicated home music studio.

Each item digitally recorded by me was done without any technological tweaking per se.

COMPOSITION:-
I am an established composer of piano music having composed to date 98 original separate piano pieces - all of which are on this SoundCloud page. Essentially, composition is a lifetime's study and requires much practice to be musically satisfying. Imagination and creativity require quiet contemplation with experience and knowledge of technique in so much as how to play the notes composed in order to produce the best possible sound. My original compositions featured on this SoundCloud page portray self-expression and some insight into the world of harmony sometimes manifesting a musical colouration with mainly diatonicism peppered with some chromatic detail giving rise to various energy levels through dissonance and resolution: there are basic chord shapes which are altered; clusters giving beauty of sound; various tensions arising from chords and melody outside the key centre whether specific or vague and unusual combinations of chords and harmony with an effective intervallic structure. Some of the pieces are evocative and somewhat lyrical whilst others create a mood which is timeless and calming, yet other pieces are haunting, being restrained and subtle. The rhythm can vary from being completely free to measured with some 'rubato' flexibility. Any bar lines are not necessarily part of the mix with a natural accentuation in phrasing often indicating a surreptitious rise and fall of tone levels. The damper pedal gives at times an 'extra-wordly' feel and makes use of the harmonics and overtones which in some instances add atmosphere, mood and character, often giving rise to a combination of sophistication and simplicity of musical content with a feeling of an ebb and flow where nothing is static but an ever changing scene with space for individual freedom and emotion within a framework of appeal and accessibility for the listener.

A fellow musician known to me commented in an email:- 
"I have very much enjoyed listening to you perform, very inspiring. Your compositions show an undeniable skill for writing and an ability developed over many years of studying and teaching. The music flows effortlessly with wonderful tonal and key changes that keep the listener fully engaged; beautiful emotion provoking music. You have a wonderful gift and you should absolutely share it with people. Your works deserve a place on the highest of platforms. I will look forward to listening to more and also sharing it with friends, students and family."
 
PIANIST WITH ADVANCED PERFORMANCE SKILL:-
There is no sense of be-all and end-all of piano performance. Nowadays, the term ‘concert pianist’ is very much in vogue, has widespread usage, popular acceptance and is somewhat used mainly for elitist purposes, designation of level and has been since the mid to late 19th-century.
Although certainly not in every single case, the term ‘concert pianist’ somewhat generally carries something of the reality of egoism and showmanship and thus artificial performance which somewhat blights much of the modern-day field of piano-playing and has indeed done for a very long time since the mid to late 19th-century. For example: an unnecessary robust fortissimo followed by a dramatic pianissimo where a composer didn't require it and where it doesn't suit the music which causes a piece to sound rather brittle, artificial and false; for show, a much faster tempo than the composer intended; an engagement with physical complexity for the sake of complexity, a mechanical virtuosity, which is very often the direct antithesis of both emotional awareness and communication and spiritual awareness and communication in music and performance.
Whilst I hold the highly recognised LRSM qualification in piano performance, a qualification for whatever reason many concert pianists don’t hold, I nevertheless simply regard myself as a pianist, a servant of the composer and a servant of the music and it is always my wish that my performances speak to the listener in some profound way rather than simply to impress musically, and that they are primarily free from ‘egoism’, ‘showmanship’ and all things ‘artificial’, but instead to musically communicate and share is one’s desire rather than of show and promotion of the ego.
Playing from memory is something of perfectionism to promote an ingrained image of being the best. Prior to the mid to late 19th-century, even the greatest composers and performers performed keyboard works at concert-level by reading from the music and portraying the emotion and spirituality of that music with a very high degree of accuracy without many (if any) wrong notes as well as maturity of contemporary stylistic awareness. As I am a high achiever rather than a perfectionist, I have personally adopted this as my particular performance model (no matter which era of piano music I am performing). This I strive to do with utmost integrity of feeling, to immerse oneself in the wonderment of each subjective interpretation of feeling, of mood and character, atmosphere and new insight with a distinctive tone-quality somewhat unique to me and my playing. And, last but not least, how a subjective interpretation appears and disappears from the ether involving the player but without the player getting in the way!

I can be contacted by email using gmail.com preceded by pianistmusicianmikespacie@

Thank you for visiting my SoundCloud page.

Dr Mike Spacie

A Musical Oasis Op. 13, No. 6. Copyright © Composed And Played By Dr Michael Spacie.

Dr Michael Spacie, LRSM LTCL LTCL LLCM LLCM, etc.

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