Other early editions: violin and piano (Rahter, September 1885, plate 2555, arr. Halir), violin and piano (Rahter, plate 2410, arr. Sauret), piano (Rahter, June 1882 (Neue Ausgabe in December 1884), plate 2240, arr. Rudolph Kündinger), piano (Rahter, August 1882, plate 2276, Erleichterte Ausgabe, arr. Rudolph Kündinger)

David Popper’s Elfentanz, Op. 39, is one of the most frequently performed perpetual-motion works in the cello repertoire. Unlike Davydov’s At the Fountain or Van Goens’s Scherzo, Elfentanz offers no moments of respite for the bow arm; its relentless motion demands stamina, fluidity, and precise control.

In the late 1940s, the celebrated cellist-composer Gaspar Cassadó created a truncated version of the work, recomposing the piano part in his own harmonic language. Nevertheless, Popper’s original version has stood the test of time and remains the standard. Remarkably, Elfentanz is one of the very few shorter works that Popper orchestrated himself, alongside his five concertos, Im Walde, and several smaller concert pieces.

Structurally, Elfentanz is a concert etude cast in sonata form. The first theme is accompanied by punctuating chords in the piano (or orchestra), while the second theme features a lyrical melody in the accompaniment, which the soloist ornaments with measured tremolo. The primary technical challenge lies in maintaining a relaxed bow arm and hand throughout, ensuring endurance and clarity of tone to the end. Another hurdle is the section with extremely high notes. This section, appearing twice in the piece, lies outside the typical cello range and, in fact, is not much more frequently used by violins except in concertos. The intonation and coordination, especially at the prescribed tempo, make this passage particularly challenging.

The work’s brilliance and charm inspired at least two violin transcriptions, by Emile Sauret and Karel Halíř, both of which preserve the original octave of the most demanding passages. Popper’s friend, the Brazilian cellist-composer Frederico Nascimento (1852–1924), was likely influenced by Elfentanz in composing his own Danse des Elfes (1888), a less technically demanding but equally delightful piece.

(Excerpted from the preface of the Urtext edition published by Yuriy Leonovich)