Johann Baptist Strauss II, also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger, the Son, was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas and a ballet. In his lifetime, he was known as "The Waltz King", and was largely responsible for the popularity of the waltz in Vienna during the 19th century. Some of Johann Strauss's most famous works include "The Blue Danube", "Kaiser-Walzer", "Tales from the Vienna Woods", "Frühlingsstimmen", and the "Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka". Among his operettas, Die Fledermaus and Der Zigeunerbaron are the best known.
Johann Baptist Strauss I was an Austrian composer of the Romantic Period. He was famous for his light music, namely waltzes, polkas, and galops, which he popularized alongside Joseph Lanner, thereby setting the foundations for his sons—Johann, Josef and Eduard—to carry on his musical dynasty. He is best known for his composition of the Radetzky March.
Josef Strauss was an Austrian composer.
"The Blue Danube" is the common English title of "An der schönen, blauen Donau", Op. 314, a waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, composed in 1866. Originally performed on 15 February 1867 at a concert of the Wiener Männergesang-Verein, it has been one of the most consistently popular pieces of music in the classical repertoire. Its initial performance was considered only a mild success, however, and Strauss is reputed to have said, "The devil take the waltz, my only regret is for the coda—I wish that had been a success!"
Wiener Bonbons, Op. 307, is a waltz by Johann Strauss II written in 1866. It was first performed on 28 January 1866 at the ball of the Association of Industrial Societies held in the ball rooms of the Vienna Hofburg and was dedicated to the influential Princess Pauline Metternich-Winneburg, the wife of then Austrian ambassador to Paris.
Joseph Franz Karl Lanner was an Austrian dance music composer and dance orchestra conductor. He is best remembered as one of the earliest Viennese composers to reform the waltz from a simple peasant dance to something that even the highest society could enjoy, either as an accompaniment to the dance, or for the music's own sake. He was just as famous as his friend and musical rival Johann Strauss I, who was better known outside of Austria in their day because of his concert tours abroad, in particular, to France and England.
Cagliostro-Walzer op.370 is a waltz by Johann Strauss II composed in 1875 based on themes from his operetta, Cagliostro in Wien which premiered on 27 February 1875 at the famous Theater an der Wien.
Gross-Wien Op. 440 is a waltz by Johann Strauss II written in 1891 and was a choral waltz for the Wiener Männergesang-Verein during the Vienna Fasching (Carnival) of the same year. The text for the choral version of the waltz was by Franz von Gernerth.
Rosen aus dem Süden, Op. 388, is a waltz medley composed by Johann Strauss II in 1880 with its themes drawn from the operetta Das Spitzentuch der Königin. Strauss dedicated the waltz to King Umberto I of Italy.
Künstlerleben, Op. 316 is a waltz written by Johann Strauss II in 1867, following closely on the success of the popular "The Blue Danube". Austria was severely shaken the previous year 1866 by the crushing defeat that the Austrian army suffered in the Battle of Königgrätz and many of the year's festivities and balls were cancelled as the prevalent depressing mood affected most of Vienna's populace.
Morgenblätter, Op. 279, is a Viennese waltz composed by Johann Strauss II in 1863 and first performed on 12 January 1864 at the Sofiensaal in Vienna. The work's genesis was attributed to the composition of a waltz by Jacques Offenbach later titled "Abendblätter" when the Offenbach dedicated his work to the influential Vienna Authors' and Journalists' Association. The association had earlier intended the "Abendblätter" waltz to be played at their Concordia Ball on 12 January 1864.
Wiener Blut Op. 354 is a waltz by Johann Strauss II first performed by the composer on 22 April 1873. The new dedication waltz was to celebrate the wedding of the Emperor Franz Joseph I's daughter Archduchess Gisela Louise Maria and Prince Leopold of Bavaria. However, the waltz was also chiefly noted by Strauss' biographers as the début of Strauss with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra where for many years, the Philharmonic had dismissed any association with the 'Waltz King' as it had not wished to be associated with mere 'light' or 'pops' music. The festival ball celebrating the event was held at the Musikverein Hall which is the venue for the present day Neujahrskonzert.
Neu Wien , opus 342, is a waltz written by Johann Strauss II in 1870 and dedicated to Nicolaus Dumba (1830-1900), who was a fervent patron of Arts and was the Chairman of the Wiener Männergesang-Verein and Vice-President of the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde in Wien.
"Frühlingsstimmen", Op. 410 is an orchestral waltz, with optional solo soprano voice, written in 1882 by Johann Strauss II.
Schatz-Walzer, Op. 418, is a Viennese waltz by Johann Strauss II composed in 1885. The melodies from this waltz were drawn from Strauss' operetta Der Zigeunerbaron which premiered to critical acclaim on 24 October 1885. This waltz was first performed on 22 November that year in the concert hall of the Vienna Musikverein with Eduard Strauss conducting.
"Tales from the Vienna Woods" is a waltz by Johann Strauss II.
Bei uns z'Haus, Op. 361, is a Viennese waltz composed by Johann Strauss II for the 1873 Vienna World's Fair. It was first performed in August 1873 at the 'Neue Welt' establishment in Hietzing, Vienna.
Aus den Bergen, opus 292, is the name of a waltz composed by Johann Strauss II. The work was first performed in Pavlovsk on October 2nd 1864, under the title In den Bergen. The composition was dedicated to the music critic Eduard Hanslick. Critics commented on Strauss' waltz that "after a long time a new waltz from Johann Strauss has appeared, which is distinguished by noble and graceful character, and further distinguished by extraordinarily masterful instrumentation." The first Viennese performance of the waltz was in the Volksgarten as part of a benefit concert commemorating Strauss' twentieth anniversary of his debut as a composer.
Franz von Gernerth was an Austrian lawyer, composer and music writer.
