Johann Strauß became the master of Viennese entertainment music: although he initially played secretly and only had to prevail against his dominant father.
Johann Strauß - What a sounding name. Anyone who has ever seen the New Year's concert by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra thinks of the wonderful waltz "on the beautiful blue Danube", which can be heard there. Johann Strauß son wrote the Danube Walzer about whom this article deals with. The Radetzkymarsch, which traditionally forms the end of the New Year's concert, is from his father of the same name- the dominant founder of the composer dynasty, which conquered the world with dance and entertainment music. The whole family was talented - but "Schani" fled all. Before he shaped music history, he had to free himself from his father's shadow.
Johann Baptist Strauß, born on October 25, 1825 in Vienna, is the oldest of six children, including three brothers. The father is a music entrepreneur, Kapellmeister, KK Hofball Music Director and a star since his “Kettenbrücken Waltz” in 1827. He founds an orchestra and travels through the world. Everything rolls, galloped and quadrilized after his baton. Only son Johann should become a braver civil servant, he says. However, mother Anna Streim, who resorts to the husband, resolves his side jumps, Johann secretly takes violins and music lessons.
Great career as a composer after the father's death
When the father leaves the family to move to a younger man, Johann begins to play the first concerts. He has to earn money for the family. His first appearance at the Casino Dommayer on October 15, 1844 in the Vienna suburb of Hietzing will be a huge success. Tours then take him through the monarchy with his own orchestra. When the father died in 1849, he merged the two bouquet orchestras. Now there is only one bouquet or three. His brothers Eduard and Josef also compose and play along. But soon you will only think of him, the composer and conductor when it says: the waltz king comes.
In the fine society, the waltz was frowned upon until the early 19th century because there was much too narrow dancing and this further development of the employee came from the rural milieu. "Nevertheless, the waltz managed to climb the most popular dance," explains Elisabeth Albrecht, head of the music mediation in the Haus der Musik. “The up -and -coming bourgeoisie imitated the aristocratic balls and made the waltz its most important dance - with a lavish success. The nobles soon got the desire to dance. ”Vienna became the first city in which it was even allowed at Hof. Only in the presence of the emperor remained for a long time.
Non -traveling pop star with orchestra
Strauss was not only a brilliant composer, with sophistication, wit and a lot of sense, he was also a pioneer in the development of orchestration and designing concerts. His works embodied the elegance and lightness of the Viennese lifestyle. His work includes over 500 works, including waltzes, polkas, marches, quadrilles, gallops and operettas.
Again and again there are also current references in the Strauß waltzes. That touched the audience. The railway lustworm, in which the rhythmic sound of the steam boiler of the locomotive can be heard, comes from the father. Brother Eduard's “railway free” is the pipe signal of the train at the beginning of the play. Johann himself was little travel. When he had to go somewhere and drove the railroad over a bridge or through a tunnel, he threw himself flat on the floor in the wagon.
But the time was ripe, and the music was too good: the Strauss brothers conquered the world in the storm with their music. “Success is probably also in perfect management. We are talking about a flourishing commercial company that acted worldwide, ”says Albrecht. Johann Strauss son was a "pop star" of the 19th century. At the world peace festival in Boston in 1872, he played 100,000 people with 20 subdirigents.
Poodle curls for women
His global tours, Russia, through Europe or the USA, also made headlines in the gossip press again and again. In 1850, on the way to Warsaw, the musicians are said to have been thought to be spies and blocked in a pigsty. Allegedly, they were only released on personal intervention by Tsarin Maria Feodorowna, who then dedicated Johann Straus's son to the "Warsaw Polka" composed for the guest performance. A true story or good marketing? The fact is that Johann Strauß was a womanizer who looked good. He turned his hair. Quite often, as was customary at the time, his love affairs asked him for a hair. He is said to have cut her off from his poodle, which was also black -haired.
Johann Strauß was very popular with the rulers of the Vienna Court-until he showed himself as a sympathizer of the revolution of 1848 by composing the Liberty song waltz and the revolution march. It was not until 1863 that he was appointed KK Hofball Music Director by Emperor Franz Joseph. He now led all court balls until 1871. During this time, Strauss only composed dance music. Then he started writing operettas. "The bat" and "The Gypsy Baron" became particularly well known.
Johann Strauß was married three times, but remained childless. His first wife, Henriette, was a few years older than him, the two other around 30 years younger. Like Henriette, his last wife Adele managed her husband and thus contributed a lot to the success of the Strauss dynasty.
