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Johann Strauss II (1825–1899) -

Johann Baptist Strauss II was born on October 25, 1825, in Vienna. Also known as Johann Strauss II and Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger, or the Son, he was an Austrian composer of light music, specifically dance music—waltzes, polkas, and quadrilles.

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Musical family -

Strauss was the eldest son of Johann Strauss Sr., an Austrian composer of the Romantic Period and also famous for his light music. Indeed, music ran in the family: two younger brothers, Josef and Eduard, also became composers.

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Violin studies -

Strauss Sr. urged his son to pursue a nonmusical profession. But while working as a bank clerk, Strauss studied the violin without his father's knowledge.

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Professional debut -

In 1844, he formed his own orchestra and began performing in Viennese taverns and restaurants. Later that year, Strauss made his professional debut at Dommayer's Casino in Hietzing, an affluent Vienna neighborhood.

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Family feud -

Dommayer's Casino is also where Strauss Sr. had played on many occasions. But after he learned of his son's appearance at the venue, the disgruntled patriarch refused to ever set foot in the casino again.

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Touring Europe -

Strauss' debut at Dommayer's was a resounding success. In 1849, after the death of Strauss Sr., he combined his orchestra with his father's and, with Eduard and Josef, embarked on a European tour, which included visiting Russia and, in 1869, England.

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'The Blue Danube' -

It was in 1867 during a pause in his touring schedule that Johann Strauss II created his most famous single composition—An der schönen blauen Donau, or 'The Blue Danube.'

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'The Blue Danube' makes its debut -

'The Blue Danube' was performed for the first time on February 15, 1867, in Vienna.

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Vienna Men's Choral Society -

The auspicious occasion took place at a concert of the Wiener Männergesang-Verein, or the Vienna Men's Choral Society. The choir was founded by August Schmidt (pictured), a friend of the composer.

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Adding words to a masterpiece -

After the original piece had been composed, words were added by the choral society's poet, Joseph Weyl.

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Orchestral version -

However, Strauss later adapted the composition into a purely orchestral version for the 1867 Paris Exposition. It's in this form that 'The Blue Danube' became one of the best-known tunes in 19th-century classical music.

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Waltzing in the USA -

Strauss visited the United States in 1872 to take part in the World's Peace Jubilee and International Music Festival, held in Boston. Strauss performed 'The Blue Danube' and 'Jubilee Waltz' to huge acclaim, cementing his reputation as the "Waltz King."

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Love and marriage -

Johann Strauss II had married his first wife, Henrietta Treffz (pictured), in 1862, and they remained together until her death in 1878. Six weeks later, he tied the knot for the second time, this time to an actress named Angelika Dittrich. It was a mismatch, the union only lasting four years.

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Adele Deutsch -

Strauss married for the third time in 1887, this time to Adele Deutsch. She encouraged his creative output in the composer's later years, resulting in many famous compositions, such as the operettas Der Zigeunerbaron and Waldmeister, and waltzes that included 1889's Kaiser-Walzer.

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Prolific output -

While 'The Blue Danube' remains the composition most popularly associated with Johann Strauss II, his prolific output also included a number of operettas.

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'The Bat' (1874) -

Of particular note is Die Fledermaus. Composed in 1874, its English title translates as 'The Bat.' The debut performance took place at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna on April 5, 1874. The operetta has been part of the regular repertoire ever since.

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'A Night in Venice' (1883) -

Strauss' only operetta to be premiered outside Vienna was Eine Nacht in Venedig, which debuted on October 3, 1883, at the Neues Friedrich-Wilhelmstädtisches Theater in Berlin. Translating into English as 'A Night in Venice,' the operetta was subsequently staged across Europe, Great Britain, and the United States.

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'The Gypsy Baron' (1885) -

Back in Vienna on October 24, 1885, Strauss premiered Der Zigeunerbaron ('The Gypsy Baron'), again at the Theater an der Wien.

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The "Waltz King" -

But it's perhaps for his melodious waltzes that Johann Strauss II's name endures. In fact, of his nearly 500 dance pieces, more than 150 were waltzes.

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Friends and rivals -

Strauss had his music rivals, one of the fiercest being fellow Austrian composer Carl Michael Ziehrer. His admirers, though, included Richard Wagner, who expressed his admiration for the waltz Wein, Weib und Gesang ('Wine, Women and Song') Op. 333. Johannes Brahms was a personal friend: Strauss dedicated his waltz Seid umschlungen, Millionen! ('Be Embraced, You Millions!), Op. 443, to him. The pair are pictured together.

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Death of Johann Strauss II -

Johann Strauss II battled ill health for much of his life, including nasty bouts of bronchial catarrh. In May 1899, he developed a respiratory illness that advanced into severe pleuropneumonia. Desperately weak, Strauss passed away on June 3 of that year. He was 73 years old.

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'The Blue Danube' in popular culture -

'The Blue Danube' has often been heard beyond the gilded confines of the world's prestigious concert halls. The piece has been used in several motion pictures over the years, including in the opening scenes and as background music in several other scenes of the 1932 film 'Grand Hotel,' starring Greta Garbo and John Barrymore.

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'2001: A Space Odyssey' (1968) -

Most famously, Stanley Kubrick added considerable cosmic luster to a scene in '2001: A Space Odyssey,' where a spacecraft approaches and docks with a space station, by having the composition serve as a wonderfully tranquil incidental soundtrack.

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'The Jungle Book' (1994) -

Curiously perhaps, the piece was used throughout the 1994 live-action movie 'The Jungle Book.'

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'Titanic' (1997) -

More appropriately, 'The Blue Danube' can be heard being played by the ship's orchestra as Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Jack Dawson, enters the Grand Staircase on the ill-fated liner in the epic blockbuster film 'Titanic.'

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'Horton Hears a Who!' (2008) -

Strauss' famous waltz was given another cinematic airing in 2008's animated comedy film 'Horton Hears a Who!.' The piece is used as Horton the elephant is making his precarious way across a rickety footbridge.

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The Strauss Museum -

For those who prefer to immerse themselves in cultural reality, why not visit Johann Strauss' former residence in Vienna's Praterstrasse, now a museum, where the great man actually composed 'The Blue Danube.'

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Priceless musical instrument -

A prize exhibit is the violin Strauss used as a young man, lovingly preserved for classical music posterity.

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Stadtpark memorial -

A fitting memorial to the "Waltz King" can be admired in Vienna's Stadtpark. Erected in 1921, the gold-plated Strauss Monument symbolizes the city of music better than almost anything else.

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Gravesite -

But to pay the ultimate tribute, pause in front of Johann Strauss II's gravesite in the Vienna Central Cemetery. He's in good company: Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Franz Shubert, plus Strauss' father and two brothers, are all interred here.

Sources: (Johann Strauss 2025 Wien) (Britannica) (Haus der Musik) (vienna.info) 

See also: Key moments that rocked the classical music world

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