Johann Baptist Strauss II (1825 – 1899), also known
as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (German:
Johann Strauß Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light
music, particularly dance music and operettas as well
as a violinist. 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 cen...(+)
Johann Baptist Strauss II (1825 – 1899), also known
as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (German:
Johann Strauß Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light
music, particularly dance music and operettas as well
as a violinist. 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"
(Emperor Waltz), "Tales from the Vienna Woods",
"Frühlingsstimmen", and the "Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka".
Among his operettas, Die Fledermaus and Der
Zigeunerbaron are the best known. He was the son of
Johann Strauss I and his first wife Maria Anna Streim.
Two younger brothers, Josef and Eduard Strauss, also
became composers of light music, although they were
never as well known as their brother.
Johann Strauss I's influence over the local
entertainment establishments meant that many of them
were wary of offering the younger Strauss a contract
for fear of angering the father. Strauss Jr. was able
to persuade Dommayer's Casino in Hietzing, a suburb of
Vienna, to allow him to perform. The elder Strauss, in
anger at his son's disobedience, and at that of the
proprietor, refused to ever play again at Dommayer's
Casino,[10] which had been the site of many of his
earlier triumphs. Strauss made his debut at Dommayer's
in October 1844, where he performed some of his first
works, such as the waltzes "Sinngedichte", Op. 1 and
"Gunstwerber", Op. 4 and the polka "Herzenslust", Op.
3. Critics and the press were unanimous in their praise
of Strauss's music. A critic for Der Wanderer commented
that "Strauss's name will be worthily continued in his
son; children and children's children can look forward
to the future, and three-quarter time will find a
strong footing in him."
Kaiser-Walzer, Op. 437 (Emperor Waltz) is a waltz
composed by Johann Strauss II in 1889. The waltz was
originally titled Hand in Hand and was intended as a
toast made in August of that year by Emperor of Austria
Franz Joseph I on the occasion of his visit to the
German Emperor Wilhelm II where it was symbolic as a
'toast of friendship' extended by Austria-Hungary to
the German Empire. Strauss' publisher, Fritz Simrock,
suggested the title Kaiser-Walzer, since the title
could allude to either monarch. The waltz was first
performed in Berlin on 21 October 1889. The original
cover of the piano edition bore the illustration of the
Austrian Imperial Crown.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaiser-Walzer)
Although originally composed for Orchestra, I created
this Interpretation of "Kaiser-Walzer" (Emperor Waltzes
Op. 437) for Flute & Strings for Flute & Strings (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).
