ヨハン・シュトラウス2世
作曲
The earliest evidence of the German word “Schlager” in the sense of a musical hit can be found in 1867 in the Wiener Fremdenblatt as a description of the waltz The Blue Danube. Its creator, Johann Strauss II, can rightly be described as a superstar of his time: he and his father of the same name were the first to perform dance music not only in ballrooms but also in concert halls, giving the genre an unprecedented boost. The fact that the “Waltz King” himself was admired for his inventiveness even by serious colleagues such as Johannes Brahms is a testament to the musical quality of his oeuvre, which encompasses over 500 works.
Johann Baptist Strauss was born in Vienna on 25 October 1825. His father, a trained bookbinder, led light music in the city to its first great flowering. Composing, arranging, rehearsing – Strauss II was already familiar with the work of a music director in his parents’ home, where his mother also played a key role. He attended grammar school, received violin lessons from the first violinist in his father’s ensemble, and sang in a choir. Strauss senior wanted his son to have a sound education, so he enrolled at the Imperial & Royal Polytechnic Institute in 1841. However, he dropped out of his studies and devoted himself entirely to music. Against his father’s wishes, he made his debut in 1844 with his own orchestra. Initially, he did not enjoy great success, but after his father’s death, he merged the two Strauss ensembles, and in 1850 was permitted to perform for Emperor Franz Joseph I for the first time. Two years later, the emperor engaged him to provide the music for his court balls. At the same time, the composer had his first big hit with the Annen-Polka and went on tour in Germany. Strauss had an enormous workload, which led to a breakdown in 1852. At his mother’s behest, his brother Josef, who was an architect, stepped in to take the helm of the Strauss orchestra in Vienna. A decade later, his second brother Eduard also joined the well-organised family business as a conductor. Thanks to this support, Johann Strauss was able to take on some very lucrative engagements with the Russian railway company and became the imperial court ball music director in 1863. His series of great waltz compositions began in 1864 with Morgenblätter. In 1867, the waltz The Blue Danube was composed, which is now Austria’s unofficial national anthem. Although he hated travelling, Strauss undertook extensive tours of Europe and America, where he was received to great acclaim. In addition to dance music, he then also explored the genre of operetta – with Die Fledermaus and The Gypsy Baron, he created his most popular stage works even today. Johann Strauss II died in Vienna on 3 June 1899, honoured with the highest accolades.
