Johann Strauss (Sohn)

Short biography Johann Strauss (son) was born on 25 October 1825 in Vienna, where he died on 3 June 1899. He came from a musical dynasty of entrepreneurs: his father, Johann Strauss (father), was already one of the most celebrated composers of dance music in Vienna. Against his father's wishes, the son secretly learned to play the violin and studied harmony with Joseph Drechsler. From 1844 he led his own orchestra, placing himself in direct competition with his father's ensemble; following his father's death in 1849, he merged the two bands. Over the ensuing decades he undertook extensive tours throughout Europe and also visited the United States (1872), before devoting himself increasingly to operetta and concert composition.

Historical placement Johann Strauss (son) is the most significant figure in Viennese dance music of the nineteenth century and is universally known as the 'Waltz King'. His output stands in the tradition of Romantic light music, yet is distinguished from that of his father and Joseph Lanner by a markedly heightened harmonic sophistication, orchestral colour, and formal expansion of the Viennese waltz. With his operettas — above all *Die Fledermaus* (1874) — he played a decisive role in establishing the genre of Viennese operetta and exerted a lasting influence on subsequent composers such as Karl Zeller, Carl Ziehrer, and, later, Franz Lehár.

Personal connections Joseph Drechsler was his teacher in harmony and counterpoint. Johann Strauss (father) was his father and initially his artistic rival, whose orchestra he took over following the latter's death. Josef Strauss was his younger brother and fellow composer, who also directed the family's ensembles for a period. Eduard Strauss was his younger brother and conductor, who continued to lead the family band after Josef's death in 1870. Johannes Brahms maintained a personal friendship with Strauss that is well documented on numerous occasions; Brahms expressed his admiration for the *Donauwalzer* more than once.

Important works

An der schönen blauen Donau – waltz (op. 314, 1867)
Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald – waltz (op. 325, 1868)
Die Fledermaus – operetta (1874)
Rosen aus dem Süden – waltz (op. 388, 1880)
Der Zigeunerbaron – operetta (1885)
Kaiser-Walzer – waltz (op. 437, 1889)
Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka – polka (op. 214, 1858)
Unter Donner und Blitz – polka schnell (op. 324, 1868)
Frühlingsstimmen – waltz (op. 410, 1883)
Eine Nacht in Venedig – operetta (1883)