Johann Strauss II | Introducing Famous and Classic Pieces
Johann Strauss II, a leading Romantic composer who was active in Vienna, Austria.
Focusing on dance music such as the Viennese waltz and the polka, a Czech folk dance, he was known as the “Waltz King” and the “Sun of Vienna.”
Moreover, having produced masterpieces in operetta as well, he was also called the “King of Operetta,” enjoying immense popularity not only in Austria but throughout Europe.
In this article, we introduce some of Strauss II’s famous and staple pieces.
Why not immerse yourself in his dazzling music?
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Johann Strauss II | Introducing Famous and Classic Pieces (31–40)
Knight PazmanJohann Strauss II
The music was well received, but the crucial libretto was far too dull, so the production was quickly canceled.
As a result, Johann Strauss II was left with a large amount of debt.
It was later staged in Prague, but again failed, and this opera—composed over three years—ultimately ended up being shelved.
Spanish MarchJohann Strauss II
A somewhat lengthy march that opens with a bright, confident fanfare; the melody is distinctly Spanish in character, yet it is entirely Johann Strauss II’s original.
It is still occasionally performed today, for example at New Year’s Concerts.
Annen PolkaJohann Strauss II
It is said that Johann Strauss II had something of a mother complex, and this piece is also said to have been secretly dedicated to his mother, Anna.
His father, Johann Strauss I, also composed a piece with the same title, the Annen-Polka, in 1842, which is also well known, but it has an entirely different musical character.
Indigo and the Forty ThievesJohann Strauss II
In 1870, misfortunes struck Johann’s family one after another, and Johann Strauss II, who had a morbid fear of death, was utterly devastated mentally.
Having lost his creative drive, Strauss was passionately urged by those around him to compose an operetta.
Encouraged by Offenbach as well to try his hand at operetta, Johann decided to pursue that path.
This was his first operetta, a work based on One Thousand and One Nights.
Egyptian MarchJohann Strauss II
Originally, it was called the Circassian March, named after the Circassian people, a minority in the Caucasus region.
With the opening of the Suez Canal, various composers contributed pieces.
The canal’s inauguration inspired Europeans and stoked their interest in the Orient.
In this atmosphere, Johann Strauss II also changed the title of his Circassian March to Egyptian March in honor of the Suez Canal’s opening and dedicated it to Grand Duke Frederick I of Baden.
However, since modern-day Egypt is not in the Caucasus, the piece feels, if anything, more Russian in character.
Johann Strauss II | Introducing Famous and Classic Pieces (41–50)
Explosive PolkaJohann Strauss II
The title of the piece became “Explosions Polka” after the invention of nitro.
It seems that Johann Strauss II also incorporated trendy elements into his works.
At the time, the word “explosive” was popular among young people.
It was composed for a charity concert called “The Joyful Explosions Festival.” Throughout the polka, many effects evoke explosions, and especially at the end, there is a loud explosive sound.
Polka of the HuntJohann Strauss II
It is a polka composed by Johann Strauss II.
Johann, who often arranged music that appeared in his operettas into polkas and waltzes, derived this piece from “Oh, My Steed,” a number from the operetta Cagliostro in Wien, composed in 1875.