Johann Strauss II, by far the best known of nineteenth century Vienna’s composers of dance music, was adored by high society who fondly named him the Waltz King. He was by nature shy, self-effacing and insecure, far removed in nature from the light-heartedness and exuberance expressed in his music. He was a close friend of Brahms, who always tried to convince him that posterity would remember his music, but to no avail. Brahms, however, got it right. 

Strauss composed An der schönen, blauen Donau, in 1867, and it became Vienna’s consolation prize for the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the hands of Prussia the previous year. Strauss originally composed it for a celebration of the Viennese Men’s Choral Society, but when it premiered in Vienna the response was only lukewarm. It was the orchestral version that became a best seller, selling millions of copies in the composer’s lifetime. Later generations have also been fascinated by the melancholy grace of this unintentional “requiem” for the Austrian monarchy. When a music lover once asked Brahms for an autograph, the composer wrote down the first two bars of the waltz and signed “Leider nicht von Brahms” (Regrettably not by Brahms). 

The Viennese waltz, as perfected by the Strauss dynasty, consisted of several sections of different melodies, sometimes repeated, sometimes occurring only once. The signature opening of this waltz is never repeated.