Perhaps you have heard the waltzes. Now you stand before the Buste de Johann Strauss. This tribute honors the Austrian composer Johann Strauss. He was the king of the waltz.
Johann Strauss was born in 1825. He died in 1899. He composed nearly 200 waltzes. His works include The Blue Danube. Other famous pieces are Artist’s Life and Vienna Blood.
The Buste de Johann Strauss sits in the 10th arrondissement. It is located on Place Johann Strauss. This square is along Boulevard Saint-Martin. The association Johann Strauss gifted this statue in 1980.
Strauss’s father Johann Strauss I was also a musician. The father took his orchestra on tour. This brought money and prestige. Johann Strauss II learned management and marketing.
He debuted in Vienna in 1844. He competed with his father. He then ventured abroad. Concerts in Graz and Budapest were triumphant. The press said he was following in his father’s footsteps.
His tour continued to the Balkans. After his father died in 1849 he united the two orchestras. He played for Tsar Nicholas I and Emperor Franz Joseph. This established royal contacts.
From 1856 Johann Strauss spent eleven summers in St. Petersburg. He performed his own works. He also played pieces from Russian composers like Tchaikovsky. He composed Pizzicato Polka with his brother Josef.
In 1867 Johann Strauss traveled to Paris. He gave concerts at the Paris Exposition. The Prince of Wales watched him perform. The Prince appointed Strauss to conduct concerts in London.
Strauss used English songs in his compositions. These included Erinnerung an Covent-Garden. He also composed Festival-Quadrille. The waltz An der schönen blauen Donau was performed in London. It had English lyrics sung by 100 choristers.
In 1875 Strauss returned to Paris. His operetta La Reine Indigo ran for three years. He conducted masked balls at the Paris Opera in 1877. He was made a Knight of the French Order of the Legion of Honor.
Johann Strauss achieved global fame. This happened with concerts in Boston and New York in 1872. He conducted a 1000-strong orchestra. An estimated 50000 people attended. He contributed the Manhattan Waltzes to his farewell concert.
In 1874 Johann Strauss toured Italy. He premiered his waltz Wo die Citronen blühn. This was at a concert in Turin. The Vienna Boys’ Choir also performs this piece.
Standing here before the Buste de Johann Strauss remember his legacy. His music continues to enchant. The king of the waltz lives on in every note.