Johann Strauss II: 10 Things You Didn't Know

If you’re a longtime fan of Johann Strauss Jr., then you may by now be familiar with the Strauss family dynamic and the path forged by the younger Johann in order to become The Waltz King. As we celebrate 200 Years of Strauss Jr., we’re highlighting some lesser-known fun facts about the composer. These tidbits might event make for perfect conversation starters while mingling with fellow music fans at Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert.

1. Johann Strauss Jr. was a junior genius! He wrote his first waltz when he was just six years old. It was 36 bars long and later published as Erster Gedanke (First Thoughts).

   
   

2. Johann Strauss Jr. was a heartthrob. Fans could purchase brooches with his image from jewelry stores, portraits of Strauss from bookstores, and bouquets inspired by his waltzes from flower shops. He was very much a pop star of his era.

3. Johann carried a pencil in his pocket at all times, and was known to jot down musical notes and song ideas on paper scraps, currency, and tablecloths. His obsession with music occupied most of his thoughts, his only real mental escape being card and billiard games.

4. When Johann Strauss II visited Boston to conduct at the World's Peace Jubilee and International Musical Festival in 1872, he worked with a 1000-player orchestra, a 20,000-voice chorus, and 100 assistants to perform The Blue Danube Waltz and Wine, Women, and Song.  

   
   

   

   World's Peace Jubilee Coliseum in Boston, 1872

5. The Waltz King worked hard to accumulate a collection of medals, decorations and honours from world sovereigns. He dedicated many of his compositions to sovereign leaders and noteworthy events, making his music synonymous with many notable European personalities and happenings through his chapter of history.

   
   

6. The Blue Danube Waltz premiered in a swimming pool. No, the orchestra wasn’t wearing swim trunks and floaties: this was during the winter, when the pool was covered and temporarily transformed into a concert hall. This renowned pool, the Dianabad, was open from 1810 to 2020.

   
   

   

   The Dianabad pool, as transformed into a ballroom.

7. The Waltz King may have loved composing waltzes, but dancing the waltz? Not so much. Part of why Johann Strauss Jr. enjoyed conducting was that he had to stand stationary at his podium and did not have to dance.

   
   

8. Beyond dancing, Johann Strauss Jr. also hated walking. He may have composed Tales From the Vienna Woods but the odds he actually ever hiked through the woods are low.

   
   

9. In the 1960s, Johann Strauss Jr. was featured on the Austrian 100-Schilling note, so effectively Strauss could buy his own records.

   
   

   

   
   

10. The 1953 Hannah-Barbera Tom and Jerry short Johann Mouse won an Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons. This short was a personal favourite of Joseph Barbera.

We hope you were able to glean something new about Vienna's beloved composer. While these may not be the crucial Strauss data you'll find written into the textbooks, they are facts as light as the feel-good music Strauss Jr. himself excelled at. The Waltz King's 200th birthday celebration will take centre stage at Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert with a programme heavily centred on the works of Johann Strauss Jr., as well as his contemporaries. Not included in the programme? The one-minute waltz young Johann composed at Age 6.