Johann Strauss II

When it goes to waltz, we are likely to  think about the melody of The Beautiful Blue Danube. This composition not only made waltz popular but also brought peace to Austria and Prussia. At that time, the two countries were at war because they both wanted to lead German Confederation. At a party which the chancellors of the countries attended, when The Beautiful Blue Danube was played, the chancellor couldn't help but dance with each other because the melody was just so touching. By whom was such beautiful melody composed?

Johann Strauss II(1825~1899) was born into a great musical family in Austria. Though his father was a successful musician and little Johann did have talent in music, his father wanted him to become a banker instead of musician. Luckily, with his mother's help, little Johann was able to secretly learn music. When he was eighteen, his father left his family because he had an affair. This allowed him to focus on music and don't have to act sneakingly anymore. One year later, he hold his own  concert, which was definitely a challenge to his father's  reputation. Public was excited to see the competition between Johann Strauss the Elder and the Junior. It turned out that Johann Junior won this competition, and he even became more popular than his father. He was known as "the Waltz King".

At first, waltz was considered distasteful because the dance move consist of hugs between a man and a women, it was the Strauss family made it noble. Waltz music is in triple meter, and often written in 3/4 time. The melody of waltz music is brisk and lively so it is suitable to dance. Let's listen to some of the waltz music composed by Johann Strauss II, maybe you would like to dance too:)