Johann Strauss, whose biography causessincere interest among classical music lovers - the famous Austrian composer, violinist, conductor, the greatest master of the Viennese operetta and the Viennese waltz. He has about five hundred works in the genre of dance music (mazurka, polka, waltzes and others), which the author managed to bring to a high artistic level.
Strauss Sr., Johann's father, at one time tried not one profession to find himself in music.
For nearly a decade the composer’s family changed placesresidence, moving from one apartment to another, and the walls of each of them witnessed the birth of a new child. The eldest son of Johann Strauss, also Johann, was born in Vienna on October 25, 1825. In total, the family had seven sons - they all subsequently became musicians. And this is logical, because in the home atmosphere of the Strauss there was always music. Orchestra rehearsals often took place at home, which gave the children the opportunity to observe how real music masterpieces are born. Information about some of them confirms that Josef became a conductor in the Strauss Orchestra since 1853 and the author of popular orchestral pieces, Edward as a violinist, conductor and author of dance compositions, and in 1870 Johann’s successor as conductor of court Viennese balls.
The eldest son sang in the church choir, and in his fatherI saw an idol, who sooner or later wanted to surpass. At the age of six, the boy was already playing his own compositions, which did not meet the interests of his parents, because not one of them wanted his children to have a musical future.
Strauss Sr., meanwhile, started a new family, inwhich had seven more children. The fact of leaving his father allowed Johann to open up in his passion, so he began to take lessons, no longer hiding. In 1844, Johann was granted the right to conduct a Viennese magistrate and at the age of 19 created his own concert ensemble, performing his works. At the very first performance, which became sensational for the Viennese public, the younger Strauss, whose biography was only taking its beginning at the musical Olympus, proved that his music can compete with the music of his father, who at that time was 40 years old. The son’s deed brought Strauss the elder into a rage, and he, having a large number of connections in the highest circles, tried to complicate the life of his child as much as possible, which caused a fierce struggle between his own people. His father still played at social events at the court, his son was left to realize his talent in a cafe and casino (two small establishments in Vienna). At the same time, Strauss Sr. began the divorce proceedings with his first wife, which led to the incontinence of his eldest son and his public attacks on his father. The result of the trial was the winning of Strauss Sr. in the divorce proceedings: he left his family without inheritance and any means of subsistence. On the concert stage, Johann Sr. also triumphed, while the orchestra of his son eked out a miserable existence. Especially John the Younger was closely interested in the police, who had information about him as a wasteful, frivolous and immoral person.
Unexpectedly for all in 1849, father died thanStrauss Jr. opened the way to the musical world of Vienna, besides the famous orchestra of a famous composer, without a word, chose him as his conductor, and almost all places of entertainment in the city renewed their contracts with him. His career as a composer began to rise sharply: Strauss had already played at the court of the young emperor in 1852. The biography is briefly described in many music textbooks.
In 1854, to the composer with a business proposal,implying the payment of a considerable sum of money, were representatives of the railway company of Russia, who invited him to speak at the luxurious Pavlovsky railway station and the park where the royal palaces were located. Johann Strauss, whose brief biography is described in many textbooks on the history of music, immediately agreed and conquered the local public with his polkas and waltzes. Even members of the imperial family attended his performances.
Johann Strauss, whose biography was all his lifeassociated with music, experienced a lot of love stories in Russia, but found his family happiness in Vienna. In 1862, he married Etti Trefts, a woman older than 7 years old, who at that time had four sons and three daughters from the “waltz king”.
These were the years of the composer's heyday.At this time, Johann Strauss, whose biography and work are closely intertwined, creates his famous works “Tales of the Vienna Forest” and “The Blue Danube”, expressing the musical soul of Vienna and woven from the melodies of the most diverse peoples inhabiting it. Operetta composer began writing in the 70s of the XIX century under the influence of J. Offenbach. However, in contrast to the French operetta with brightly saturated drama, the elements of dance dominate the works of Strauss. The first operetta "Indigo and Forty Thieves" was received by the Austrian public with a bang.
Rejecting court conducting, JohannStrauss, whose brief biography describes the key moments of his work, continued to tour various countries, successfully performing in Moscow, St. Petersburg, London, Paris, New York, and Boston. The size of his income contributed to the construction of his own "city palace" and a luxurious life. For some time, the death of his beloved wife and the failed second marriage with actress Angelica Dietrich, who was 25 years younger than the composer, were knocked out of the usual rhythm of life of Johann Strauss. The third marriage to Adele Deutsch, a 26-year-old young widow whose marriage turned out to be happy, brought the composer back to his usual way of life. Johann Strauss, whose biography arouses genuine interest in the modern generation, dedicated his waltz Adel to his third wife.
In 1885, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the composer,there was a loud premiere of the operetta "Gypsy Baron", which became a real celebration for the residents of Vienna, and then for the rest of the planet. Strauss, meanwhile, closely followed the musical trends in the music world, he studied with the classics, maintained friendship with such a maestro like Franz Liszt and Johann Brahms.
Johann Strauss, whose biography causesinterest of the younger generation, I decided to try myself in the opera; The premiere of the opera Knight Pasman, written by him, took place in 1892, and a preliminary version of the ballet Cinderella was finalized at the end of 1898. Before her premiere, the composer did not live.
Strauss's success was not always on toptake-off: there were drops. So, the operetta "Viennese blood" did not have such success as previous works, and withstood only a small number of representations. The last years of his life, Strauss, whose biography is interesting to many of his admirers, spent in solitude, he hid in his own mansion and from time to time played billiards with friends. On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the operetta The Bat, the composer was persuaded to conduct an overture. This turned out to be his last performance, Johann Strauss caught a cold and got pneumonia. Perhaps the composer had a premonition of his death, in moments of consciousness of his spouse he heard him humming a little audibly: "Nice, friends, there must come an end." This song was written by Johann Joseph Drexler, a teacher. Strauss died in the arms of Adele on June 3, 1899. Vienna gave him, like Strauss the elder once, a grand funeral. The tomb of the composer is located among the graves of other music geniuses: Brahms, Schubert and Beethoven.
