Wiener Blut (waltz)

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For the operetta by Strauss of the same name, please see Wiener Blut.

Wiener Blut ('Viennese Blood' or 'Viennese Spirit') op. 354 is a waltz by Johann Strauss II first performed by the composer on 22 April 1873. The new dedication waltz was to celebrate the wedding of the Emperor Franz Josef's daughter Archduchess Gisela Louise Maria and Prince Leopold of Bavaria. However, the waltz was also chiefly noted by Strauss' biographers as the début of Strauss with the world-renowned Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra where for many years, the Philharmonic had dismissed any association with the 'Waltz King' as it had not wished to be associated with mere 'light' or 'pops' music. The festival ball celebrating the event was held at the famed Musikverein Hall which is the venue for the famous present day Neujahrskonzert.

The waltz begins with a high spirited melody in C major with references to later waltz sections briefly played. It is the gentle first waltz melody which is instantly recognisable, with lyrical grace and an enthusiasm not apparent in his earlier light-hearted creations. Waltz 2A is rather more subdued although waltz 2B uplifts the mood to the one listeners would be familiar with since the beginning of the piece. As a composition befitting the wedding of the royalty, the waltz has its moments of grandeur (Section 3) where a triumphant melody in the home key of C major gave way into a rousing Viennese tune in F major. The waltz has only 4 two-part sections as opposed to the earlier pattern of 5 two-part sections propounded by Josef Lanner and his father Johann Strauss I. The fourth section begins quietly in F major, with a climax with cymbals to come. The coda recalls earlier sections (2 and 3) in a different key of E major before the first waltz theme comes in again. The finale is exciting, with a stirring timpani drumroll and a strong brass flourish.

Vienna Blood is one of Strauss' loveliest waltzes. The title, which sounds strange in English, was actually a common phrase in Vienna at the time, meaning something like "The spirit of Vienna" -- if you had Wiener Blut, then you were Viennese through and through. In the first couple of minutes sweet-sounding violins spell out the overall ambience of the piece and there are also extensive passages where harp arpeggios play a significant part; lending a lushly romantic, ethereal quality to the music. 'Wiener Blut' is one of few last Strauss compositions to be independent from his stage works, as he was concentrating on writing for the performing stage (and not actively writing music for the ballrooms) at that point of his career and Strauss has written at least 2 operettas before penning this waltz, with the famous Die Fledermaus still to come.

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Based on original text by Peter Kemp, The Johann Strauss Society of Great Britain. Used with permission.