The Legacy of Johann Strauss
Political Influence and Twentieth-Century Identity

Zoë Alexis Lang explores constructions of twentieth-century Austrian identity through an examination of commentary on Johann Strauss, Jr's waltzes.

Zoë Alexis Lang (Author)

9781108400909, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 6 April 2017

250 pages, 11 tables 11 music examples
23 x 15.2 x 1.3 cm, 0.37 kg

To this day, Johann Strauss, Jr remains one of the most popular composers in his native city of Vienna. In The Legacy of Johann Strauss, Zoë Alexis Lang examines how the reception of Strauss's waltzes played a key role in the construction of twentieth-century Austrian identity. Using press coverage from the centennial celebration of Strauss's birth in Vienna, Lang argues that his music remained popular because it continued to be revitalised by Austrians seeking to define their culture. Revealing the origins of the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert, Lang considers how Strauss was appropriated as a National Socialist icon in the 1930s and 1940s, and explores the Strauss family's Jewish ancestry, along with the infamous forgery of paperwork about their lineage during the 1940s. This book also includes a case study of Strauss's Emperor Waltz, considering its variegated usage in concerts and films from 1925 to 1953.

Introduction
1. Johann Strauss, Jr's biography: facts and fictions
2. The Strauss, Jr centennial (1925)
3. Johann Strauss, Jr as German
4. Johann Strauss, Jr as Jew
5. The Emperor Waltz in the twentieth century: a case study
Appendix A. Articles published during the 1925 Strauss, Jr centennial
Appendix B. Listing of official events for the 1925 Strauss, Jr centennial
Appendix C. Four Philharmonic Academy concerts, 1940–1941 season.

Subject Areas: 20th century & contemporary classical music [AVGC6], Romantic music [c 1830 to c 1900 AVGC5], Music [AV]