The Strauss Dynasty and Habsburg Vienna

A zesty biography reassessing the Strauss family's musical achievements within wider Habsburg society and its cultural life as a whole.

David Wyn Jones (Author)

9781009276474, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 29 June 2023

300 pages
25.1 x 17.9 x 2.1 cm, 0.77 kg

'This book is a richly detailed and emotionally resonant account of Johann Strauss's life. The book's strengths lie in its comprehensive historical context, detailed genealogical background, and emotional depth, as illustrated by the intertwined narratives of the Strauss family's personal hardships and of historical events. The book is a valuable contribution to the literature on Johann Strauss, offering both a scholarly and deeply human perspective on the making of a musical tradition.' Nancy November, Notes

The music of the Strauss family – Johann and his three sons, Johann, Josef and Eduard – enjoys enormous popular appeal. Yet existing biographies have failed to do justice to the family's true significance in nineteenth and early twentieth-century musical history. David Wyn Jones addresses this deficiency, engagingly showing that – from Johann's first engagements in the mid-1820s to the death of Eduard in 1916 – the music making of the family was at the centre of Habsburg Viennese society as it moved between dance hall, concert hall and theatre. The Strauss industry at its height was, he demonstrates, greater than any one of the individuals, with serious personal and domestic consequences including affairs, illness, rivalry and fraud. This zesty biography, spanning over a hundred years of history, brings the dynasty brilliantly to life across a large canvas as it offers fresh and revealing insights into the cultural life of Vienna as a whole.

List of Illustrations
List of Tables
Preface
Eingang The depth of the Blue Danube
Presenting a biography of the Strauss family
1. 1804-1832 Johann Strauss and the making of a tradition
2. 1833-1849 Father and son. Travel and revolution
3. 1850-1870 Three brothers: Johann, Josef and Eduard
4. Dance and march: music and culture
5. 1871-1899 Two brothers: Johann and Eduard
6. Staging comedy: Operetta and Opera
7. 1900-1916. One brother: Eduard
Bibliography
Index of works by Johann Strauss (father), Johann Strauss (son), Josef Strauss and Eduard Strauss
Strauss Family Tree: individuals mentioned in the biography
General Index.

Subject Areas: Classical music [c 1750 to c 1830 AVGC4]