1. The Waltz King

2. Early Life  Strauss was born in St. Ulrich near Vienna Austria, on October 25, 1825.  His father’s name was Johann Strauss I  He had two younger brothers Edward and Josef.

3. Early Life (cont.)  While he was younger his father wanted him to be a banker rather than a violinist  Knowing this, he secretly studied with the first violinist in his father’s orchestra, Franz Amon  When his father found out, he whipped Johann. He said he would beat the music out of him  Later on his father ended up abandoning the family for a mistress, Emile Trampusch

4. Debut as a Composer  Strauss made his debut at Dommayer's in October 1844, where he performed some of his first works  The waltzes Sinngedichte, Op. 1 and Gunstwerber, Op. 4 and the polka Herzenslust, Op. 3 were just some that he performed

5. Career Advances  Strauss eventually surpassed his father's fame and became one of the most popular waltz composers of the era  In 1853 Strauss was driven by constant demands and stress to take a 7 week vacation to the countryside.  In his absence, his brother Josef had to quit his job as an engineer to command Johann’s orchestra.

6. Music  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CTYymb bEL4&feature=player_detailpage#t=90 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CTYymb bEL4&feature=player_detailpage#t=90

7. Marriage  Strauss married the singer Henrietta Treffz in 1862, and remained together until her death in 1878.  Six weeks after her death he married actress Angelika Dittrich.  Dittrich was not a supporter of Strauss’s music and with many disagreements, they eventually got a divorce.

8. Marriage (cont)  After the divorce Strauss sought after his third wife Adele Deutsch whom he married in August 1882.  Unlike Dittrich, Deutsch encouraged Strauss’s musical talent to flow resulting in many great compositions

9. Death   Johann was diagnosed with pleural pneumonia in 1889 and died in Vienna at the age of 73.  He was buried in Zentralfreidhof and at the time of his death, he was still composing his ballet Aschenbrödel.

10. Legacy  Much of his music has been played on tv and in movies through the years  Strauss is remembered with performances by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra playing many of his compositions  Johann Strauss II will be remembered forever

11. And here’s Batman Why? Because he’s Batman

12. References  Gänzl, Kurt. The Encyclopedia of Musical Theatre (3 Volumes). New York: Schirmer Books, 2001.  Traubner, Richard. Operetta: A Theatrical History. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, 1983.  Jacob, H. E. Johann Strauss, Father and Son: A Century of Light Music. The Greystone Press, 1940.

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