In that time in Vienna, the way of the particular music had been efficaciously traced by Joseph Lanner, an excellent violinist and a popular composer; he is the creator of the modern Viennese waltz.
His friend and competitor, Johann Strauss sr., was at first violinist in the quintet of Lanner and vice-director of his orchestra, then he made up his own band of 14 elements, become afterwards an important orchestra with which, from 1836, he earnt remarkable successes in all Europe; even with the contested but very performed "Radetzky-march". From 1835 he was also conductor, in Vienna, of the Orchestra of the court-balls (this thing is a great omen for "Vienna sul Lago"). Also Johann sr., like Lanner, is considered the father of the modern waltz, in the rhyme and in the expressiveness of the methodical order.
But a new star awaited to appear in the musical Viennese life, Johann Strauss (banker in double-breasted coat according to the paternal plans) followed the tournees of his father and he had availed himself of this opportunity to study piano and violin (among his teachers there were J.Hoffman and A. Kohlmann). Then he made up his own musical band, making his debut just on the evening of the 15th of October 1844 at the restaurant Dommayer and earning the enormous success above-mentioned. The new star was already shining and he would have become a very important musician.
After a long series of concerts in rivalry with Lanner and his father, the intelligent collaboration of his brother Joseph gave him the possibility to transform his European fame in world-wide one (1872, USA) and all over the world sang in waltz-time...
But another demon dominated Johann jr's mind: the operetta. This new form of performance was born in France at the beginning of the 2nd half of nineteen century and as the waltz foresaw also the sung form (see "The Blue Danube" written on a rough text, then substituted), the operetta received the enchanting rhyme of the waltz; in the Spanish "zarzuela" it appeared near to the "double step" (paso doble) that was adopted by the greatest composers (Planquette, von Suppè, Valverde, Jones, Offenbach, Lombardo, Pietri and so on).
With the omen of Offenbach, 16 operettas were born; it's important to mention "The Bat", for the originality and the instrumental skill. All of them, however, excited the attention of composers such as R. Wagner, F. Liszt, M. Ravel and J Brahams, this one annoted on a score of his: "Unfortunately not written by me".
Johann jr. composed, among his numerous dances, about 182 waltzes. Nothing strange if he was and is considered "The king of the waltz". In 1894, all exulting Vienna wanted lovingly to celebrate him in occasion of the 50years of his first concert.
But this extraordinary family of musicians boasts other conspicuous members who continued the father and the most celebrated brother's work. Joseph Strauss (Johann jr's brother) was composer, conductor, violinist, manqué architect, poet and painter. He succeeded his brother as a conductor of the orchestra of the family and of the court-balls. Joseph was a musician of great talent; he has left 280 compositions. Eduard Strauss, composer and skilful harpist, conducted the orchestra for all Europe, cheered as a clever conductor. Maybe he was the least happy of his brothers as composer, in spite of his vast production. In 1902 in New York, after about 80 years of extraordinary successes, he dissolved Strauss-orchestra.
In 1906 a volume of "Memories" with interesting notes about his family and about Vienna of that time was printed.
Another member of the family, Johann Strauss III, Eduard's son, a good court-ball-director, in Vienna; and conductor, in Berlin after his transfer. He did many appreciated tournees in Europe too.
After him, Vienna hadn't anymore its "voice" and immediately an amazed silence followed.