Talk:Johann Strauss II

Composer project review

I've reviewed this article as part of the Composers project review of its B-class articles. This article is pretty good; it's arguably A-class, needing but a few things to happen. More work would be needed for GA or FA consideration; my full review is on the comments page; questions and comments can go here or on my talk page. Magic♪piano 03:48, 2 January 2009 (UTC)

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:Johann Strauss II/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Hello, I will be reviewing this article. Check back soon for a full review! CarpetCrawler^{message me} 22:53, 30 April 2009 (UTC)

GA on hold

The article looks pretty good, but I have some concerns.

- The lead should be expanded. The last paragraph is only one sentence.

Expanded slightly. tempodivalse [☎]

- "His talents were also recognized by composer Josef Drechsler, who taught him exercises in harmony. His other violin teacher, Anton Kollmann, who was the ballet répétiteur of the Vienna Court Opera, also wrote excellent testimonials for him." Does citation three cover these statements?

Yes. tempodivalse [☎]

- "As a result, the local press was soon frantically reporting a 'Strauss versus Strauss' rivalry between the father and the son." Should be sourced.

Removed, source not found tempodivalse [☎]

- "Strauss made his debut at Dommayer's in October of 1844 at a soiree dansate," what is a "soiree dansate"?

If I understand correctly, it is a type of ball-dance, but this is already made clear from the text, so removed.

- "Vienna was racked by a bourgeois revolution on February 24, 1848, and the intense rivalry between father and son became much more apparent. Johann Jr. decided to side with the revolutionaries, as evidenced in the title of his works dating around this period, such as the waltzes "Freiheitslieder" (Songs of Freedom) op. 52 and "Burschenlieder" op. 55, and the marches "Revolutions March", op. 54 and the stirring "Studenten Marsch" op. 56. It was a decision that was professionally disadvantageous, as the Austrian royalty twice denied him the much coveted 'KK Hofballmusikdirektor' position, which was first designated especially for Johann I in recognition of his musical contributions. Further, the younger Strauss was also arrested by the Viennese authorities for publicly playing the La Marseillaise, but was later acquitted.[8]" Is ALL of that sourced by citation 8?

Yes, with the execption of one sentence, which has now been removed. tempodivalse [☎]

- "Strauss Jr. eventually surpassed his father's fame, and became one of the most popular of waltz composers of the era, extensively touring Austria, Poland, and Germany with his orchestra. It was a usual sight for his audiences to catch sight of Strauss for only one performance before he would quickly hurry to another venue, where he was commissioned to play via the traditional fiacre. It was the ultimate showmanship and would be displayed on the placards at the venues to proudly proclaim 'Heute Spielt der Strauss!', or 'Strauss plays today!'.

Removed; source not found. tempodivalse [☎]

Among the more popular dance pieces Strauss wrote in this period include the waltzes "Sängerfahrten" op. 41, "Liebeslieder" op. 114, "Nachtfalter" op. 157, "Accelerationen" op. 234, and the polkas "Annen-Polka" op. 117, and "Tritsch-Tratsch-Polka" op. 214." All of this needs to be sourced.

Removed; source not found. tempodivalse [☎]

- "His involvement with the Court Balls meant that his work has been elevated to be heard by the royalty." Source this, as well.

Removed, source not found. tempodivalse [☎]

- "After establishing his first orchestra prior to his father's death, Strauss founded many others to be supplied to various entertainment establishments, such as the 'Sperl' ballroom, as well as the 'Apollo', where he dedicated appropriately titled pieces to commemorate the first performances there." Two issues. One, do the Apollo and Sperl have their own articles? If so, wikify them. Also, needs to be sourced.

- "He would later return to perform in Russia for every year until 1865." Needs to be sourced.

Sourced. tempodivalse [☎]

- "Strauss's 18 operettas have not had as much enduring success as have his dance compositions." Should be sourced.

Removed; this is more of an opinion than anything and couldn't be specifically sourced.

- Combine all of the stubby paragraphs in the "Portrayals in the media" section.

Done. tempodivalse [☎]

Until my concerns have been addressed, I have placed this article on hold. Please leave me a message on my talkpage if you have any questions, or have addressed my concerns. Good luck! CarpetCrawler^{message me} 04:52, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

OK, I believe I have addressed the concerns issued. tempodivalse [☎] 18:14, 5 May 2009 (UTC)

Oy. I hope you saved all of the removed information, just in case later on you find a source for it. :) Anyway, this article has passed, great job! CarpetCrawler^{message me} 03:33, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

The Jewish thing

So the IP keeps adding stuff about Strauss being Jewish, with no refs. I'm not an expert, but having grown up Jewish myself I kinda payed attention to who was, and he never came up, and one would think there'd have been some mention in the article previously. Any comments? I'd hate to get blocked even though this SEEMS like it should be reverted... ♫ Melodia Chaconne ♫ (talk) 04:17, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

It seems that Johann Strauss I had Jewish grandparents (Johann Michael Strauss (1720–1800) & Rosalia Buschin (1729–1785)) who converted to Catholicism. That makes neither of the composers Strauss, father or son (the great-grandson of the converts) Jewish. Also, Strauss' (son) third wife, Adele Deutsch, may have been, despite her surname, Jewish — I haven't researched this very thoroughly, but there are prima facie reputable articles about it. Anyway, the Nazis knew about the Jewish great-grandfather and, because of Strauss' popularity, faked some documents and suppressed the fact so their music could continue to be played; see de:Johann Strauss (Sohn)#Nationalsozialismus. -- Michael Bednarek (talk) 09:13, 8 August 2009 (UTC)

Small doubt related to the story of Johannes Brahms autographing with measures from the "Blue Danube"

Which of the 2 stories below is true? (If uncertain, maybe the two women/references should be mentioned!?)

From Johann_Strauss_II#cite_ref-20:

A story is told in biographies of both men that Strauss's wife Adele approached Brahms with a customary request that he autograph her fan. It was usual for the composer to inscribe a few measures of his best-known music, and then sign his name. Brahms, however, inscribed a few measures from the "Blue Danube", and then wrote beneath it: "Unfortunately, NOT by Johannes Brahms." Johann_Strauss_II#cite_note-20

From The_Blue_Danube#cite_ref-3:

When Strauss's stepdaughter, Alice von Meyszner-Strauss, asked the composer Johannes Brahms to sign her autograph-fan, he wrote down the first bars of The Blue Danube, but adding "Leider nicht von Johannes Brahms" (Alas! not by Johannes Brahms). The Blue Danube#cite_note-3

Status as a Conductor / What Instrument did Strauss II play?

This article makes no mention in terms of Johann Strauss II being a conductor. It mentions that he toured with an orchestra but it does not say whether he was conducting or playing an instrument himself or both. In regards to that, I cannot find any mention in this article as to what instrument he played. Was it Violin? Was it Piano? Did he compose his works on an instrument, or was an instrument was required at all? Surely someone here can provide these important facts about such important fundamental facts about Johann Strauss II? I came to Wikipedia for this information and now I have to seek it elsewhere. Simon Rashleigh 06:05, 29 March 2015 (UTC) Simon Rashleigh]