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Johann Strauss II – Life Milestones

Johann Strauss II with his brothers Eduard and Josef Strauss
The Strauss brothers—Eduard, Johann II, and Josef—central figures in Vienna’s nineteenth-century musical life.

Johann Strauss II stands among the most recognizable and influential figures of nineteenth-century musical life. His path was neither simple nor linear: it unfolded through family conflict, artistic ambition, public acclaim, and personal loss. His life reveals that artistic triumph often emerges from tension—between inheritance and independence, public success and private compromise—leaving a legacy shaped as much by personal choice as by musical brilliance. 

The milestones below trace the decisive moments that shaped his journey—from the shadow of his father to international recognition.

1825

Born on October 25 in Vienna into a family already deeply involved with music. His father, Johann Strauss I, was a celebrated composer and conductor—a circumstance that would profoundly, and often contentiously, influence his life.

1831

Composes his first waltz, revealing an early affinity with the genre that would later secure his fame as the “King of the Waltz.”

1842

His father leaves the family home. Strauss abandons a banking career to devote himself fully to music, partly to support his mother financially.

1844

Forms his own orchestra and begins performing in Vienna’s dance halls, entering direct competition with his father.

1849

After his father’s death, Strauss merges the elder Strauss’s orchestra with his own, consolidating his position at the center of Viennese dance music.

1853

Grueling schedules take a toll on his health. His brother Josef Strauss temporarily assumes leadership of the orchestra, while Strauss begins receiving invitations to perform abroad.

1862

Marries Henriette (“Jetty”) Treffz, who plays a crucial role in managing and stabilizing his career.

1867

Composes The Blue Danube, the work most closely associated with his name. In the same year, he travels to Paris, further strengthening his international reputation.

1869

Conducts the Promenade Concerts in London and composes the famous Pizzicato Polka in collaboration with his brother Josef.

1871

Premiere of his first operetta, Indigo and the Forty Thieves, marking a decisive turn toward musical theatre.

1874

The operetta Die Fledermaus is first performed, becoming a landmark of the genre and a pinnacle of Strauss’s creative output.

1878

The death of his first wife, Henriette, leads to a second marriage that soon proves disastrous.

1886

Marries for a third time, to Adele Strauss, with whom he remains until the end of his life.

1899

Dies peacefully in his sleep on June 3 in Vienna, at the age of seventy-four.

  • The Strauss family occupied two apartments in the same building: one for the mother and children, and another for the father, who—according to anecdote—“could not tolerate the noise of children” while composing and entertained his mistresses there.
  • In order to marry his third wife, who was Jewish, Strauss was compelled to renounce his Roman Catholic faith and Austrian citizenship, a telling reminder of the social and 



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