The Legacy of Johann Strauss, (Hardcover)

The Legacy of Johann Strauss examines constructions of Austrian identity through the reception of Johann Strauss Jr.'s waltzes in the twentieth century. Zoë Lang argues that the music of Strauss Jr. remained popular because it continued to be revitalized by Austrians seeking to define their culture. Press coverage from the 1925 centennial celebration of Strauss Jr.'s birth celebrations in Vienna shows how he was reinvented for the new, post-Habsburg nation. The book also includes a discussion of the origins of the Vienna Philharmonic's New Year's Concert and considers how Strauss Jr. was appropriated as a National Socialist icon in the 1930s and 1940s. The Strauss family's Jewish ancestry is discussed, along with the infamous forgery of paperwork about their lineage during the 1940s. There is also a case study of Strauss Jr.'s Emperor Waltz, considering its variegated usage in concerts and films from 1925-1953.