"The Blue Danube" is the common English title of "An der schönen blauen Donau", Op. 314 / German for "By the Beautiful Blue Danube", a waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II (1825-1899), composed in 1866.
Originally performed on 15 February 1867 at a concert of the Wiener Männergesang-Verein (Vienna Men's Choral Association), it has been one of the most consistently popular pieces of music in the classical repertoire.
Its initial performance was considered only a mild success, however, and Strauss is reputed to have said:
"The devil take the waltz, my only regret is for the coda - I wish that had been a success!"
Mihály Zichy | Ball in the Concert Hall of the Winter Palace during the Official Visit of Nasir al-Din Shah in May 1873-1874 | State Hermitage, St. Petersburg
After the original music was written, the words were added by the Choral Association's poet, Joseph Weyl.
Strauss later added more music, and Weyl needed to change some of the words.
Strauss adapted it into a purely orchestral version for the 1867 Paris World's Fair, and it became a great success in this form.
The instrumental version is by far the most commonly performed today.
An alternate text was written by Franz von Gernerth, "Donau so blau" (Danube so blue).
"The Blue Danube" premiered in the United States in its instrumental version on 1 July 1867 in New York, and in the UK in its choral version on 21 September 1867 in London at the promenade concerts at Covent Garden.
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 added "Leider nicht von Johannes Brahms" ("Unfortunately not by Johannes Brahms").
Sul bel Danubio blu (An der schönen blauen Donau) op. 314, è un valzer di Johann Strauss II, riconosciuto a livello mondiale come il valzer più celebre scritto dal compositore e come uno fra i più famosi brani di musica classica di tutti i tempi.
I viennesi poterono ascoltare la versione orchestrale del valzer (completa di introduzione e coda), domenica 10 marzo 1867 nel Volksgarten al tradizionale concerto dell'orchestra Strauss, quell'anno straordinariamente sotto la direzione congiunta di tutti e tre i fratelli, in occasione del carnevale.
Johann stesso condusse il suo lavoro, (terzo punto su un programma di 24 brani composti per le celebrazioni del carnevale dai tre fratelli) che venne accolto da un tripudio di applausi.
Il lavoro ebbe tale successo che alcuni anni più tardi, il compositore Johannes Brahms, grande amico e ammiratore di Strauss, sotto alcune note del valzer mise una sua firma scrivendo:
«Sfortunatamente non di Johannes Brahms» - Johannes Brahms
Johann Strauss e Johannes Brahms, 1894
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