Johann Strauss II composed “The Blue Danube,” which is traditionally played near the end of Vienna’s New Year’s Concert.
The waltz’s German title is “An der schönen blauen Donau,” meaning “On the Beautiful Blue Danube.” Strauss wrote it in 1866 for the Vienna Men’s Choral Society, and the orchestral version soon became more successful than the original choral presentation. It is now one of the best-known works associated with Vienna.
At the New Year’s Concert, the performance of “The Blue Danube” is traditionally preceded by applause and New Year greetings. The concert then usually concludes with Johann Strauss I’s “Radetzky March,” during which the audience often claps along with the beat.
Johann Strauss II is sometimes confused with his father, Johann Strauss I, who also composed famous waltzes and marches. The younger Strauss is the composer of “The Blue Danube.”