The Blue Danube
From Academic Kids
The Blue Danube is the common English title of An der schönen blauen Donau op. 314 (By the Beautiful Blue Danube), a waltz by Johann Strauss the Younger, composed in 1867. Originally performed 9 February 1867 at a concert of the Wiener Männergesangsverein (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 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."
The waltz originally had an accompanying song text written by Josef Weyl. Strauss adapted it into a purely orchestral version for the World's Fair in Paris that same year, and it became a great success in this form. The instrumental version is by far the most commonly performed today. An alternate text by Franz von Gernerth, Donau so blau (Danube so blue), is also used on occasion.
The sentimental Viennese connotations of the piece have made it into a sort of unofficial Austrian national anthem. It is a traditional encore piece at the annual Vienna New Year's Concert.
The Blue Danube was prominently featured in the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick's influential 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was also used in the 1943 Warner Brothers cartoon, A Corny Concerto, starring Daffy Duck, and the 2000 Japanese film, Battle Royale. A sketch from Monty Python's Flying Circus takes advantage of the piece's fame, featuring, in typical Monty Python fashion, "the exploding version of the Blue Danube."
External link
- The accompanying lyrics (http://ingeb.org/Lieder/donausob.html) (in German)
