Johann Strauss Sr. was an Austrian composer and bandleader who lived from 1804 to 1849. He led the most famous dance orchestra in Vienna and helped turn the waltz into a craze across Europe. He was the father of three composers, and his oldest son, also named Johann, became more famous still. The best first piece for a child is his Radetzky March, where audiences clap along.
Quick facts
- Born: 1804, in Vienna, Austria
- Died: 1849, in Vienna
- Era: Romantic
- Played: violin and viola
- Known for: the Radetzky March, and about 150 waltzes
The life in short
Strauss had a hard start. His father kept an inn. His mother died when he was seven, and his father drowned in the Danube River when he was 12. His guardian apprenticed him to a bookbinder.
He taught himself the violin on the side and took lessons when he could. At 15, he joined a small dance band as a viola player. Its leader, Joseph Lanner, became his friend and then his rival.
At 21, Strauss started an orchestra of his own. He composed new dances for it every week. Vienna loved to dance, and soon his orchestra was the one everybody wanted.
He was among the first musicians to take an orchestra on long tours. He traveled through Germany, France, and Britain by coach, and in 1838 he played in London for the celebrations when Queen Victoria was crowned.
At home, he and his wife had six children. He did not want any of them to be musicians. He knew how hard the life was. His oldest son, Johann, practiced the violin in secret, with his mother’s help.
In 1844, the son started his own orchestra at 18. Father and son were rivals for five years.
In 1848, the father wrote the Radetzky March to honor an Austrian army commander. He died the next year of scarlet fever, at 45. His son joined the two orchestras into one. Read musical families.
What the music sounds like
Strauss wrote music for dancing. It had to be easy to follow, with a clear beat and tunes that lifted the feet.
His waltzes are quick and bright. His galops are faster still. A galop is a dance in which couples race down the room.
His son’s waltzes came later and are longer and richer. The father set the pattern, and the son built on it.
Pieces to play first
Radetzky March. A bouncy march with a drum roll to start. It has two moods: a quiet, tiptoe part and a loud, proud part. Read Radetzky March for kids.
“Lorelei-Rheinklänge.” A graceful waltz named for a rock on the Rhine River. It was his best-loved waltz in his lifetime.
“Cachucha Galop.” A short, speedy dance.
“Chinese Galop.” Two minutes of racing music.
The clapping
Each January 1, the Vienna Philharmonic ends its New Year’s Concert with the Radetzky March. The audience claps in time, soft in the quiet parts and loud in the loud ones, and the conductor leads the clapping. Read the Vienna New Year’s Concert with kids.
Things to do together
Clap the march. Play the Radetzky March. Clap with two fingers for the quiet part and with full hands for the loud part.
Gallop. Play a galop and gallop sideways down a hallway. Stop when the music stops.
Father or son? Play the Radetzky March by the father and “The Blue Danube” by the son. One is for marching, and one is for waltzing. Ask your child to show the difference with their feet.
Secret practice. Tell the story of young Johann and his hidden violin. Ask your child what they would practice in secret.
The family
Three of his sons became composers: Johann, Josef, and Eduard. Together the family wrote the music that Vienna danced to for most of a century. Read Johann Strauss II for kids.
Print and play
Fill in a composer study notebook page for Johann Strauss Sr. Find more marches and dances in classical music for kids to dance to. For the era he lived in, read Romantic era music for kids.
For more composers by era, see classical composers for kids.
More from this guide
This article is part of Classical composers for kids: a guide by era, from Vivaldi to Britten.
Alexina Louie for kids: her life, her music, and what to play first
Alexina Louie explained for parents and kids: the Canadian composer from Vancouver, her music of East and West, her piano pieces about the stars, and things to do.
American composers for kids: ten to know and a piece by each
Ten American composers for kids to know, from Sousa and Joplin to Copland and John Williams, with a short story and one piece to hear for each.
Amy Beach for kids: her life, her music, and what to play first
Amy Beach explained for parents and kids: the American pianist who taught herself to compose, the Gaelic Symphony, four pieces to play first, and things to do.
André Mathieu for kids: his life, his music, and what to play first
André Mathieu explained for parents and kids: the Montreal child prodigy who composed at four, his piano concertos, what to hear first, and things to do.
Arvo Pärt for kids: his life, his music, and what to play first
Arvo Pärt explained for parents and kids: the living Estonian composer of slow, bell-like music, Spiegel im Spiegel, and things to do together.
Asian composers for kids: ten to know
Ten Asian composers for kids, from Japan, China, Korea, and India, with one piece to play first for each, what to listen for, and things to do.
Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.