July 1961 School Magazine

3risbqne Girls' Grqmmqr School Mcgczine

Iuly, 1961

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"MASTER OF MELODY" A brilliont court bollroom in Hopsburq, Vienno-the lishts ol o hundred qlitterinq condelobro shine on the qold broid ond vivid colours of officers' uniforms, sporkling diomonds, ond the sheen of sotin, os the doncers swirl post to the lilting stroins o{ o Viennese woitz. Conducting the royoi orchestrc not with o boton, but with the bow of his own violin, is the mon who hos set ihe people of Vienno, the Austrion copitol, ond the whole o{ Europe dcrncing to the goy music o{ the woltz - Johonn Strouss II. Born in Vienncr in 1825, Johonn Strouss wos the son of one ol ihe most populor conductors of the doy. His fother, lohonn Strouss I, hod oJreody loured Europe with his own orchestro, chcrming people with his lovely woltz melodies. But ot home one doy he heord the shost o{ his own music-o Strouss woltz plcryed on o violin. Mystified-for hls children hod been for- bidden this instrument, though gronted piono lessons_he went to investigote. There before cr miror, swoying to his violin in typicol Strouss style, drowinq forih the liltlnq music of o Strouss woltz, stood the eldest of his flve children, Johonn. When lhe enroged fother demonded on explonotion, the boy exploineci thot by giving piono lessons to younger children he hod-eorned enough money to toke violin lessons himself. Strouss senior cngrlly iocked up the violin ond Johonn wos sent owoy to o business school. After spending severol miseroble yeors os o clerk, the youns Sirouss ciefied his {other by mokinq his debut os on orchestro leoder ot the oge of nineteen, ploylnq in o holl os foshionoble os hls fother's, ond includins his ;w; "o-po.iiio". in the prcsromme. At the end of one o{ these op e";;";; oJter nineteen encores hod been demonded lohonn ;;"" ; ;is" to the members of his orchestro ond inio the silencl flooteJ-o number not on the progromme-the most fomous oJ o11 the woltzes written by the eider strouss. when the rost note hoci softly died owoy the cheerlng oudlence rose ond rushed to the stoge to beor the young mon out on exultont shoulders. In o glow of prlde ond offection fclther ond son were reconciled. After his fother's deoth in 1849, Johonn succeeded him os conductor of his orchestro, ond in 1863 be become .or.ar.io, ot the orchestro for the Vienno court boils. ]ohonn strouss ]l wos the ockno.,vledqed moster of woltz compostion in the Viennese trodition. His beoutiful "Toles {rom tha Vienno Woods,, W"lir, recoptures the qoiety ond llshtheqrtedness of the pleos"." tlrrl ing.Viennese, os they donced in the Tonzpolost in the *otalA porklond beyond ihe city of Vienno on o summer niqht. ,,The 28

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Adrienne Buchonon, V.C