Eduard Strauss (15 March1835 - 28 December1916) was an Austriancomposer who, together with brothers Johann Strauss II and Josef Strauss formed the Strauss musical dynasty. The family dominated the Viennese light music world for decades, creating many waltzes and polkas for Austrian emperors and their courtiers. He was affectionately known in his family as 'Edi'.
Strauss' style was individual and did not attempt to emulate the works of his other brothers or his contemporaries. But he was generally recognised as a dance music conductor rather than as a composer in the Strauss family, and his popularity was always overshadowed by that of his elder brothers. Realising this, he stamped his own mark with the quick polka, known in German as the "polka-schnell". Among the more popular polkas that he ever penned for the Strauss Orchestra, which he continued to conduct until its disbandment on 13 February1901, were "Bahn Frei" op. 45 , "Ausser Rand und Band" op.168, and "Ohne Bremse" op. 238. He also found time to pen a few lovely waltzes, few of which have survived. The most famous is the "Doctrinen" op.79.
Strauss' musical career was pervaded with rivalry not only from his brothers but also from the military bandmaster and dance music composer, Karl Michael Ziehrer. Ziehrer even formed a rival orchestra called "Formerly Eduard Strauss Orchestra" and began giving concerts in Vienna under this new title. Strauss successfully filed a court action against Ziehrer for the improper and misleading use of his name. The rivalry was to extend until the Strauss Orchestra was disbanded.
Strauss married Maria Klenkhart on 8 January1863 and had two sons, Johann Strauss III and Josef Eduard Strauss. The eldest son, Johann Strauss III was to lead the Strauss revival well into the 20th century.
However, personal setbacks in the 1890s such as the death of brother Johann Strauss II in 1899 and his realization that his immediate family had squandered his personal fortune led Eduard Strauss to decide on retirement. In 1901, he disbanded the Strauss Orchestra and returned to Vienna where he died in 1916. He retired from public life and never actively took part in any public musical activity although he did document his family memoirs titled Erinnerungen in 1906.
Son of the composer Johann Strauss I, and brother to the composers Josef Strauss and EduardStrauss, Johann II is the most famous of the family.
Strauss was not granted a divorce by the Roman Catholic church and therefore changed religion and nationality and became a citizen of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha on January 28, 1887.
Strauss II sought solace in his third wife Adele (whom he married on August 15, 1887) and she encouraged the creative talent to flow once more in his later years, resulting in much fine music such as those found in the operettas 'Der Zigeunerbaron' and 'Waldmeister' and the waltzes 'Kaiser-Walzer','Kaiser Jubilaum','Märchen aus dem Orient' op.
EduardStrauss (15 March1835 – 28 December1916) was an Austrian composer who, together with brothers Johann Strauss II and Josef Strauss formed the Strauss musical dynasty.
Strauss' musical career was pervaded with rivalry not only from his brothers but also from the military bandmaster and dance music composer, Karl Michael Ziehrer who even formed a rival orchestra called "Formerly EduardStrauss Orchestra" and began giving concerts in Vienna under this new title.
EduardStrauss successfully filed a court action against Ziehrer for the improper and misleading use of his name but Ziehrer would eventually surpass the Strauss family in popularity in Vienna, particularly after the deaths of his more talented brothers, Johann Strauss II and Josef Strauss.
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