Johann Strauss I (The father)Johann
Strauss I is the elder of the Viennese Strauss family, father of
Johann Strauss II of Blue Danube fame.
His mother died when he was 7, his
father when he was 12. After a false start as an apprentice bookbinder, he
joined a dance orchestra at the age of 15, as a viola player. Later, in 1825 he
founded his own orchestra and became Musical Director at the largest dance hall
in Vienna.
One of his most famous pieces is the Radetsky March, composed
in 1848 and named after an Austrian Field-Marshal.
He had 6 children, but
only 3 boys survived infancy. Johann Strauss II is the eldest of his sons, then
Josef and last Eduard. All three were musicians and composers in their own
right, though Johann junior became the most famous.