The Blue Danube

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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 composer Johannes Brahms loved this waltz. It is reported by Norman Lloyd in his "Golden Encyclopedia of Music" that when asked by Frau Strauss for an autograph, Brahms autographed Mrs. Strauss's fan by writing on it the first few bars of the Blue Danube. Under it he wrote "Unfortunately not by Johannes Brahms."

The Blue Danube in popular culture

It was prominently featured in the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick's influential 1968 film . Because of its use in the film, it became extremely popular.

In a 1942 Warner Bros. cartoon, A Corny Concerto, starring Daffy Duck.

In a 1942 Warner Bros. cartoon, High Note.

In the 1986 'John Hughes' teen-comedy "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," Matthew Broderick's character, 'Ferris,' is heard playing the 'Blue Danube' in his syntheziser; but rather than producing musical notes, the synthesizer (keyboard)with the aid of a computer, produces 'coughing,'sneezing,'gagging,''barfing' like sounds, and even 'flatulent'(farting)' sounds all in synch to the 'Blue-Danube' main melody.

In a 2000 Japanese film, Battle Royale.

It featured in the computer game Elite, played as background music by an in-game docking computer.

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."

In The Simpsons, Homer Simpson munched on floating potato chips to the tune of The Blue Danube while in space in the episode Deep Space Homer. The uniform rotation of both Homer and a chip is a reference in itself to "2001: A Space Odyssey".

In the 2004 film, , the Troubadour sings the song called "Sweet Wings of Love", with the tune of "The Blue Danube".

In the 1997 film, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, directed by Clint Eastwood, it is used to intensify the comedy of a scene involving a transvestite.

In the 1997 film , sound bytes of The Blue Danube are played during the "genital cover-up scene" with the married Austin and Vanessa at the end of the film.

Media

[Blue Danube] ([file info])
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* Problems listening to the file? See [Media helpmedia help].

The Blue Danube of A Video Digest

External link

[The accompanying lyrics] (in German)

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