description Artist's Life Overview
Artist's Life, or Künstlerleben, is a concert waltz by Johann Strauss II, published as Op. 316 in 1867. Strauss first conducted it at the Hesperus Ball in Vienna on 18 February 1867, and the work was dedicated to the ball's organizing committee. Its subject is the artistic and cultural life of Vienna, making it a representative example for listeners studying the nineteenth-century Viennese waltz tradition and Strauss's orchestral dance music.
help Artist's Life FAQ
What is the original German title of Artist's Life?
Artist's Life is Johann Strauss II's Künstlerleben, Waltz Op. 316. Strauss composed it for Vienna's 1867 carnival season.
Where was Artist's Life first performed?
The waltz was performed at the Dianasaal in Vienna on February 18, 1867. It appeared only days after the premiere of Strauss's famous Blue Danube, Op. 314.
Who composed Artist's Life, and when?
Artist's Life was composed by Johann Strauss II in 1867, not by Josef Strauss or Johann Strauss I. Its elegant waltz themes reflect the Viennese artistic and social world associated with the Habsburg capital.
Why does Artist's Life sound unusually celebratory for its period?
Strauss wrote it for the 1867 Vienna carnival after Austria's defeat by Prussia at Königgrätz in 1866. The music was intended to restore gaiety to public life during a difficult political period.
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