"Army". On the occasion of the twenty-sixth birthday of Kaiser Franz Joseph, a “Grand military celebration with special festive arrangement, allegorical tableau, military decorations and a symbolic fireworks display by A. Stuwer” took place in the imperial Volksgarten close to the Hofburg, Josef Strauss composed an Armee-Marsch, which must have been welcome to the Kaiser. But the composer did not dedicate the work to Franz Joseph, but rather to Archduke Wilhelm, born in 1827 and head of the Viennese Hausregiment No. 4 Hoch und Deutschmeister, and inspector of artillery. For the original presentation of the Armee-Marsch, the members of the Strauss orchestra joined with the musicians of the Hungarian Regiment No. 58 Archduke Stephan band, directed by the capable orchestra conductor Wilhelm Asboth (1821–1877). A tribute article on the success of the event appeared in the Theater-Zeitung in which it was said that “the Armee-Marsch composed by Josef Strauss specially for this evening was a small masterpiece full of original melodies and piquant instrumentation”. The work was also performed at the remaining festivals of 1856 and each time won acclaim for the composer. How Josef Strauss, who had passionately and energetically declined to enter military service in 1849, felt at the performances of the Armee-Marsch is not known. One can speculate on this—but Josef Strauss had to adapt himself to the demands which were placed on him at that time as music director in the imperial Volksgarten.
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Picture: Archduke Wilhelm Franz Karl of Austria-Toscana, 1827-1894, youngest Son of Archduke Karl (Charles) of Austria, Duke of Teschen, Grand Master of the Teutonic Order 1863-1894, FZM in the imperial-royal artillery
Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra
Karl Albert Geyer
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