"Austrian Crown Prince". On 21 August 1858 the long-awaited Crown Prince was born, after two daughters, to the imperial couple Elisabeth and Franz Josef von Habsburg-Lothringen. He was named Rudolph, after the founder of the house of Habsburg. Elisabeth had gone into seclusion to await the birth at Laxenburg Castle. When the news from Laxenburg reached the city, Emperor Franz Josef was so happy about the birth of the successor to the Crown that, contrary to tradition, he forthwith granted the newborn archduke the rank of colonel in the army and head of infantry regiment No.19. From this time on, the regiment bore the title of Crown Prince, Archduke Rudolph. Perspicaciously, Josef Strauss took this opportunity to compose a commemorative march, but since he wished to perform this work at his anniversary concert on 31 August 1858, in the Volksgarten, he did not request permission from the imperial palace to dedicate the work to the Crown Prince, but instead addressed the dedication to the "Officer Corps of Regular Infantry Regiment No.19, Crown Prince Rudolph." Thus he achieved his goal without having to await imperial approval. Josef Strauss' Osterreichischer Kronprinzen-Marsch was performed for the first time on 31 August 1858. The anniversary celebration, however, was postponed until 3 September owing to inclement weather. The Fremden-Blatt newspaper reported on 5 September 1858 that three orchestras were hired, the public having ten to twelve avenues on the esplanade at its disposal, all brilliantly illuminated. The crowd in attendance was in the merriest of moods. By 19 September 1858 the Osterreichischer Kronprinzen-Marsch had already been published by Verlag Haslinger.
Don't forget to subscribe and leave a comment, that would be helpful to improve my channel. Thank you!
Painting: Portrait of Crown Prince Rudolph
Artist: Eugen Felix
Date: 1889
Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Bratislava
Michael Dittrich
Comentarios