October 25, 2025 the world marks the 200^th birth anniversary of the renowned Austrian composer, conductor and violinist, Johann Strauss, the “Waltz King”. During his lifetime, the composer wrote 496 pieces, including 168 waltzes, 117 polkas, 73 quadrilles, 43 marches, 31 mazurkas, 15 operettas, a comic opera, and a ballet. Many of these musical compositions have become recognised classics and are regularly performed in conservatories and concert halls around the world nowadays.

Strauss's waltzes are reminiscent of amazing stories told in one breath. Their atmosphere of magic and symphonic depth, optimism and zest for life captivate and conquer millions of listeners, turning each performance into an unforgettable celebration.

Today, our traditional column “A Melody with a History” features a tune encoded on the perforated paper roll – a music media which is used in many mechanical musical instruments and objects.
The waltz ‘The Blue Danube’ (German: An der schönen blauen Donau; op. 314) by Johann Strauss II is one of the Austrian composer's most famous waltzes, written in Vienna in 1866. The waltz was originally composed for the Vienna Men's Choir at the request of its director, Johann von Herbeck, and was the composer's first attempt in this genre. The lyrics was written by the poet Joseph Weyl, a member of the choir. The premiere of the waltz took place on February 15, 1867 in Vienna.

You can listen to this perforated paper roll on the street organ presented in the ‘Mechanical Musical Instruments and Objects’ section of the museum Collection exposition. This organ was created by craftsmen from the LIMONAIRE FRÈRES company in Paris between 1886 and 1897.

The wooden body of the organ is mounted on a high pedestal with corner feet, the facade is painted turquoise with goldish ornamentation. The open central part of the façade features a set of wooden flue pipes, with carved columns at the corners. The frieze depicts goldish butterflies, with the inscription ‘LIMONAIRE FRÈRES’ between them. On the plinth front side, at the bottom, is the inscription "166, Avue DAUMESNIL-PARIS" (the address of the workshop where this organ was built). On the case rear side there is a wooden channel with sides and an open mechanism, with the key frame in the slots, a pulley, and pressure and drive rollers. A cast iron flywheel with wooden handle and belt drive to the pulley of the belt tensioning mechanism is on the left side. When the flywheel is turned, the bellows and the pulling mechanism are set in motion, through which the perforated paper roll passes. When the reading lever hits the opening in the perforated roll, it rises and, through an intermediate pneumatic system, opens the valve of the corresponding pipe, into which air flows, causing it to sound.

The museum Collection features a variety of music records with recordings of works by Johann Strauss, including gramophone records, perforated paper rolls and metal discs. We have digitised several works by the great Austrian composer and present them in this anniversary music compilation.

Illustration: Street organ. Limonaire Frères. France, Paris. 1886-1897