Festmusik der Stadt Wien

Richard Strauss (1864-1949) became famous above all for his programmatic orchestral music, the so-called tone poems, but also for his numerous songs and operas. Beyond his enormous importance as a composer, conductor and theatre director, he also redefined the role of the artist. He advocated an appropriate remuneration for the composer and compared the music-creating profession with that of a lawyer or doctor. This view was completely new at his time and met with resistance.

It was thanks to Strauss' tireless commitment that the Cooperative of German Musicians (Genossenschaft deutscher Tonsetzer) was founded in 1903 as the forerunner of GEMA. Strauss took over the chairmanship of the Cooperative, as well as the Institute for Musical Performance Law (Anstalt für Musikalisches Aufführrecht), a collecting society. Richard Strauss completed his "Festmusik der Stadt Wien" on January 14, 1943, and between 1942 and 1944 Strauss and his wife spent the winter months in Vienna and during their first stay Strauss was asked to write a work for the Vienna City Trumpet Choir. The "Festmusik" is dedicated to the Vienna City Council as thanks for the awarding of the Beethoven Prize. This "Festive Music of the City of Vienna" is a captivating example of Strauss's love of writing for wind instruments. He himself later also produced a short version of the festival music, which later served as the basis for today's wind orchestra arrangement.