Johann Strauss (Vater)

Homage to Queen Victoria of Great Britain op. 103

On June 28, 1838, Princess Victoria was crowned at Westminster Abbey. At the same time, the famous Johann Strauss (father) was on tour for several months in the United Kingdom. Between a first concert on April 17, 1838 and the end of July, Johann Strauss and his orchestra gave a total of 79 performances in London alone, in front of all the elite of the London aristocracy: the Duke of Wellington, the Duke of Devonshire, the Duke of Cambridge, the Duke of Buccleuch and Sutherland, the Countess of Cadogan and Mrs Lionel de Rothschild, as well as the ambassadors of Austria and France. There were also two public balls, two charity concerts, thirty-nine public concerts, and three large-scale concerts shared with high-profile artists. The ultimate accolade, though, came with the invitation to perform for the then 19-year-old Princess Victoria at Buckingham House. Building which she was about to make her official royal palace. This took place on 10 May, and Johann Strauss followed his usual practice of performing a piece specially composed for the occasion. It was that waltz "Homage to the Queen of Great Britain", which tactfully and with a touch of humour quoted "Rule, Britannia" in its introduction and "God Save the Queen" in waltz tempo in the coda. The Times reported at the time that Strauss' new waltz was much admired by the future Queen, and thereafter Johann Strauss made sure he included it in future performances following the coronation, both at the Palace and elsewhere on tour. His great-great-great grandson Charles III was crowned King of the United Kingdom on May 6, 2023 in the same Westminster Abbey, as was his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on June 2, 1953.