A Waltz by the River

On February 15, 1867, the first performance of a new piece of music filled a hall in Vienna, Austria. Its composer, Johann Strauss II, had written a waltz called The Blue Danube. The music rose and fell like water moving along a river. Before the performance, Mara, a young music student, waited backstage with her father. She could hear people talking in the hall. “What if they don’t like it?” she whispered. Her father smiled. “Listen to the music. It has its own way of speaking.” When the orchestra began, the melody curled through the room. Mara pictured water flowing past fields in the distance. Soon, heads began to sway. A few listeners tapped their feet. At the end, applause rolled through the hall. Strauss became known as the “Waltz King,” and The Blue Danube became one of the world’s best-known waltzes. The dance was considered bold by some people because partners held one another closely as they turned around the floor. For Mara, though, the most surprising thing was how a tune could help a roomful of strangers feel connected.