Enjoying the Culture 157and melodic, and his 600 Lieder were in the spirit of early
Romantic poetry. For one who died so young, he composed
numerous symphonies, masses, quartets and sonatas.
Johann Strauss the Elder (1804–49)
Also popular during this time was Johann Strauss the Elder,
who sought a different, livelier music than Schubert’s. He
started and conducted his own orchestra. With its rhythmic
and tuneful melodies, his music appealed to people of all
social classes. Along with Josef Lanner, an associate and rival,
he popularised the three-quarter-time waltz. His most famous
tune is the Radetsky March, which is always played on New
Year’s Eve at the Musikverein (concert hall of the Society of
the Friends of Music).
Playwrights and Poets
The playwright Johann Nestroy (1801–62), who wrote Freedom
in Krähwinkel, is famous for shattering the Biedermeier idyll
with unforgiving skepticism. In his 80 farces and parodies of
dramatic works, he became the king of psychological insights,
and a mirror for society in his portrayal of his fellow citizens.
Baden, south of Vienna, is the centre of Biedermeier style: simple, two-
story buildings marked by straight lines.