Have I waltzed in Vienna before?  Perhaps back in 1971, on my very first trip to Europe, with a magical young maiden I met in Zurich?  The trip is now a distant memory, perhaps real, perhaps imagined.  Does it really matter?

If you love music, this is the perfect city. More famous composers have lived here than any other city.  But it is not confined to classical and opera.  Music spans all genres here, including pop and rock.  After all, it is called the City of Music!

Once somewhat disreputable, the Viennese waltz epitomizes Vienna thanks to Johann Strauss.  His Blue Danube Waltz, the highlight of every ball since, became famous internationally.  Vienna has a museum dedicated solely to the Strauss family history and music.

Following on the coattails of Strauss comes the Vienna Boys Choir, who range in age from kindergarten to high school, and includes some girls.  The choir can be traced back to 1498 when Emperor Maximilian I laid the foundation stone for the Viennese Court Music Orchestra, of which the Choir is a part. Members are selected by audition, and must rehearse at least two hours a day while going to school.  Both Franz Schubert and Joseph Haydn sand with them as children. There are actually four choirs of 25 boys each.

Every night in Vienna, about 10,000 people are treated to live classical music.  Each year, the Vienna concert schedule includes more than 15,000 concerts and events in all genres.  Here is a brief into to the Vienna Four of classical music:

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), by the age of 8 he was a choirboy at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna. He was booted out of the choir when his voice changed in his late teens, and he became a freelance composer, performer and teacher. So during his childhood and young adult years, Haydn was immersed in the greatest music of Germanic culture.  Haydn spent nearly 30 years presiding over the musical activities at the prince’s palace 30 miles outside Vienna as well as at the summer residence over the border in Hungary. Still, during these decades Haydn was a regular visitor to Vienna, where he presented his works, soaked up musical life, made friends (with Mozart, among others) and joined a Masonic lodge.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), though born in Salzburg, spent extended periods of his childhood as a prodigy on tour throughout Europe. The arduous trips undermined his health and nearly killed him a couple of times.  But he made his break at 25 and lived in Vienna until his death, through periods of triumph and exasperation, writing his greatest works during his last, heady decade.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was born in Bonn, Germany, the son of a drunken, abusive court singer. He tried to escape to Vienna at 16 but had to return to stabilize the family when his mother’s health deteriorated. Six years later he was back in Vienna, and he never left. He soon became a towering figure there, his path-breaking works both intriguing and baffling listeners, including his former teacher Haydn.

Franz Schubert (1797-1828) was born in Vienna to an impoverished schoolteacher and briefly became a teacher, until he threw himself into music and lived as a struggling freelance composer at a time when the patronage system was breaking down. Still, Schubert had a support system of friends and musicians who adored him and were sure they had a genius in their midst.

So, many have asked what made Vienna the hotbed of classical music.  Was the typical Viennese music lover more sophisticated or astute?   According the H. Sachs:  Yet clearly there were musically astute listeners, as well as informed monarchs and patrons, who got what was going on. Haydn is often called the father of the symphony as it came to be known, as well as the string quartet and the piano sonata. Haydn was a pioneer in figuring out how to write a sizable multimovement instrumental piece that sounded organized and whole, an entity.  The system of sophisticated tonal harmony had developed to the point where a genius like Haydn could figure out how to process themes and manipulate key areas to dramatic effect throughout the many sections of a long work. Moreover, Haydn was the first great master of what is called motivic development, in which bits and pieces of music — a few notes, a melodic twist, a rhythmic gesture — become the building blocks for an entire symphony in several movements.

How many times have you been to the opera in Vienna?  How many times have you had a Viennese coffee?  How many times have you listened to Strauss and Haydn?  For me, I am not sure of any count.  Vienna is a mystery to me, perhaps back in the Seventies?  The German name for Vienna is Wien, that means Austria’s most famous dish, wiener schnitzel, translates to Viennese schnitzel.

Fast forward to today, on the train from Budapest to the capital city of Vienna.  This city of 1.7 million people actually produces wine within its city limits, to the tune of 1700 acres and 340 vintners.  And can you believe four of the top ten classical composers in history worked in Vienna from 1750 to 1825?  Better yet, Sigmund Freud lived and worked in Vienna for most of his famous career.  Who among us has not read about Freud in college, or taken a psychology class at one time or another?

The famous French pastry, the croissant, originated here in Vienna as the Austrian kipferl.  Bakers in Vienna made kipferl to commemorate Austria’s victory over the Ottoman Turks in 1683, their shape based on the crescents seen on the uniform of the enemy.  Credit Marie Antoinette for introducing the kipferl to France.

The real-life Maria von Trapp, made famous by The Sound of Music, was actually born in Vienna on January 26, 1905.  Speaking of the dearly departed, The Zentralfriedhof, the “Central Cemetery” of Vienna, opened in 1874, holds a dead population of almost twice the living population of Vienna.

Ordering a hot dog here is critical.  At any one of Vienna’s trademark hot dog stands, get ready to answer whether you prefer the sweet kremser mustard or spicy estragon. Vendors may shorten it to süss (sweet) or scharf (spicy).  With the dog and the schnitzel, no wonder over half of Austrian men are overweight!

This is surprising:

Vienna is sometimes known synonymously with the Baroque and Rococo styles.  The city also has a rich Romanesque

history and old Roman ruins beneath the modern city level.  Interestingly enough, Vienna is greatly lacking in any Renaissance architecture.  Because of two large Turkish sieges upon the city during the height of Renaissance influence, barely any architecture of this time was built. Instead, the overwhelmingly beautiful and decorative Baroque style dominates the city, leaving other architectural styles to stand out among the rest!

Over 200 balls take place every year in Vienna.  Balls are offered usually for 3 months starting in January and lasting through March.  The most popular venue for a Viennese ball is at the Hofburg Imperial Palace in the center of the city.  Live orchestras play the classical music, waltzes, and even some 20th century pieces providing a taste of different dance for everyone.  However, everyone in Vienna seems to know how to waltz, and rather well.  I took ballroom dance lessons in the 8th grade.  Did you?

Good news for Lexi:  The Viennese are famous for their love of dogs and they take their four-legged friends just about everywhere. Dogs are welcome on public transportation (without a carrier!) and in many boutiques and restaurants.

My email would not be complete without a list of some famous Viennese:  The musicians seem to dominate, along with Sigmund Freud.  The list of classical musicians is impressive:  Beethoven, Mozart, Strauss, Schubert, Brahms, Haydn, and Mahler, whose music I cannot tolerate.  Other famous people:  Gustav Klimt, Gregor Mendel, Hedy Lamarr, Karl Menger, Hans Asberger, Peter Drucker, Maria Theresa, the von Trapp family, Arnold Governator, and Johann von Goethe,

Vienna’s best known market is the Naschmarkt, with about 120 vendors.  Besides wining, dining and shopping, it is a great place to meet.  ON Market here is open 24 hours, and offers up some innovative Asian cuisine.  Saturday, when I visited, is the best, since they also have a flea market that day.

So, as you can read, Vienna is quite the place.  Why can’t I remember it with any clarity?  Fully a quarter of the population of Austria lives here.   I have so much to do, and so little time.  Maybe I can refresh my memory as I stroll the city?