Sperl Galopp, Symphonic Band

As a composer Father Strauss is probably not as famous as his son Johann Strauss but his 'Radeztky March' is still one of the most popular pieces in classical music. When Johann Strauss Sr. in the autumn of 1829 moved up to the then most famous establishment in Vienna, the 'Sperl' he remembered Rossini's music for 'William Tell' and composed the 'Sperl Galop'. The four bars of introduction and the first sixteen bars of the galop are quotations from the 'Soldiers Dance' from 'William Tell', followed by eleven bars in the style of Rossini and then three sections of the best, most cheerful Strauss. Rossini and Strauss, that was a guarantee of success, but the 'Sperl Galop' is also evidence that Johann Strauss Sr. could hold his own with the famous Italian composer.