In a career that spanned a period from the 1820s until his death in 1849, the older Johann Strauss established an unrivalled position for himself among composers and performers of dance music in Vienna. His own achievements were continued by his three sons, ensuring the name of Strauss was inextricably identified with the musical pleasures of nineteenth-century Vienna. The works featured on this recording date from the early-middle period, between 1828 and 1834, when Strauss was pre-eminent in the ballrooms of Biedermeier Vienna, and includes melodies from operas by Auber and Bellini.