Colosseum-Quadrille, Op. 175 - Josef Strauss

In 1835, waiter Karl Schwender (1806–1866), an immigrant from Germany, hired a cow-stall on the land belonging to the palace Arnstein in front of the Mariahilfer Line (Braunhirschen Grund). Schwender at first operated a coffee-house that very quickly attracted a large clientèle. In January of the year 1865, the able businessman merged the facilities, which had been expanded again with additional structures, calling the business from this time on “Schwender’s Colosseum”. The opulent establishment opened on 8th January 1865 with a Colosseum Ball Celebration and a huge masked ball. In the new Flower Hall, Josef and Edward Strauss, at the helm of an expanded orchestra, provided ball music. On this occasion, Josef Strauss presented his Colosseum-Quadrille, especially composed for the evening, with a military orchestra participating along with the Strauss orchestra. Naturally there was a mass attendance on the opening evening. Whether in the tumult of these events the dedication composition by Josef Strauss attracted general notice is not recorded. This lively, most original Colosseum-Quadrille would have been quite worthy of admiration.

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Painting: Quadrille II
Artist: William Tom Warrener
Date: 1890

Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice
Karl Albert Geyer