Radetzky March

Lore & Background

Strauss had already used the theme in his Jubel-Quadrille, Op. 130. For the trio, Strauss used an older folk melody called Alter Tanz aus Wien or Tinerl-Lied which was originally in 3/4 time. When Radetzky came back to Vienna after winning the Battle of Custoza (1848), his soldiers were singing the then-popular song. Allegedly Strauss heard this singing and incorporated the melody, converted to 2/4 time, into the "Radetzky March". Vienna was central to the revolutions of 1848 in the Austrian Empire and appointed prime ministers were reserved about the future course of action. In May 1848 the minister of war Count Baillet von Latour endorsed military action without consulting Franz Joseph I of Austria. Joseph Radetzky von Radetz engaged and defeated Charles Albert of Sardinia in June and July 1848. These victories of the Imperial Austrian army were celebrated in Vienna to the tune of the Radetzky March. Along with "The Blue Danube" waltz by Johann Strauss Jr., the piece became an unofficial Austrian national anthem. When it was first played in front of Austrian officers, they spontaneously clapped and stamped their feet when they heard the chorus. This tradition, with quiet rhythmic clapping on the first iteration of the melody, followed by thunderous clapping on the second, is often observed when the march is played in classical music venues in an orchestral version prepared by Leopold Weninger (1879–1940).

Reader's Guide

The "Radetzky March" holds significance as a celebratory piece tied to Austrian imperial victories and later as an unofficial national anthem. Its legacy extends beyond classical concerts: since 1896 it has been the official presentation march of the Chilean Army's Liberator Bernardo O'Higgins Military School and the Paraguayan Army's Marshall Francisco Solano López Military Academy. The 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards of the United Kingdom adopted it as their regimental quick march. In 1932 Joseph Roth published his novel Radetzky March, chronicling the decline and fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The march is used in promotional jingles and at major sporting events, particularly football matches of the Austria national team. Since its introduction in 1946 by conductor Josef Krips during the New Year's Concert of the Vienna Philharmonic, it has been played as a jubilant encore. In 2019 the Vienna Philharmonic board of directors announced a new version to replace the Weninger arrangement in an attempt to "de-Nazify" the march; the new arrangement was first performed at the New Year's Concert in 2020.

Did You Know?

• Strauss had already used the march's theme in his earlier Jubel-Quadrille, Op. 130.
• The trio melody comes from an older folk tune called Alter Tanz aus Wien or Tinerl-Lied, originally in 3/4 time, which Strauss converted to 2/4 time.
• When first played in front of Austrian officers, they spontaneously clapped and stamped their feet when they heard the chorus.
• Since 1896, the march has been the official presentation march of both the Chilean Army's Bernardo O'Higgins Military School and the Paraguayan Army's Francisco Solano López Military Academy.
• In 2019, the Vienna Philharmonic board announced a new arrangement to replace the Leopold Weninger version in an attempt to 'de-Nazify' the march; it debuted at the 2020 New Year's Concert.

Origins & Composition

Johann Strauss Sr. composed the Radetzky March, Opus 228, as a celebratory tribute to Field Marshal Joseph Radetzky von Radetz, whose forces had defeated the Italian army at the Battle of Custoza during the First Italian War of Independence. The premiere took place in Vienna on 31 August 1848. Interestingly, the march's main theme was not entirely new to Strauss; he had previously woven it into his Jubel-Quadrille, Opus 130. The piece's trio section draws on a different source altogether: an older Viennese folk melody known as Alter Tanz aus Wien, also called the Tinerl-Lied, which originally sat in a stately three-four time. According to tradition, Radetzky's returning soldiers were singing this popular tune upon his homecoming, and Strauss, hearing their voices, decided to fold the melody into his march, transposing it into a brisk two-four meter. Despite its military dedication, the march carries a distinctly festive rather than martial character, a quality that would later make it a favorite among marching regiments as much as concert audiences.

Historical Context & The Clapping Tradition

Vienna in 1848 was a city on the edge of upheaval, caught in the revolutionary currents sweeping the Austrian Empire. In May of that year, War Minister Count Baillet von Latour authorized military engagement without first seeking the approval of the young Emperor Franz Joseph I. The resulting campaign saw Radetzky confront and defeat Charles Albert of Sardinia across the months of June and July. When the Imperial army's victories reached the capital, Viennese crowds celebrated to the strains of the newly composed march. Over time, the piece grew into something of an unofficial national anthem for Austria, sharing that symbolic space with Johann Strauss Jr.'s Blue Danube waltz. Perhaps the most enduring custom tied to the march is the audience clapping. When it was first performed before a gathering of Austrian officers, they spontaneously began clapping and stamping their feet at the chorus. That impromptu gesture evolved into a structured tradition: a quiet, rhythmic clap accompanies the first statement of the melody, followed by a thunderous, full-force clap on the second. The practice persists in concert halls worldwide, typically using the orchestral arrangement crafted by Leopold Weninger (1879–1940).

Legacy & Global Reach

The Radetzky March has long outlived its original military context, embedding itself in cultural and institutional life across the globe. In 1932, the Austrian writer Joseph Roth published a novel bearing the march's title, a sweeping narrative tracing the slow disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The melody has also found a natural home in sports, serving as a staple at major events and as a rallying tune for the Austrian national football team. Its military legacy is equally broad: since 1896 it has served as the official presentation march for both the Chilean Army's Bernardo O'Higgins Military School and the Paraguayan Army's Francisco Solano López Military Academy, while the United Kingdom's 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards adopted it as their regimental quick march. In cinema and television, the march has appeared in a remarkable range of productions, from the 1955 Sissi and the 1956 adaptation of The Good Soldier Schweik to the 1994 historical drama La Marche de Radetzky, the 2000 film Battle Royale, and the 2021 film The Power of the Dog, where a character struggles through a piano rendition of the piece.

The Vienna Philharmonic & New Year's Concert

Today, the Radetzky March is most intimately linked to the Vienna Philharmonic and its beloved New Year's Concert, the Neujahrskonzert. The tradition began in 1946, when conductor Josef Krips introduced the march as a closing encore, and since then it has served as the concert's jubilant finale every single year. For decades, audiences experienced the piece through the orchestral arrangement prepared by Leopold Weninger, a version that became inseparable from the event. However, in 2019 the Vienna Philharmonic's board of directors announced a significant change: a new arrangement would replace the Weninger version. The stated motivation was to de-Nazify the march, acknowledging that the long-standing orchestration carried associations the ensemble wished to move beyond. The revised arrangement made its debut at the New Year's Concert in 2020, marking the first time in over seventy years that the audience's familiar clapping ritual was set to a different orchestral texture. Yet the core experience, quiet clapping on the first pass and thunderous applause on the second, remained unchanged, preserving the communal joy that has defined the moment since Krips first led the orchestra into the tune.