Johann Strauss II (b Vienna, 1825; d Vienna, 1899). Austrian composer, conductor, and violinist, eldest son of Johann Strauss, and deservedly known the famous ’Waltz King’, he became the leading composer of late 19th centuryViennese operetta. Although he is best known today for Die Fledermaus and The Gypsy Baron, in his day he was more popular for such now forgotten works as The Merry War (1882), The Queen’s Lace Handkerchief (1882), and Prince Methusalem (1883). Even A Night in Venice (1884) had only a short run. However, under a number of titles such as Champagne Sec and Rosalinda, Die Fledermaus enjoyed Broadway revivals throughout the first half of the 20th century. Strauss married singer Henriette "Jetty" Treffz in August 1862, and they settled in Hietzing. Thereafter, she became his business manager and apparently a great inspiration, drawing him toward operetta, just as Viennese theatre operators were becoming tired of the works of Offenbach. Persischer Marsch (Persian March), opus 289, was composed in the autumn of 1864. The composer conducted the first Viennese performance of the march in December of 1864 at a festival concert in the Vienna Volksgarten, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his debut as a composer.