Probably the most famous waltz in the world, it is based on 10 melodies that Strauss had already used in earlier works. The first performance took place on February 15, 1867 in the hall of the Dianabad in Vienna. The text version performed at that time was by Josef Weyl and began with the line "Wiener, seid froh...". The now popular text "Donau so blau..." was written by Franz von Gernerth in 1889.
The word "Schlager" was used for the first time by the press for the probably extremely successful premiere of the Danube Waltz.