Austria’s musical identity joins an extraordinary classical legacy with enduring folk traditions and a modern popular scene that has repeatedly reached audiences far beyond its borders.
Vienna has been an important center of musical innovation. 18th and 19th century composers were drawn to the city due to the patronage of theHabsburgs, and made Vienna the European capital of classical music. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven and Johann Strauss II, among others, were associated with the city. During the Baroque period, Slavic and Hungarian folk forms influenced Austrian music. Vienna's status began its rise as a cultural center in the early 16th century, and was focused around instruments including the lute.
Overview adapted from Wikipedia’s “Music of Austria” article.
Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 represents the Viennese classical tradition that placed Austrian musical life at the center of European concert culture.
The serene Andante from Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 offers another enduring example of Austria’s globally recognized classical repertoire.
Falco’s “Rock Me Amadeus” playfully connects Austria’s classical celebrity with the sharp, multilingual pop style of the 1980s.