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Beauty Podcast

Welcome to the Ether Game Weekly Podcast! This week, we take our cue from the Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences Themester theme, and explore the concept of "Beauty"! What makes a piece beautiful? Find out on this week's podcast! To get you started (or for those of you who just cannot wait for Tuesday nights), you can sharpen your skills with our podcast selection. Remember to keep your ears out for a portion of Tuesday night's Teaser selection. And don't forget to tune into the full show on Tuesday, October 4th at 8:00pm for a chance to win a prize!

Johann Strauss II (1825–1899): AN DIE SCHÖNEN BLAUEN DONAU (On The Beautiful Blue Danube)

Vienna Philharmonic, Herbert Von Karajan, conductor. Mad About The Waltz (Deutsche Grammophon)

The beautiful, blue Danube is the second longest river in Europe, eclipsed only by the Volga river in Russia. The Danube flows through the city of Vienna, where Johann Strauss Jr. made his name as the "Waltz King" in the late 19th century. While "The Blue Danube" waltz has become probably the most famous waltz by Strauss, it began as humble filler music that Strauss happened to have on hand at a dance. Strauss thought the tune wasn't catchy enough, but his audiences clearly thought differently. The beauty of the Danube did not only influence the music of Strauss. Its banks are so lovely that the first pure landscape paintings in the modern era were of this river. The so-called "Danube School" of painting, a group Austrian artists from the early 16th century, were known for their depictions of the natural beauty of the region around the Danube.

Music Heard On This Episode

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