This piece is the most widely circulated and popular among the waltzes of Johann Strauss the Younger. It was completed in 1867, at the time of the Austro-Prussian War. The Austrians suffered a disastrous defeat and the people's morale was decadent. The people of Vienna were demoralized and dark clouds shrouded their hearts. In order to inspire the people, the conductor of the Vienna Male Chorus, Johann Ritter von Herbeck (1831- 1877), commissioned a choral piece from Johann Strauss the Younger.
Even if the war is burning in the sky, the beautiful scenery around Vienna has not changed. The four seasons are still running normally, the earth is still alive, and the water of the Danube River is still flowing quietly.