Johann Strauss, the King of Waltzes, toured the world like a gypsy and his successful tours to St. Petersburg, Berlin, London, Paris and New York helped to popularise his waltz music. What difference does it make that his most beautiful waltz, The Blue Danube was not an immediate success. He was only vexed for having spent so much time and care on this composition. Nowadays it is the first encore of the famous Vienna New Years Concert on the 1st of January.