Hesperus, polka-française op. 249 - Johann Strauss II

Hesperus, polka-française op. 249. Author: Johann Strauss II (1825-1899).

Johann Strauss composed his dainty Hesperus-Polka for the first ball of the Vienna Artists' Association, 'Hesperus', which took place at the Sperl on 6 February 1861. The Association, to whom the polka was dedicated, had held its first meeting two years earlier, in 1859, yet within only a short while it was to become one of the most significant groups within Vienna. Its annual carnival ball festivities were among the grandest, and all three Strauss brothers and many of their contemporaries eagerly wrote new dance pieces for these events.
Hesperus was the Evening Star of Greek mythology, described as "the most splendid star which shines in the firmament". He, together with his brother Phosphorus (the Morning Star), represented the double aspect of the planet Venus. Hesperus was also said to be the father of the Hesperides, the three maidens who were the guardians of the tree bearing golden apples which fruit Heracles was required to obtain as one of his twelve labours.

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