Biography
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Born
20 March 1856
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Born In
Wien, Austria
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Died
5 June 1908 (aged 52)
Josef Franz Wagner (20 March 1856 – 5 June 1908) was an Austrian military bandmaster and composer. He is sometimes known by the sobriquet 'The Austrian March King'.
He is best known for his 1902 march Unter dem Doppeladler or Under the Double Eagle, referring to the double eagle in the coat of arms of Austria-Hungary. The march became a favourite part of the repertoire of American composer and bandleader John Philip Sousa, who recorded it three times. The piece was the official regimental march of the Austrian Artillery Regiment Number 2 till its dissolution in 2007.
Wagner's other most popular pieces are the Holzhackerbaum march and the Jolly Lumberjack polka. In 1895, his only opera, Der Herzbub, premiered in Vienna.
The tune "Under the Double Eagle" was also used for the well known animation segment "Conrad Pooh And His Dancing Teeth" in Monty Python's Flying Circus.
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