"Favourable Prognoses". When Josef Strauss had to deputise for his ailing brother Johann as the composer of the traditional dedication pieces for the balls during carnival season of 1863, he wrote his first piece for the Viennese medical balls, held on 20th January 1863 at the Sophiensaal, as was customary during the first half of carnival. It was a very agreeable and smooth piece that Josef played for them under the optimistic title Favourable Prognoses, with the dedicatory note: "to the male students of medicine at the University of Vienna." That was accurate because women and girls were not yet admitted to the study of medicine in Vienna. More than thirty years would pass before the first woman doctor received her degree. The waltz was received with warm applause and, as noted in a report, was danced to with enthusiasm. It was issued by Carl Haslinger's press at the end of May 1863, but to date no printed sheet music has been found. Since the draft of the waltz is kept in the Vienna municipal and national library, the reconstruction of the original posed no problem. One can give the rediscovered waltz Favourable Prognoses: it will please as much today as it did in 1863.

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Painting: The Doctor
Artist: Luke Fildes
Date: 1891

Slovak State Philharmonic Orchestra, Kosice
Michael Dittrich