Joseph Lanner (1801-1843) was an Austrian composer and violinist, and one of the founders of the Viennese waltz tradition. Born in Vienna, he led dance orchestras and helped transform the waltz from local social dance into a polished public form.

His works include waltzes, galops, ländlers and other dances. He was a contemporary and rival of Johann Strauss I, and together they prepared the ground for the later golden age of Viennese dance music.

Lanner’s music is elegant, rhythmic and buoyant, with a slightly earlier and more intimate character than the grander Strauss idiom that followed. It has charm without excessive ceremony.

His reputation is now overshadowed by the Strauss family, but his historical importance is considerable. Lanner helped teach Vienna how to turn in three-quarter time.