Between 1874 and 1899, Wagner would remain a member of the military band of different infantry regiments of the Austro-Hungarian army, becoming a successful bandmaster from 1878 to his death.

[8] In 1874, Wagner travelled from Vienna to Budapest to joined the band of the 23rd Infantry Regiment led by Philip Fahrbach jnr.

[10] He ended up first serving with the 47th Infantry Regiment [de] between 1878-1891 in Trento in Tyrol, Vienna, and Marburg (Maribor) and Graz in Styria.

[11] However, due to the 47th's frequent deployment to parts of Austria-Hungary far from Vienna, Wagner decided to change over to the 49th Infantry Regiment at Sankt Pölten,[6] which he served in between 1891 to 1899.

When in Krems and Brno, the 49th's played on Sundays and public holidays at the Kursalon during the winter, and at the Hotel am Kahlenberg in the summer, both of which are in Vienna.

[13] As a result of issues with being in the military, such as no pension for bandmasters and a conflict with his artistic ambitions, Wagner in 1900 founded his own private band based in Vienna that played in Donmayer's Casino [de] in Hietzing.

[20] The march became a favourite part of the repertoire of American composer and bandleader John Philip Sousa, whose band recorded it three times.