The waltz melodies are drawn from his operetta Eine Nacht in Venedig (A Night in Venice) which was a fiasco when premiered in Berlin on 3 October 1883.
The Berlin production incorporated many outrageously silly lyrics during this waltz song where the singer has to sing the embarrassing 'Nacht sind die Katzen ja grau, nachts tönt es zärtlich Miau!'
Without further ado, for the hurried Vienna premiere, the tempo was reduced and the words were replaced with the more agreeable 'Ach, wie so herrlich zu schaun, sind all' die lieblichen Frau'n!'
Eduard Strauss first performed the orchestral work on 4 November 1883 in the Golden Hall (Goldener-Saal) of the Vienna Musikverein, site of the modern day Neujahrskonzert.
[1] Based on original text by Peter Kemp, The Johann Strauss Society of Great Britain.