Wein, Weib und Gesang

Wein, Weib und Gesang (Wine, Woman, and Song), Op.

It is a choral waltz in its original form,[1] although it is seldom heard in this version today.

Its fanciful title was drawn from an old adage: "Who loves not wine, women and song remains a fool his whole life long.

"[2] The waltz's admirers include the famous opera composer Richard Wagner and Strauss' good friend Johannes Brahms.

Further waltz themes alternate between lush passion and good-humored cheekiness, ending with a swirling finish in the principal home key underlined by a brass fanfare and snare drumroll, as is the usual style of concluding a piece in Strauss' works dating around that period.