What is the Wiener Lied? The Story Behind Vienna's Singing Soul

There are moments in the Wirtshaus when everything suddenly feels just right: the beer freshly poured, the Tafelspitz still steaming on the table, and from somewhere in the background a melody drifts in that feels as though it has always belonged there. That is how Vienna sounds. And that is how the Wiener Lied sounds.

A music with history and character

The Wiener Lied is not an invention of the tourism industry. It grew over centuries, from the streets and backyards of the city. Street vendors calling out their wares, barrel organ players wandering through the lanes, singers in Wirtshäuser and at Heurigen – they all played their part. As far back as the late 18th century, the songs were printed on broadsheets and passed from person to person.

The true golden age began in the 19th century. The Wiener Lied was then the music of ordinary people – craftsmen, residents of the outer districts, the small bourgeoisie. It told of Vienna, of its characters and quirks, of longing and the joy of living, of wine and sometimes of heartbreak. Melancholic, but never without a wink. A little wistful, but always with a smile.

The Schrammeln

In 1878, brothers Johann and Josef Schrammel founded a small ensemble together with guitarist Anton Strohmayer, which initially played at Heurigen and inns. Six years later, clarinettist Georg Dänzer joined them and the "Schrammel Quartet" was born. What followed was a true Viennese success story.

The Schrammeln's music was so irresistible that it spread in no time from the Wirtshäuser into the salons of the aristocracy. Even Johann Strauss and Johannes Brahms counted themselves among its enthusiastic admirers. The sound – two violins, a contraguitarre and the distinctive G-clarinet (known as the "picksüße Hölzl", or the sweet little stick) – became the sound of Vienna. In just seven years, the two brothers composed over 200 pieces. Both died at the age of just 43. Yet their sound lives on to this day.

Schrammel music has since become more than just a stylistic term – it is a way of feeling life. That characteristic mix of crying a little, laughing a little and holding a glass throughout: that is Vienna.

What the Wiener Lied truly sings about

At its heart, the Wiener Lied always sings about the same things: this city, its people and their particular way of looking at life. Viennese people have always had a special gift for smiling at themselves – while paying very close attention. Wine as companion, the city as home, life as something you accept as it comes: with humour, with composure and with a healthy dose of Weltschmerz. The Wirtshaus has always been the natural home of this music. Not the concert hall, not the opera – but right here. Where people come together, raise a glass and talk. Where the atmosphere doesn't need to be planned – it simply happens.

Mitzitant joins in – including at the ESC

Those who have been around for a while know: music and Mitzitant go together. And this year we took that to a very special stage. For the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Mitzitant got its very own song – a true Mitzitant earworm that captured the spirit of the Wirtshaus in music. Loud, warm, a little crazy and thoroughly Viennese. The ESC is over now, but the song stays. Just like the best music always does. It says something important about what the Wiener Lied is really about: it is not a nostalgic relic, but an attitude. A way of celebrating life – the Viennese way.