Josef Strauss (1827-1870) was an Austrian composer, son of Johann Strauss ('Vater') and brother of Johann jr. and Eduard. Josef joined the 'Strauss' family orchestra, along with his brothers Johann and Eduard in the 1850s. When Johann became seriously ill in 1853 Josef led the orchestra for a while. The waltz-loving Viennese people were appreciative of his early compositions so he decided to continue in the family tradition of composing dance music. He wrote 283 opus numbers amongst them waltzes (Sphären-Klänge), Polkas, Quadrilles and other dance music. In 1869 Josef Strauss composed Feuerfest!, a Polka Francaise marked by the use of an Anvil and even nowadays often performed.