"Esteemed Sirs! I have the honour of placing before the honoured Committee the title of 'Sternschnuppe' for a composition, specifically a 'schnellpolka', intended for the Hesperus Ball. Yours respectfully, Johann Strauss".
Thus runs the text of an undated letter to the Vienna Artists' Association, 'Hesperus', written on behalf of the composer by his wife, Jetty, but signed by Strauss himself. Research suggests that this correspondence dates from 18 January 1868. On 6 February that year the Neues Wiener Tagblatt announced: "For the Hesperus Ball, which takes place on Sunday 16th of this month in the Dianasaal, Messrs Johann, Josef and Eduard Strauss have promised 3 novelties with the titles: 'Sternschnuppe', 'Extempore' and 'Freie Gedanken'". This is the very last mention of Johann's Schnell-Polka Sternschnuppe (Shooting Star), and it raises some interesting questions.
The Hesperus Ball took place, as announced, on 16 February 1868 in the Dianabad-Saal; with the brothers Johann, Josef and Eduard taking it in turns to conduct the Strauss Orchestra. Although the Viennese press reported on the festivity, none detailed the music played. Ten days later, on 26 February, the Viennese press carried advertisements for the traditional "Carnival Revue" of all the compositions written for that year's Vienna Carnival by the Strauss brothers, organised for 1 March in the Blumensäle (Floral Halls) of the k.k. Gartenbaugesellschaft (Imperial-Royal Horticultural Association). Adopting the long-established procedure, the announcement chronicles the balls at which the various works were first presented, but in the 1868 list no details appear beside Johann's carnival compositions. As might be expected, alongside the entries for Josef's Extempore, Polka française (op. 241) and Eduard's waltz Freie Gedanken (op. 39) appears "Hesperus Ball". Moreover, under Johann's list of contributions one searches in vain for any mention of Sternschnuppe. Of the total 20 new dances featured on the programme of the 1868 "Revue", given as a benefit concert for Josef and Eduard Strauss and with the participation of Johann, 10 were contributed by Josef, 7 by Eduard and only 3 by Johann. Specifically the Waltz King's tally comprises the waltz Die Publicisten (op. 321, actually written for the Concordia Ball on 4 February), the polka-mazurka Ein Herz, ein Sinn (op. 323, for the Citizens' Ball on 11 February) and a quick polka entitled - Unter Donner und Blitz. (In some newspapers the work is identified as Unter Blitz und Donner.) As to the identity of this last-mentioned work, not until the appearance of press announcements for a 'Ladies' Night', hosted by the Hesperus in the Blumensäle on Saturday 7 March 1868, and attended by some 1,100 guests, does a solution to the mystery present itself. In brackets, alongside the eighth item on the concert programme - Unter Donner und Blitz, Polka schnell - appears the supplementary information: "Hesperus", clearly indicating that the piece had been performed at an earlier festivity of the Association. Since in early 1868 there were no balls or concerts to which this reference could apply other than the ball on 16 February, one must conclude that this dance composition was played for the first time at the Hesperus Ball in the Dianabad-Saal. Yet this conclusion provides only a partial solution, for known contemporary press sources cannot confirm whether the polka was heard at its première as Unter Donner und Blitz, Sternschnuppe or even Unter Blitz und Donner (as Josef and Eduard refer to the piece in their handwritten programme for the Hesperus 'Ladies' Night'). For his part, however, Josef Strauss noted in his diary among the new works being first performed at the Hesperus Ball: "Unter Donner und Blitz".
