The turn of the 20th century was the golden age of the operetta and the time when a young composer of Hungarian descent entered the musical circles of Vienna. This previously unknown musician delighted the citizens of Vienna first by performing operettas by Viennese authors and Strauss's waltzes, marches, and polkas, and subsequently with his own operettas. Some of them, like the Land of Smiles and Merry Widows have become a part of the global operetta heritage.