In 1849, following the death of his father, Johann Strauss II merged his father's and his own ensembles into one and became the leader of the single most popular dance ensemble in Vienna. By late 1852, in an attempt to alleviate the extraordinary demands upon his time (at this point, the presence of his ensemble was a must at every private ball and major event) he had divided his organization into four separate orchestras; however, since promoters invariably promised their audiences a personal appearance by the Waltz King himself, he found himself pulled into more directions than ever.

Having conquered Vienna, he was now engaged to conquer Germany, and he embarked upon a concert tour. While in Dresden in early October 1852, he met and befriended the well-known musical director Hugo Hünerfürst, who introduced him to a small, private society that numbered ten members, including himself. The interests of this society were diverse, and appear to have included parapsychology, spiritualism and the occult. Johann II showed curiosity about and interest in this group. When he returned to Vienna the following month, he was engaged to perform at a private ball, at which he premiered a new work: the Zehner-Polka, also named "The Ten." The printed piano edition of this brief, cheerful dance piece was inscribed, "Composed in honor of a Society of ten persons in Dresden and dedicated to them in friendship."

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