193
Also sprach Zarathustra was
completed in 1896. This frontispiece
from that year, printed in Munich by
Joseph Aibl, prefaced the original
orchestral score.edifying or morally empowering, as
demanded by 19th-century musical
aesthetics. This aligned him with
other “modernist” composers,
whose defining feature was their
emphasis on innovation and
progress—redefining composition
by challenging formal conventions.Role of the artist
Also sprach Zarathustra (“Thus
spake Zarathustra,” 1896) was
arguably Strauss’s boldest tone
poem. The 35-minute work took
its title from the book by Friedrich
Nietzsche, in which the philosopher
used the character of the ancient
Persian prophet to present his
philosophy. In Strauss’s own words,
he set out “to convey in music an
idea of the evolution of the human
race from its origin, through the
various phases of development ...
up to Nietzsche’s idea of the
Übermensch” through his tone
poem. This idea of the Übermensch
(superman), a figure unburdened by
conventional morality or religion,
resonated well with Strauss’s own
vision of the role of the independent
artist at the dawn of the 20th
century. It also helped to pavethe way for his brand of amoral
modernism, epitomized in his
scandalous breakthrough opera
Salome (1905)—based on a play by
Oscar Wilde that featured incest,
necrophilia, and blasphemy.Age of uncertainty
Strauss’s Also sprach Zarathustra
depicts a conflict between nature,
which is represented by the
trumpet’s simple opening C-G-C
motif, and humanity, whose
complex passions and intellectual
struggles are conveyed by more
harmonically adventurous writing.
The tone poem includes nine
sections, named from Nietzsche’s
book, with music that includes a
mocking fugue and a light-hearted
waltz. Man and nature remain
unreconciled at the work’s daring
conclusion, which vacillates
uncertainly between the keys
of C major and B major. ■See also: The Four Seasons 92–97 ■ Faust Symphony 176 –17 7 ■ The Ring
Cycle 180 –187 ■ Symphonie fantastique 162–163 ■ Das Lied von der Erde 198–201Richard Georg Strauss
The son of a famous horn
player, Richard Strauss was
born in Munich in 1864.
After early success with
his tone poems and songs
(many composed for his wife),
he finally found the operatic
success he longed for with
Salome (1905), followed by
Elektra (1909). The latter
marked the start of a 20-year
collaboration with the writer
and librettist Hugo von
Hofmannsthal—one of the
greatest partnerships in
operatic history.
Strauss’s prestige suffered
in the 1920s and especially in
the 1930s, as his relations
with the Nazi Party tarnished
his reputation in the English-
speaking world. In the 1940s,
however, the elderly Strauss,
heartbroken by the national
catastrophe, produced a series
of late works, including the
Four Last Songs, composed
just months before his death
in Garmisch-Partenkirchen,
Germany, in 1949.Other key works1888 Don Juan
1905 Salome
1911 Der Rosenkavalier
1949 Four Last SongsROMANTIC 1810 –1920
I would only believe
in a God that knows
how to dance.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Also sprach Zarathustra (1883–1891)US_192-193_Richard_Strauss.indd 193 27/03/18 4:49 PM