RICHARD STRAUSS Serenade in E-Flat Major
RICHARD STRAUSS Serenade in E-Flat Major
ABOUT THE COMPOSER
Born 1864 in Munich , Germany ; died 1949 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen , Germany
• Strauss ’ father was a respected horn player , allowing the young Strauss to grow up around orchestras . Strauss studied piano , composition , and violin with colleagues of his father , and he wrote his first symphony when he was six years old .
• Strauss became well known during his life as a conductor . While he served as the conductor of the Bayreuth Festival , he released his first opera , which was met with a great deal of criticism .
• When Strauss was 68 , the Nazi party rose to power in Germany . Though Strauss was opposed to the Nazi party , he attempted to appease authorities , partially to protect his daughter-in-law and grandchildren who were Jewish . Strauss used his considerable influence to prevent his family from being sent to concentration camps .
• Strauss wrote that he considered anti-Jewish sentiments to be a disgrace to German honor . He continued to program the music of banned composers and work with Jewish librettist Stefan Zweig . The two worked on an opera together that was later banned , and his efforts to keep out of trouble with the Nazi party became untenable . A letter Strauss wrote to Zweig was intercepted by the Gestapo and sent to Hitler , resulting in dismissal from his positions .
• In his later years , Strauss was considered one of the leading late-Romantic composers and wrote some of his most famous works , including Also sprach Zarathustra , Ein Heldenleben , and Till Eulenspiegel .
THE WORLD AT A GLANCE
1881
MUSIC Brahms ’ Tragic Overture
ART Juan Luna ’ s The Death of Cleopatra
FUN FACT
Strauss was known for being an excellent player of Skat , a German card game .
EDUCATION Spelman College is founded
ABOUT THE PIECE
• Strauss wrote this work in 1881 when he was just 17 years old .
• Strauss was greatly influenced by his father who was a professional horn player with the Munich Court Orchestra . Strauss was known for writing music for wind instruments , which is masterfully showcased in this single movement work .
HISTORY President James A . Garfield is assassinated
16 BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA