About
the Piece
The introduction of this musical piece is so famous that it has
almost become a cliché in popular culture. It is one of the most
recognizable pieces of music ever written. In popular culture, it
has been used for the beginning of the movie "Space Odyssey: 2001",
entrance music for various performers such as Elvis Presley,
athletics teams, wrestlers and in commercials and television shows
all over the world. Here's a little background information on the
piece.
Title: Also sprach Zarathustra, op. 30
German for "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"
Date of composition: 1896
Composer: Richard Strauss
Period: Late Romantic and early modern era
This man and this piece have had a profound influence on film
music. He is famous for writing "Programmatic" music, music that
tells a story rather than being abstract.
The
song's inspiration
Believe it or not, it was inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche, a German
philosopher at the time who wrote the book "Thus Spoke Zarathustra"
in 1883.
The book is about Nietzsche's ideas in philosophy, told through the
narrative of Zarathustra (based on the Persian prophet Zoroaster)
who comes down from a mountain to offer his wisdom to the world.
The most famous aspect of this book is when Nietzsche states that
"God is dead". His ideas here fundamentally oppose Judaeo-Christian
morality and tradition.
The
"World Riddle"
In Nietzche's book, he discusses something called the "World
Riddle". This riddle is the mystery between the nature of the
universe and its connection with the meaning of life. The World
Riddle is an inspiration for the unresolved harmonic progression at
the end of the musical piece.
Here is the beginning of the piece, surely which you have probably
heard before.
Sections
To play the entire piece takes about half an hour. It is divided
into 9 sections, and has 3 distinct breaks. Richard Strauss named
each section after selected chapters from Nietzsche's book.
Sunrise Of the Backworldsmen
Of the Great Longing
Of the Joys and Passions
The Grave-Song
Of Science
The Convalescent
The Dance Song
Song of the Night Wanderer
A tone
poem
Also sprach Zarathustra is a tone poem, also known as a
symphonic poem. A tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in one
movement where something external program provides a narrative
element. This programmay come from a poem, a story or novel, a
painting, or another source. In this case, the external program is
Nietzche's book.
Richard
Strauss
1864 - 1949
German composer and conductor
Period: Late Romantic era and early modern era
Famous for: Operas (Intermezzo, Salome, Elektra) and tone
poems (Also sprach Zarathustra, Don Quixote, Don Juan)
Strauss started composing at six years old, receiving basic
instruction from his father, a virtuoso horn player. That was his
only formal training. He produced his first symphony when he was
seventeen, and his second in New York at age twenty. Nazi
propaganda that used his musical works, along with Nietzche's
philsophies, in the wrong context.
The
composer's role with the Nazi regime
His association with the Nazi party has been debated since the
1930s. Some say that he was constantly apolitical, and never
cooperated with the Nazis completely. In 1933 Strauss was appointed
to be president of the State Music Bureau under Nazi leadership. He
kept this position but remained apolitical. He composed the Olympic
Hymn for the 1936 Olympics. It is most likely he cooperated in
order to protect his Jewish daughter-in-law from persecution.
Image Credits
Wikipedia
