Ruhe, meine Seele!
Encyclopedia
Ruhe, meine Seele!, Op. 27 No. 1, is the first in a set of four songs composed by Richard Strauss
in 1894. It was originally for voice and piano, and not orchestrated by Strauss until 1948, after he had completed one of his Four Last Songs
"Im Abendrot". The words are from a poem "Ruhe, meine Seele" (English translation "Rest, my Soul") written by the poet Karl Henckell
.
.
, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais
, 2 clarinets in B, bass clarinet
, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, tuba
, 3 timpani
, celesta
, harp
and the orchestral string section
.
The accompaniment has sombre and ambiguous harmonies, with contrasting peaceful and tempestuous episodes.
Piano accompaniment:
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
in 1894. It was originally for voice and piano, and not orchestrated by Strauss until 1948, after he had completed one of his Four Last Songs
Four Last Songs
The Four Last Songs for soprano and orchestra were the final completed works of Richard Strauss, composed in 1948 when the composer was 84. Strauss did not live to hear the premiere, given at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 22 May 1950 by the soprano Kirsten Flagstad accompanied by the...
"Im Abendrot". The words are from a poem "Ruhe, meine Seele" (English translation "Rest, my Soul") written by the poet Karl Henckell
Karl Friedrich Henckell
Karl Friedrich Henckell was a German author.Henckell studied at the universities of Berlin, Heidelberg, Munich, and Zurich...
.
History
Strauss composed the song in May 1894, and that September he gave it as a wedding present to his wife the soprano Pauline de AhnaPauline de Ahna
Pauline Maria de Ahna was a German operatic soprano. She is best remembered today as the wife of composer Richard Strauss who wrote several of his works for her.-Biography:...
.
Instrumentation and accompaniment
The instrumentation is: piccoloPiccolo
The piccolo is a half-size flute, and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. The piccolo has the same fingerings as its larger sibling, the standard transverse flute, but the sound it produces is an octave higher than written...
, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais
Cor anglais
The cor anglais , or English horn , is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family....
, 2 clarinets in B, bass clarinet
Bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
, 3 timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, celesta
Celesta
The celesta or celeste is a struck idiophone operated by a keyboard. Its appearance is similar to that of an upright piano or of a large wooden music box . The keys are connected to hammers which strike a graduated set of metal plates suspended over wooden resonators...
, harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
and the orchestral string section
String section
The string section is the largest body of the standard orchestra and consists of bowed string instruments of the violin family.It normally comprises five sections: the first violins, the second violins, the violas, the cellos, and the double basses...
.
The accompaniment has sombre and ambiguous harmonies, with contrasting peaceful and tempestuous episodes.
Lyrics
Nicht ein Lüftchen regt sich leise, sanft entschlummert ruht der Hain; durch der Blätter dunkle Hülle stiehlt sich lichter Sonnenschein. Ruhe, ruhe, meine Seele, deine Stürme gingen wild, hast getobt und hast gezittert, wie die Brandung, wenn sie schwillt. Diese Zeiten sind gewaltig, bringen Herz und Hirn in Not – ruhe, ruhe, meine Seele, und vergiß, was dich bedroht! |
Not a breeze is stirring lightly, the wood lies slumbering gently; through the dark cover of leaves steals bright sunshine. Rest, rest, my soul, your storms have gone wild, have raged and trembled like the surf when it breaks. These times are powerful, bringing torment to heart and mind; rest, rest, my soul, and forget what is threatening you! English translation by Emily Ezust |
Opus 27
The other songs of Strauss' Opus 27 :- Op. 27 No. 2 "CäcilieCäcilie (Richard Strauss)Cäcilie, Op. 27 No. 2, is the second in a set of four songs composed by Richard Strauss in 1894.The words are from a love poem "Cäcilie" written by Heinrich Hart , a German dramatic critic and journalist who also wrote poetry...
" (Wenn du es wüßtest) - Op. 27 No. 3 "Heimliche AufforderungHeimliche AufforderungHeimliche Aufforderung, Op. 27 No. 3, is one of a set of four songs composed by Richard Strauss in 1894. It was originally for voice and piano, and not orchestrated by Strauss until 1948, a year before his death...
" (Auf, hebe die funkelnde Schale) - Op. 27 No. 4 "Morgen!" (Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder scheinen)
Videos
Orchestral accompaniment:Piano accompaniment: