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Ruhe, meine Seele!

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English
  
Rest my soul

Language
  
German

Text
  
Poem by Karl Henckell

Composed
  
May 17 1894, Weimar.

Ruhe, meine Seele!

Catalogue
  
Op. 27 number 1, TrV 170.

Dedication
  
Pauline de Ahna, composer's wife.

"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!" (Rest, my soul) written by the poet Karl Henckell.

Contents

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 Ahna.

Instrumentation and accompaniment

The instrumentation is: piccolo, 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 calm and tempestuous episodes, but ends peacefully in the home key of C major.

Opus 27

The other songs of Strauss' Opus 27:

  • Op. 27 No. 2 "Cäcilie" (Wenn du es wüßtest)
  • Op. 27 No. 3 "Heimliche Aufforderung" (Auf, hebe die funkelnde Schale)
  • Op. 27 No. 4 "Morgen!" (Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder scheinen)
  • Recordings

    Richard Strauss recorded it twice with himself accompanying on the piano. In 1919 with the baritone Heinrich Schlusnus and again in 1944, with the baritone Alfred Poell.

    References

    Ruhe, meine Seele! Wikipedia