TITLE: Serenade in Eb Major, Opus 7 (1881)

COMPOSER: Richard Strauss (1864-1949)

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Richard Strauss was born into a world of wealth and music. His mother was the heiress to a Munich beer fortune, and his father, widely renowned as the greatest horn player of the day, was the principal horn of the Munich court orchestra. Richard's talent was carefully nurtured, and it manifested itself at an early age. He attended Wagner's premiere performance of Parsifal, at which his father played principal horn. Strauss was influenced by the music of Wagner and Brahms. His long life allowed him to experience both World Wars and witness the dawn of the atomic age. He was a major transitional composer from the Romantic period to modern music. The Serenade in Eb, opus 7, one of his earlier works, belongs to the late Romantic era. Strauss expressed an advanced harmonic vocabulary in all of his works. His opera, Salome, was one of the most influential operas of the 20th century, using risqué subject material and dissonance unmatched by his contemporaries. Most of his career was spent in the towns of Munich and Berlin.

MOVEMENTS: One

PERFORMANCE TIME: 10' 00"

INSTRUMENTATION: 13 Instruments

• 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Bb Clarinets, 2 Bassoons, 2 Eb Horns, 2 Bb Horns, 1 Contra-Bassoon or Bass Tuba

EDITIONS: Available for Purchase

• Edwin F. Kalmus (preferred)
• International Music Company

COMPOSITION SKETCH AND MUSIC CONSIDERATIONS

Serenade in Eb, opus 7 was composed in 1881 and premiered in Dresden in 1882. Strauss was only seventeen years of age. Strauss has won triumphs for opera and symphonic poem. The Serenade in Eb, opus 7 represents a turning point in Strauss' professional life. Hans van Bülow, an old enemy of Richard's father, had already seen and disliked some of Richard's early works, but he was impressed by the Serenade in Eb, opus 7, and put it on the program of the Meiningen court orchestra, first at home, and then on tour, starting Strauss on what was to become a glorious career. Bülow was the conductor at the premiere performance and named Strauss second conductor in Meiningen. Strauss became first conductor after Bülow resigned shortly after the tour. Young Strauss was influenced by Mozart, Schubert and Schumann. The piece was written as a tribute to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, for Strauss was inspired by the wind octet movement that really began to become popular by the late 1700's. Many octet transcriptions were being written as late as 1830. The Serenade in Eb, opus 7, is a one movement work in sonata form. It begins gently and then is followed by a lively middle section that returns to a closing peaceful section.

SELECTED RECORDINGS:

RELATED WEBSITES:

Strauss Page - http://people.unt.edu/~dmeek/rstrauss.html

Strauss Biography - http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/strauss_r.html