Thus Spoke Zarathustra (Also Sprach Zarathustra) is an iconic composition by Richard Strauss. It’s a very popular piece of piece.
If you hear the more popular works of Richard Strauss (besides this one) you get this nice feeling that is often associated with a waltz type songs (for example, the Blue Danube).
So when I hear this one, I often think what could have been the inspiration for Strauss to compose such an epic sounding music.
Not only does it sound epic, but Strauss’ Zarathustra is also one of the most recognizable musical pieces in the history of music.
You can hear the music below (its barely audible initially but from 0.27 you can hear the familiar part).Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (Thus Spoke Zarathustra or Thus Spake Zarathustra) was composed by Strauss in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophical novel of the same name. The composer conducted its first performance on 27 November 1896 in Frankfurt.
No doubt the composition is superb, but one important reason that the music is so popular today is because the introduction of the piece was used in the amazing opening scene of 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968).
Stanley Kubrick used this famous opening music for the film “2001: A Space Odyssey” in order to bring out the vastness of the universe.
The magnificent introduction musically paints the sunrise; it could even represent the birth of the universe, and this is summed by the three notes on the trumpet (C – G – C).
One of the comments says that this music should be the anthem for Earth, but then another one replied saying when you see all the humans on earth one come to the conclusion that it’s too epic for Earth.
Maybe it could be an anthem for the Universe?
External links
- Also sprach Zarathustra: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project
- Also sprach Zarathustra on Internet Archive, opening movement (video, 12:45), performed by WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne, conducted by Semyon Bychkov
- Also sprach Zarathustra on Internet Archive, performed by University of Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Barbara Schubert
- Also sprach Zarathustra score on Sheetmusicplus
- “Also Sprach Zarathustra: Decoding Strauss’ Tone Poem” by Marin Alsop on NPR (January 14, 2012)
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