Achte Gedichte aus "Letzte Blätter"
by Richard Strauss
Horn - Digital Sheet Music

French Horn,Piano - Level 5 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1416186

Composed by Richard Strauss. Arranged by Layne Anspach. Classical. Score and part. 43 pages. Songburd Music #997870. Published by Songburd Music (A0.1416186).

RICHARD STRAUSS was a much-celebrated German composer and conductor who is understood by many to have captured the essence of the German Period of Romanticism and his works encompass almost every type of compositional form, noting that many of his compositions became standards of the operatic and orchestral repertoire.  While being personally recognized as one of the leading conductors in Western Europe, and internationally as well, he is also known for his lieder (songs), noting also that Strauss is thought to have composed most of these songs with the voice of his wife in mind, writing them for voice and piano accompaniment.  
 
As the story is sometimes told, it was Ludwig Thuille, also a prominent Austrian operatic composer, who introduced Strauss to the poetry of Hermann von Gilm, Austrian lawyer and poet, whose authored works caught Strauss’ attention.  Strauss’ admiration for Gilm’s work eventually brought him to compose a series of eight art songs found in Gilm’s literary collection Letzte Blätter (Last Leaves or Last Pages).
 
Strauss’ completed musical work, entitled Acht Lieder aus ‘Letzte Blätter,’ op. 10 (Eight Songs from Last Pages), was first published in the year 1887, with the intention that all would be written for the tenor voice, and the collection is thought to contain some of Strauss’ most appreciated and respected art songs of the period.

For this arrangement, German lyrics are included to assist the performer in connecting the music to the thoughts, feelings, and specific moments expressed in the words that might otherwise be lost if not aligned with the music.  Noting that changes in mood or tone of the music are better understood when aligned with the words, and by including the lyrics, the performer can phrase a passage while having a guide to see the end of the musical line.
 
Romantic lieder allows for rubato in performance, as playing the piece exactly as written on the page will result in a less inspiring rendition.  To match the horn’s register with the vocal line, the piano part required alterations by moving some notation higher in the register.