"", 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, "".This is discussed in the essay " and the " by Timothy L. Jackson, in Richard Strauss and his World by Bryan Randolph Gilliam. Strauss orchestrated "" just after completing "" but before completing the other of the Four Last Songs: "", "" and "September". The author suggests that the five songs form a unified song cycle, with reasons for "" to be performed as a prelude to "". The words are from a poem "" (Rest, my soul) written by the poet Karl Henckell.
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.
Related songs Timothy L. Jackson has noted that Strauss had composed the song "Ruhe, meine Seele!" for piano and voice in 1894 but did not orchestrate it until 1948, just after he had completed "Im Abendrot" and before he composed the other three of his Four Last Songs. Jackson suggests that the addition of "Ruhe, meine Seele!" to the Four Last Songs forms a five-song unified song cycle, if "Ruhe, meine Seele!" is performed as a prelude to "Im Abendrot", to which it bears motivic similarity.Jackson, Timothy L. "Ruhe, meine Seele! and the Letzte Orchesterlieder". In: Gilliam, Bryan Randolph (ed). Richard Strauss and His World. Princeton University Press, 1992. pp. 90–137.
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.Richard Strauss Lieder, Complete Edition Vol. IV, London, 1965, Boosey & Hawkes
The accompaniment has sombre and ambiguous harmonies, with contrasting calm and tempestuous episodes, but ends peacefully in the home key of C major.
Lyrics "Ruhe, meine Seele!", in Moderne Dichter-Charaktere, p. 288, Leipzig 1885Rest thee, my SoulEnglish Lyrics by John Bernhoff, Richard Strauss, Lieder Album (Universal edition 1343-9), Band 2 Number 8. 1904, Leipzig Jos.Aibl Verlag G.M.B.H.Not a breath of wind is stirring, Hill and Dale are wrapped in slumber; Golden through the sheltering foliage Summer's Midday sunbeams peep.
Rest thee, rest thee troubled spirit, Thou hast suffered laboured, toiled, Thou hast fought and thou has trembled, like the stormbeat, ocean wild.
These times are momentous, head and heart must trouble bear – Rest thee, rest thee troubled spirit and forget all thy sufferings will soon be over!
Opus 27 The other songs of Opus 27 are: 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.*Getz, Christine (1991), The Lieder of Richard Strauss, chapter 10 in Mark-Daniel Schmid, Richard Strauss Companion, Praeger Publishers, Westfield CT, 2003, , page 376.
References and notes
External links
The LiederNet Archive: "Rest my soul", English translation by Emily Ezust
Orchestral accompaniment , Jessye Norman , Elisabeth Schwarzkopf
Piano accompaniment , Alfred Poell , Kiri Te Kanawa , Dima Orsho , Richard Tauber , Helen Traubel , Birgit Nilsson