Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks

In the autumn of 1893, Richard Strauss began to write a libretto for a one act opera to be called Till Eulenspiegel and the Burgers of Schilda. He realized that he lacked the skill as a poet to write the libretto, so he used the subject of Till for a tone poem. Strauss did not provide a descriptive narrative, instead he wanted the listeners to crack the nut which the rogue had prepared for them. Wilhelm Klatte has written an analysis of the work (cited in Hindsley) that is summarized as follows: The whimsical Till rides his horse through a crowd of market woman sitting chattering in their stalls; puts of the vestments of a priest and assumed an unctious mien, but feeling uncomfortable in the disguise, tears it off. He becomes a Don Juan and waylays pretty woman; one bewitches him, but Till's advances are trated with derision. The rogue's anger is scarely over when a troop of worthy Philistines appears, and these good people receive his gibes. Gaily he goes on his way playing waggish pranks, but Nemesis is upon him. Till is dragged by the jailer before the criminal tribunal. So each of the court's interrogations Till replies calmly, and lies. He is condemned to death and fear siezes him. The rogue is then strung up and his soul takes flight. The epilog, picking up the theme of the introduction, continues the people's murmuring and moralizing over the Till legend. In this transcription, which utilizes the entire Strauss score, Hindsley must account for the moods and colors that characterize a tone poem. Throughout the entire piece, Hindsley shows his dedication to maintaining all the themes, their arrogant combinations, and lively and witty manner. Kennedy states the Strauss' orchestration is bold and innovative in the limits to which it takes the individual instruments. Hindsley maintains this statement in his transcription. All instruments have interesting and challenging parts masterfully weaved together to tell of the merry pranks of Till Eulenspiegel.