Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks

Strauss in 1894, aged 30

Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks (German: Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche, pronounced [tɪl ˈoʏ̯lənʃpiːɡl̩s ˈlʊstɪɡə ˈʃtraɪçə]), Op. 28, is a tone poem written in 1894–95 by Richard Strauss. Dedicated to his friend Arthur Seidl, it was first performed on 6 May 1895 by the Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne conducted by Franz Wüllner.

The work chronicles the misadventures and pranks of the German peasant folk hero, prankster Till Eulenspiegel, who is represented by two themes. The first, played by the horn, is a lilting melody that reaches a peak, falls downward, and ends in three long, loud notes, each progressively lower. The second, for D clarinet, is crafty and wheedling, suggesting a trickster doing what he does best.


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