This Sunday ‘Talking History’ looked back at the life of Richard Strauss and his ‘Last Four Songs’. Join Patrick as he delves into these melodic operas with a panel of experts. What impact did the Second World War have on Strauss and his music? What is the lasting legacy o his music? And what are the meanings of his ‘Last Four Songs’?

Germany has one of the strongest classical music traditions in the world. Composers like Wagner, Beethoven, Bach, and many others stand out as leading figures from their respective musical movements. Germany also acted as an incubator for progressive and revolutionary thought toward the end of the 19^th century. This musical legacy and avant-garde mindset came together in the form of Richard Strauss.

'The wanderer above the sea of fog' by Caspar David Friedrich, 1818

Born in Munich in 1864 Strauss came into a world awash in change and great music. The Romantic Movement was in full swing with figures like Verdi, Wagner, and Brahms composing concerts and operas for the audiences of Europe. The Strauss household itself was awash in music and instruments. Richard’s father, Franz, was the lead horn player at Munich’s Court Opera and had family connections in some of the region’s leading music schools.

Franz insisted on giving his son a musical education from a young age and by the age of six Richard had written his first musical composition. Though he encouraged and facilitated Richard’s education and growth Franz was quite conservative in his musical outlook. After Strauss showed an interest in Wagner and his progressive and experimental style Franz forbade his son from studying him and banned his music from the house. Despite this musical embargo Wagner became one of Strauss’ most important influences.

Strauss made a strong impression from an early age. At seventeen he gave his first performance of his Violin Concerto in D minor in Vienna and the following year began his musical career in earnest under Hans von Bülow. One of the most famous conductors of the 19^th century, von Bülow had been impressed by Strauss’ musical compositions and took the young composer under his wing. When von Bülow resigned from the Meiningen orchestra in 1885 he chose Strauss as his replacement.

1885 also saw Strauss move toward more experimental styles of musical composition. The composer, and husband to Wagener’s niece, Alexander Ritter seems to be the key factor in this period of change. Ritter introduced Strauss to the essays of Wagner and the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer and convinced the younger composer to write symphonic poems.

Poster for the opera 'Salome' by Max Tilke, 1910

Trying to capture the essence of a story, poem, or work of art in a body of music symphonic poems are very reminiscent of opera, without the words. Strauss fast became a dab hand at this form and his symphonic poems were celebrated then and now, for their influence on music as much as their musical excellence. This shift toward the more evocative and expressive music was important in Strauss’ style and legacy.

This focus on evoking emotions and telling a story through music eventually saw Strauss try his hand at opera at the end of the 19^th century. Unlike his first forays into music, however, there was no conservative father to hold Strauss back with his operatic debuts. As a result his first operas were controversial and critical failures. In 1905, however, Strauss produced an operatic interpretation of Oscar Wilde’s ‘Salome’, which was met with a great critical and popular reception.

Strauss followed up on the success of ‘Salome’ with ‘Elektra’ in 1909. Another modernist opera this work pushed the musical boundaries even further with increased use of musical dissonance. While these two works would be the most experimental and modernist of Strauss’ operas they established his name in the field. Today he is regarded as one of the top ten opera composers of all time.

This success proved fortuitous for Strauss when the Nazi Party rose to power in 1933. Though not a supporter of the party himself Strauss used the Nazi’s focus on German art and culture as well as Hitler’s own admiration to further his career. This saw Strauss appointed head of the newly founded State Music Bureau in November of ’33. While this cosying up to the Nazis was decried by many Strauss’ seeming collaboration had ulterior motives.

Photo of Strauss in New York by Edward Steichen, 1904

In 1924 Strauss’ only child, Franz, married Alice von Grab, a Jewish woman. By the time the Nazis rose to power the couple had two children and Strauss was faced with the possibility of losing his family. From 1933-’45 Strauss used his influence to protect his daughter-in-law and grandchildren. Despite the dangers he also opposed the Nazis in other small ways; challenging the censorship of non-Aryan composers and penning a one-act opera called ‘Peace Day’ in 1928.

While Strauss and his immediate family were able to survive the horrors of the Nazi regime they were not untouched by it. The influence that had saved Alice and her children couldn’t reach the rest of her family who became victims of the holocaust. Even the mere act of existing and observing through the Second World War had an impact on those who survived the conflict. For Strauss this brought about a creative resurgence.

The culmination of this reawakening was Strauss’ ‘Four Last Songs’. Works of opera and orchestra these final works dealt with the sombre theme of death and rebirth in a calm and collected way. Written in 1948 these songs encapsulated the experiences of a man so close to the end of his own life yet who looked out at a world reborn from the horrors of war and totalitarianism. The ‘Four Last Songs’ carry a sense of hopeful expectation yet a calm acceptance of death.

These works brought Strauss’ life to a musical culmination as he died the following year at 85 years of age. At the time of his death Strauss was regarded by most as the greatest composer of the 20^th century. His operas and compositions have had a massive impact on the development of music during the 20^th century. While not the most progressive of composers Strauss’ music is one of the strongest links between the Modernist and Romantic movements and his experimentation had a profound impact on those composers who followed him.

Patrick also talked with Turtle Bunbury about his book 'The Glorious Madness' and the experiences of the Irish during the First World War he has chronicled in its pages. A full list of 'Talking History' book recommendations can be found here.