Also sprach Zarathustra (Richard Strauss)

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This article is about the musical composition. For other uses, see Also sprach Zarathustra (disambiguation).

Also sprach Zarathustra, op. 30 is a symphonic poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by the book of the same title by Friedrich Nietzsche. It was first performed in Frankfurt, with the composer conducting. It is widely known for its use in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey. "The Introduction" is one of the most recognized pieces of music of the last 50 years.

1 Orchestration
2 Structure
3 Use in sports and music performances, in popular culture, and in history
4 Covers
5 External link

[edit] Orchestration

This composition is scored for a large-sized romantic orchestra. Strauss calls for the following:

Woodwinds: Piccolo; 3 Flutes (Fl. 3 doubles Piccolo 2); 3 Oboes; English Horn; Clarinet in E-flat; 2 Clarinets in B-flat; Bass Clarinet in B-flat; 3 Bassoons; Contrabassoon

Brass: 6 Horns in F; 4 Trumpets in C; 3 Trombones; 2 Tubas

Percussion: 3 Timpani; Triangle; Bass Drum; Cymbals; Glockenspiel; Deep Bell on "Low E"

Keyboards: Organ

Strings: 2 Harps

Violins I, II

Violas

Violoncellos

Double basses

[edit] Structure

The work runs for about half an hour. It is divided into nine sections that are played with only three clear breaks. The sections (named after selected chapters in the book) are:

Einleitung (Introduction)
Von den Hintlerweltlern (Of the Backworldsmen)
Von der großen Sehnsucht (Of the Great Yearning)
Von den Freuden und Leidenschaften (Of the Joys and Passions)
Das Grablied (The Grave-Song)
Von der Wissenschaft (Of Science)
Der Genesende (The Convalescent)
Das Tanzlied (The Dance Song)
Nachtwandlerlied (Song of the Night Wanderer)

The brass fanfare of the Introduction introduces the "Dawn" motif (from "Zarathustra's Prologue," the text of which is included in the printed score) that permeates the structure of the entire work.

"Of the Backworldsmen" begins in the low strings before opening up into a lyrical passage for the entire section. The following two sections, "Of the Great Yearning" and "Of Joys and Passions," both introduce motifs that are more chromatic in nature.

"Of Science and Learning" features an unusual fugue, which consists of all twelve notes of the chromatic scale.

"The Convalescent" acts as a reprise of the original motif, and climaxes with a massive chord in the entire orchestra.

"The Dance Song" features a very prominent violin solo throughout the section.

The end of the "Song of the Night Wanderer" leaves the piece half resolved, with high flutes and violins playing a B major chord, while the lower strings pluck a C.

[edit] Use in sports and music performances, in popular culture, and in history

The piece recorded for Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey was played during the Apollo 13 launch prior to its infamous disaster (the Command Module's call sign was "Odyssey").

Since being popularized by its use in the movie, the "Dawn" section has been used as the entrance music for singer Elvis Presley and professional wrestling star Ric Flair (and other pro wrestlers), and also at many occasions at the University of South Carolina. The use of this piece at South Carolina began in 1983, when the school's late football coach Joe Morrison introduced it as the team's entrance music, intending it for the school's bicentennial in 2001. This has spread to pre-game introductions for both basketball and baseball, and it is even used in graduation ceremonies held at the university's Colonial Center.

It was used as the musical score during the first scene of the Mel Brooks movie History of the World Part 1

In the opening videogame sequence of Toy Story 2, the "Dawn" fanfare is played a single note at a time as Buzz Lightyear leaps on a series of floating disks. The music is interrupted after five notes as Buzz and the disks fall.

During the Boston Red Sox 2005 Opening Day ceremony, members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops played Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra, while a huge banner proclaiming "World Series 2004 Champions" dropped from the top of the Green Monster and covered nearly all of the 37-foot-high wall.

At Princeton University's football annual homecoming game (played against either Harvard or Yale in alternate years), the Princeton University Band performs the "Dawn" section as the finale of the halftime show.

The St George Illawarra Dragons, a rugby league team in the Australian National Rugby League, use the piece at home matches when the team enters the field.

In two Simpsons episodes ("Deep Space Homer" and "Little Girl in the Big Ten").

In three Futurama episodes ("Godfellas", "The Sting" and "A Bicyclops Built for Two"), this music plays in the background of part of the episodes.

In the United Kingdom the musical work is popularly associated with the BBC's coverage of the Apollo Moon landings.

K-1 fighter, Bob Sapp, uses this score as his entrance music.

Andy Kaufman also used this work as a device to transform from "Foreign Man" into Elvis while doing his impersonations.

The band Green Day takes the stage at concerts while this work is played.

Canadian rock band Rush took the stage while the "Dawn" fanfare was played during their Counterparts and Test for Echo tours in 1994 and 1996/1997 respectively. The music was accompanied by a film in which the nut and bolt from the cover of the Rush album Counterparts joined together, parodying the opening sequence in 2001 in which "Dawn" was used.

The fanfare is used in Sid Meier's Civilization 2, when the player succeeds in sending a manned spaceship to Alpha Centauri.

The opening is played during a scene in the movie Spaceballs.

The name of the song is used as the sub-title for the third video game in the Xenosaga series, though it serves as a Nietzsche reference, in keeping with the series' tradition, more than it does as a reference to the composition.

A funk cover by Eumir Deodato (see below) is played in the Peter Sellers movie Being There when his character, Chance, leaves his home for the first time.

It is played during the credits of the 1973 science fiction film Invasion of the Bee Girls.

[edit] Covers

Eumir Deodato had a worldwide popular hit in 1972 with a funk arrangement of the piece.
The late musical group Phish was also known to often play a reinvented jam version of the piece live in concert (often labeled as "2001"), though this is widely considered to be more a cover of Deodato's version than Strauss'.
Dave Matthews Band played it a handful of times as an intro to "Ants Marching" (from their 1994 album Under the Table and Dreaming) during 1993.
Elvis Presley would often open his shows in the 1970s with this song (sometimes labeled as "2001" or "2001 Theme").
Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge covered the DAWN portion with vocal group harmony in sync with brass instruments.
Gene Krupa and His Orchestra recorded a song called "Dust" in 1950 that begins with a quote from the piece; the chart was arranged by George Williams.
American Doom band Toadliquor covers the song on their 2003 album The Hortators Lament.