Also sprach Zarathustra (Richard Strauss)

Program Notes

Composed by Richard Strauss. Arranged by Ian Deterling, published by Deterling Music.

• Also sprach Zarathustra is a tone poem composed in 1896 by the German composer Richard Strauss (1864-1949). It was inspired by the book Also sprach Zarathustra: Ein Buch für Alle und Keinen (Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A Book for All and None) by Friedrich Nietzsche. This arrangement is of "Einleitung, oder Sonnenaufgang" (Introduction, or Sunrise). The low pedal note begins the piece which leads into the introduction of the famous "dawn" motif that Strauss used throughout the piece. Made famous in Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, Also sprach Zarathustra is frequently used in radio, commercials, video games, and films.