Also sprach Zarathustra Strauss: Encyclopedia - Also sprach Zarathustra Strauss

Also sprach Zarathustra (Strauss)

Also sprach Zarathustra 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 best known for its use in Stanley Kubrick's 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey (which was also inspired at least in part by Nietzsche's book).

Also sprach Zarathustra Strauss - 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 chapters in the book) are: The Introduction, Of the Backworldsmen, Of the Great Yearning, Of Joys and Passions, The Song of the Grave, Of Science and Learning, The Convalescent, The Dance Song, and the Song of the Night Wanderer.

The brass fanfare of the Introduction introduces a motif that permeates the structure of the entire work.

Of the Backworldsmen begins with a lyrical passage in the strings, and then introduces another motif that is more chromatic in nature.

Of Science and Learning features an unusual fugue. The fugue modulates its subject through all twelve notes of the chromatic scale, symbolizing the sciences.

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

The Dance Song features a very prominent violin solo all throughout that particular section.

The end of the Night Wanderer movement leaves the piece half resolved, with the flutes playing a C chord, and the lower strings plucking a B.

Also sprach Zarathustra Strauss - Use in sports and music performances and in history

The piece recorded for Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey was played during the Apollo 13 launch prior to its famous disaster.

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 basketball and it is now played for baseball also, and is even used in graduation ceremonies at the university held at the Colonial Center.

During the Boston Red Sox 2005 Opening Day ceremony, members of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops played Strauss' 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. During the performance, the band performs what it calls the "flasher" routine, in which several members of the band tie large placards, each having a single large letter written on it, around their necks and don large overcoats to cover the letters. These band members stand in front of the rest of the band, and on each of the three climactic sections of the theme, open their jackets to reveal a message to the audience. The first message is related to the punch line of a joke read over the public address. The band members then rearrange themselves, such that the second message is an anagram of the first. For example, in the 2005 game, the band spelled "A CLOWN THEORY," which then was rearragned to spell "TORCH YALE NOW." For the final "flash," the placards are flipped over to reveal a pro-Princeton message.

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

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

The punk rock band Green Day walks out on stage, during concerts, while this work is played.

Also sprach Zarathustra Strauss - 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").

Fellow "jam band," Dave Matthews Band played it a handful of times as an extended outro to Ants Marching (from their 1994 album Under the Table and Dreaming) during 1992-1993.

Elvis, considered by many to be the King of Rock and Roll, would often open his shows in the 1970s with this song (sometimes labeled as "2001" or "2001 Theme").

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

Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge covered the DAWN portion with vocal group harmony in sync with brass instruments.

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