The purpose of this document is to examine Richard Strauss's 1918 song cycle Der Krämerspiegel in order to discern compositional intent and to address problems performers may face in communicating the work to a contemporary audience. Examining the existing literature, it is never clearly stated why Strauss composed such an anomalous song cycle that defied aesthetic and generic norms of the day. The premise taken in this study is that Strauss, who was litigiously forced to write the work in order to fulfill a contract with the publisher Bote & Bock, composed certain difficulties into the cycle to make it less marketable and thus less profitable for the firm. Furthermore, he commissioned a text that lampooned the publishing industry in general and certain firms and individuals in particular. Following a brief history of Strauss's involvement with the publishing industry, general considerations for interpretation are examined. The individual songs are then explored, keeping in mind the text's word play and parody, Strauss's use of self-quotation, and the challenges performers and audiences face when confronting Krämerspiegel. Finally, the individual songs are explored, and suggestions for preparation and performance of Krämerspiegel are given suggesting a more operatic understanding of the piece, especially given the cycle's relationship to Strauss's opera Der Rosenkavalier.

La presente investigación se centra en el segundo ciclo de poemas de Richard Strauss (comprendido entre los años 1895-1915) pero particularmente en la Alpensinfonie (Op. 64), obra con la cual, Strauss cierra su faceta en este género. Si bien hoy en día la obra de Strauss está siendo más estudiada, es poco lo que se ha visto sobre los poemas de tono y, aún menos, lo que se ha estudiado sobre este último poema, muy probablemente, por sus implicancias filosóficas, las cuales, demandan de un estudio holístico de la obra y crecimiento intelectual del compositor. La relevancia del estudio de esta obra se funda no sólo en el hecho de que con ella se explora una dimensión poco estudiada sobre la tradición programática del romanticismo tardío o sobre el legado estético y espiritual de Richard Strauss sino porque también, con ello, se ahonda en los límites interdisciplinarios de la propia musicología. El objetivo central de esta investigación es, por lo tanto, el identificar en qué sentido la Alpensinfonie representó un hito en la maduración de la visión estética y ética de Richard Strauss. Asimismo, cabe decir que la tarea de presentar una interpretación de esta obra implica la comprensión de su funcionamiento musical y de su representación extramusical. Para ello, estoy tomando como base la concepción de los leitmotifs como unidades semióticas, con las cuales, se construye un discurso estructurado pero también una narración que va a intentar dialogar con las formas musicales tradicionales. De esta manera, el recorrido que propongo se estructura en tres partes. En la primera abordaré los años de aprendizaje de Strauss hasta antes de la composición de su segundo ciclo de poemas. Aquí abordaré las decisivas influencias de Franz Strauss (padre), de sus amigos y mentores Hans von Bülow y Alexander Ritter y de importantes teóricos y pensadores como lo fueron Richard Wagner y Friedrich Nietzsche. En la segunda parte me enfoco en los primeros cinco poemas de tono del segundo ciclo, a través de los cuales, Strauss expresa una crisis artística y profesional. Finalmente, me dedico al estudio de los bocetos (recopilados y ordenados por Rainer Bayreuther) y al análisis narrativo de la versión final de la Alpensinfonie, con lo cual, podré dar cuenta de cuál es el vínculo que esta obra tiene con sus predecesoras y con el compositor mismo / The following research focuses on the second cycle of tone poems by Richard Strauss (located between the years 1895-1915) but particularly on the Alpensinfonie (Op. 64), an oeuvre that closes Strauss’s facet in this genre. Although nowadays his work is being more studied, little has been seen about the tone poems–and even less about the last one–, likely, due to its philosophical implications, which demand an holistic study of the composer’s intellectual growth and work. The relevance of this research comes not only from the fact that it explores a little-studied dimension of the late Romanticism’s programmatic tradition or the aesthetic and spiritual legacy of Ricard Strauss but also from the fact that, with it, I try to delve into the interdisciplinary boundaries of musicology itself. The main objective of this research is, therefore, to identify in what sense the Alpensinfonie represented a milestone in the maturation of Strauss’s aesthetic and ethical vision. Likewise, it can be said that the task of presenting an interpretation of the Alpensinfonie implies the comprehension of its musical functioning and its extra-musical representation. To do this, I am taking the conception of leitmotivs as semiotic units as a basis that allow discourses to be structured and narratives to dialogue with traditional musical forms. In this manner, the route that I propose is structured in three parts. In the first one I will address Strauss’s apprenticeship years up to the beginning of the composition of the second cycle of tone poems. Here I will talk about the decisive influences of Franz Strauss Sr., his friends and mentors Hans von Bülow and Alexander Ritter and the guidance of important theorists and thinkers such as Richard Wagner and Friedrich Nietzsche. In the second part, I will focus on the first five tone poems of the second cycle, through which Strauss expresses his own artistic and professional crisis. Finally, I dedicate myself to the study of the sketches (compiled and arranged by Rainer Bayreuther) and to the narrative analysis of the final version of the Alpensinfonie. All of this will allow me to account for the link that this oeuvre has with its predecessors and with the composer himself

Richard Strauss's Duett-Concertino for Clarinet and Bassoon with Strings and Harp, AV 147 was one of the last works written by this celebrated composer. This double concerto has been largely unrecognized by performers and scholars until a recent surge in recorded performances. Some factors that hinder performances of the Duett-Concertino include unusual scoring and difficult rhythmic passages, as well as a lack of acknowledgement or understanding of the programmatic elements represented in the music. Sketches and letters show that the Duett-Concertino was inspired by a fairytale, which may have been the popular Beauty and the Beast. The programmatic analysis in this study examines the musical gestures of the piece, which, when combined with the cues provided in the sketches and letters, construct a musical interpretation of the fairytale. Recognition of the extra-musical features of the Duett-Concertino is essential for an effective performance and, in turn, creates additional performance possibilities such as narration and choreography.