celli double basses An orchestral score and a score for piano four hands was published by J. Aibl in Leipzig in 1890. Themes, form, and analysis The structure of Don Juan mirrors the dramatic arc of the poem Don Juans Ende by Nikolaus Lenau. The music unfurls naturally as the plot divulges itself. Strauss achieves this by a sophisticated merging of both rondo and sonata form principles. Musicologists Bryan Gilliam and Charles Youmans described the work as containing "dazzling orchestration, sharply etched themes, novel structure and taut pacing" and being characterized by "flagrantly pictorial, humorous and altogether irreverent" music. At the beginning of the piece, Strauss uses a theme that is vigorous and spirited with the brass section making striking interjections. He moves away from this theme soon after to a solo violin playing a romance. The oboe is then heard playing a soothing melody that indicates a liaison between Don Juan and his lover. This moment is interrupted by dissonant horns, which counter with a heroic and self-assured theme. Strauss then weaves themes together in a repeated and intermingled orchestration. The work subsequently moves abruptly into a quiet melancholy which Strauss uses to illustrate the coming tragedy of Don Juan's fate. The piece ends wistfully, and not grandly, in keeping with Lenau's telling of the Don Juan tale. Don Juan, tired of running, resigns himself willingly in a duel and his life is taken by a sword wielded by his lover's father who is avenging his daughter's honor. The piece paints this picture with hushed tones like a dying breath. References External links Tone poems by Richard Strauss Works based on the Don Juan legend 1888 compositions Compositions in E major