Ruhe, meine Seele!
Introduction "''''''", Op. 27, No. 1, is the first in a set of four songs composed by Richard Strauss in 1894.It was originally for voice and piano, and not orchestrated by Strauss until 1948, after he had completed one of his ''Four Last Songs'', "". The words are from a poem "" (Rest, my soul) written by the poet Karl Henckell.
History Strauss composed the song in May 1894, and that September he gave it as a wedding present to his wife the soprano Pauline de Ahna.
Related songs Timothy L. Jackson has noted that Strauss had composed the song "Ruhe, meine Seele!" for piano and voice in 1894 but did not orchestrate it until 1948, just after he had completed "Im Abendrot" and before he composed the other three of his ''Four Last Songs''. Jackson suggests that the addition of "Ruhe, meine Seele!" to the ''Four Last Songs'' forms a five-song unified song cycle, if "Ruhe, meine Seele!" is performed as a prelude to "Im Abendrot", to which it bears motivic similarity.
Instrumentation and accompaniment The instrumentation is: piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets in B, bass clarinet, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in C, 3 trombones, tuba, 3 timpani, celesta, harp and the orchestral string section.The accompaniment has sombre and ambiguous harmonies, with contrasting calm and tempestuous episodes, but ends peacefully in the home key of C major.
Lyrics  Rest thee, my SoulNot a breath of windis stirring,Hill and Daleare wrapped in slumber;Golden through thesheltering foliageSummer's Middaysunbeams peep.Rest thee, rest theetroubled spirit,Thou hast sufferedlaboured, toiled,Thou hast foughtand thou has trembled,like the stormbeat,ocean wild.These timesare momentous,head and heartmust trouble bear –Rest thee, rest theetroubled spiritand forgetall thy sufferingswill soon be over!
Opus 27 The other songs of Opus 27 are:* Op. 27 No. 2 "Cäcilie" (Wenn du es wüßtest) * Op. 27 No. 3 "Heimliche Aufforderung" (Auf, hebe die funkelnde Schale)* Op. 27 No. 4 "Morgen!" (Und morgen wird die Sonne wieder scheinen)
Recordings Richard Strauss recorded it twice with himself accompanying on the piano. In 1919 with the baritone Heinrich Schlusnus and again in 1944, with the baritone Alfred Poell.
References and notes
External links * *  ''The LiederNet Archive'': "Rest my soul", English translation by Emily Ezust'''Orchestral accompaniment'''*, Jessye Norman*, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf'''Piano accompaniment'''*, Alfred Poell*, Kiri Te Kanawa*, Dima Orsho*, Richard Tauber*, Helen Traubel*, Birgit Nilsson