Deutsche Motette, op. 62 TrV 230

Richard Strauss’ Deutsche Motette op. 62 represents in many ways the pinnacle of late Romantic vocal music. Strauss composed it in 1913, inspired by a poem by Friedrich Rückert that evokes the creative power of the evening as a transition from waking to dreaming. As Strauss confided to Hugo von Hofmannsthal, Rückert’s verses would inspire him to “formal orgies” – and indeed, they led here to a hymn of epic proportions that goes far beyond a conventional motet.

This outstanding work presents performers with unprecedented challenges. The sixteen choir parts and four soloists together cover a range from B flat1 to d flat3, with the lowest notes in the bass and the highest in the soprano often sustained for long periods and at times in pianissimo. Strauss thus realizes his ideal of an orchestral sound with choral scoring, as he mentioned for earlier works for 16-part choir. Strauss’ biographers consider the Deutsche Motette to be the composer’s most “religious” work, even though it is not sacred music per se.

This edition is the first Urtext edition of the work, based on Strauss’s autograph score. Thanks to its larger format and clear layout, it is also modern and practical for performance. As an alternative to the retail edition with tiered pricing, it is also available for rent.