Description

The Four Songs Op. 27 hold a special place among the many works Richard Strauss composed for his wife, Pauline de Ahna. Strauss gifted these "to my beloved Pauline" as a wedding present on September 10, 1894. Unlike Strauss's earlier song cycles, this set combines poems by different poets - Karl Henckell's "Ruhe, meine Seele," Heinrich Hart's "Cäcilie," and two texts by John Henry Mackay, "Heimliche Aufforderung" and "Morgen" - creating a contrasting bouquet of emotive songs.

The original 1887 high voice edition of Op. 10 was later supplemented with transposed versions for middle and low registers during the composer's lifetime, a practice that became standard for Strauss's songs. These transpositions have stood the test of time, and this Henle Urtext edition for low voice utilizes them. It also offers an alternative transposition of "Morgen!" to give singers more flexibility in finding the version best suited to their voice.