Sigma Alpha Iota

Summer 2019 18 PAN PIPES A World of Music By Jayne I. Hanlin R ichard Strauss (1864-1949) is not "e Waltz King." at's Johann Strauss II. is German composer is not even related to that Austrian Strauss family. Certainly, his incredible music stands on its own. He is oen regarded as the last of the 19th-century Romantic composers. Born in Munich, Strauss purchased a villa in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1908 aer the success of his opera Salome. is is the place where Richard composed most of his works from then on. He lived there for more than four decades with his wife, soprano Pauline de Ahna (his former voice student), and their son, Franz (nicknamed "Bubi"). Presently, his heirs keep this property private. Its archives include autographs (original manuscripts), letters, and photos. Fortunately, the family graciously shares documents with the Institute for musicologists wanting to study them. Since 1999, the 50th anniversary of the composer's death, the Richard-Strauss-Institute has been located in the city's former tourist office, a huge building originally belonging to a successful cigar manufacturer. To reach the Institute from the main train station in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, follow the large signs with arrows to the Richard-Strauss-Institute: go straight out of the station, turn right at the third traffic light, and then angle le on Schnitzchstraße to 19, an impressive structure located on the right, the headquarters of the Richard-Strauss-Institute. It is currently open on weekdays between 10 AM and 4 PM and requires a modest admission fee. Tours are available for groups of five or more. Primarily for documentation and research, the Institute has copies of all printed editions of Strauss's music. Some original manuscripts are located in Munich, Vienna, and New York. Yet, the collections and exhibits of the Institute in Garmisch- Partenkirchen are worthwhile to visit even with only a select number of Strauss artifacts on display: a pair of his eyeglasses, a deck of cards for Skat (the German game he liked), a pair of his shoes, one of his bow ties, a small case for his favorite brand of cigarettes from Egypt, an ink blotter, several pen points, an instrument to scratch out pen marks in his scores, and the leather cap he wore in his chauffeured open-air Mercedes Benz. Nearby, coincidentally — even without donning a hat! — visitors may turn the steering wheel of a Mercedes Benz to scroll through a timeline exhibit of his life. Strauss himself wore other hats too: a pianist in concerts (in which he accompanied his wife who oen RICHARD-STRAUSS-INSTITUTE Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany A sign for the institute among the Bavarian mountains. Below, the institute.

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