Till Eulenspiegel is a work by which composer?

• A. Gustav Mahler
• B. Richard Strauss
• C. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
• D. Igor Stravinsky

Answer: (B)

Till Eulenspiegels Lustige Streiche (Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks) is a tone poem that tells a story entirely through music. Richard Strauss wrote it, and he became famous for program music that paints scenes and characters with vivid orchestral color. The score follows Till Eulenspiegel, a clever trickster, with distinctive musical ideas and clever orchestration that depict each prank and the overall playful narrative. This combination of storytelling through sound is exactly what Strauss is known for, making him the composer most closely associated with this work. The other composers listed are linked to different kinds of repertoire: Mahler is famed for expansive symphonies and song cycles; Tchaikovsky for expressive melodies in symphonies and ballets; Stravinsky for groundbreaking rhythm and color in works like The Firebird and The Rite of Spring. They did not compose this piece.