Welcome to "Intermezzo" — where we take a few minutes to bounce some ideas around about classical music.
Till Eulenspiegel is off to a wild start today. His morning begins with a ride to the market and jumping straight into mischief. He hides in an apple cart, pops out to scare a merchant and causes a huge mess by flipping over baskets of fruit and veggies.
In the score to "Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks," Richard Strauss gave Till his own special musical theme, or leitmotif. You can always hear when Till is nearby, whether he's sneaking around or stirring up trouble.
When Till spots a crowd at the bakery, his musical leitmotif pops up as he crawls under the cart to tie people’s shoelaces together. Everyone falls over and just as the prank takes effect, the music tumbles into a silly, stumbling rhythm to match the crowd toppling like dominoes.
Then Till runs off again — this time into a church, where he sneaks into a monk’s robe and gives a ridiculous fake sermon. The monks are furious. When's he discovered, Till runs off and the monks practice deep breathing and calming prayer to try to forget Till's blasphemy.
It’s not even 8 a.m., and Till’s already left a trail of trouble behind him. Will Till's mischief ever catch up with him? Can he be on the run forever?
Each episode this week tells you more about "Till Eulenspiegels Merry Pranks" through the music of Richard Strauss.
Submit your answer to today’s question
Hear today's full episode by clicking "Listen" above. And instead of a quiz this week, Christy has an invitation. Are you interested in being one of her weekly cohosts on Intermezzo next season?
If so, and you're between the ages of 8 and 18, text us a short video (just 1-2 minutes) of yourself talking about something you're really interested in.
Are you an expert on bugs? Do you like Greek myths? Do you have a collection or a special talent? You can talk about anything in your video and it doesn't have to be related to music. When you're finished, text it to 833.490.4718. By texting your answer, you agree to receive follow-up messages from IPR.
Christy L'Esperance is the host and producer of Intermezzo.
Thanks to our cohost, Till Eulenspiegel.
Scott Clemens is IPR's Digital Content Producer.
