1.Das Rosenband

Was Strauss ironic or was he sincere when he set Klopstock's Das Rosenband (The Chain of Roses) in 1897? Some writers believe he was ironic, that the passionate melody and ardent harmonies, the chromatic harmonies and through-composed form could only be a deadpan send-up of the conceits of early Romanticism. But one listen to the song in either its original orchestral version or its later piano version should be enough to resolve the issue: Strauss may have thought he was being ironic, wrapping Klopstock's emotionally sentimental poem in such fervent music, but the result is still heartfelt and heartwarming Strauss at the peak of his songwriting career.

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