Also sprach Zarathustra, op. 30 is a tone poem by Richard Strauss (1864-1946), composed in 1896. The Introduction (Einleitung) heard in this tone provides a brass fanfare introducing the "dawn" motif (from "Zarathustra's Prologue," the text of which is included in the printed score) that permeates the structure of the entire work. It is one of the most recognizable musical pieces from the last 127 years -- based in large part from Stanley Kubrick's scoring of the tone during the opening and closing scenes to the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
