Krämerspiegel. Zwölf Gesänge von Alfred Kerr für eine Singstimme mit Klavierbegleitung Komponiert von Richard Strauss, opus 66 [Krämerspiegel, twelve songs by Alfred Kerr for singer and piano, composed by Richard Strauss, Opus 66]. Berlin: Paul Cassirer, 1921. German.
Notes for the work Krämerspiegel by Richard Strauss. With illustrations by Michel Fingesten. Copy no. 120 out of 120 numbered copies. Signed by Fingesten and Strauss on the colophon page.
The work originated in a dispute between Richard Strauss and his publisher. Following the dispute, Strauss approached the German-Jewish theater critic Alfred Kerr with a request to write a satire of the publishing world for him. The cycle of satirical songs composed by Kerr and Strauss resulted in legal proceedings, following which the work was prohibited from public performances for several years.
In 1921 Paul Cassirer decided to publish the Krämerspiegel. Ironically enough, this work, which derides the publishing profession, was printed in an elegant and meticulously executed bibliophile edition. The book's illustrations reflect the satirical text. The title page shows a particularly handsome illustration, in which Richard Strauss is seen riding a winged horse on a high rope, a group of monkeys trying to knock him over. On his right is the publisher cutting down one of the poles holding the rope; on his left, on the other pole, is the figure of another composer who has hung himself.
[48] leaves, 42.5 cm. Good condition. Slight damage. Cardboard cover with parchment spine (damage to the margins).