Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks (, ),
Op. 28, is a
tone poem written in 1894–95 by
Richard Strauss. It chronicles the misadventures and pranks of the German peasant folk hero
Till Eulenspiegel, who is represented by two themes. The first, played by the
horn, is a lilting melody that reaches a peak, falls downward, and ends in three long, loud notes, each progressively lower. The second, for
D clarinet, is crafty and wheedling, suggesting a trickster doing what he does best.