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Wagner commenced the study of music at the University of Leipsic, but had a struggling existence till 1839, when he made the acquaintance of Meyerbeer, who assisted him in his attempts to have his operas produced in Paris. He came in contact also with Heine, who helped him with the libretto of "Der Fliegende Holländer." Wagner commenced the study of music at the University of Leipsic, but had a struggling existence till 1839, when he made the acquaintance of Meyerbeer, who assisted him in his attempts to have his operas produced in Paris. He came in contact also with Heine, who helped him with the libretto of "Der Fliegende Holländer."

After much wandering he settled at Zurich in 1849, and there wrote an article, "Das Judenthum in der Musik," which appeared in the "Neue Zeitschrift" over the pen-name "K. Freigedenk." The article did not at first attract much attention, except a protest from eleven masters of the Leipsic Conservatorium to Brendel, the editor of the "Zeitschrift."

Wagner protested against the tendency of music by Jewish composers like Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer to be sweet and tinkling without depth. In his "Oper und Drama" (1852) he makes the same protest against Meyerbeer. When the article "Das Judenthum in der Musik" was republished it drew forth numerous replies, among which may be mentioned: Joseph Engel, "Richard Wagner, das Judenthum in der Musik; eine Abwehr"; E. M. Oettinger, "Offenes Billetdoux an Richard Wagner," Dresden, 1869; and A. Truhart, "Offener Brief an Richard Wagner," St. Petersburg, 1869. Notwithstanding his public utterances against Jewish influence in music, Wagner had many Jewish friends; and his favorite choirmaster in later life was Herman Levi.


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Revision as of 01:42, 18 November 2002

Richard Wagner was a German essayist and perhaps the most influential composer of the 19th century. His works and opinions have generated a great deal of controversy, and a brief summary of his life and place in history is practically impossible. It has been said that more has been written about Wagner than perhaps any other historical figure with the exception of Christ and Muhammad the Prophet.

Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig on May 22, 1813 and died in Venice on February 13, 1883. His father was a minor city official and died when Richard was 6 months old. In August 1814 his mother married the actor Ludwig Geyer (who may actually have been the boy's father).

Early-on Wagner thought he would be a playwright, and turned to music originally to enhance the dramas he wanted to write and stage. But it was his operas to his own libretti, styled by him as "music dramas", that came to change radically the concept of stage music and, to some extent, music itself. Early musical influences were performances of Carl Maria von Weber's "Der Freischuetz" and Beethoven's "Fidelio". Among other strong acknowledged influences was the philosopher Schopenhauer.

Wagner commenced the study of music at the University of Leipsic, but had a struggling existence till 1839, when he made the acquaintance of Meyerbeer, who assisted him in his attempts to have his operas produced in Paris. He came in contact also with Heine, who helped him with the libretto of "Der Fliegende Holländer."

Harking back to Greek ideals as he saw them, Wagner intended to create a new kind of stage work, one dubbed "Gesamtkunstwerk" (or Total Art Work), combining all aspects of artistic creation including music, drama, poetry, painting, and the like. He devised his own plots, often derived from legend and German myth and folklore, with the idea that this would awaken a resonance in his audience. For some, his revolutionized opera were nothing more than morality plays, where love and materialism were incompatible and the gaining of all power had as a price of the loss of love. For some, his music carried the opera and dominated everything. His huge orchestras created a river of sound that overwhelmed the audience. His of the "leitmotiv" - musical themes which stand for characters and events - would be present throughout a work, reappearing interwoven with other melodies whenever the story makes reference to them.

In his stage works, the themes of love, death, and the attaining of power predominate. As for many figures of the Romantic Era, for Wagner losing one's self in the grand passion of love was a redemptive force over the corruption of the world. These themes came to dominate his life as well.

Wagner's Operas