Richard Wagner: A Titan of Music

Introduction

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• Overview: Wagner's impact on music, philosophy, society, and politics
• Examining his personal life, works, controversial views, and legacy

Early Life

• Born: May 22, 1813 in Leipzig, Saxony
• Father: Carl Friedrich Wagner (died 1813)
• Mother: Joanna re-married Ludwig Meyer
• Siblings: 8
• First Influences: Musicians like Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn

Early Career

• Piano Lessons: Started in childhood
• First Work: A five-act tragedy - Leobold and Adelaide
• Focus on Music: After moving to Leipzig in 1827
• Education: Leipzig University, studied musical composition
• First Works: String quartets, sonatas
• Early Operas:
  • The Fairies (1833)
  • The Ban on Love (1836)

Professional Struggles and Personal Life

• Marriage: Christine Wilhelmine "Mina" Planer (1836)
• Career: Various jobs including in Magdeburg and Riga
• Debt and Financial Issues: Lived beyond means; sustained by Mina's planning
• First Big Break: Completion of Rienzi, start of The Flying Dutchman

Move to Paris

• Journey: Fled to Paris via ship amidst storm (1839)
• Paris Struggles: Little interest in his music; took day job
• First Major Works in Paris:
  • Rienzi - Rejected by Paris operatic establishment
  • The Flying Dutchman - First use of Leitmotiv
  • Leitmotiv: Recurring musical theme associated with specific characters or situations
• Return to Saxony: Rienzi successfully staged in Dresden (1842)

Political Involvement and Exile

• Revolutionary Sentiments: Influence of various German intellectuals
• Dresden Uprising (1849): Active involvement, later fled to Zurich
• 12 Years in Exile: Financial support from friends, conducted The Ring cycle

Anti-Semitic Views and Essays

• Notable Essays:
  • The Artwork of the Future - Visionary work on opera
  • Judaism in Music - Presented public anti-Semitic views

Creation of The Ring Cycle

• Inspiration: Nordic mythology
• Components:
  • Das Rheingold
  • Die Walküre
  • Siegfried
  • Götterdämmerung
• Allegory: Political beliefs - struggle against capitalists and aristocrats

Later Works and Patronage

• Tristan und Isolde: Influenced by Schopenhauer and personal love affair with Mathilde Wesendonck
• Patronage by King Ludwig of Bavaria: Deep impact on Wagner's operatic projects, including Tristan und Isolde

Final Years

• Pardoned by Saxon Government
• Last Opera: Parsifal, focusing on Christian themes
• Death: February 13, 1883 in Venice

Legacy

• Controversial Ties: Music often associated with Nazi propaganda
• Enduring Influence: Use of leitmotivs in modern film and TV music
• Complex Personality: Mixture of musical genius and controversial personal views

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