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Richard Wagner versus Personal Life Paper

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BA370

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Research Paper Outline/Rough Draft

Topic: Richard Wagner versus Personal Life

Introduction

It is often said that one cannot separate the art from the artist, or in this case, separate the

personal life of Richard Wagner from his music. His legacy as a musician and composer

proves that very statement to run true. Due to much of Richard Wagner’s music being

inspired by his personality and personal life, it is evident that one cannot separate art

from the artist, since the art created comes from and within the artist itself.

Wagner’s Background

Wagner was a German composer born in Leipzig on May 22 in the year 1813. He was

born into a family of eight siblings, and he seemed to be the only one showcasing little

talent or interests in hobbies other than poetry. It is uncertain whether his father was

Friedrich Wagner, whom passed away after Richard was born, or whom he called his

stepfather, Ludwig Geyer. He was introduced to art by his stepfather and grew a great

deal of love for the theatre. His piano lessons began once enrolling into school in 1820

and thus at an early age he discovered his ability to play music pieces by ear. As his love

for music grew, so did his list of influences; among them the greatest being Mozart and

Beethoven. He admired Beethoven so much that he even wrote a piano transcription for

his 9th Symphony.

Becoming the Composer

Wagner has made his name well-known by presenting many inventions that

revolutionized Opera and music forever. He also did so by serving as music director in

many theaters. At the age of eighteen, he was studying music under German composer

and teacher, Theodore Weinlig in his hometown of Leipzig. By 1833, Wagner had

officially began his career as choral director and composer in Würzburg. It was then that

he also began composing his early works in imitation of German Romantic compositions.

In 1836, he married singer and actress Minna Planer (but ultimately remarried Franz

Liszt’s daughter Cosima in his later years). Additionally, he was the first director at

Russia’s Riga theatre. Soon, he would leave his mark on the nineteenth century that

would last to this day.

Wagner’s Famous Works

In terms of Wagner’s famous works, his early Operas included Die Feen (The

Fairies/1834) and Das Liebesverbot (The Ban on Love/1836), in which he composed and

wrote the libretto, calling this concept a Gesamtunkstwerk or “total work of art”. This

was a method he used a lot of combining German myths with the themes of love and

redemption.

Exile Years

Unfortunately, Wagner had fled Germany shortly after arriving in Dresden due to the

Revolution of 1848, the uprising on Germany’s monarchy. He left for Switzerland and

spent his time away for more than a decade. During this time, Wagner completed his fifth

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opera “Lohengrin”, which he wrote to Franz Liszt asking him to stage it in his absence

due to being exiled; and he did so in 1850. Wagner also worked on the Ring of the

Nibelung (the four-part and German language 18-hour cycle ‘music dramas’ as Wagner

preferred to call them due to his love for the theatre). This took 25 years to put together

and during this time Wagner also wrote his essay The Jew in Music, which negatively

singled out Jewish musicians within German society, sparking much controversy. It was

Wagner’s anti-semitic essay criticizing Jews and Jewish composers among German

society. Some viewed it as him being invested in German nationalism, while others

viewed it as a clear message regarding his personal opinions. There have since been

allegations that several of his operas included negative Jewish stereotypes, despite no

evidence of the characters being Jewish and how Wagner did have a number of Jewish

friends.

Last Years

Despite all of this, Wagner’s later years resulted in him gaining a profound interest in

Christianity. Unfortunately, he died during a visit to Venice, Italy of a heart attack on

February 13, 1883, passing away at 69 years old.

Even after his death, however, Wagner still received mixed feedback. This grew to the

extent of Wagner receiving Adolf Hitler and his family’s admiration from beyond the

grave for his compositions and Nationalistic messages in opera. It is known that Hitler

would play Wagner’s music at concentration camps in attempt to steer prisoners into a

Nationalistic support-view. However, although argued often by historians, there was no

special relationship between he and the Nazi Regime.

Influence After Death

Going back to Wagner’s Ring Cycle, its’ compilation of four separate operas were tied

together by leitmotifs (recurring musical themes that linked plot elements). It was ahead

of its time in the sense that it combined music, literature and visuals in such a way that it

anticipated the future of film. This is seen also in how many composers have since been

inspired by Wagner’s use of leitmotifs, like John Williams and modern film-scores from

Lord of the Rings and the Harry Potter film series.

Conclusion

Richard Wagner had a particular mindset and way of presenting that in his art. Adolf

Hitler’s strive for Nationalism and love for Wagner’s music only brought more

controversy to his legacy. Although the thought of sharing the same taste in music as

Hitler in this regard, it also serves as a point to how indisputably impacting Wagner’s

works have been and still are. It is worth noting that unlike most other opera composers,

Wagner wrote both the music and libretto for every one of his stage works; introducing

principles and changing the course of music/other arts. It is also clear that although he

lived a conflicting life, he was a deep thinker and reflected that into his works the way

any true artist does with their art. In 2005, New York Times writer Anthony Tommasini

wrote of Wagner, “How did such sublime music come from such a warped man? Maybe

art really does have the power to ferret out the best in us.”

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Research Paper Outline/Rough Draft Topic: Richard Wagner versus Personal Life Introduction It is often said that one cannot separate the art from the artist, or in this case, separate the personal life of Richard Wagner from his music. His legacy as a musician and composer proves that very statement to run true. Due to much of Richard Wagner’s music being inspired by his personality and personal life, it is evident that one cannot separate art from the artist, since the art created comes from and within the artist itself. Wagner’s Background Wagner was a German composer born in Leipzig on May 22 in the year 1813. He was born into a family of eight siblings, and he seemed to be the only one showcasing little talent or interests in hobbies other than poetry. It is uncertain whether his father was Friedrich Wagner, whom passed away after Richard was born, or whom he called his stepfath ...
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Tags: Richard Wagner revolutionized Opera Wagners Ring Cycle Jew in Music Ring of the Nibelung