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Richard Wagner (and his predecessors)

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Presentation on theme: "Richard Wagner (and his predecessors)"— Presentation transcript:

1 Richard Wagner (and his predecessors)
The Music Drama

2 Key Terms Leitmotif Gesamtkuntswerk Music Drama Melodrama Coloratura
Bayreuth

3 Early Romantic Opera in Italy
Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti Italians LOVED coloratura Florid vocal lines Performers would make up their own vocal embellishments Composers started writing more florid passages Hoped to have some control over their compositions Less emphasis on orchestra Focus on the singer and what he/she can do

4 Coloratura

5 Carl Marie von Weber (1786-1826) Innovations German composer Tonality
Orchestration Orchestra acting to set the mood Characters Ordinary people, personal problems Plot Medieval history, mythology, fairy tale intertwined with “reality”

6 Die Freischütz Die Freischütz (The Free Shooter), 1821
Draws on Italian and French opera influence French Grand Opera Italian-style vocal lines German folk melodies and the German Singspiel tradition Features melodrama Speaking over orchestral accompaniment Associates keys and motives with characters

7 Richard Wagner ( ) One of the most influential German composers of the late 19th Century Composer, writer (polemic), director, conductor Believed that Beethoven had pushed orchestral music as far as it could go Concentrated on opera Saw himself as Beethoven’s true successor

8 Wagner’s Writing and Innovations
Series of essays on opera Music serving the drama Connectedness of music and drama Ultimate combination of music, drama, art, poetry, scenic design, action, staging Gesamtkuntswerk Music is the vessel through which all other arts can be represented

9 Gesamtkuntswerk Knew that he could not change the public’s taste in operas Called his works music dramas (Bühnenfestspiel) Harkening back to Monteverdi and Gluck “Dramas with Music” Orchestra conveys drama Orchestra takes the lead, instead of the singers Words/singers provide definition and precision to the words Believed that Gesamtkuntswerk could help reform society

10 Political Leanings Wagner was a strong German nationalist
Pure, true, profound, spiritual Rejected and ridiculed the art and cultural forms of Italy and France “Superficial” Wrote an anti-Semitic essay, Judaism in Music (1850) Turned against Meyerbeer Attacked Mendelssohn No German roots, could not be nationalist Nazis regarded Wagner’s music as the best of German culture

11 Romantic Operas Before Wagner wrote his music dramas, he wrote operas in the Romantic style Rienzi (1842) Grand opera, a la Meyerbeer Der fliegende Holländer (1843) Weber tradition Wagner wrote the libretto Based on German myth/legend Tannhäuser (1845) Declamatory vocal line Lohengrin (1850)

12 Music Dramas Libretto by Wagner Music by Wagner Staging by Wagner
Set design by Wagner Wagner by Wagner

13 The Ring Cycle Cycle of four music dramas under the combined title, The Ring of the Nibelungen The Rhinegold The Valkyrie Siegfried The Twilight of the Gods ( ) First complete performance was held over 4 evenings

14 Bayreuth Festspielhaus
Wagner’s custom-built opera house!

15 Bayreuth Built by Ludwig of Bavaria Orchestra pit
Orchestra hidden from sight Audience sits in a half-circle and looks down on the performers State-of-the-art special effects Dimmed lighting to help audience focus on the stage and ONLY the stage (electric lights!) Annual festival of Wagner’s music dramas

16 Ring Cycle Blend of German epic poems and Nordic legends
Mythical premise that embodies real-life issues and emotions Love, greed, jealousy, revenge, power, innocence Libretto based on Medieval Nibelungenlied

17 The Leitmotif Short motive that represents any element in the story
Character, emotions, objects Played by the orchestra and woven throughout the entire storyline (depending on what’s happening on stage) Unify the opera musically—open-ended, combinations Developed in the 19th Century—Wagner takes it to a new level Can be used one at a time, not at all Varied, transformed throughout the opera to reflect the drama

18 Tristan und Isolde Moving away from conventional harmony
What’s the key?!? Often cited as the beginning of 20th Century music Influenced by Schopenhauer’s philosophies Music is the one art that embodies the deepest reality of all human experience

19 Fluctuating Tonality Influence on the 2oth century and Schoenberg
Key center is always changing Breaking down the tonal structure

20 Long-Term Effects Schoenberg and Co The Leitmotif John Williams
Hamilton

21 Next Time Schoenberg and Friends The Second Viennese School

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