Wilhelm Richard Wagner 1813-1883

BIOGRAPHY

     Born May 22, 1813 in Leipzig Germany Birth Parents: Carl Friedrich Wagner & Johanna Rosine Step father and thought to be his true biological father Ludwig Geyer Richard was known as Wilhelm Richard Geyer until he was 14 8 Siblings

Inspiration

   Wagner’s first major inspiration was Shakespeare His inspiration led him to write Leubald at age 16 He decided to learn music composition as well

Growing Up

 At age 7 Wagner attends Pastor Wetzel’s school  A year later his step father dies  Richard begins attending Dresden Kreuz Grammar School to be a playwrite

Inspiration II

   Beethoven becomes new inspiration Wagner begins writing Sonatas and Overtures Wagner begins working with composition teacher Christian Gottlieb Müller from 1828 1831

Middle Ages

 1831 Wagner attended the University of Leipzig  Wagner met Theodor Weinlig who helped him publish some piano works

Inspiration III

 “If I look back on my life as a whole, I can find no event that produced so profound an impression upon me.” -Wagner on Wilhelmine Schröder Devrient performing

First Opera

 At twenty he completed his first Opera Die Feen (The Fairies).  1834-1836 he was the music director at Magdeburg where he staged    Das Liebesverbot (The Ban on Love) also known as “grosse komische Oper” Wagner suffers financial strain throughout his career

Married Life

  November 24th 1836 he married Christine Wilhelmine "Minna" Planer Became director at Riga between 1837-1839    His wife has an affair Wagner takes her back 1839 The couple flee to avoid debt collectors and arrive in London by sea

Most Memorable Years

 1850-1865 

Der junge Siegfried

(Young Siegfried) 

Götterdämmerung

  

Tristan and Isolde

Walküre (his claim to fame)

Bride March

Moving Around

 Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen was influenced by his stay in France but performed in Dresden  1845 Tannhäuser was performed  Begins work on Die Götterdämmerung  1849 flee to Switzerland for 15 years  Focus on the famed Ring

Bitter Sweet Ending

 Wagner has an affair  Separates from wife 1863  1862 Granted Amnesty and allowed back in Germany  Wagner falls in love with Cosima Liszt  Has three children  Marries Cosima in 1870

Death

   Parsifa his final opera completed in 1882 This opera premiered at the Bayreuth Festival on May 26th.

Wagner dies of a heart attack at age 69 on February 13th 1883.

Siegfried’s Death and Funeral March

   A piece of Götterdämmerung Final cycle of the four part opera Der Ring des Nibelungen The full playing of the Ring takes four nights at the opera at approximately 15 hours of play time

The Ride of the Valkyries

   Der Ring des Nibelungen or the Ring Act III Die Walküre the second of four operas First performed on June 26th 1870 at the National Theater Munich

Important Verse Die Walküre

 0:23 The recognizable Dun Dudda Dun Dah begins announcing the arrival of battle and what is to come with powerful horns rising in pitch and rhythm getting faster while the strings still play in a steady underlying rhythm in the background  This section is probably one of the most recognizable by all including being made popular in modern times in the movie Apocalypse Now

Important Verse Siegfried’s Death and Funeral March

 5:26 The horns punch out notes again while drums, cymbals, and strings all join together in harmony each almost overshadowing the next. All at one playing the same repetitive notes for a few second durations each at the same time  This is such a dramatic movement and the entire piece is known for enticing emotions

Bibliography

     Bibliography My Life. Wagner, 1911 One New Wagernite at a Time. Steindler, 2011. www.theparisreview.org

Wagner, Wilhelm Richard. Classical Music, 2011. www.classicalm.com

Wagner’s Bio. Vargas,2011. www.wagneroperas.com