Wilhelm Richard Wagner's Life and Music

Introduction 

Music is a piece of art, and its medium is mainly silence or sound. Music's main elements are made up of the pitch, dynamics, rhythm, texture and timbre. In performing music, it can be done using a broad range of instruments or without. Music has been a critical part of most cultures for it used in determining their different ways of life such as rites of passage, religion, ceremonies and social activities. The first existence of music dates back to more than 55,000 years ago with it being invented in Africa. Over the years music has been able to evolve from the early medieval form of music to the current modern types. 1 This evolution of music is mainly attributed to the different kinds of early music composers who brought about different touches and sounds to this art. One great music composer was known as Wilhelm Richard Wagner. He was born on May 22nd, 1813.He was of German ascent and apart from being a composer; he was also a polemicist, conductor and theater director. Wagner was known in most parts of the world because of his operas which he would refer to them as "music dramas." Wagner was very unique as compared to his fellow opera composers. Unlike other composers, Wagner wrote libretto and music for all his stage works 2 . He was also able to bring revolution to the opera world through the initiation of his idea known as Gesamtkunstwerk . 3 Despite being a renowned composer, his operas, writings, beliefs and lifestyle were full of controversies. One of his admirers was Adolf Hitler who always said that he saw the German nation's vision in Wagner's operas. Wagner's views were also criticized for influencing the Nazi thinking from his own music was also used in different Nazi events. Despite all these controversies, Wagner had a great influence on music, literature, philosophy and visual arts which formed the foundation of the modern forms of the arts. The importance of Wagner's contribution towards the role of art in society was evident from not only the greatness originality of his works but also on the concepts about art's role in the community. 

Wagner's Early Life 

Richard Wagner having been born on May 22nd, 1813 in Leipzig, Germany came to be the world's most controversial and influential composers. Amongst his most famous pieces includes The Ring Cycle , which is a four-part, eighteen-hour opera and also his involvement in an anti-semitic type of writing that was able to gain him much support from Adolf Hitler. Growing up, Wagner had a lot of interest in music though he was able to write his first drama at a tender age of 11 years. His first symphony was written in 1833 having been inspired by Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. In 1834-1836, Wagner was a music director in Magdeburg Theater whereby he produced his other work Das Liebesverbot (Forbidden Love) that was based on Measure for Measure by William Shakespeare (1564-1616). In 1837, he was able to get a job in Riga, Russia and become the first musical director in its theater until 1839 when he moved to Paris, France. Wagner had tremendous hatred towards the French musical culture, and this lasted until his death. 4 

Wagner's personal life was like a roller coaster ride. In 1833, he fell in love with Minna planner who was an actress and singer. They later got married on November 24th, 1836; however, Minna left Wagner for another man. Around 1852, Wagner met with Mathilde Wesendonk who was a poet-writer. 5 They two had an affair until 1858 when Mina came to learn about it in a letter that Wagner had written. He later divorced Mina in 1862, and she died in 1866.Waner got involved with Cosima, who was the conductor of "Tristan und Isolde" and they then went ahead to live together until Wagner's death. 

Wagner's Compositions and Exile 

Wagner brought about new heights into opera, unlike the previous operas that had been composed before him. He introduced spellbinding music, theater, and dramatic grandeur in his style of composition with the use of romanticism. At the time, no composer was able to clearly bring out the ideals of romanticism during the nineteenth century thus Wagner always referred to his operas as "music dramas." His works revolved around the European myths and medieval romances. Most of his works were very lengthy thus required a lot of singers and large orchestras with spectacular stage effects. 

In his early composition, it included the piano symphony, chamber, and sonata music though he started developing an interest in opera. His aim was not just to write the music but also the workings of his opera. His first fairy tale opera was known as Die Feen (The Fairies) at just 20 years of age. 6 This was followed by a six-hour historical drama known as Rienzi whose setting was based on ancient Rome. It is at this point that he started a career as an opera conductor and graduated to become a music director in Riga, Russia. 

However, Wagner started living an extravagant life thus at most times; he fell into massive debts despite having a steady income from his position as music director. Wagner ran away from Riga with his wife and moved into Paris whereby he was forced to do little musical chores. He still got into debts and spent some time in a debtor's prison, and it is during this period that he was able to compose Der Legend Hollander (The Flying Dutchman). 7 However, out of financial desperation, Wagner sold the piece to a Paris opera. He later moved to Dresden in 1842, and he got the job of a theater conductor. It is during this period that he managed to compose two more operas Tannhauser in 1845 and become a success. In the same year, Wagner managed to complete another poem Lohengrin and begun its composition in 1846.During the same time, he was also able to complete the plans for his tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen that was a four-part drama series. The first scenario for the drama was prepared in 1845 known as Siegfried's Tod that was later changed to Die Gotterdammerung . 8 

Around 1849, a political revolution was seen in Dresden and Wagner was a huge supporter for the uprising. However, his primary motivation was not because he had any interest in the political beliefs at the time but due to the little appreciation that the local authorities showed to his works. However the local authorities had no interest in knowing why Wager had sided with the rebels and despite not having any direct participation in the uprising, a warrant of arrest was issued for Wagner. He narrowly escaped the police and made his way into Switzerland, and it is here he started living in exile. 9 

In his life in exile, he started to concentrate on the different innovative ideas he had developed about music and theater. He also had begun to work on a new opera that was based on Siegfried, a German hero. However, as he was doing the libretto for the opera, he expanded his ideas ending up with a four cycle opera known as The Ring of the Nibelungen . In most parts of 1856; he spent his time working on the opera. However, it was a dark part of his life for he had separated from his wife and also had been banned from most of the major musical institutions in Europe. 

Wagner was also engaged with Mathilde Wesendonk during his exile years. The two became attracted to each other and Wagner was inspired to produce another opera that was to tell the story of Tristan and Isolde. The story between Wagner and Mathilde resulted into forbidden love, and between 1856 and 1859, Tristan and Isolde were written and ended up achieving a lot of success that was linked to the immense harmonies. 10 

In 1860, Wagner was granted permission to go back to Germany after living for more than ten years in exile. However, he was not allowed to go into Saxony that was found in eastern Germany. In 1862, Wagner was granted full amnesty and could move all over the country. Wagner did not resume to his initial work The Ring and turned to another project in 1861; Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg that he had first thought of in 1845.This was much of a comic opera than an epic one and was completed in 1867 with its fist premier being in Munich. Wagner finished his opera, The Ring in 1876 and during his last five years with his new wife Cosima and three children; he wrote his last opera, Parsifal . Its first production was carried out in Bayreuth in 1882, and shortly after its premiere, Wagner died during a visit to Vince. 

Wagner's Anti-Semitism 

Wagner was referred to as an influential anti-Semitic person. However, despite his nature, he still had some Jewish fans and even was a great admirer of Heinrich Heine, a German poet though he was of Jewish heritage. Wagner went ahead to write a pamphlet that was known as Das Judenthum in der Musik (Jewishness in music). 11 It is here that he brought out all his feelings towards the Jewish community and laid it all bare without hiding anything. During the time he was publishing the lines in his musical magazine, he was still not known for the information disbursement at the time was very limited. Wagner also had very few funds in Switzerland whereby he had been exiled into to publish many copies of his book. In his book, Wagner claimed that the Jewish people did not have the capacity to speak the European languages fluently and compared their speech to “intolerant jumbled blubber As a result of this; he went head to say that the Jews could therefore not be abler to create any form of music. Despite adoring one, Heinrich Heine, claimed in his work that it was only through his acquiring of the German culture was he able to stand out as a renowned poet. He also called for the Jews to follow Borne, who was a Jew but converted to Christianity. 

Most of the anti-semitic views were carried out in smoky bars or scarcely read pamphlets, but with Wagner being an important figure, he brought it all for everyone who saw his works in theaters that were in the form of operas and theater dramas. Amongst the anti-semitic remarks by Wagner include "the Jews must not be destroyed because then we should have to invent him. It is essential to have a tangible enemy, not merely an abstract one" and "the Jew is a parasite in the body of other nations.” 12 

In his work, The Ring , Wagner linked the Jews to demons, curses. Niebelungs, lust for gold and goblins. A character knows as Alberich who was a greedy Jewish merchant turned into a power-crazed gobbling and ended up sacrificing his lust for the Aryan maidens so that he could get gold. In turn, this was bound to make Alberich a "spectral world-controller." Mimes was also a Jew and became depicted as being a stinking ghetto person and is loathed by Siegfried who says "that shuffling and slinking, those eyelids blinking, how long must I endure this sight? When shall I be rid of this fool…?” 13 In the end, Siegfried murdered Mimes with his sword. 

As Wagner grew older in age, he also became more anti-semitic vehement Even after his death in 1883, Cosima, Wagner's wife, and his children turned the Bayreuth performances that had been formed by Wagner during his lifetime into oppression venues for the Jews. The Nazi's also later came to appreciate Wagner's works with Adolf Hitler cherishing his music and said Wagner was an early herald against anti-Semitism in Germany. 14 

Movies Using Wagner's Composition 

Wagner's writings have become a significant influence on today's films especially the integration of different musical expressions and leitmotifs. Most of the films that have adopted the Wagnerian themes include Apocalypse Now, Dangerous Method, Melancholia and Hitler: a Film from Germany . The most commonly used composition is Ritt Der Walken (The Ride of the Valkyries).This piece is found in Wagner's four-part opera known as Der Ring des Nibelungen which is the beginning of the third part of the opera known as Die Walkure . In this opera, The Ride lasts for about 8 minutes whereby the curtain rises after a buildup of successive layers of accompaniments. After the rising of the curtain, there are about four sisters from the total eight Valkyrie sisters of Brunnhilde who are seen on top of a mountain peak. They have all gathered to take the fallen Valhalla heroes. The orchestras carry a familiar tune the other four sisters join themes they sing their battle-cry songs. 15 In the movie Apocalypse Now, The Ride is also brought into play by the 1/9 Air Cavalry. The play involves a piece of music on a helicopter that is mounted with loudspeakers as they engage in war with a Vietnamese village. The major aim of this act was to help in the psychological warfare against the villagers and boost the morale of the cavalry soldiers. 

Wagner's Death 

Wagner died of a heart attack in 1883, February 13th. He had gone into Vince with his wife Cosima. This was just one year after he had completed his opera, Parsifal. The opera was based on the medieval romances that were accompanied with adamant religious overtones. Following his death, his body was taken to Bayreuth using a gondola and train where he was buried. 16 

Summary and Conclusion 

The art of music has been able to evolve over the 50,000 years since its inception. People were able to develop this form of art so that they could use it during the religious ceremonies, rites of passage ceremonies and also different marking of various social activities. The developments seen in this form of art is mainly attributed to the various great composers who existed in different time periods. Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer and his influence in this form of art was able to revolutionize it not only in Germany but all over the world. Wagner introduced a method that was referred to as Gesamtkunstwerk that enabled him to bring significant changes in opera and theater production. Wagner faced a lot of challenges throughout his entire life such as being forced into exile, financial problems, and even personal problems. However, despite all these challenges, Wagner was able to overcome them and became one of the greatest composers in the world. This is evident from the numerous uses of his compositions in cinemas, music, literature and also philosophy. However, Wagner was also marred by controversies such as being involved with anti-semitic views that did not go well with the Jews mad other people in some parts of the world. It is because of his views that he was able to get support from the likes of Adolf Hitler. Despite all these controversies, 200 years after his death, his works are still used in the production of the different forms of art. 

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