Richard Wagner

A detailed Summary of Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner is the master of German opera. He molded opera according to his own creative definition with revolutionary zeal

(Richard Wagner Biography, Arizona Opera). Adolph Hitler and his Nazi party enjoyed many of Wagner's works; this negative publicity

has caused people hate Wagner and his music. Today Wagner is accepted, but his music is still outlawed in Israel.

The youngest of nine children, Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany to a blue-collar family, on May 22, 1813. His father, Friedrich

Wagner, a police clerk, died when Richard was only six months old. His mother soon remarried to an actor and playwright named Ludwig

Geyer and the family moved to Dresden. Some historians believe that Geyer was Richard's actual biological father; there is evidence that

shows that Wagner may have believed this too. Egocentric from childhood, Wagner loved literature. He was especially fascinated by the

works of Shakespeare. With his head always in the books, he tried writing tragedies but that never came to anything. He also began piano

lessons, but unlike many other well-known composers, he never became skilled on this or any other instrument.

Through his teens composing attracted him. In 1829, a

Tannhauser had been. However, in the decade that followed, German audiences loved both operas. In fact, at the time his exile ended in

the Ring cycle, in 1876. This was probably Wagner's biggest achievement, to have his greatest work performed in his own opera house.

Then Wagner had a new idea and started work on The Flying Dutchman, even though he was impoverished and unknown he felt

it aside unfinished. After that he completed Die Feen, but it was not performed until five years after his death. At 20, he began keeping

revolution. He wrote letters to Dresden rioters who were creating a growing rebellion in the state of Saxony. In 1849, when the revolution

1860, Wagner was one of the few Germans who had never seen a performance of Lohengrin.

During the long period of work on The Ring of the Nibelungs, Wagner's life went through some major changes. He wrote, maybe, his

only 20 years old. He also started to write operas. In 1836, he got married to the actress, Minna Planner, this marriage was to last only until

Bavaria, Ludwig II, brought Richard to Munich to provide financial support. There Wagner fell deeply in love with a daughter of Franz Liszt,

achievements in music. During the many years of Wagner's exile, Lohengrin was presented in Weimar and was received slowly just as

most popular opera, Tristan und Isolde in 1859, and another major work, Die Meistersinger Von Nurnberg in 1867. In 1864, the King of

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Approximate Word count = 1067
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History