Wagner R

Full Name: Wilhelm Richard Wagner

Achievements:  One of the greatest opera composers

Born: May 22, 1813’ Leipzig, Germany

 Died: February 13, 1883; Venice, Italy (Aged 70)

Field & Discipline: Art; Music; Opera Composer

Language: German

Father: Carl Friedrich Wagner

Mother: Johanne Rosine Patz

 Siblings: 2 brothers: Albert; Unknown. 5 sisters: Rosalie; Luise; Klara; Ottilie; Maria Theresa

Spouse: 1) Minna Planer;  2) Cosima von Bulow

 Children: 1 son: Siegfried; 2 daughters: Isolde; Eva

Education: Various schools in Prague and Dresden, Leipzig University

Major Work:

"The Ring of the Nibelung"  (1853 -)

"The Flying Dutchman" (1843)

"Tannhauser" (1845)

"Lohengrin" (1850)

"Tristan and Isolde" (1865)

"Parsifal" (1882)

Life & Times:

When Wagner was eight years old his father died and the family moved to Prague.  It was there that Wagner first read [influenced by] E.T.A. Hoffman*'s sinister tales, which made a lasting impression on him.  [a family friend of] von Weber*, a family friend and the artistic director of the German Opera in Dresden, was another strong childhood influence.

While still in university, in 1833, his "Symphony in C Major" was performed. In that same year, Wagner wrote his first opera, "The Fairies",  influenced by  the magic plays with music he had seen on a visit to Vienna.

In 1834, he became conductor of the Magdeburg opera company and fell in love

with its leading actress,  Minna Planer, who became his mistress.  His second opera, "The

Ban on Love", was performed only once.

In 1836 he married Minna and, in 1839, went to Paris, where  he rejected [rejected offer by] Berlioz*’ offers of help.  In 1840, Wagner finished his opera "Rienzi" and, in 1841 began "The Flying Dutchman".

After three years in Paris he returned to Dresden, in 1842.  That October, the performance of "Rienzi" was a reasonable success.  In 1843, "The Flying Dutchman" was premiered in Dresden.   In 1843 Wagner was appointed conductor of the Dresden court opera and October 1845 saw the premiere of "Tannhauser." 

He participated actively in the Dresden uprising of 1849 and became friends with the Russian anarchist, Bakunin.  A warrant was issued for Wagner's arrest and he left Germany for Zurich, missing the first performance of  "Lohengrin", which his friend, the composer [father-in-law was] Liszt*, conducted at Weimar in 1850.

While in Zurich, Wagner wrote the librettos for his opera cycle "The Ring of the Nibelung" influenced by his study of Norse legends, German mythology and fairy tales.  He thn wrote an operatic poem, "Siegfried's Death", describing Siegfried as the prototype of the ideal man that would be brought about by revolution.  This was destined to become the last opera of the cycle, under the title "The Twilight of the Gods". 

He also wrote a preface, "The Young Siegfried", which eventually  became the third opera in the cycle, under the title "Siegfried".  By 1852, he had written "The Rhinegold" and "The Valkyrie", the first two operas of the cycle.  Although he had written these out sequence, he composed the music for the operas in the cycle order.

Wagner had by now fallen in love with Mathilde Wesendonck, a married woman.  She was the wife of a rich benefactor,  and the love affair inspired Wagner to write  “Tristan and Isolde" (1857-59).  To escape the consequent marital upsets, Wagner left Zurich and went alone to Venice and then to Lucerne,  to finish his opera.

The influence of  [influenced by] Schopenhauer*, whose work Wagner discovered in the early 1850's, can be seen in this work.  Schopenhauer believed that music was the most important of the arts.  In "Tristan and Isolde", Wagner allowed the music to dominate and express the emotions of the characters.

Otto von Wesendonck again backed Wagner and he went to Paris, where he and Minna

lived in a house near the Champs Elysees, lavishly decorated from Wesendonck's

money.  He hired a theatre to give concerts of his music and eventually, with

the help of  the wife of Prince [helped by wife of] Metternich*,  "Tannhauser"

was performed at the Paris Opera.  The ageing composer [visited] Rossini* received Wagner at his house.

In 1861 he lived in Vienna for a time and travelled across Europe,

conducting performances of his work and that of other musicians in Prague,

Moscow, Berlin and St Petersburg.  He tried without success to get "Tristan and

Isolde" produced,  and wrote his comedy-opera "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg."

In 1864, he was forced out of Vienna by debt.  In the same year, he was contacted by the eighteen year old [a fan was] Ludwig II* of Bavaria,  who became his patron. 

By now Wagner was involved with [married] Cosima von Bulow*, the illegitimate daughter of his old friend Liszt.  He arrived in Munich with the von Bulows and soon after, Cosima gave birth to a child which von Bulow accepted as his own.

In 1865, the first performance of "Tristan and Isolde" took place in Munich, directed by

[knew] Hans von Bulow*.  "The Mastersingers"  was produced in 1868, followed by  "The Rhinegold" in 1869 and "The Valkyrie" in 1870.

In 1868, Wagner met [influenced by] Nietzsche*, the young German philosopher, to whom he  turned for intellectual support.   In 1870, Cosima and Wagner married and with their three children went to live in a lakeside villa paid for by Ludwig at Lucerne, where Nietzsche visited them constantly.

Wagner was now putting all his energies into mounting a production of the entire Ring Cycle.  He chose Bayreuth, Bavaria for the site and set about raising money by travelling, conducting and publicizing his ideas.  In 1874 he moved into a house in Bayreuth, paid for by Ludwig and completed the music for the last opera in the Ring Cycle, "The Twilight of the Gods".  

In August 1876, the complete Ring Cycle was performed for the first time.  [heard by] Tchaikovsky* was in the audience.  Each year, "The Ring" was performed in Bayreuth, a custom which continues today.   Wagner spent the rest of his life in Bayreuth, with visits to London and Italy for concerts.

In 1877 Wagner wrote his opera "Parsifal" and began his last affair (with Judith, the daughter of French poet [affair with daughter of] Gautier*).  Wagner spent his time writing and re-reading Arthur Schopenhauer, Nietszche and the racialist theories of Count [admirer of] Gobineau*, who had written "Essay on the Inequality of Human Races", much admired by Wagner.  "Parsifal" was performed at Bayreuth in 1882, Wagner assisted by the young composer, [assisted by] Humperdinck*, whom he had met in Italy in 1879.   On a visit to Venice with his wife in 1883, Wagner died and was buried in the grounds of his home in Bayreuth.

Extra Connections: [a fan was] Baudelaire* and [a fan was] Mallarme* wrote essays on him. 

[inspired] Cezanne* painted an "Overture to Tannhauser".  [portrait by] Renoir* painted his portrait and [illustrated by] Beardsley* produced lithographs of scenes from Wagner operas, as did [illustrated by] Whistler*. 

Physicist [a pal of] Pringsheim* was a childhood friend.

[a fan was] Borodin*  and [a fan was] Bruckner* were admirers.

[played by] Dvorak* played his music.

Hw was helped by [helped by] Meyerbeer*

Saint Saens*? 

Smetana*?

Was a friend of composers [a pal of] Brahms*, [a pal of] Robert Schumnann* and [a pal of] Clara Schumann*

Composer [a fan was] Debussy*, and writer [a fan was] Salome* travelled to Bayreuth to hear “Parsifal.”

Cosima invited dancer Isadora [danced by] Duncan* to dance to his music at Bayreuth

Met composer [met] Gounod*,  singer [met] Jenny Lind* and author [met] Turgenev*

Influenced composers [influenced] Rimsky-Korsakov*, [influenced] Massenet*, [influenced] Schoenberg* and [influenced] Strauss*

Composer [work related to] Satie* moved composing away from his style.

His mother-in-law was Countess Marie d’ [mother-in-law was] Agoult*

Assessment: He created a new music-drama art form which not only influenced other musicians but is still an inspiration for poets, dramatists and painters.

Oneliner:  Richard Wagner, larger-than-life composer of larger-than-life music

Bibliography:

• Osborne, Charles, Wagner and His World, Thames and Hudson, London, 1977.
• Taylor, Ronald, Richard Wagner, His Life, Art and Thought, Panther Books Ltd., London, 1983.