EARLY LIFE
Richard Wagner was born on May 22, 1813 to an ethnic German family at 3, the Brühl in the Jewish quarter of Leipzig.
He was the ninth child of Carl Friedrich Wagner, who was the Secretary to the Chief Commissioner of the Police. He died of typhus when he was a baby.
Richard's mother Johanna Rosine (née Paetz) was the daughter of a baker.
Johanna married Carl's friend, the actor and playwright Ludwig Geye in August 1814, but Richard's step-father died when he was seven, leaving him to be brought up by his mother.
Several of his elder sisters became opera singers or actresses.
Richard was educated at the Dresden Kreuzschule between 1822-27 where he excelled at creative writing and history.
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| Richard Wagner in 1871 |
Because of his stepfather's acting vocation, young Richard was often in theatres and entertained ambitions to be a playwright. He first became interested in music as a means of enhancing the dramas that he wanted to write and stage. Richard learnt to play the piano and soon turned toward studying music, for which he enrolled at the University of Leipzig in 1831.
Wagner spent his time at the University of Leipzig duelling, drinking, gambling and participating in rowdy sing-songs. He did apply himself seriously to composition.
As a student he had an overture performed at Leipzig theatre which was laughed off by the audience.
CAREER
Wagner attended an 1829 performance by famed dramatic soprano Wilhelmine Schröder-Devrient, and he would credit her with inspiring his sense of music and drama and how they could be most effectively used in opera.
In 1833, Wagner's brother Albert managed to obtain for him a position as choirmaster at the theatre in Würzburg for 10 florins a month.
After returning to Leipzig in 1834, Wagner held a brief appointment as musical director at the opera house in Magdeburg. However the financial collapse of the theater company employing him, left Wagner in bankruptcy. Refusing to face the music and his creditors Wagner was smuggled aboard a ship to London with his wife. in 1839. The stormy sea passage gave the composer the inspiration for his The Flying Dutchman opera.
Wagner moved to Paris in September 1839 where he spent while making a scant living writing criticism for musical magazines and making arrangements of operas by other composers. He was twice jailed for debt.
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| Wagner c. 1840, by Ernest Benedikt Kietz |
Wagner moved to Dresden in 1842, where he lived for the next six years, eventually being appointed the Royal Saxon Court Conductor.
Wagner's involvement in left-wing politics abruptly ended his welcome in Dresden. He took part in the 1848 German revolutionary riots and following year Wagner manned the barricades in the Dresden uprising. He was forced to flee to Switzerland in 1849 to escape arrest.
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| Warrant for the arrest of Richard Wagner, issued on May 16, 1849 |
Wagner settled in Zürich, where he spent the next twelve years in exile.
The political ban that had been placed on Wagner in Germany after he had fled Dresden was fully lifted in 1862. Wagner's fortunes took a dramatic upturn two years later, when King Ludwig II an ardent admirer of Wagner's operas, succeeded to the throne in Bavaria. He invited the composer to continue his musical work in Munich.
Ludwig II granted Wagner a pension and villa enabling him to finance his Ring of the Nibelungs opera and the Bayreuth Festival.
In his later years Wagner concentrated more on the promotion and stage management of his operas rather than actual writing. He wished to have a building that would meet his extravagant musico-dramatic ideals, so he constructed the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, his own opera house where many of his stage works, such as The Ring Cycle and Parsifal premiered.
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| The Bayreuth Festspielhaus: photochrom print of c. 1895 |
WORKS
An early passion for Shakespeare and Beethoven crystallised into a determination to write opera. Wagner was the first person to see opera as a unification of the musical, poetical and scenic elements. By directing romantic music into the field of dramatic storytelling, he transformed the opera into a new art form.
Wagner achieved a variety of styles in opera from Burlesque (Mastersingers), Gothic (The Flying Dutchman), Religious (Parsifal) to sentimental (Parsifal).
He composed his later works in a stiflingly hot room perfumed with roses whilst wearing a dressing gown.
The Flying Dutchman is a legendary ghost ship that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. A stormy sea voyage to London gave Wagner the idea for his opera The Flying Dutchman. It was produced in Dresden and premiered on January 2, 1843 at the Königliches Hoftheater there but was originally a flop.
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| Opening of overture to Der fliegende Holländer in Wagner's hand and with his notes to the publisher |
Wagner put a spinning wheel into The Flying Dutchman where the whirring of the regular foot treadle accompanies a chorus of girls at their work.
Tannhäuser, an opera in three acts was based on two German legends: Tannhäuser, the legendary medieval German Minnesänger and poet, and the tale of the Wartburg Song Contest. A combination of music and stage drama, Tannhäuser was given a mixed reception at at the Königliches Hoftheater, Dresden on October 19, 1845. The oper's continuous flow, rather than the standard series of arias and choruses, perplexed many in the audience.
Richard Wagner's romantic opera Lohengrin, containing the Bridal Chorus, was first performed under the direction of Franz Liszt in Weimar, present-day Germany on August 28, 1850.
Lohengrin is set in Brabant in the 10th century. The Duke of Brabant has been murdered, and his sister Elsa is accused of his murder by the Duke's guardian, Count Telramund. A mysterious knight arrives in a boat drawn by a swan and offers to defend Elsa if she will marry him. He gives her one condition: she must never ask his name. Lohengrin defeats Telramund in a duel, and Elsa is cleared of the charges against her. They are married, and the opera ends with the famous Bridal Chorus.
Tristan und Isolde, based largely on the 12th-century romance Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg, was composed by Wagner between 1857 and 1859. The musical drama premiered at the Königliches Hof- und Nationaltheater in Munich, today the home of the Bavarian State Opera, on June 10, 1865. Hans von Bülow was chosen to conduct the premiere, despite the fact that Wagner was having an affair with his wife, Cosima von Bülow.
Tristan und Isolde was based on the Arthurian love story of the knight Tristan and the (already-married) lady Isolde. Its operatic glorification of adultery enhanced the scandal Wagner's private life was creating.
The Mastersingers of Nürnberg, a bourgeois comedy with text by Wagner was first performed at the Königliches Hof- und National-Theater on June 21, 1868. It is among the longest operas commonly performed, usually taking around four and a half hours.
Richard Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelungs, a sequence of four operas, premiered at the Bayreuth Festival in 1876, where it was an immediate success. It began with Das Rheingold on August 13 and ended with Götterdämmerung on August 17.
The Ring of the Nibelungs is based on the Norse saga, which concerns the turbulent family history of a race of gods and their pursuit of a magical golden ring. Wagner's intention was to create a "Gesamtkunstwerk," a total work of art that fuses elements of music, drama, poetry, and stagecraft into an indivisible whole. It was a more ambitious piece of musical theater than any other devised up to that time
Wagner devised the Wagner Tube, a cross between the French Horn and Sax horn to enrich the harmonies for The Ring of the Nibelungs.
The Ride Of The Valkyries introduces the third act, which starts with the Valkyries, warrior maidens raised by the god Wotan, riding back from battle before they gather on a mountaintop.
In 2004, drivers were warned against playing Wagner’s Ride Of The Valkyries on car stereos as it may make people drive too fast.
Though rumored to have Jewish ancestry himself Wagner was famous for his anti-Semitic views, believing that the Jews are beyond redemption. The composer's faith excluded all Jewish aspects such as the Ten Commandments and he even refused to acknowledge that Jesus was a Jew. He believed that the Jewish race should not be allowed to practice their worship or to have civil rights.
Below is a caricature of Wagner by Karl Clic in the Viennese satirical magazine, Humoristische Blätter (1873). The exaggerated features refer to Wagner's rumored Jewish ancestry.
Wagner conducted the music of the Jewish composer Mendelssohn wearing gloves and then at the end of the performance he would remove the garments and throw them to the floor to be taken away by the cleaners.
Wagner was fascinated by Buddhism, and attempted all his life to write "Die Sieger" (The Victors) based on the life of Buddha, but never succeeded.
Wagner was an undersized youth with a disproportionately sized head. He had immense and penetrating blue eyes.
He was known to dress in historical costumes whilst writing his operas.
An egotist, Wagner had the ability to get what he wanted. He was temperamental, extravagant and impulsive.
Whilst working on his final opera Parsifal, the German composer soaked in a tub scented with vast quantities of milk of Irish perfume for several hours each day. Then he insisted the water was kept in the same way so he could smell it as he sat at his desk clad in silk or fur dressing gowns and surrounded by exotic scents.
Wagner married Wilhelmine (Minna) Planer, an actress three or four years his senior with an eight year old daughter on November 24, 1836. They tied the knot in Tragheim Church, where they argued in front of the minister who was to marry them.
They moved to the town of Riga where Wagner became the musical director at the local opera house. After six months, fed up with her husband always being in debt, Minna ran off with an army officer who left her penniless. Wagner accepted her back, but from then on the couple had a stormy marriage forever separating and reconciling until Minna died in 1866.
Wagner first met the poet-writer Mathilde Wesendonck, the wife of the silk merchant Otto von Wesendonck in Zürich in 1852. Otto, a fan of Wagner's music, placed a cottage on his estate at Wagner's disposal. By 1857, Wagner had become infatuated with Mathilde. Though Mathilde seems to have returned some of his affections, she had no intention of jeopardising her marriage, and kept her husband informed of her contacts with Wagner. Nevertheless, the affair inspired Wagner to put aside his work on the Ring cycle (which would not be resumed for the next twelve years) and begin work on Tristan und Isolde, based on the Arthurian story of adultery.
The uneasy affair collapsed in 1858, when Minna intercepted a letter from Wagner to Mathilde. After the resulting confrontation, Wagner left Zürich alone, bound for Venice.
In 1862, Wagner finally parted with Minna, though he (or at least his creditors) continued to support her financially until her death in 1866.
In the meantime, Wagner became embroiled in another affair, this time with Cosima von Bülow, the wife of the conductor Hans von Bülow, one of Wagner's most ardent supporters and the conductor of the Tristan und Isolde premiere. Cosima was the illegitimate daughter of Franz Liszt and the famous Countess Marie d'Agoult, and 24 years younger than Wagner.
In April 1865, she gave birth to Wagner's illegitimate daughter, who was named Isolde. Their indiscreet affair scandalised Munich, and to make matters worse, Wagner fell into disfavour amongst members of the court, who were suspicious of his influence on King Ludwig II. In December 1865, Ludwig was finally forced to ask the composer to leave Munich.
In October, Cosima finally convinced Hans von Bülow to grant her a divorce. Richard and Cosima were married in a Lucerne church on August 25, 1870.
Wagner's marriage to the unquestionably devoted Cosima lasted to the end of his life. They had an additional daughter, named Eva, and a son named Siegfried.
He loved to go walking and hiking, exploring the natural landscapes around him. However, Wagner’s walks were more adventurous than most involving hiking up mountains and along perilous chasms.
Wagner's birthplace was No 3, the Brühl (The House of the Red and White Lions) in the Jewish quarter of Leipzig.
Wagner had a parrot which crowed "Naughty Mr Wagner" when he entered the room.
Wagner’s dogs were his pride and joy. At one time the composer used to play whatever he’d written to his adored King Charles spaniel Pep for his approval.
By the end of his life Wagner had become a vegetarian after becoming convinced that eating meat instead of vegetables corrupted the blood.
By 1879 Wagner's health had began to fail so he spent his winters in Venice.
On February 13, 1883, Richard Wagner died of a heart attack in the Palazzo Vendramin on the Grand Canal. His last words were recorded as: "I am fond of them, of the inferior beings of the abyss, of those who are full of longing".
Wagner's body was returned to Bayreuth and buried in the garden of Wahnfried. Cosima's ashes were placed alongside Wagner's body.
Throughout his life the number 13 was significant. He was born in 1813 and the year of his birth adds up to 13. He had 13 letters in his name 13. Wagner left school aged 13. He wrote 13 operas. He was banned from Germany for political reasons for 13 years. He died on February 13th.
He was Adolf Hitler's favorite composer and Wagner was often cited by the Führer as being an inspiration on his vision for Germany.
Gioachino Rossini "Monsieur Wagner has lovely moments but some terrible quarters of an hour"
Oscar Wilde: "I like Wagner's music better than any other music. It is so loud that one can talk the whole time without people hearing what one says. That is a great advantage."
Mark Twain: "Wagner's music is better than it sounds"
Sources Daily Telegraph The Book of Lists
Tristan und Isolde, based largely on the 12th-century romance Tristan by Gottfried von Strassburg, was composed by Wagner between 1857 and 1859. The musical drama premiered at the Königliches Hof- und Nationaltheater in Munich, today the home of the Bavarian State Opera, on June 10, 1865. Hans von Bülow was chosen to conduct the premiere, despite the fact that Wagner was having an affair with his wife, Cosima von Bülow.
Tristan und Isolde was based on the Arthurian love story of the knight Tristan and the (already-married) lady Isolde. Its operatic glorification of adultery enhanced the scandal Wagner's private life was creating.
The Mastersingers of Nürnberg, a bourgeois comedy with text by Wagner was first performed at the Königliches Hof- und National-Theater on June 21, 1868. It is among the longest operas commonly performed, usually taking around four and a half hours.
Richard Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelungs, a sequence of four operas, premiered at the Bayreuth Festival in 1876, where it was an immediate success. It began with Das Rheingold on August 13 and ended with Götterdämmerung on August 17.
The Ring of the Nibelungs is based on the Norse saga, which concerns the turbulent family history of a race of gods and their pursuit of a magical golden ring. Wagner's intention was to create a "Gesamtkunstwerk," a total work of art that fuses elements of music, drama, poetry, and stagecraft into an indivisible whole. It was a more ambitious piece of musical theater than any other devised up to that time
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| Scene 1 of Das Rheingold from the first Bayreuth Festival production of the Bühnenfestspiel in 1876 |
Wagner devised the Wagner Tube, a cross between the French Horn and Sax horn to enrich the harmonies for The Ring of the Nibelungs.
The Ride Of The Valkyries introduces the third act, which starts with the Valkyries, warrior maidens raised by the god Wotan, riding back from battle before they gather on a mountaintop.
In 2004, drivers were warned against playing Wagner’s Ride Of The Valkyries on car stereos as it may make people drive too fast.
BELIEFS
Though rumored to have Jewish ancestry himself Wagner was famous for his anti-Semitic views, believing that the Jews are beyond redemption. The composer's faith excluded all Jewish aspects such as the Ten Commandments and he even refused to acknowledge that Jesus was a Jew. He believed that the Jewish race should not be allowed to practice their worship or to have civil rights.
Below is a caricature of Wagner by Karl Clic in the Viennese satirical magazine, Humoristische Blätter (1873). The exaggerated features refer to Wagner's rumored Jewish ancestry.
Wagner conducted the music of the Jewish composer Mendelssohn wearing gloves and then at the end of the performance he would remove the garments and throw them to the floor to be taken away by the cleaners.
Wagner was fascinated by Buddhism, and attempted all his life to write "Die Sieger" (The Victors) based on the life of Buddha, but never succeeded.
APPEARANCE, CHARACTER AND HABITS
Wagner was an undersized youth with a disproportionately sized head. He had immense and penetrating blue eyes.
He was known to dress in historical costumes whilst writing his operas.
An egotist, Wagner had the ability to get what he wanted. He was temperamental, extravagant and impulsive.
Whilst working on his final opera Parsifal, the German composer soaked in a tub scented with vast quantities of milk of Irish perfume for several hours each day. Then he insisted the water was kept in the same way so he could smell it as he sat at his desk clad in silk or fur dressing gowns and surrounded by exotic scents.
RELATIONSHIPS
Wagner married Wilhelmine (Minna) Planer, an actress three or four years his senior with an eight year old daughter on November 24, 1836. They tied the knot in Tragheim Church, where they argued in front of the minister who was to marry them.
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| Minna Planer (1835) by Alexander von Otterstedt |
They moved to the town of Riga where Wagner became the musical director at the local opera house. After six months, fed up with her husband always being in debt, Minna ran off with an army officer who left her penniless. Wagner accepted her back, but from then on the couple had a stormy marriage forever separating and reconciling until Minna died in 1866.
Wagner first met the poet-writer Mathilde Wesendonck, the wife of the silk merchant Otto von Wesendonck in Zürich in 1852. Otto, a fan of Wagner's music, placed a cottage on his estate at Wagner's disposal. By 1857, Wagner had become infatuated with Mathilde. Though Mathilde seems to have returned some of his affections, she had no intention of jeopardising her marriage, and kept her husband informed of her contacts with Wagner. Nevertheless, the affair inspired Wagner to put aside his work on the Ring cycle (which would not be resumed for the next twelve years) and begin work on Tristan und Isolde, based on the Arthurian story of adultery.
The uneasy affair collapsed in 1858, when Minna intercepted a letter from Wagner to Mathilde. After the resulting confrontation, Wagner left Zürich alone, bound for Venice.
In 1862, Wagner finally parted with Minna, though he (or at least his creditors) continued to support her financially until her death in 1866.
In the meantime, Wagner became embroiled in another affair, this time with Cosima von Bülow, the wife of the conductor Hans von Bülow, one of Wagner's most ardent supporters and the conductor of the Tristan und Isolde premiere. Cosima was the illegitimate daughter of Franz Liszt and the famous Countess Marie d'Agoult, and 24 years younger than Wagner.
In April 1865, she gave birth to Wagner's illegitimate daughter, who was named Isolde. Their indiscreet affair scandalised Munich, and to make matters worse, Wagner fell into disfavour amongst members of the court, who were suspicious of his influence on King Ludwig II. In December 1865, Ludwig was finally forced to ask the composer to leave Munich.
In October, Cosima finally convinced Hans von Bülow to grant her a divorce. Richard and Cosima were married in a Lucerne church on August 25, 1870.
Wagner's marriage to the unquestionably devoted Cosima lasted to the end of his life. They had an additional daughter, named Eva, and a son named Siegfried.
PERSONAL LIFE
He loved to go walking and hiking, exploring the natural landscapes around him. However, Wagner’s walks were more adventurous than most involving hiking up mountains and along perilous chasms.
Wagner's birthplace was No 3, the Brühl (The House of the Red and White Lions) in the Jewish quarter of Leipzig.
 |
| Wagner's birthplace, at 3, the Brühl, Leipzig |
Wagner had a parrot which crowed "Naughty Mr Wagner" when he entered the room.
Wagner’s dogs were his pride and joy. At one time the composer used to play whatever he’d written to his adored King Charles spaniel Pep for his approval.
By the end of his life Wagner had become a vegetarian after becoming convinced that eating meat instead of vegetables corrupted the blood.
LAST YEARS, DEATH AND LEGACY
By 1879 Wagner's health had began to fail so he spent his winters in Venice.
On February 13, 1883, Richard Wagner died of a heart attack in the Palazzo Vendramin on the Grand Canal. His last words were recorded as: "I am fond of them, of the inferior beings of the abyss, of those who are full of longing".
Wagner's body was returned to Bayreuth and buried in the garden of Wahnfried. Cosima's ashes were placed alongside Wagner's body.
Throughout his life the number 13 was significant. He was born in 1813 and the year of his birth adds up to 13. He had 13 letters in his name 13. Wagner left school aged 13. He wrote 13 operas. He was banned from Germany for political reasons for 13 years. He died on February 13th.
He was Adolf Hitler's favorite composer and Wagner was often cited by the Führer as being an inspiration on his vision for Germany.
Gioachino Rossini "Monsieur Wagner has lovely moments but some terrible quarters of an hour"
Oscar Wilde: "I like Wagner's music better than any other music. It is so loud that one can talk the whole time without people hearing what one says. That is a great advantage."
Mark Twain: "Wagner's music is better than it sounds"
Sources Daily Telegraph The Book of Lists
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