Richard Wagner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Wagner
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Wagner in 1871
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| Born |
22 May 1813
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| Baptised | Leipzig |
| Died | 13 February 1883 (aged 69) |
| Occupation | Composer of operas |
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Richard Wagner (born May 22, 1813, in Leipzig; died February 13, 1883, in Venice) was a famous German opera composer. He is known as one of the most important opera composers of the Romantic period in Germany.
Wagner wrote ten operas that are still performed often today. He always wrote the words, or librettos, for his operas himself. His operas often tell stories from German mythology.
Wagner changed how people thought about opera. He believed the drama (the story and its emotions) was very important. He made his music tell the story using "leitmotifs." These were short musical ideas or melodies that represented specific characters or ideas. His music was also very chromatic, meaning it used many sharps and flats and changed keys often. This made his music sound very new and exciting.
He even built his own opera house in Bayreuth, Germany. Musicians from all over Europe wanted to visit Bayreuth to hear his music. The Wagner festival still happens there every year.
Contents
Wagner's Early Life
Becoming a Composer
Richard Wagner studied at the University of Leipzig. He worked very hard on his music, even though he lived a wild life. He studied the music of Beethoven, especially his symphonies.
In 1833, Wagner's own symphony was performed in Leipzig. He wrote his first opera, Die Feen (The Fairies), in Würzburg. He became a conductor for a traveling opera group. In 1836, he married a singer named Minna Planer. His second opera, Das Liebesverbot, was not successful.
Moving to Paris and Dresden
Wagner often spent more money than he had. Because he owed money, he moved to Paris for three years. He was very poor there and struggled to find success.
Despite his struggles, he wrote two important operas: Rienzi in 1841 and Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) soon after. The Flying Dutchman is still a favorite among opera fans today. It was first performed in Dresden in 1843.
Wagner became the court opera composer in Dresden and worked hard to improve opera performances. In 1845, he wrote another great opera, Tannhäuser. People slowly began to understand how Wagner's music told the story's drama.
Years Away from Germany
Living in Switzerland
In 1848, Wagner finished his opera Lohengrin. However, it was not performed right away. Wagner had supported the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states. To avoid being arrested, he escaped to Switzerland with help from Franz Liszt.
Wagner lived in Zürich until 1858. There, he wrote about music and studied stories from Norse mythology. He started planning a huge series of four operas based on these myths. This project would take him over 25 years to finish. These four operas are known as Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).
The four operas in the Ring cycle are:
- Das Rheingold (The Rhinegold)
- Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)
- Siegfried
- Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)
These operas tell one long, connected story. Wagner called them "music dramas." They use leitmotifs, where musical ideas represent characters or feelings, helping the story unfold.
By 1857, Wagner had written the first two Ring operas and part of Siegfried. He stopped working on Siegfried for a while because he knew there was no opera house big enough to perform his new works. During this time, he wrote Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde), an opera about an unhappy love story.
Later Career
New Support and New Operas
Wagner also wrote a comedy opera called Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersinger of Nűrnberg). It is set in medieval Germany and is about a song contest.
By 1864, Wagner was in debt again. He had to leave Stuttgart to avoid prison. Then, he had a big stroke of luck. The new king of Bavaria, Ludwig II, who was only 18, loved Wagner's music. King Ludwig invited Wagner to finish the Ring cycle. He gave Wagner a place to live and money.
Wagner's new operas were performed in Munich:
- Tristan und Isolde in 1865
- Die Meistersinger von Nűrnberg in 1868
- Das Rheingold in 1869
- Die Walkűre in 1870
People were sometimes upset with Wagner because he was often in debt, even with the king's help. He also fell in love with Cosima, the daughter of composer Franz Liszt. Cosima was married to Hans von Bülow, who conducted Wagner's operas. Cosima divorced von Bülow in 1870 and married Wagner that same year.
Building His Own Opera House
Wagner continued working on the Ring cycle. He realized these four operas needed a very special opera house. So, he designed his own. He raised money by traveling and conducting. King Ludwig also gave him a lot of money.
Wagner built his opera house in Bayreuth. He also got a beautiful new house there, which he named Wahnfried. The name means "Peace from the mad world."
Finally, the complete Ring cycle of four operas was performed in August 1876 at the new Bayreuth Festspielhaus. The third and fourth operas, Siegfried and Götterdämmerung, were performed for the first time.
Wagner lived the rest of his life at Wahnfried. He traveled to London and Italy. He wrote his last opera, Parsifal, which has a very spiritual feeling. Its story is connected to the legends of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. Wagner died of a heart attack in Venice and was buried at Wahnfried.
Wagner's Impact on Music
Wagner had a huge impact on music. Many composers copied his harmonies or were inspired by them. His music helped orchestras become much bigger. For example, his operas often needed four of each woodwind instrument, plus special instruments like the bass clarinet and Wagner tubas.
His ideas about music drama were very important. His music is always developing, like a symphony, which helps tell the story of the opera.
Wagner's writings included some negative views about Jewish composers. These views were part of some existing ideas in Germany during the 1800s.
Wagner died long before the Nazis came to power. However, his family later made connections with the Nazis. Their actions helped create a situation where Jewish artists were removed from their jobs after 1933.
When Hitler became leader in the 1930s, he liked Wagner's music. He thought it represented German culture. After World War II, Wagner's music was sometimes wrongly linked to the Nazis. Even though Wagner wrote some negative things about Jewish composers, he also praised Felix Mendelssohn and had some Jewish friends. Wagner's music is played very rarely in Israel. In 2001, Daniel Barenboim caused controversy by conducting Wagner's music at a festival in Jerusalem.
Images for kids
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Wagner's birthplace, at 3, the Brühl, Leipzig
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Wilhelmine "Minna" Planer (1835), by Alexander von Otterstedt
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Wagner around 1840, by Ernest Benedikt Kietz
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Warrant for the arrest of Richard Wagner, issued on May 16, 1849
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Portrait of Mathilde Wesendonck (1850) by Karl Ferdinand Sohn
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Wagner in Paris, 1861
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Portrait of Ludwig II of Bavaria around the time he first met Wagner, by Ferdinand von Piloty, 1865
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Richard and Cosima Wagner, photographed in 1872
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The Bayreuth Festspielhaus: photo from around 1895
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The Wagner grave in the Wahnfried garden; Cosima's ashes were placed here in 1977
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Opening of the overture to Der fliegende Holländer in Wagner's own handwriting
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Brünnhilde the Valkyrie, as illustrated by Arthur Rackham (1910)
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André Gill suggesting that Wagner's music was ear-splitting. Cover of L'Éclipse April 18, 1869
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Gustav Mahler in 1907, by Moritz Nähr
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Friedrich Nietzsche in 1882, by Gustav-Adolf Schultze
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Eduard Hanslick
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See also
In Spanish: Richard Wagner para niños
