Romantic-Contemporary History 26 September 2017

Wagner

Learning outcomes
After this session, you will be able to:
- describe early artistic influences on Wagner
- explain Wagner’s concept of the ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’
- talk about the significance of the ‘Tristan Chord’
- describe the innovations and significant features of ‘The Ring’ cycle
- discuss the issues surrounding Wagner and anti-semitism
- describe the ‘War of the Romantics’: what it was about, and who was involved.

Weber -1786 - 1826

Innovations that foreshadow Wagner
Freischutz – opera, important aspects is use of keys with an association (C maj with good
characters), association w other musical elements w other ideas (one character represented
by diminished 7 chord)

Term coined by Weber’s biographer

Leitmotif – describes Webers use of musical elements to represent something in use of a
narrative

Meyerbeer
Dates – 1791 - 1864

His religion
Jewish

His success
Born into wealth. Began to compose opera, was very successful. A lot of success was in French,
writing French grand opera, even tho he was german. Notable bc French is very particular of
their arts, and idea of foreigner coming in and writing French grand opera was weird.

His early relationship with Wagner

He was a cheerleader of Wagner, and Meyerbeer helped promote wagner. To make it in opera
since its so expensive to put on an opera, you needed blessing of person who already
successful, this was Meyerbeer for wagner.
Wagner
Dates – 1813 - 1883

Two early influences

Young wagner was taken to theater a lot by father. As teen, his aspiration was to be a
playwright.
Also when young heard beethovens 7th and 9th symphs

Got married in 1836 to singer, minna. Rocky, passionate relationship, both terrible w money.

First period of exile from Germany

Dates 1839 - 1842
Reason for exile
A lot of debt

Feelings upon return

Rienzi (an opera) was premiered in Dresden bc Meyerbeer really promoted that idea.
It was a success and they eventually returned. Extraordinary feeling of homecoming when
Wagner came back.

Second exile
Dates – 1849 - 1858
Reason for exile
Involved in political uprising. Warrant issued for wagners arrest so he fled.
During this time he was in Switzerland.

Wagner’s state of mind during this period

Still in great debt. Forced in exhile from beloved homeland. Had great success but also some
failures. Struggling to make it still. Dark state of mind.
Meyerbeer had an opera of his premiered called The Prophet that was extremely successful,
which didn’t help wagners state of mind.

Three important essays from this time

1. "The Artwork of the Future" (1849)
Content
Idea that opera should be seamless combination of music and drama (both are of equal
importance). Despising French grand opera, all about showing off singers, nothing to do w
actual human drama, there to entertain bored rich ppl.

‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ – term found in this essay

“complete art work”
Basically his word to describe perfect fusion of music, drama, emotion on stage.
2. "Judaism in Music" (1850)
Content
(originally published under a fake name) – republished under own name 15 years later after
he gained success. Provoking a number demonstrations at Wagner’s performances.
Very clear anti-jewish sentiment (first work to display this). Jewish no connection to the
German people, their writing is shallow and artificial. Specifically mentioned Mendelssohn (M
lost one of Wagners scores)

Modern issues surrounding Wagner and anti-semitism

Hitler was a huge fan of Wagner’s music. Hed force ppl to come to performances of wagner.
One of wagner sons, seigfried, his wife, winnifred. Passed on legacy of wagner to winnifred
(wagner died, then his wife, then his son) and she was a personal friend of Hitler. Wagner’s
music became closely associated with the Nazis. His music still not played in Israel.

3. "Opera and Drama" (1851)

Content
Creating a musical drama in which that drama was performed over a number of successive
evenings. That is basically the ring cycle. Idea of getting away from the word opera and taking
about drama.
1864 met king Ludwig II, one of southern german kingdoms, he was young only 18. Developed
a infatuation on Wagner, and he took advantage of that to get a lot of money out of him to get
out of debt and pay for performances.

The premiere of Tristan and Isolde

Date 1865

Conductor
Hans von Bulow, (he was piano player, student of liszt, married liszts daughter, cosima),

Personal circumstance surrounding the premiere

Wagner was having an affair with cosima. Same year as premier, cosima gave birth to child
(wagner’s) named Isolde.
The Tristan Chord
Features F, B, D#, G#, unstable, could have a number of different identities., doesn’t resolve
(goes to another dissonance which also doesn’t resolve)

Interpretations
The beginning of modern music.

1866 – Minna dies, doesn’t go to her funeral, Cosima asked von bulow for divorce, he only
agreed after having two more children of wagner. (Eva, Seigfried). Wagner and cosima end up
marrying. 1869 – republishing of Judaism in music.

The premiere of The Ring

Location – Bayreuth, village in Germany, specifically designed theatre for his work.

Date 1876

Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)

Made up of these for operas;
Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold)
Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)
Siegfried
Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods) – 5 hours long

Overall length
15 hours.

Innovations
Rich style, very complex, large orchestral forces. Orchestra used as participant in drama.
Instrumentation, commissioned new instrument called Wagner tuba. Use of anvils. Tonality,
progressive tonality, piece not in a set key, it moves around to different key centers. Concept
of four works over successive nights form one work. Wrote the libretto himself (instead of
working with someone). Leitmotif (allows orchestra to play a role in the drama).

The War of the Romantics

Rough dates – 1850s-60s

The two sides

Conservatives – (Mendelssohns ghost), Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, Brahms, Joachim,
Moscheles
New German School – Berlioz (French), Liszt (Hungarian), Wagner; called new GERMAN
school because Brendel describe these three as new german artists and coined this term, they
were all taught by german masters

How did the situation become polarized?

Brendel bought the the NZM (magazine that schumann created), He published wagners Jewish
in music article Bashing mendelssohn. Since Mendelssohn founded Leipzig conservatory, and
Schumann went there, Joachim, brendel, and moscheles went there. These ppl became against
wagner.

The differing philosophies of the two sides

Both groups idolized Beethoven. Conservative side wanted to revere Beethoven revive his
legacy, New german school wanted to progress his legacy.