Richard Wagner (REE-kard VAHG-ner)
Born May 22, 1813 in Leipzig, Germany
Died February 13, 1883
Nationality: German
Period/Style: Romantic
About the composer:
Do you know what it means to be a ‘groundbreaker?’ It’s someone who does something that’s never been done before, or something that’s always been done, but it in a whole new way. Well, Richard Wagner was a groundbreaker when it came to opera. For one thing, he used “leitmotifs” (LITE-mo-teefs) which are short little tunes associated with a particular character, place or situation in the story. For example, every time the character “Siegfried” would appear on stage, the orchestra would play his little tune or leitmotif. Every time the castle was mentioned, the castle’s leitmotif was played by the orchestra. Wagner’s operas were also very long and dramatic stories about the struggle between good and evil, between the physical and spiritual, and between selfishness and love. An opera is a large stage production like a play, with costumes and elaborate sets, except that all of the dialog is sung instead of spoken and the singing is accompanied by an orchestra that is in the ‘orchestra pit’ just below the stage. Wagner wrote some of the greatest operas of all time. He was very interested in history and literature, which were the themes or inspiration of many of his operas.
About the music:
Pilgrims’ Chorus from “Tannhauser” (5 min)
Operas often contain very beautiful choruses, sung by a large number of people onstage. In the opera “Tannhauser” (TAAHN-hoy-zer), the Pilgrims’ chorus is one of the highlights of the opera.
Overture to “Rienzi (ree-ENN-zee)” (11-13 min)
An overture is a piece of orchestral music that is played by the orchestra (in the pit below the stage) just before the curtain opens and the action begins. In the overture the composer helps the audience prepare by playing tunes or pieces of tunes that will be heard later on, probably sung, during the opera. The overture helps set the tone for the story that is to come. The opera “Rienzi” is hardly ever performed anymore because it’s so long – over six hours! But the overture is still played often by orchestras and it’s an audience favorite because of its beauty and high-spirited energy!
Suggested activities:
If you had a leitmotif (a tune you’d like people to associate with you), what would it be?