Richar Wagner: The innovator
p>Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883) is not only one of the most influential composers of the 19th Century but probably one, if not the, most influential artists in the history of the world. I know that that is quite a claim, but if you examine his career and how it encompassed literature, stage techniques, conducting and even architecture you will see how great his influence was. I will consider some of his works and their enormous merits.
Lohengrin was written in 1850 and is probably the best example of his early works. It is a grand opera through and through owing a lot to Meyerbeer. Despite adhering to this form it was still looking forward to the future and shows Wagner's burgeoning style. Lohengrin is rife with religious mysticism. Many operas featured religious themes but Wagner always focused on the mystery of faith- a theme that he would revisit over thirty years later while writing Parsifal.
So how did Wagner learn his style. He was not the prodigy that Mendelssohn was. He was an average student and showed only marginal promise as a musician when he was younger. A performance of Fidelio turned him onto live opera when he was young. The strong character of Leonore would serve as a model for all of his heroines whose characteristics include a strong sense of will over inexorably difficult circumstances. Elsa, the main character in Lohengrin, embodies these qualities and shows the link very well. Both roles call for a soprano with a Mozartian legato line and spinto reserves. And despite the German subject matter it is incredibly Italianate. There is an opera cd featuring the great Renata Tebaldi. She makes Wagner's music sound like Verdi.
We have talked about Wagner's composing style and a little bit about his libretti. His influence in music does not stop there. He wanted control of every aspect of his art form. He changed the shape of the tuba to fit his specifications and even went as far as to redo the design for the typical opera house. His greatest innovation was the idea of covering the orchestra pit at the Bayreuther Festspiele in Germany. The result is that the audience never sees the orchestra during the opera. Although I enjoy watching a great conductor at work, when you got to Bayreuth you realize what a diversion of your attention it is. The covered pit also benefits the sound. Everywhere in the house, the orchestra; sound is blended. Single instruments do not come through, instead they blend the sound into one living and breathing being. Lastly it mutes the massive orchestra so that it is slightly more manageable for singer's voices to ride over the orchestra. It is a pity that this innovation never caught on in other theaters.
Wagner's most innovative work by far is Tristan und Isolde. Written in 1865, it turned the musical world on its ear. In four hours Wagner manages to obscure traditional ideas about tonality. He does this primarily by delaying the resolution to the tonic almost indefinitely (there are only about five cadences in the whole work.) I do not think that Wagner set out to write this work with the intent of destroying tonality as many have accused him of doing. He wanted a tonal color to convey the longing of the two main characters. The resolution of the chord becomes a metaphor for the delayed gratification. The payoff of the Liebestod at the end then makes the ultimate resolution all the more satisfying.
Ultimately Richard Wagner will be remembered as a great composer. He was a master of almost every aspect of theater and his influence can still be felt today.
Lohengrin was written in 1850 and is probably the best example of his early works. It is a grand opera through and through owing a lot to Meyerbeer. Despite adhering to this form it was still looking forward to the future and shows Wagner's burgeoning style. Lohengrin is rife with religious mysticism. Many operas featured religious themes but Wagner always focused on the mystery of faith- a theme that he would revisit over thirty years later while writing Parsifal.
So how did Wagner learn his style. He was not the prodigy that Mendelssohn was. He was an average student and showed only marginal promise as a musician when he was younger. A performance of Fidelio turned him onto live opera when he was young. The strong character of Leonore would serve as a model for all of his heroines whose characteristics include a strong sense of will over inexorably difficult circumstances. Elsa, the main character in Lohengrin, embodies these qualities and shows the link very well. Both roles call for a soprano with a Mozartian legato line and spinto reserves. And despite the German subject matter it is incredibly Italianate. There is an opera cd featuring the great Renata Tebaldi. She makes Wagner's music sound like Verdi.
We have talked about Wagner's composing style and a little bit about his libretti. His influence in music does not stop there. He wanted control of every aspect of his art form. He changed the shape of the tuba to fit his specifications and even went as far as to redo the design for the typical opera house. His greatest innovation was the idea of covering the orchestra pit at the Bayreuther Festspiele in Germany. The result is that the audience never sees the orchestra during the opera. Although I enjoy watching a great conductor at work, when you got to Bayreuth you realize what a diversion of your attention it is. The covered pit also benefits the sound. Everywhere in the house, the orchestra; sound is blended. Single instruments do not come through, instead they blend the sound into one living and breathing being. Lastly it mutes the massive orchestra so that it is slightly more manageable for singer's voices to ride over the orchestra. It is a pity that this innovation never caught on in other theaters.
Wagner's most innovative work by far is Tristan und Isolde. Written in 1865, it turned the musical world on its ear. In four hours Wagner manages to obscure traditional ideas about tonality. He does this primarily by delaying the resolution to the tonic almost indefinitely (there are only about five cadences in the whole work.) I do not think that Wagner set out to write this work with the intent of destroying tonality as many have accused him of doing. He wanted a tonal color to convey the longing of the two main characters. The resolution of the chord becomes a metaphor for the delayed gratification. The payoff of the Liebestod at the end then makes the ultimate resolution all the more satisfying.
Ultimately Richard Wagner will be remembered as a great composer. He was a master of almost every aspect of theater and his influence can still be felt today.
