Richard Wagner 1813 1883 Wagners Life Born in

Richard Wagner 1813 -1883

Wagner’s Life • Born in Leipzig, Germany on May 22 nd, 1813 • Showed little aptitude for music, but wrote a play at 13 and then started music lessons. • Created the “leitmotif” which is a musical part used to represent a character or theme in an opera. Hollywood uses this technique often. • He is most well known for his epic operas and enormous orchestras. He also wrote his own libretto’s (words), which was rare at the time. • A special theater had to be created to accommodate his large works. • His most well known opera “The Ring Cycle” took 26 years to complete. • Wagner died of a heart attack in February 1883 while in Venice, Italy. It is rumored it was because of an argument with his wife about his interest in another woman.

Wagner’s Controversies • He was a well known anti-Semite and was said to be Hitler’s favorite composer. (Yikes!) • He was exiled to Switzerland after being a part of an unsuccessful uprising with the socialist German nationalists (which later became the Nazi’s). • He cheated on his wife, got divorced, remarried, and cheated even more. • His wife attempted to burn all copies of his autobiography so people wouldn’t see his insulting remarks about his fellow composers. • He was in debt most of his life until King Ludwig II wiped it all away because he was such a fan.

Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) • Das Rheingold (Rhinegold) • A dwarf named Alberich seizes the gold of the Rhine (a river) and denounces love to get the magic ring which gives ultimate power. (Sound familiar? ) • Wotan (the ruler of gods) must give his wife’s sister Freia to the giants who built Valhalla. He doesn’t want to, so promises the ring of power instead. • Wotan finds Alberich and tricks him into transforming into a toad. • Alberich puts a curse on the ring; whoever owns it will be killed and have it stolen, and everyone else will desire it. • Die Walkure (The Valkyries) • Siegmund (Wotan’s illegitimate son) is fleeing from enemies. He seeks shelter with Sieglinde, whom he falls in love with. He then find out that she is his twin sister!! • Wotan’s Valkyrie daughter Brunnhilde is ordered to make sure Siegmund dies so as to please Wotan’s wife Fricka. She disobeys, but Wotan shows up and disables Siegmund, and he dies. • Sieglinde is pregnant with Siegmund’s baby. Brunnhilde is cursed by Wotan to sleep on a mountain surrounded by flames. Only the bravest of heroes will be able to save her.

Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring Cycle) • Siegfried, the son of Siegmund and Sieglinde, has been raised by Alberich’s brother Mime wishes for the ring, and forges the sword Nothung which was used by Siegmund. • The dragon that holds the ring (one of the giants transformed) is killed by Siegfried takes the ring. • Siegfried defeats Wotan (in disguise) at the mountaintop and wakes Brunnhilde. Wotan escapes and the two fall in love. • Gotterdammerung (The Twilight of the Gods) • Siegfried gives Brunnhilde the ring before going off on adventures. • He is tricked into drinking a love potion by the lord of the Gibichungs, Gunther, and falls in love with Gutrune, his sister. He is then ordered to find and kidnap Brunnhilde to be Gunther’s wife. • Hagen, Albreich’s son and advisor to Gunther, convinces Gunther and the now betrayed Brunnhilde to kill Siegfried. • Siegfried is murdered, Hagen kills Gunther, and Brunnhilde gives the ring back to the Rhinemaidens. • Valhalla is destroyed as the curse of the ring claims Wotan and the other gods.