Opera means work in Italian and is the name given to a dramatic play set to music where the performers sing their parts accompanied or unaccompanied by music in solos called arias and two or more singers called ensembles. The sixteenth century saw the beginning of operas which started as poems sung by musicians called Camerata (“society”). In 1607 Claudio Monteverdi first used an orchestra to accompany his opera, La favola d’Orfeo, creating the modern opera we know today. (London: Octopus Publishing Group, 2008) The nineteenth century saw the rise of the Romantic era of opera whose two competing styles were Italian and German. Italian opera focused primarily on the craft of the music with popular tunes sung by the most virtuosic singers of
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However, Wagner was a narcissist, and a scoundrel. Though he and Verdi were rivals and contemporaries, Wagner made it a point to never talk or think about Verdi much. He was also a known anti-Semite, a person who did not pay his debts and an adulterer. The revolt that brought down the French monarchy in 1848 instigated revolution in Germany of which Wagner became a participant. He supported the democratic-republican movement in 1849 and drafted the Zurich essays decrying the influence of capitalism in art, and Jewishness in music. (http://www.sfcv.org/learn/composer-gallery/wagner-richard, 2012). Wagner’s most notable work ‘The Ring’ consisted of four operas ‘The Rhinegold’, ‘The Valkyrie’, ‘Siegfried’ and ‘The Twilight of the Gods’ and were designed to be played on four consecutive evenings. ‘The Ring Cycle’ demonstrates his intense sense of nationalism. Clearly evident is his use of Germanic and Norse mythology. German heroes and heroic themes are sung by heroic German voices throughout his productions. Richard used themes and music called leitmotifs to define his characters and plots developing a system that is still in use today. Notable modern composers such as John Williams, who wrote the music for ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and ‘Star Wars’, is one such person. Darth Vader is probably one of the best known uses of leitmotif, everyone knows Vader’s music. ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ is showcased in Francis Ford Coppola’s war epic ‘Apocalypse Now’. Wagner was beloved of the German Nationalist movement and earned the moniker ‘ne plus ultra’ (nothing more beyond), and was revered by the many Wagner societies that sprung up as his popularity increased until his death in 1883. (http://www.sfcv.org/learn/composer-gallery/wagner-richard,
However, Wagner was a narcissist, and a scoundrel. Though he and Verdi were rivals and contemporaries, Wagner made it a point to never talk or think about Verdi much. He was also a known anti-Semite, a person who did not pay his debts and an adulterer. The revolt that brought down the French monarchy in 1848 instigated revolution in Germany of which Wagner became a participant. He supported the democratic-republican movement in 1849 and drafted the Zurich essays decrying the influence of capitalism in art, and Jewishness in music. (http://www.sfcv.org/learn/composer-gallery/wagner-richard, 2012). Wagner’s most notable work ‘The Ring’ consisted of four operas ‘The Rhinegold’, ‘The Valkyrie’, ‘Siegfried’ and ‘The Twilight of the Gods’ and were designed to be played on four consecutive evenings. ‘The Ring Cycle’ demonstrates his intense sense of nationalism. Clearly evident is his use of Germanic and Norse mythology. German heroes and heroic themes are sung by heroic German voices throughout his productions. Richard used themes and music called leitmotifs to define his characters and plots developing a system that is still in use today. Notable modern composers such as John Williams, who wrote the music for ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ and ‘Star Wars’, is one such person. Darth Vader is probably one of the best known uses of leitmotif, everyone knows Vader’s music. ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ is showcased in Francis Ford Coppola’s war epic ‘Apocalypse Now’. Wagner was beloved of the German Nationalist movement and earned the moniker ‘ne plus ultra’ (nothing more beyond), and was revered by the many Wagner societies that sprung up as his popularity increased until his death in 1883. (http://www.sfcv.org/learn/composer-gallery/wagner-richard,