Richard Wagner
1813-1883

Opera-writer and creator of one of the best-known melodies of the world, "Here Comes the Bride", Richard Wagner was a fantastic composer of the operas. Although interested in many intellectual pursuits - politics, philosophy, debate - Wagner (according to legend) decided on a career in music after hearing the classic works of Beethoven. Born in Leizpig, Germany, he had very little training in music, unlike most other composers. Wagner's father, a clerk in the local police court, died when the bot was less than a year old. Later through his life, the boy had no encounter with music until the age of twelve, when he had a few lessons on the piano. Being quite ambitious, he immediately tried to play his favorite opera score, Weber's Der Freischütz.

Six years after the death of his stepfather, Richard studied theory on his own, at times having lessons with the local organist, beginning to compose. By that time, Wagner's sisters and a brother were already involved in opera and theatre. Their mother tried to keep Richard out of that career, aware that a career in such an area might not be successful. But, Wagner persisted, plunging into the studies of Beethoven's scores, going so far as to make a piano arrangement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. By 1830, Wagner had written an Overture in C, a Piano Sonata, and an Overture in B-flat. The latter of the three, featuring a solo timpani beat every five measures, was performed on Christmas Eve, much to the amazement and merriment of the audience.

After a long interest in becoming a layer and minorly composing, Wagner decided that it was time to start earning his living as a composer, motivated by the successes of all his works previously. He became the choirmaster at the theatre in Würzburg - a job obtained for him by his brother. As time passed, the most important year for Wagner, 1833, came along, accompanied with the completion of his first opera: Die Feen (The Faries). Although the opera was not performed until fifty years later, it was a great personal success for Wagner.

As Wagner speculated which city or country he would be most successful in, he moved whenever he thought necessary. But everywhere he went, scandal seemed to follow, as he often escaped capture for political crimes in a foreign country. Aside from his trouble's, Wagner was a man of intelligence, whose interest in many subjects carried him to different perspectives of the world. As he began composing, he stumbled upon a brick wall, in which he could not think of any music to compose that has not been composed already. Inspired by the great Beethoven, Wagner claimed to be his heir, but he had trouble saying what Beethoven had not said already. Being the thinker and philosopher he was, Wagner came up with the perfect solution, which he called "the art of the future." It combined all of the arts - music, drama, dance, painting, poetry, etc. This combination, as Wagner saw it, was possible only through opera, which he called "music drama." Wagner is often descirbed as the best psycologist to ever write music. He knew exactly what chords in what order that would attract and please the listener.

Thus, the best of Wagner's works, no doubt, are his operas, in which he though, saw, and conquered a new idea of music and opera. Today, those operas are the backbone of German opera. And so, as time blows away, and his music plays in our ears, the arguments of the "revolution" of Wagner's new perspective of music will eventually die away, enabling the listeners of today to realize the true masterpieces of Richard Wagner.

© 1999 H.Tsai

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