Birth

 

Richard Wagner was born in 1813 in Leipzig, Germany. As a young boy, he really did not show much musical talent, at least according to his piano teacher who said he would "torture the piano in a most abominable fashion"!  However, his music teacher in college was so impressed with his music talent that he waived payment.

 

 

During His Lifetime

 

It is reported that Wagner was not a nice man, chose many of his friends by what he could get out of them - especially money, and was very arrogant.  He also thought he could save the world through his music.  While his music did not save the world, he did have several devoted followers in high places, including King Ludwig II and Queen Victoria's daughter.

 

Several things happened during Wagner's lifetime that you might have heard about before today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Death

 

Richard Wagner died while on vacation in Italy at the age of 69 in 1883. After a funerary gondola carried Wagner's remains over the Grand Canal, his body was taken to Germany for burial.

 

 

 

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Type of Music

 

Wagner was a composer during the Romantic Period and is best known for his operas. While his operas are brilliant, they are also very long... about 4 hours each!  He was obsessed with wanting new types of sound for his operas so he designed some new instruments and developed the leitmotif.  A leitmotif is a recurring melody that represents a person, place, emotion, or situation.  Below is a YouTube video that describes Wagner's life, music, and leitmotif in more detail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most Famous Music

 

There are two pieces of music by Wagner that almost everyone has heard: the Bridal March from the opera Lohengrin and Ride of the Valkyries from the opera Die Walküre.  The Bridal March is known in current culture as the Wedding March and we hear it all the time at weddings.  Ride of the Valkyries, which can be heard in tv commercials and movie scenes, has always been a crowd favorite, even during Wagner's lifetime.  Fun Fact: Wagner initially opposed the use and performance of Ride of the Valkyries outside of the original opera, even going as far as to write letters of complaint to publishers who sold the sheet music as a separate work. 

 

 

 

Music in Pop Culture

 

Ride of the Valkyries has been used many, many times in popular culture.  Click Wagner's pop art portrait to see video examples.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Listening

 

These videos are great examples of Wagner's most famous music, Ride of the Valkyries and Bridal Chorus.