Richard Wagner - Twilight Of The Gods - 1365 Words

Richard Wagner - Twilight of the Gods (Gotterdammerung) http://www.biography.com/people/richard-wagner-9521202 †¢ Wagner birth name is Wilhelm Richard Wagner, he was one of the most influential and controversial composers; born May 22, 1813 in Leipzig, Germany and died of a heart attack on February 13, 1883 in Venice, Italy. He is known for writing serveral complex operas, At the age of 21, he wrote his first opera â€Å"The Fairies†. It is sid that his music was played at a concentration camp named Dachau to â€Å"re-educate† the prisoners. Unfortunately, Wagner was uncertain of who his father was. It was either Friedrich Wagner, a police actuary (someone who deals with insurance) or Ldwig Geyer, he was a poet, an actor, and even referred to as his stepfather. Geyer eventually married Wagner’s mother in 1814, where he legally became his stepfather. While attending school, Wagner’s said that his ability to play the piano was not good but Richard was an ambitious child. In 1831, Wagner attended Leipzig University, where he performed in his first symphony in 1833. Beethoven was his inspiration, in particular, his Ninth Symphony. In 1834, he becamse a chorus master at the Wà ¼rzburg Theater and where he wrote text and music of his first opera, Die Feen (The Fairies). Richard Wagner married, Minna Planer, a singer and actress, in 1836. The couple soon moved to Konigsberg, the capital of the former German province of East Prussia, where he was a music director at theShow MoreRelatedRichard Wagner and Opera Essay821 Words   |  4 PagesRichard Wagner and Opera One of the key figures in the history of opera, Wagner was largely responsible for altering its orientation in the nineteenth century. His program of artistic reform accelerated the trend towards organically conceived, through-composed structures, as well as influencing the development of the orchestra, of a new breed of singer, and of various aspects of theatrical practice. As the most influential composer during the second half of the nineteenth century,