RICHARD WAGNER

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• Richard wagner was a German composer conductor writer and theatre Director who is primarily known for his operas unlike most opera composers

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• Richard wagner wrote both the music and the text for his works his compositions particularly those of his later period are notable for their complex textures rich harmonies and orchestration

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• Richard Wagner revolutionized opera through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk

CHILDHOOD

• Richard wagner was born in Leipzig Germany into a middle class family and had nine siblings his father died from typhoid fever when he was six months old and spent his childhood in Dresden and wrote his first opera at age 11

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• Richard wagner studied music in Leipzig from 1831 to 1833 and in 1836 he married the singer and actress minna planer and moved to konigsburg where he took the position of musical director at the Magdeburg theater

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• In 1837 Richard wagner moved to Riga Russia and began to work on rienzi before finishing rienzi wagner and minna left and hopped on a ship to Paris

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• When wagner was in Paris he was forced to take any job he could including writing vaudeville music for small theaters unable to produce rienzi in Paris he sent it to Dresden Germany where it was accepted in 1842

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• The following year the Flying Dutchman was produced and wagner was given the Prussian order of the red eagle and was appointed director of the Dresden opera

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• While preparing for a production of Lonengrin in Dresden the revolutionary outbreak in saxony occurred and wagner who had always been politically vocal fled to Zurich

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• Unable to enter Germany for the next 11 years because of his political stances wagner began developing what would become his famous ring cycle
• Witch consisted of four separate operas tied together by leitmotifs or recurring musical themes witch links plot elements his works would later inspire modern film including Harry Potter and lord of the rings

WAGNER WROTE THE FLYING DUTCHMAN IN 1843

WAGNER WROTE PARSIFAL IN 1882

WAGNER WROTE RIDE OF THE VALKYRIES

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