Text a richard wagner

In 1851 Richard Wagner became fired with the idea of a new opera. The subject was to be the ancient Teutonic Nibelungs’ Saga about Siegfried. By the time when the last two parts of his great cycle “Siegfried” and “The Dusk of the Gods” were ready in their main outlines, Wagner discovered that he had still to show Siegfried's origin in “The Valkyrie” and this in turn he felt it necessary to introduce by means of a prologue which was in itself to take up a whole evening, “The Rhinegold”. Thus the poem of “The Nibelungs’ Ring” was written backwards, though it was afterwards composed in the right order, with a long interruption. Wagner first systematically employed “leading motives”, these themes which he used throughout a work to underline the dramatic interplay of the various characters, things or ideas they represent, and which he learnt to change, develop and connect with the skill of a great symphonic writer.

The interruption came in 1857. The cause was partly human and partly artistic. First Wagner was attracted by Mathilde Wesendonk, the wife of his wealthy German friend. It was Mathilde, or at any rate, his yearning for her, which suggested to him the idea of writing a music-drama on the story of Tristan and Isolde. He wrote the poem of “Tristan and Isolde” in August 1857, and the composition was finished in the same month two years later.

In January of 1862 Wagner finished the poem of “The Mastersingers of Nuremberg” and in March he began its composition at the quiet little town of Biebrich on the Rhine.

In 1864 the young King Ludwig II of Bavaria invited Wagner to the Bavarian court as his personal friend and artistic adviser. One of the first things Wagner did in Munich was to engage the admirable young conductor Hans von Bulow, a great admirer of his work, to the Bavarian Court Opera. Bülow's wife, Cosima, a highly intelligent woman was Liszt's daughter. It was now, at Munich, that she became the next and the most fateful woman to cross Wagner's path. Because of his extravagant behaviour Wagner found many enemies in Munich. King Ludwig was obliged to ask him to leave Munich for a time. The opponents had won: Wagner never returned.

He took refuge in Switzerland. Cosima left her husband and followed Wagner. Here in 1868 he resumed the composition of “Siegfried” where he had left it eleven years before.

In 1871 Wagner found, at the small town of Bayreuth in Bavaria, the ideal site for the festival theatre he was planning for the production of the “Ring”, which he didn't want to offer piecemeal to various opera houses, to be produced as they might think fit. It was to be given only as a complete cycle under his personal supervision. He had to do a great deal of scheming and to collect money by conducting in many towns concerts of selections from his works. The foundation-stone of the theatre was laid on his fifty-ninth birthday, May 22nd 1872. Once or twice the scheme nearly collapsed, but clever advertising and a large loan from King Ludwig saved it. Active preparations for the “Ring” production began in 1874, even before “The Dusk of the Gods” was fully scored, and went on for two years. Eventually, after the most painstaking and devoted labours on the part of all concerned, the first cycle was staged on August 13th – 17th 1876, and repeated twice that year. Distinguished musicians and other celebrities came to Bayreuth from all over Europe.

Proper Names

Richard Wagner [‘rihArt ‘vRgnq]

Nibelungs [‘nJbqluNqz]

Siegfried [‘zJkfrJt]

“The Valkyrie” […’vxlkqri]

Mathilde Wesendonk [mq‘tildq ‘vezqndONk]

“Tristan and Isolde” [‘tristxn qnd i‘zOld]

Nuremberg [‘njuqrqmbWg]

Biebrich [‘bJbrih]

the Rhine […rQin]

Bavaria [bq‘vFqriq]

Hans von Bülow [‘hxns fOn ‘bHlOv]

Cosima [kou’zJmq]

Munich [‘mjHnik]

Switzerland [‘switsqlend]

Bayreuth [‘bQiroit]