Wagner's opera reform: principles, results, examples

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Richard Wagner is one of the greatest figures in the history of the development of musical art. His monumental ideas significantly supplemented the world of culture with new concepts. He became famous as a brilliant composer, talented conductor, poet, playwright, publicist and connoisseur of the theatrical genre. Thanks to his titanic efforts, large-scale scope of creative thought and incredible will, he managed not only to create a number of the greatest works, but also to a significant extent transform the world of art.

Overview of the composer's opera work

The creative legacy of the German genius is truly enormous. The composer wrote symphonic works, ensembles for string quartet, wind instruments, violin and piano, vocal compositions with orchestra accompaniment, as well as without accompaniment, choirs, marches. However, operas are considered the most significant layer of his creative heritage.

Operas:

1. "Wedding" (details).
2. "Fairies" - based on the fairy tale "Snake Woman" by Gozzi.
3. "Prohibition of love,or Novice from Palermo" - based on Shakespeare's comedy "Measure for Measure".
4. "Rienzi, the Last of the Tribunes" - based on the novel of the same name by E. Bulwer-Lytton.
5. "The Flying Dutchman" based on the short story by H. Heine "Memoirs of Herr von Schnabelevopsky" and based on the fairy tale by Hauf "The Ship of Ghosts".
6. "Tannhäuser and the Wartburg Singing Competition" - based on medieval legends.
7. "Lohengrin" - according to the plots of medieval sagas.
8. Cycle "Ring of the Nibelung" ("Gold of the Rhine", "Valkyrie", "Siegfried", "Death of the Gods") - libretto based on the Scandinavian epic Edda and the Middle High German epic Nibelungenlied.
9. "Tristan and Isolde" - based on the Celtic saga of Gottfried of Strasbourg.
10. "Meistersingers of Nuremberg" - according to the Nuremberg Chronicle of the 16th century, the libretto of the operas "Hans Sachs" and "The Gunsmith" by Lortzing was used.
11. "Parsifal" is a mystery opera based on the Middle High German epic poem by Wolfram von Eschenbach.

The essence of the opera reform of the innovator composer

The process of translating the original concepts was carried out consistently, and the evolution of art in Wagner's work took place gradually. Transforming the usual direction, the composer seeks to create a universal genre, combining dramatic staging, vocal component and poetic content. One of the ideas of the Wagnerian reform was to achieveunity of music and drama.

In addition, the main idea of Wagner was to achieve a continuous flow of musical action. Composers who created operas earlier combined many separate numbers in one work: arias, duets, dances. According to Wagner, operas written on this principle lacked integrity and continuity. The musical canvas in his works is a continuous sound, which is not interrupted by separate inserts in the form of arias, recitatives or replicas. Music is constantly updated, not returning to the past. The composer transforms duets into dialogues that do not use the simultaneous singing of two vocalists.

Wagner Symphonism

One of the main ideas of the composer was a deep and comprehensive disclosure of the musical and dramatic concept of the work. Therefore, he applied various methods of artistic expression, expanding the possibilities that existed at that time. The principles of Wagner's operatic reform were reflected in the character of the orchestra.

The Richard Wagner Symphony Orchestra represents one of the highest achievements of 19th century music. This composer can truly be called a born symphonist. He greatly expanded the possibilities and timbre variety of the orchestra. In terms of the number of musicians, the Wagner orchestra surpasses the composition of the usual orchestra at that time. The group of brass instruments and stringed instruments has increased. In some operas, 4 tubas, a bass trumpet, a contrabass trombone, and also six harps appear. ATin such monumental works as the Ring of the Nibelung cycle, eight horns sound.

Wagner also made a huge contribution to program symphonism. His orchestra has been compared to a choir in antiquity, which conveyed a deep mysterious meaning, commenting on what was happening on stage.

Harmonic features

The radical rethinking of the opera genre also affected the harmonic content. Wagner also attaches great importance to the chord content. He takes classical harmony as a basis, which was introduced by representatives of the Viennese school and early romanticism, and expands its possibilities, complementing it with chromatic shades and modal alterations. These nuances significantly enrich the musical palette. In addition, he tries to avoid direct resolution of dissonant harmonies into consonances, adds modulation development, which gives tension, energy and rapid movement to the climax.

A characteristic leitharmony appears in Wagner's works, namely the tristan chord f-h-dis¹-gis^{1. It sounds in the opera "Tristan and Isolde", as well as in the theme of fate in the tetralogy "Kolio Nibelungen". In the future, this chord appears in the work of other composers of the late Romantic period.}

Leitmotif technique

Another striking feature of Wagner's operatic reform is the use of the leitmotif in dramatic works. Thanks to this technique, program pieces take on a new manifestation.

A leitmotif is a musical pattern that illustrates a certain character, phenomenon, prevailing mood or dramatic scene. This theme outlines the character of the hero or event. The leitmotif can be repeated during the sounding of the work, reminding of a particular character.

The composer himself did not use the term "leitmotif". This name was introduced by the German musicologist Friedrich Wilhelm Jens while researching Weber's operas. In the future, the reception of the leitmotif was displayed in the literature. By analogy with music, with the help of this artistic method, a certain character or event is illustrated, reappearing in the course of further narration.

Music Continuity

One of the main ideas of the innovative composer was the fusion of leitmotif elements into a single continuous musical canvas. It gives the impression of a continuous melodic development. This is achieved due to the lack of support on the main steps of tonality, the incompleteness of each element, the gradual increase in emotional intensity and a smooth transition from one topic to another.

The same idea of Wagner's operatic reform also affected the dramatic side. Trying to bring what is happening on the stage as close as possible to the authenticity of real life events, the composer adheres to a through development, combining the acts of one work.

Poetry and music

Wagner's operatic reform also touched upon the text content of dramatic vocal works. One of the main questions that worried the composer was the combination of words andopera musical accompaniment. This genre combines two directions: a play built according to the laws of dramaturgy and a work that obeys its own principles for the development of a musical form.

Predecessor composers considered the text of the opera as an aid. Music has always been considered the predominant element of opera. At the beginning of his career, Wagner also believed that the text of the opera interfered with the musical content of the work. In his article "On the Essence of German Music" the composer stated:

Here, in the realm of instrumental music, the composer, free from all alien and fettering influences, is able to come closest to the ideal of art; here, where he involuntarily turns to the means of only his art, he is forced to remain within its limits.

Despite the fact that Wagner preferred mainly instrumental music, the limits dictated by the laws of these genres significantly limited the scale of his creative aspirations. The composer considered music to be the highest manifestation, but he understood the need to create a new direction that would unite the advantages of all types of art. Throughout his life, Wagner adhered to the principles of artistic universality.

Like his predecessor, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Wagner paid special attention to the opera's libretto. He only started composing music when the lyrics were polished and polished to perfection.

Updating the myth

In his operatic work, Wagner almost neverused scenes of everyday life and everyday life. The composer considered myths and legends to be the best source of literary background for dramatic works. They contain eternal ideas and universal values. Moreover, Wagner combined several legends in one opera, creating a new large-scale epic creation.

Philosophical work "Opera and Drama"

In addition to creating musical works, Wagner is the author of 16 volumes of journalistic and literary works. He made a significant contribution not only to the development of opera, but also to philosophy and art theory.

One of the most significant philosophical and aesthetic works of Wagner was the book "Opera and Drama". The main idea of the book boils down to the following: the main mistake of the opera is that music, which should be an auxiliary tool, has turned into an end. And the drama faded into the background. With its historical development, the operatic genre turned into a combination of disparate fragments: duets, tercetes, arias and dances. Instead of being a grand vision, it has become a means of entertaining a bored audience.

The composer writes that the poetic text of an opera cannot become a perfect drama without proper musical accompaniment. But not every plot is combined with a melody. He considers myth and folk fantasy to be the best basis for the poetic filling of dramatic works. It is these stories, harmoniously combined with music, that make the strongest impression on the listeners. ByAccording to Wagner, the myth hides in itself eternal ideals, devoid of everything accidental and transient.

Results of the composer's idea

The results of Wagner's operatic reform significantly changed the world of music. His ideas were later firmly rooted in the work of his followers. Summing up, we can name the main characteristic features of the transformation of this direction:

• predominance of recitative;
• development of symphony;
• leitmotif;
• continuous flow of music and rejection of individual completed numbers;
• expression of philosophical concepts of mystical symbolism.

In the process of developing creativity, the composer's ideas were carried out consistently. From one work to another, the ideas of Wagner's operatic reform were gradually realized. The example of the opera "Lohengrin" clearly shows the embodiment of the main principles, such as continuous musical development, the interweaving of leitmotifs, the unity of dramatic expression, the foundations of program symphonism.

Wagner's influence on the further development of musical art

The influence of Wagner's operatic reform was later reflected in the work of other composers. Its principles appear in the works of Claude Debussy, Richard Strauss, Arnold Schoenberg, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. As for Tchaikovsky, Verdi and Rachmaninov, the reflection of Wagnerian principles in their works remains controversial, as these representatives of romanticism sought to distance themselves from them. However, at some points one feelsparallels with the ideas of opera reform.