The Wagner Operas

The Wagner Operas
Author: Ernest Newman
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 412
Release: 1991-10-13
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780691027166

In this classic guide, the foremost Wagner expert of our century discusses ten of Wagner's most beloved operas, illuminates their key themes and the myths and literary sources behind the librettos, and demonstrates how the composer's style changed from work to work. Acclaimed as the most complete and intellectually satisfying analysis of the Wagner operas, the book has met with unreserved enthusiasm from specialist and casual music lover alike. Here, available for the first time in a single paperback volume, is the perfect companion for listening to, or attending, The Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, Tristan and Isolde, Die Meistersinger, the four operas of the Ring Cycle, and Parsifal. Newman enriches his treatment of the stories, texts, and music of the operas with biographical and historical materials from the store of knowledge that he acquired while completing his numerous books on Wagner, including the magisterial Life of Richard Wagner. The text of The Wagner Operas is filled with hundreds of musical examples from the scores, and all the important leitmotifs and their interrelationships are made clear in Newman's lucid prose. "This is as fine an introduction as any ever written about a major composer's masterpieces. Newman outlines with unfailing clarity and astuteness each opera's dramatic sources, and he takes the student through the completed opera, step by step, with all manner of incidental insight along the way."--Robert Bailey, New York University

Stories of the Wagner Opera

Stories of the Wagner Opera
Author: H. A. Guerber
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 125
Release: 2023-08-22
Genre: Music
ISBN:

In 'Stories of the Wagner Opera' by H. A. Guerber, readers are taken on a journey through the intricate and captivating world of Richard Wagner's operas. Guerber's writing style is both informative and engaging, providing detailed retellings of the plots of Wagner's most famous operas such as 'The Ring of the Nibelung' and 'Tristan and Isolde'. The book also delves into the historical and cultural context of Wagner's works, offering readers a deeper understanding of the significance of these operas in the world of classical music. Guerber's clear and concise writing makes this book accessible to both opera aficionados and newcomers alike. Through his storytelling, Guerber brings to life the magic and drama of Wagner's operas, making this book a must-read for anyone interested in the world of classical music. H. A. Guerber's expertise and passion for the subject shine through in 'Stories of the Wagner Opera', making it a valuable addition to any music lover's library.

The Stories of Wagner's Operas

The Stories of Wagner's Operas
Author: Richard Wagner
Publisher: Palala Press
Total Pages: 334
Release: 2016-05-03
Genre:
ISBN: 9781355295488

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work.This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music

Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music
Author: Alex Ross
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Total Pages: 784
Release: 2020-09-15
Genre: Music
ISBN: 000751851X

’An absolutely masterly work’ Stephen Fry Alex Ross, renowned author of the international bestseller The Rest Is Noise, reveals how Richard Wagner became the proving ground for modern art and politics—an aesthetic war zone where the Western world wrestled with its capacity for beauty and violence.

Wagner and the Erotic Impulse

Wagner and the Erotic Impulse
Author: Laurence Dreyfus
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 285
Release: 2010-12
Genre: History
ISBN: 0674018818

Though his image is tarnished today by unrepentant anti-Semitism, Richard Wagner (1813–1883) was better known in the nineteenth century for his provocative musical eroticism. In this illuminating study of the composer and his works, Laurence Dreyfus shows how Wagner’s obsession with sexuality prefigured the composition of operas such as Tannhäuser, Die Walküre, Tristan und Isolde, and Parsifal. Daring to represent erotic stimulation, passionate ecstasy, and the torment of sexual desire, Wagner sparked intense reactions from figures like Baudelaire, Clara Schumann, Nietzsche, and Nordau, whose verbal tributes and censures disclose what was transmitted when music represented sex. Wagner himself saw the cultivation of an erotic high style as central to his art, especially after devising an anti-philosophical response to Schopenhauer’s “metaphysics of sexual love.” A reluctant eroticist, Wagner masked his personal compulsion to cross-dress in pink satin and drench himself in rose perfumes while simultaneously incorporating his silk fetish and love of floral scents into his librettos. His affection for dominant females and surprising regard for homosexual love likewise enable some striking portraits in his operas. In the end, Wagner’s achievement was to have fashioned an oeuvre which explored his sexual yearnings as much as it conveyed—as never before—how music could act on erotic impulse.

Bayreuth

Bayreuth
Author: Frederic Spotts
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 348
Release: 1994-01-01
Genre: Music
ISBN: 9780300066654

Providing an overall account of the history of the Wagner festival, a critical analysis of its performers, productions, and enthusiasts establishes its remarkable beginnings, controversial associations, and surprising successes

The Ring of the Nibelung

The Ring of the Nibelung
Author: Richard Wagner
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 708
Release: 2018-07-26
Genre: Music
ISBN: 0241305861

A superb new translation of one of the greatest nineteenth century poems: the libretto to Wagner's Ring cycle The scale and grandeur of Wagner's The Ring of the Nibelung has no precedent and no successor. It preoccupied Wagner for much of his adult life and revolutionized the nature of opera, the orchestra, the demands on singers and on the audience itself. The four operas-The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie, Siegfried and Twilight of the Gods - are complete worlds, conjuring up extraordinary mythological landscapes through sound as much as staging. Wagner wrote the entire libretto before embarking on the music. Discarding the grand choruses and bravura duets central to most operas, he used the largest musical forces in the context often of only a handful of singers on stage. The words were essential: he was telling a story and making an argument in a way that required absolute attention to what was said. The libretto for The Ring lies at the heart of nineteenth century culture. It is in itself a work of power and grandeur and it had an incalculable effect on European and specifically German culture. John Deathridge's superb new translation, with notes and a fascinating introduction, is essential for anyone who wishes to get to grips with one of the great musical experiences.

Stories from Wagner's Operas

Stories from Wagner's Operas
Author: Gladys Davidson
Publisher: Read Books Ltd
Total Pages: 106
Release: 2017-09-06
Genre: Music
ISBN: 1473340950

This vintage book contains a collection of stories based upon Wagner's operas told by Gladys Davidson. Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813 - 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly famous for his operas. These masterfully retold stories are highly recommended for all fans of Wagner's work and would make for worthy additions to any collection. Contents include: "The Flying Dutchman (Der Fliegende Hollaender)", "Tannhauser", "Lohengrin", "Tristan and Isolda", "The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg)", "The Nibelungs' Ring. (Der Ring der Nibelungen)", "The Rhinegold", "The Valkyrie (Der Walkuere)", et cetera. Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. We are republishing this volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with its original artwork and text.