German Opera of the Nineteenth Century: Weber and Wagner

1
Chapter 55

• German Opera of the Nineteenth Century Weber
  and Wagner

2
Lecture Overview

• Opera in the Classical Period (review)
• Characteristics of Singspiel
• Carl Maria von Weber
• life and music
• Der Freischütz, Wolf Glens Scene
• Richard Wagner
• life and music
• theories for the renovation of opera
• The Ring operas the text and its meaning
• Das Rheingold, Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla
• Review

3
The Life of Carl Maria von Weber (17861826)

• 1786 born in a small German town near Hamburg
• 1803 travels to Vienna to study with Michael
  Haydn
• 1804 holds first conducting position, in opera
  theater in Breslau
• 1817 conductor of German opera theater in
  Dresden
• 1821 completes Der Freischütz, his most
  successful opera
• 1826 dies in London, where he had traveled to
  see premiere of his opera Oberon

4
The Principal Compositions of Carl Maria von
Weber

• Operas including
• Der Freischütz
• Euryanthe
• Oberon
• Orchestra symphonies (2), overtures, concertos
  (2 for clarinet, 2 for piano)
• Piano sonatas, character pieces, variations
• Songs about 80
• Chorus masses, pieces for male chorus

5
Principal Characters in Webers Opera Der
Freischütz (1821)

• Max (tenor)
• the hero, a forester
• Agathe (soprano)
• Maxs beloved, daughter of the head forester,
  Cuno
• Caspar (bass)
• a forester, rival of Max
• Samiel (speaking role)
• the devil, or black huntsman

6
Carl Maria von Weber, Der Freischütz, 1821,
conclusion of the finale to Act 2 (Wolfs Glen
Scene)
Through-composed form
7
The Life of Richard Wagner (18111883)

• 1811 born in Leipzig, grows up in Dresden
• 1832 composes first opera
• 1834 begins career of conductor in opera
• theaters
• 1839 moves to Paris to advance his career
• 1842 first success Rienzi performed in
• Dresden, hired there as conductor
• 1849 flees to Zurich following an uprising
• in Dresden
• 1859 separation from wife, period of
• travel begins
• 1864 invited to Munich by King Ludwig II
• of Bavaria
• 1865 returns to Switzerland, near Lucerne
• 1872 moves to Bayreuth, construction of festival
  theater
• 1876 premiere of Der Ring des Nibelungen
• 1883 dies in Venice, buried in Bayreuth

8
Principal Compositions by Richard Wagner

• Operas
• Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman)
• Tannhäuser
• Lohengrin
• Der Ring des Nibelungen
• Das Rheingold (The Rhine Gold)
• Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)
• Siegfried
• Götterdämmerung (Twilight of the Gods)
• Tristan und Isolde
• Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers
  of Nuremberg)
• Parsifal
• Orchestra overtures, marches, early symphonies,
  Siegfried Idyll for chamber orchestra
• Songs include the Five Poems for Female Voice
  to texts by Mathilde Wesendonk
• Piano early sonatas and character pieces
  (especially Albumblätter)

9
Wagners Theories for Operatic Reform

• elevate the quality of the text
• draw stories from myths
• mingle poetry, music, and dance as equals to
  create an integrated drama
• diminish the importance of flamboyant, virtuosic
  singing
• eliminate musical numbers in favor of greater
  continuity
• make the orchestra expressive and symphonic,
  especially through symbolic motives

10
Bayreuth

• Since late in the nineteenth century, the town of
  Bayreuth (pronounced by-ROIT) in central
  Germany has been synonymous with the art of
  Richard Wagner. In 1872 Wagner constructed a
  theater here to be devoted exclusively to the
  performance of his own works. In the summer of
  1876 the building was complete and Wagner oversaw
  the first festival, with complete performances of
  his Der Ring des Nibelungen. The festivals have
  continued to the present day.
• The theater itself is utilitarian in appearance,
  although acoustically superb. The orchestra
  plays in a deeply sunken and recessed pit, making
  it invisible to the audience and allowing a
  better balance with the voices.

11
Characters in Wagners Opera Das Rheingold (1854)

• Rhinemaidens
• mermaids who live in the Rhine River, creatures
  of nature
• Nibelung
• creatures who live in the earth, enslaved by the
  ruthless Alberich, one of their own
• Gods
• led by Wotan, also Fricka (his wife), Freia (her
  sister), Loge (Wotans advisor), Donner (his
  enforcer). Erda is the primal god of the earth
• Giants
• dull laborers who have built Valhalla

12
Richard Wagner, Das Rheingold, 1854, Entrance of
the Gods into Valhalla
Through-composed form
13
Review Key Terms

• Singspiel
• Friedrich Kind
• romantic opera
• Wolfs Glen Scene
• melodrama (in opera)
• Bayreuth
• total work of art (Gesamtkunstwerk)
• music of the future
• music drama
• Valhalla
• Wagner tuba
• leitmotive