Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig on May 22, 1813, in the home of an art-loving police officer. His father died less than half a year after his birth. The next summer, my mother remarried Ludwig Gaillard, an accomplished theater actor, and the family moved to Dresden. Wagner's stepfather worked in a theater in Dresden. As a child, Wagner was free to go to the theater and was often immersed in the theater stage. As time went by, the fire of drama creation gradually ignited in the young mind of this future dramatist. When Wagner was 14 years old, he actually wrote a five-act tragedy "Leibald and Adelaida". Although this play clearly bears the mark of Shakespeare's tragedy, as a juvenile study, it is indeed amazing. Wagner did not receive systematic music education too early. He did not start learning piano until he was 11 years old. After listening to the opera "Shooter" directed by Weber himself, his interest in music shifted from piano to opera. The real driving force that made Wagner determined to embark on the road of music was Beethoven's music. In 1828, Wagner heard Beethoven's works for the first time at a concert at the Leipzig Gewandhaus. The passionate and enterprising music shocked Wagner. For the first time, he felt the greatness of music and the infinite power contained in music. In 1829, Wagner watched Beethoven's opera "Fidelio" at the Leipzig Theater. The epic and majestic music made him unable to escape the attraction of this art. Wagner was determined to compose music, and with Beethoven as his guiding light, he embarked on a journey to explore the art of music.
In order to enable himself to become a real musician, Wagner studied harmony and counterpoint in 1831 with Tievodo Weiliger, a musician in the Thomas Church. His eager thirst for knowledge prompted him to master these theories in a very short period of time and put them into practice. In 1832, Wagner composed the "Symphony in C Major". Due to the success of this piece performed in Leipzig, Wagner's status in the music industry improved. The opportunities that followed brought him a new change in his music career. In 1833, Wagner was invited by the Würzburg Theater to serve as its choral conductor. Soon he served as conductor at the K?nigsberg and Riga Opera Houses. This gave him the opportunity to be exposed to a wide range of opera works, and through performance practice, he gradually explored the special laws of opera art and the artistic styles of different genres of opera that were popular at the time. Working at the Opera House gave Wagner a wealth of practical experience. He not only improved his conducting ability, but also accumulated a lot of perceptual knowledge in opera creation. During this period he wrote two operas: "The Slave Girl" and "Forbidden Love." Although these two works were relatively naive, they opened the door to Wagner's lifelong career in opera creation. While working at the K?nigsberg Theater, Wagner married the operatic actress Mina Planer.
Wagner came to Paris in 1839. Paris was one of the centers of European culture at that time, and Wagner had long admired this land. And hope to display his artistic talents here. But contrary to expectations, he was completely buried in the "ocean" of talented people. Wagner did not have the right to perform his works and could only survive by copying scores. The three years in Paris were the poorest period of Wagner's life. He once had holes in the soles of his shoes and was unable to go out because he couldn't afford new shoes. He couldn't afford even the cheapest razor and was often hungry. In his autobiography "My Life", Wagner once wrote the following sad memory: "One day, I came to the edge of poverty. Because I was really penniless, I ran out of the house very early, I walked all the way to Paris. Since I had no money to buy a ticket, I kept hoping to get five francs, so I wandered the streets of Paris until dusk. , we have to walk back to Milton as before."
The poor life and harsh environment did not frustrate Wagner's determination to create.
He worked day and night, and in just three years, he completed two operas, an overture and several songs with amazing perseverance.
He made extensive contacts with cultural celebrities in society to broaden his artistic horizons. Composers Liszt, Berlioz and poet Heine were all close friends of Wagner.
At the beginning of 1842, the Dresden Opera House was preparing to rehearse the opera "Rienzi" that Wagner had completed in Paris, so Wagner returned to China and devoted himself to this work. In April of the same year, "Rienzi" premiered at the Dresden Theater and achieved unprecedented success. Wagner became famous in one fell swoop, which enabled him to experience material and spiritual satisfaction for the first time in his life. The success of "Rion" aroused the interest of the Dresden Theater in Wagner, and his other two operas "The Flying Dutchman" and "Tannh?user" were also staged at the theater. During this period, Wagner was also appointed conductor of the Dresden Theater.
In 1848, the situation of the German bourgeois revolution was very high, and Watana devoted himself to this revolution with great enthusiasm. He published an article titled "Revolution" in the "People's Daily", describing the revolution as a great goddess: "She galloped on Pan Fengnen's wings, holding her illuminated head high, her right hand Holding a sword and a torch in his left hand, his eyes are dark, cold and angry, but for those who dare to face this bleak gaze, it emits the light of the purest love." Wagner not only spoke impassionedly, but also devoted himself to the revolution with his pen and ink. , and devoted himself to the front line of the battle. He took part in a street defense battle in Dresden in May 1849. At that time, there was heavy artillery fire and the situation was very critical. Regardless of the safety of his life, Wagner joined the soldiers in fighting back against the government troops. During the battle, Wagner also braved the hail of bullets to post revolutionary leaflets on walls and fences, and also stood on Krestoft Tower for two days and nights. As a result, the revolution was suppressed and Wagner was hunted. Warrants for the arrest of Wagner can be seen everywhere in the streets of Dresden: "The local royal musician Richard Wagner should be tried by law for participating in the local riots, but so far he has not been tried. Special." Please draw the attention of all police agencies to the above circumstances and request that if Wagner himself is found in the area under your jurisdiction, he should be arrested immediately and informed to our office."
In this way, Wagner had to flee Dresden. In Weimar, with Liszt's help, he obtained a forged passport, left Germany, and fled to Zurich, Switzerland.
In the autumn of 1849, Wagner came to Zurich and began his twelve years of exile. At that time, he had no fixed salary and relied on support from friends and a small amount of other income to support himself. But Wagner was profligate by nature, so within five years of arriving in Switzerland, he incurred a huge debt of 10,000 francs. Soon, Wagner was invited by the London Philharmonic Society to conduct eight concerts in London, earning very little at one time. This was a big blow to the debt-ridden Wagner, who angrily compared London to a "hell". In his first few years abroad, Wagner was not only poor and miserable, but also plagued by illness. Between 1852 and 1855, he contracted malaria and erysipelas. These two serious illnesses severely damaged Wagner's body. In a letter to his friend Ulrich, he said that the pain was unbearable and almost destroyed him.
Although Wagner's life was very difficult in his first few years in Switzerland, he had some luck. In Zurich, on the one hand, he was engaged in theoretical writing and composing music; on the other hand, in order to maintain his livelihood, he devoted most of his energy to his conducting career. He actively participated in the performance activities of the "Popular Music Association". In addition to conducting, he also wrote some enlightening explanations for Beethoven's works and his own opera overtures. Waggang has attracted a large number of admirers due to his extensive participation in concert activities. They gave Wagner various financial and public support. Among these people, there was an industrialist couple who became Wagner's closest friends during his stay in Switzerland. They are Mathilde Wesendonck, the wife of Otto Chengsenshikega.
In February 1852, Wagner conducted Beethoven's works at a concert organized by the "Popular Music Society". The Wesendoncks who were present at the time were deeply moved after listening to the works conducted by Wagner. They were fascinated by Wagner's conducting art and got to know Wagner through a German fugitive lawyer. Otto Wesendonck was a rich man in the silk business. At the same time, he was also a rational person who truly understood art. In order to help Wagner get out of the financial difficulties at that time, Otto Wiesendonk, who had strong financial resources, gave Wagner a loan of 7,000 francs and provided him with many selfless aids in other ways. In early 1853, Wagner hosted the three-day "Zurich Music Festival", most of which was paid for by Otto. In life, Otto repeatedly paid for Wagner's vacation travel, which enabled him to broaden his horizons during his exile. Otto not only supported Wagner financially, but a few years later he also bought a house built next to his home for Wagner to live in. In the spring of 1857, after Wagner moved into this new house, he immediately wrote to Liszt about the joy that the new living environment brought to him. He wrote: "The work table is placed in front of a large window, and you can see the lake and the Alps outside. It is really beautiful."
Wagner was also famous for his relationship with Mrs. Mathilde Wiesendonk. Gain spiritual comfort from being like-minded. Mathilde is a young and beautiful woman with high cultural attainment and certain insights into philosophy, literature, and music. Wagner admired this unusual woman very much and often appeared in Mathilde's living room between five and six o'clock in the evening. Therefore, Wagner jokingly called himself the "twilight guest". He introduced Mathilde as a confidant and often discussed art and life with her. On the basis of the same beliefs and artistic hobbies, they established an increasingly profound friendship. Wagner composed one in June 1853. "Sonata in E flat major" was dedicated to Mrs. Wesendonck; he also wrote the words "G.S.M" ("Blessings to Mathilde") on the margin page of the prelude to the opera "Valkyrie" as a dedication to the song. Their extremely deep friendship was also condensed during the creation of the opera "Tristan and Isolde". In the years after leaving the Wesendoncks, Wagner once wrote in a letter to Mathilde: "I will always be sincerely grateful to you for the completion of "Tristan"!" Wagner and Cheng Sendong Kefugawa's relationship lasted six years, a period he calls his "flowering days." In April 1858, Wagner's wife Mina secretly opened and read a letter from him to Mathilde, which caused a turmoil in the Wesendonck family. From then on, Wagner's situation was very difficult. He couldn't bear the endless quarrels, and finally left the residence of the Wiesendoncks and his wife on August 17 and moved to Venice.
Wagner lived in Venice for seven months. At the end of the summer of 1859, after he completed all the creation of "Tristan and Isolde", he left Venice and came to Paris for the second time. While in Paris, he ran around trying to get permission to return to his country. After more than a year of hard work, Wagner finally returned to his motherland.
Shortly after Varina returned to the country, he came to Biberich on the Rhine and began to compose the opera "Meistersinger of Nuremberg". Due to the increasingly poor economic situation, he had to conduct music in big cities such as Leipzig and Vienna. Yes, relying on meager income to maintain life. In 1863, Wagner went to Russia to hold a concert, which was performed in Petersburg and Moscow. The performance was a great success and earned a considerable income. However, he fell into trouble again soon after returning to China. His financial resources were cut off, his income from concerts was extremely small, and his property was confiscated by his creditors. Wagner became a miserable wanderer, and his life almost reached the point of despair. He wrote in his diary: "I am finished, I will disappear from this world." However, at the end of his life, Wagner encountered good luck.
On the afternoon of May 4, 1864, Wagner was invited to Munich to meet King Louis II of Bavaria. Louis II was an ardent admirer of Wagner's music.
Ever since he watched "Lohengrin" in Vienna, he began to long for Wagner day and night. One day, the secretary-general of the palace asked the king what he sincerely wished for. The king replied without thinking that he hoped to meet the composer Richard Wagner, and claimed that this was the greatest wish in his life. When Wagner appeared in front of the king, Louis II was like meeting an old friend reunited after a long separation. He hugged Wagner tightly and said: "Brother Wagner, who is as amazing as a god! You are the person I have been looking for for a long time. I understand you." Art. Holy master of song, I am closely united with you in the depths of my heart!" Louis II's infatuation with Wagner gave Wagner a treatment he had never experienced in his life. In compliance with the king's wishes, Wagner moved into a villa near Munich, not far from his summer residence on Lake Steinberg. The king helped Wagner pay off all his debts and provided for all his needs. The friendship with Louis II made Wagner rise from the edge of despair and become an unimpeded success. In order to create with peace of mind, Wagner went to Switzerland again in 1866. After a year of hard work, the opera "Meistersinger of Nuremberg" was finally completed. The opera premiered in Sch?nig on June 21, 1868, with the famous musician and Wagner's friend Bulow as the conductor. Louis II attended the first performance ceremony and invited Wagner to his box to watch the first performance of the opera side by side. At the end of the second and third acts, Wagner was in the king's box, returning the applause of the audience.
After the opera ended, Wagner returned to Switzerland from Munich. He spent another four years there, until 1872, when he left Tripperching, Switzerland, in order to build the Barrette Theatre. The construction of the Bayrett Theater was one of the most significant events in the second half of Wagner's life, and it was closely connected with Wagner's lifelong career.
Wagner appeared in the history of music as a reformer of opera art. He fought for his artistic ideals with his unswerving spirit and indomitable strength. He opposed the empty vocal techniques that were common in Italian operas at that time, and also opposed the superficial effects of French grand operas at that time. He advocated that music should be organically combined with drama, and opera should promote progressive social ideals. Wagner created a new art form - musical theatre.
Before 1849, when Wagner created the three operas "The Flying Dutchman", "Tannhauser" and "Lohengrin", he had already begun to practice his ideals of opera reform. In 1849 Years later, during the first few years of his exile in Switzerland, Wagner thought theoretically and aesthetically about the ideal of opera reform. He successively wrote "Art and Revolution" (1849), "Future Works of Art" (1850), "Opera and Drama" (1851) and other works, as well as the libretto for three operas ("The Wandering"). "The Dutchman", "Tannh?user", "Lohengrin") and the preface "Letter to a Friend" (1851). In these theoretical works, Wagner clarified his artistic views and ideas on opera reform. It profoundly reflects the great courage of a reformer. He pointed out in his book "Art and Revolution": "Art is always a good mirror of the social system." "Only on the shoulders of our great social movements can real art emerge from the state of civilized barbarism. "Opera and Drama" is the most important aesthetic work in Wagner's life. In this work, he elaborated on the artistic ideal of integrating multiple arts into one. He called his musical "The Drama of the Future." What should be a means of expression has become an end, and drama, which should be an end, has become a means. He believes that in future operas, music and drama will develop continuously and not as individual pieces. Interrupted.
Wagner’s ideas on opera reform were the guiding ideology of his lifelong career. He successively created eight operas, which implemented his theory of opera reform to varying degrees.
In order to realize his ideals, Wagner had always dreamed of building a new theater that could meet the requirements of his musical performances. After years of hard work, ground was finally broken in 1872 in Bayrette, a small town in Bavaria.
As early as the early autumn of 1837, when the 24-year-old Wagner was the conductor of the Riga Theater, he had the idea of ??building a theater. Due to financial problems and more than ten years of fleeing abroad, the matter was not put on the agenda until 1864. In 1864, when King Louis II of Bavaria summoned Wagner in Munich, he showed him that he was the monarch who could realize his ideals. Therefore, the famous architect Guote Zengper was hired to design a sketch and decided to build it in Munich. The design was perfect, and it satisfied both Wagner and the king. However, because the construction of the theater required a huge amount of money, this plan was unanimously opposed by Bavolian government officials. Therefore, the hope of building a theater in Munich was short-lived and came to nothing.
In 1871, at the suggestion of his friend and conductor Hans Bülow, Wagner took his wife (later wife) Cosima to the town of Byret to watch. Byret left a very good impression on Wagner. He said in a letter to a friend: "The environment of Byret is completely in line with my hopes. I finally decided to live here and then let me realize myself here." Great plan. "Wagner's plan is very popular with Byret residents, who eagerly hope that the plan can be realized as soon as possible. Due to the will of the people, all aspects of work are proceeding very smoothly. Following the advice of his friend, the talented pianist Taojig, Wagner prepared to issue three hundred dallas of support securities to raise funds. Taojig put this plan into action in 1871, but was unable to complete it because he died midway. However, this initiative has been inherited. In the "Wagner Society" in Mannheim and other cities including abroad, some Wagner admirers followed suit and finally raised 300,000 marks, equivalent to 300,000 marks of the total budget. one third. These included the King of Egypt donating 10,000 marks, Hans Bülow donating 40,000 marks from his concert proceeds, and Wagner donating 47,000 marks from his own concerts. On May 22, 1872, Wagner’s 59th birthday, the theater’s groundbreaking ceremony was held grandly in Bayreth. Wagner spoke at the banquet; and conducted a commemorative performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. The project encountered a crisis midway because the funds were exhausted. It was not until the beginning of 1874 that King Louis II of Bavaria pledged 300,000 marks, plus Wagner's income of 170,000 marks from his own concerts, to ensure that the project went smoothly.
In April 1874, the Wagner family moved to Byret and lived in a villa named "Dream Villa". The villa was very close to the theater. Wagner was always watching the construction process of the theater and actively prepared performances to celebrate the completion of the theater. In 1875, before the theater was completed, singers gathered in Bayreth to rehearse "The Ring of the Nibelung". In August 1876, Wagner finally realized his long-cherished wish, and the three plays "The Ring of the Nibelung" were performed for the first time at the newly built Baishat Theater. The completion of the theater and the performance of this opera attracted people from all walks of life to Byfoot. German Emperor Wilhelm I, Brazilian Emperor Peter II, and Bavaria King Louis II all attended the performance. Famous musicians from many countries also came to celebrate and watch. Liszt came from Weimar, Saint-Sa?ns from Paris, and Tchaikovsky came from Russia.
After the completion of the Byret Theater, Wagner began to create his last opera "Parsifal". This is a religious mystery drama by Ichiro. It profoundly reflects the negative worldview of Wagner's late conversion to religion. Wagner wrote a paper entitled "Art and Religion" in the early 1980s. In his paper, he asserted that music can only become a true art if it is combined with religion. "Parsifal" is an artistic practice guided by this theory.
After 1879, due to his health, Wagner spent four consecutive winters in Italy.
In the spring of 1881, Wagner went to Berlin to participate in the performance of "The Mysterious Dusk". Amidst the cheers, he suddenly turned pale and hurriedly retreated into the lounge. Waves of severe heart pain threatened his life. Wagner survived, but his health declined. In 1882, Wagner returned to Bayreuth, where he participated in the premiere of "Parsifal" and conducted the final performance in person. Later, Wagner returned to Venice to recuperate, but eventually suffered a recurrence of heart disease and failed to treat the disease. He died in Venice on February 13, 1883.
Wagner's body was transported to Bayreuth via Munich. At two o'clock in the afternoon on February 16, a special train carrying Wagner and his family left Munich. At every station along the way, countless people gathered to pray silently. At night, at the Munich station, there were thousands of Wagner admirers waiting with torches in their hands; when the car drove out of the station, hundreds of hanging flags hung down. Play the funeral march from Wagner's masterpiece "G?tterd?mmerung". When the train arrived at Baijat, huge wails filled the station. Black hanging flags were hung in front of every house, and street lamps were covered with cloth. A huge funeral procession passed slowly through the streets. News of Wagner's death quickly spread around the world, and condolences flew in from all directions. Verdi was extremely sad after learning the bad news. He wrote in a letter to a friend, "Sad! Sad! Sad! Wagner is dead!!! The big man has disappeared, the name that left great traces in the history of culture!!! "The sculptor Oxda used plaster to engrave the remains of the deceased. Wagner's wife Hosima suffered a heart attack, so she cut off a lock of blond hair and placed it in the coffin to accompany her husband forever.
Wagner's operas and other works
Opera:
Die Hochzeit (1832, Leipzig 1838)
Die Feen (1833) -34, Munich 1888)
Das Liebesverbot (Die Novize von Palermo) (1834-36, Magdeburg 1836)
Rienzi, the last tribune of Rome, der Letzte der Tribunen (1837-40, Dresden 1842)
Der fliegende Hollaender (1840-41, Dresden) Tannhaeuser und der Saengerkrieg auf Wartburg (1842-45, Dresden 1845)
Lohengrin (1845- 48, Weimar 1850)
Tristan und Isolde (1856-59, Munich 1865)
Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg (1845- 67, Munich 1868)
The Ring des Nibelungen: Three Days and an Eve (Bayreuth 1876)
The Night Before: The Gold of the Rhine* Vorabend: Das Rheingold (1851-54, Munich 1869)
The first Japanese drama: Die Walkuere* Erster Tag: Die Walkuere (1851-56, Munich 1870)
The second Japanese drama: Siegfried* Zweiter Tag: Siegfried (1851-71, Bayreuth 1876)
Third Day Drama: Twilight of the Gods* Dritter Tag: Goetterdaemmerung (1848-1874, Bayreuth 1876)
Parsifal (1865-82, Bayreuth 1882)
Other works: "Siegfried's Idyll", five "Wesendonck Lieds", etc.
Main music treatises: "Art and Revolution", "Future Works of Art", "Opera and Drama"