Wagner’S Biographical History

Wagner’s biographical history

The famous Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a composer who marked time, influencing the great musical currents. The influence of its composition can be seen both in melody and harmony, and in orchestration.

His ideas, proposals and way of life had both fans and detractors. It was in any case, a controversial man.

In the musical Wagner’s operas were characterized by the pronounced dilution of the shades blurring the line between singing and reciting.

Wagner’s music transports his audience to plethoric universes of heroism and voluptuousness. The strength of its composition conquers the listener, imperates him to compensate with the story that develops on stage.

Early years

Richard Wagner was born on May 22, 1813, in the city of Leipzig, Germany. He was born in a humble home. His mother was Rosima Patz, a married baker’s daughter with a police notary, Karl Friedrich Wagner. A few months after the life of little Richard, his father dies because of an epidemic of Tifus.

A short time later, his mother marries Ludwig Geyer. His stepfather being an actor, singer and painter, would influence the artistic inclination of the young Wagner. Due to Geyer’s work in a theater company in Dresde, the family moves to this city.

Wagner entered the Vizehofkantor Carl Friedrich Schmidt school in Dresde in 1817. In 1822 he enrolled in the Kreuzschule (School of the Cross) of Dresden, studied there until he was 14 years old, in this house of studies he received some piano lessons.

Richard Wagner held the name of Richard Geyer until almost fifteen years old. He changed his last name on the occasion of formalizing his entry to Nicolaischule (Nicolaíta School) of Leipzig, on January 21, 1828.

Autobiography: Mein Leben

It should be said that there is ambiguity in different biographical data from Wagner due to inconsistencies incorporated by Wagner himself in his autobiography Mein Leben (my life) that covers from the year of his birth to 51 years.

Its egolatry patent makes the text highly subjective. This autobiography was written in 1865 at the request of its benefactor King Louis II of Bavaria.

The desolation of your youth

The quantity and variety of their first compositions prove that Wagner began as a composer, with works of a wide diversity of genres. Among them there was a predominance of instrumental points that followed classic prototypes.

In 1833, when the artist was twenty years old, he began his professional career. Accept the Würzburg choir director position. His works at this initial stage were all of little budget and aimed at a provincial audience.

Being a orchestra director, in 1834, his first opera culminates: Fairies. This opera would be released up to five years after his death.

The opera "The Prohibition of Loving" (Das Liebesverbot), inspired by Shakespeare’s texts, premiered in 1836 in Magdeburg. This same year he married actress Minna Planer.

In April 1837, Minna abandons him for another man temporarily. He returns with him, but the marriage that will remain for three decades will not be happy.

At this time, Wagner began his revolutionary ideas. There is the opinion that his ideas were inspiring to Hitler’s nacismo. At present, his musical work is vetoed in Israel.

It was a time of abundant in economic and loving problems. His habits of games, alcohol and spree prevented any economic recovery. In 1839, the great flow of debts accumulated by Wagner forced him to flee from the country, to Paris. The composer would not step on Germany until 1842.

His stay in Paris was a failure. He even paid a short time in jail, because of his creditors. Despite having translated his French librettos and giving some auditions, he failed to release any of his operas. He worked regularly as a arranger of music from other composers.

Wagner as a writer

Between 1840 to 1842, some of Wagner’s most important essays were published that dealt with historical and theoretical issues of much interest to the artist throughout his life.

Wagner was also a very competent journalist. At this time, numerous reviews of Parisian musical events came to publish in the German press.