Opera and Drama

Opera and Drama is the largest and most important art theoretical work of Richard Wagner, which he wrote from September 1850 to February 1851 in Zurich's exile and his friend Theodor Uhlig devoted. Later he published this extensive writing in the volumes three and four of his collected writings. Richard Strauss called it " the book of all books about music."

Wagner's intention

In his writings, The Art and Revolution and The Artwork of the Future, Wagner had already complained about the decay of art and tries to identify ways an ideal art form to an inclusive arts work of art. A central role should thereby assuming the fusion of drama and music for the musical drama. Wagner divides his book into three parts:

• The opera and the essence of music
• The drama and the essence of dramatic poetry
• Poetry and music in the drama of the future

Wagner explains in the first parts of the difference between word and tone poem and defines music as the most perfect form of human language, as the culmination of the seal. The science has revealed to us the " organism of the language, but what they showed us was a dead organism, only the highest Dichternot able to revive, namely the fact that it of the wounds that cut the anatomical scalpel, the body language closes again, and breathes his breath, which animates him to self-movement but this breath is: -. ! about music "

The poet composer illustrates in addition the particular effect of alliteration and of harmonic modulation with ur - related tones, so as to be able to express greatest feeling sensations. He describes the artisanal approach to find certain sounds and tones. In this respect, Wagner has in fact developed as a " composer ", a new method to achieve the greatest possible impact on human emotions. He is the first composer to almost scientifically deals with the effect of music, much like the Berlin physicist Hermann von Helmholtz, who almost at the same time dealt with the physiological function of music and the " doctrine of the sensations of tone as a physiological basis Music " published.

Tone painting and leitmotifs

The music and harmony (as the female ) was the " birthing element ", which receives the poetic intention only as producing seeds, Wagner wrote - and further he philosophizes about the optimal functioning of an orchestra to the teaching of music and invents the concept of " tone-painting ". For the first time tries a composer the effect of music as on the drawing board " plan " to use music to " build tension resting phase of the dramatic action " in one, so as to arouse in the listener expectations and desire and to increase. The music had more appeal to the feeling as the mind of the receptive. He then comes to " melodic moments " as " feeling signpost" important elements of drama are, so that we are the " idea remember" and us "anticipates memory" allows the. Wagner shows here his "leitmotiv technique ," which he then in the Ring of the Nibelung, he began a little later, as " endless melody " so phenomenal to conveyor belts of the plot should use.

The composer Wagner argues in conclusion that an effective drama can only arise from set to music, poetry and poets and musicians have to coordinate so that a perfect musical expression is realized. " What is not value to be sung, is also not the seal worth it," he asserts logical. In a " view " suggests Wagner then the bow to the revolutionary change in the cultural landscape:

"Where now the statesman in despair, the politician lowers his hands, the socialist fruitless systems toils, and even the philosopher only suggest, but can not predict announce [ ... ] because it is the artist who with a clear eye may be seen figures as the desire to show that after only truth - demands - the people. The artist is able to design a still unformed world in advance to see [ ... ]. But his delight is release [ ... ], it is also the heart, even the senses, which he can communicate themselves. [ ... ] The producer of the artwork of the future is none other than the artists of today, the suspects the life of the future, and to be included in it craves. Those who feed this desire from out its own ability to assert themselves, who lives now in a better life - but only one can be this: -. Artist "