Richard Wagner Background, Music Facts, and Group Influences

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director and polemicist primarily known for his operas . Wagner's compositions, particularly those of his later period, are notable for their complex texture, rich harmonies and orchestration, and the elaborate use of leitmotifs: musical themes associated with individual characters, places, ideas or plot elements. Unlike most other opera composers, Wagner wrote both the music and libretto for every one of his stage works. Perhaps the two best-known extracts from his works are the Ride of the Valkyries from the opera Die...
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quick facts

Birthdate:	May 22, 1813
Birthplace:	Leipzig
Date of death:	February 13, 1883
Education:	University of Leipzig
Also known as:	R Wagner, Wagner, Wilhelm Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner Image Gallery

Cosima Wagner, 1877	Andr Gill suggesting that Wagner's music was ear-splitting. Cover of L'Eclipse 18 April 1869
Mathilde Wesendonck (1850) by Karl Ferdinand Sohn.	Wilhelmine "Minna" Planer (1835), by Alexander von Otterstedt
Ca' Vendramin Calergi, Wagner's place of death in Venice	"Parsifal vor der Gralsburg" inspired by Richard Wagner's opera Parsifal, painted in Weimar German...
Richard Wagner at Bayreuth. Liszt, who was also his father-in-law, can be seen at the piano.	Memorial bust of Richard Wagner in Venice

Film music contributed by Richard Wagner

Confession

Release date:1998

Directed by:Alexander Sokurov

Genre:Documentary

Excalibur

Release date:April 10, 1981

Directed by:John Boorman

Genre:Sword and sorcery

Estimated budget:$11,000,000

Rated:

Magic Fire

Release date:July 15, 1955

Directed by:William Dieterle

Genre:Biographical film

Record label for Richard Wagner

Decca Records

Parent company:Universal Music Group

Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades. The British label was renowned for its development of recording methods,...
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Deutsche Grammophon

Founded:1898

Founders:Emile Berliner

Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical record label which was the foundation of the future corporation to be known as PolyGram. It is now part of Universal Music Group since its acquisition and absorption of PolyGram in 1999, and it is also UMG's oldest active label. It is also the oldest...
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EMI

Founded:1931

Parent company:Time Warner

The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a British multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and was one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a...
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Written works by Richard Wagner

Das Judenthum in der Musik
Opera and Drama
Music of the Future
The flying Dutchman
Götterdämmerung

Title	Published	Genre
Das Judenthum in der Musik
Opera and Drama
Music of the Future	1860
The flying Dutchman		Musical score
Götterdämmerung		Musical score
Lohengrin		Musical score
The master-singers of Nuremberg		Musical score
My life
Parsifal		Musical score
Das Rheingold
The Rhinegold and the Valkyrie
The Rhine gold
The ring
Siegfried
Tannhaeuser
Tannhäuser and the minstrels' tournament on the Wartburg
Tannhäuser und der Saengerkrieg auf Wartburg
Tannhäuser
Tristan and Isolda
The Valkyrie
Beethoven
Das Rheingold
The diary of Richard Wagner 1865-1882
Dir Walküre
The dusk of the gods (Goetterdaemmerung)
Family letters of Richard Wagner
Letters
Letters of Richard Wagner
The letters of Richard Wagner to Anton Pusinelli
On music and drama
Richard to Minna Wagner
Richard Wagner's letters to his Dresden friends
Richard Wagner's prose works
Richard Wagner to Mathilde Wesendonck
The Ring of the Nibelung
Selected letters of Richard Wagner
The story of Bayreuth as told in the Bayreuth letters of Richard Wagner
Tannhauser
Three Wagner essays
Twilight of the Gods
Wagner on music and drama
The Wibelungen
Der Nibelungen-Mythus als Entwurf zu einem Drama
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg

Birthplace of Richard Wagner

Leipzig

Founded:1165

Population:500

Leipzig is one of the two largest cities in the federal state of Saxony, Germany. Leipzig is situated about 200 km south of Berlin at the confluence of the Weisse Elster, Pleisse and Parthe rivers at the southerly end of the North German Plain. Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated...
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Places Richard Wagner has lived

Map showing Places Lived by Richard Wagner

Marker	Location	Population
A	Venice	271,251
B	Leipzig	519,325
C	Paris	2,153,600
D	Riga	706,000
E	Bayreuth	72,935

Personal relationships of Richard Wagner

Cosima Wagner
Wed: 8/25/1870
Minna Planer
Married 29 years

Significant Other	Relationship	Date Started	Date Ended	Duration
Cosima Wagner	Marriage	Aug. 25, 1870
Minna Planer	Marriage	Nov. 26, 1836	Jan. 25, 1866	29 years

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:
What caused Richard Wagner's death?
A:
His death was caused by a myocardial infarction.
Q:
Who is credited for their influence on Richard Wagner?
A:
Heinrich Heine, Ludwig Tieck and Arthur Schopenhauer influenced Richard Wagner.
Q:
What category of music does Richard Wagner play?
A:
Songs by Richard Wagner are in the romantic music genre.
Q:
Which album titles have been released by Richard Wagner?
A:
Record albums released include:
- Der Ring des Nibelungen (Großes Symphonieorchester feat. conductor: Hans Swarowsky)
- Ring des Nibelungen (Berliner Philharmoniker feat. director: Herbert von Karajan) (disc 9: Götterdämmerung)
- Tristan und Isolde (Stein, Nilsson, Vickers)
- Parsifal (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra feat. conductor: Sir Georg Solti)
- Wagner: Highlights from "The Ring" (New York Philharmonic feat. conductor: Zubin Mehta)
- Lohengrin (Konzertvereinigung, Wiener Staatsopernchor & Wiener Philharmoniker feat. conductor: Sir Georg Solti)
- Die Walküre: 1.Akt (Wiener Philharmoniker feat. conductor: Bruno Walter)
Q:
Richard Wagner's songs were published by which record company?
A:
The record labels that Richard Wagner worked with include Decca Records.
Q:
What professions highlight Richard Wagner's career?
A:
Richard Wagner was an accomplished composer, writer, conductor and music critic.
Q:
Where did Richard Wagner go to school?
A:
Richard Wagner studied at the University of Leipzig.
Q:
Where was Richard Wagner born?
A:
Richard Wagner was born in Leipzig.