MUSIC 2251 Chapter Notes - Chapter 45: Gesamtkunstwerk, Leitmotif, Nibelung
3 Nov 2018
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Words may be telling us one thing, and the music may be adding something else that is more subtle. The immediate predecessor of german romantic opera was singspiel light or comic drama w spoken dialogue. Melodrama scenes w spoken dialogue or minimal singing, but striking orchestral accompaniment to intensify the dramatic effect of the words. Greatest german opera figure = richard wagner. Thought of opera as a total artwork, where music, poetry, drama, and visual spectacle came together = music drama. Leitmotifs leading motives, recur thru a work. Wagner based his musical language on chromatic harmony and dissonance. This drama inspired the lord of the rings. Very famous song, appears in movies, and tv shows. Wagner uses a foreshadowing device for later revelations. Genre = music drama: 2nd in a cycle of 4. Characters = wotan, father of the gods (bass-baritone) Valkyries = the 9 daughters of wotan.
