Wilhelm Richard Wagner Part 1

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was born on May 22, 1813 in Leipzig. Wagner was introduced to music at a young age and began his musical studies in 1831. Early on, he was intrigued by historical tragedies and, by extension, opera, both because of his family and his personal curiosity. It was a popular musical genre in the nineteenth century, and the German tradition had a lot to give in terms of material.

He began to read Shakespeare and Goethe, and in 1827 he created his first play, "Leubald ". Wagner's early career was exceptionally difficult, and he himself was a fiery spirit. He did not handle his resources well, and as a result, he spent the majority of his life being pursued by creditors while indulging in extravagant pleasures. However, composing was one of the few constants in his life.

The years that followed were particularly fruitful, as he completed the opera "Rienzi" in 1840, inspired by Bulwer Lytton's book of the same name, "The Flying Dutchman" in 1843, the maritime story of a mythical ship doomed to travel until the Second Coming, and Tannhäuser in 1845, which was well received by the public. He begins writing The Ring of the Nibelungen, his largest and most ambitious work, inspired by the same German tale that Tolkien would later use to compose The Lord of the Rings. It is broken into four sections and will take 26 years to complete.

The "Rienzi" is regarded as Wagner's first recognized success, a fact that contributed greatly to his career's upward trend and, more importantly, to the awareness of his name and works.