MusicSmiles.com
The Worlds of Gilbert and Sullivan

Richard Wilhelm Wagner was born in Leipzig, Germany, in 1813. He died in Venice after a series of heart attacks in 1883. He was unique in that he was a composer, poet and author, who significantly changed the course of music during his lifetime.

He wrote his first symphony when he was only 19, and also his first opera (which he destroyed). Like many other composers he was inspired by Shakespeare, and based his 2nd opera - Das Leibesverbot - on Measure for Measure.

Wagner married the actress Minna Planer. They lived in poverty in Paris, doing musical hack work and writing articles. Later they returned to Dresden where his work took off with success. But he sided with the revolutionaries in Dresden, only avoiding arrest by fleeing to Liszt in Weimar, then on to settle in Zürich.

Constantly in financial difficulties, he was helped by merchant Otto Wesendonck, and repaid him by having an affair with his wife Mathilde (who inspired his great opera Tristan und Isolde - declared 'unperformable' in Vienna). His own wife left him, but they reunited later. In Paris he tried to withdraw his opera Tannhäuser after riots instigated by the Jockey Club.

Richard had immense influence on other composers of his day. including our own Arthur Sullivan. One of these was Antonin Dvorak.

Or shall we listen now to his famous  Bridal Chorus . . .?

( Click number to view statistics > > >). Scribe thanks all our  223,547 MusicSmiles visitors up to beginning of September, 2010. 

You may find our special effects work best with Microsoft Internet Explorer