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藝術家

Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner is a central figure in the history of opera,and one of the most influential composers in the Western musical tradition. Initially self-taught, he later studied briefly at Leipzig University. His early career involved working as a chorus master and conductor in various German opera houses.

At the heart of Wagner’s oeuvre are his operas, which he termed ‘music

At the heart of Wagner’s oeuvre are his operas, which he termed ‘music dramas’, and for which he wrote both the music and librettos. His innovations included the use of leitmotifs (recurring musical themes associated with characters or ideas), an expanded harmonic language, and the concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art), which sought to unify all elements of operatic production. His ideas and music, articulated in such famous works as the four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen and Tristan und Isolde, have had an enduring influence on later composers and continue to be both celebrated and controversial today.