Richard Wagner Nationalism

Words: 1333
Pages: 6
Open Document
Discuss how Wagner conveys his nationalistic concept of German virtues through Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg - Speech of Hans Sachs.

Nationalism constitutes a “belief which, in the course of the nineteenth century, became the governing idea without always being held by those in government…”(Miles, “Nationalism and it’s effect on the Romantic Era”). This was a majorly influential factor in the music of the romantic period, both conceptually and musically. Along with being a great factor in shaping romantic music as we know it today, it was also a powerful political tool, used to communicate ones political opinions and agendas. One such example of nationalistic composers was Richard Wagner. Through his music, Wagner portrayed the good and the …show more content…
This was largely influenced by his personal political, philosophical and nationalist ideologies. Wagner was, till his very last breath, “radically critical of the society he knew, and never from a right-wing point of view” (Magee, “Wagner and Philosophy: Excerpts”). He was stereotypically perceived to be “jingoistically nationalistic” i.e. an extremely aggressive patriotic nationalist, a racist and a propagator of anti-semitism and a quintessential right-winger. However, German nationalism was not always a right-wing propaganda. This implies that Wagner was deemed as and was always a radically left-wing thinker. Although, Wagner lived long before the birth of Nazism or the National Socialist movement he was a great influential factor on the movement, particularly on it’s leader. All his ideologies and the “ultranationalist character of his Operas”, such as “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg” and ‘The Ring’, created a strong foundation for the emergence of Nazism and it’s societal conceptions. All these ideologies were a major and recurring topic in his music, acting as a reflection of both his own personal ultranationalist views and a reflection of his society as he know it. Thus, Wagner’s music was a clear example of the link between nationalism and music, being both revolutionary and greatly significant to the development of Romantic European Music, which is evident from his renowned opera, ‘Die …show more content…
Wagner’s political and ultranationalist ideologies are further evident in the phrase “deutschen Meister!”. Here, the word “Meister!” is given great importance in terms of musical traits. For instance, in the harmony, the chords progress along the C triad, with the progression, C-E-G-C. This is in order to create anticipation and to emphasise on the word, representing the importance of respect and obedience in German culture. Furthermore, this marks the inclusion of another layer of harmony, with the addition of the trumpet, which further adds to the stressing of the text. Also, the addition of the word ‘dolce’ or ‘sweet’ suggests that Wagner, attempts to centralise this phrase, by creating tension, anticipation and contrast, in terms of the melody, harmony, rhythm and instrumentation. Lastly, the chords in the harmony shift from a major 6th to a tonic chord. Altogether, Wagner tries to convey the German virtues of discipline, obedience and respect, through the musical characteristics used in Figure
Show More

Related Documents: Richard Wagner Nationalism

Comparing The Works Of Richard Wagner And Richard Strauss

cultural isms like nationalism and impressionism came to light. Composers of both of these generations share aspects of both eras. Traits used in the late 19th century carryover to 20th century composers to be further enhanced. Measuring oneself against the past and being more sensible is how these to time periods are similar. Two composers for these two respective time periods that have similarities and differences as well are Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Richard Wagner is considered to be…

Words 687 - Pages 3

Ludwig Van Beethoven and Romantic Era Essay

historiography, education and natural sciences. This period effected on the politics was considerable and complex; while for much of the peak romantic period was associated with liberalism and radicalism, in the long term its effect on the growth of nationalism was more significant. The movement validated strong emotion as an authentic source of an appealing experience, placing new emphasis on such emotions as apprehension, horror, and terror. Romanticism reached beyond the rational and Classicist…

Words 317 - Pages 2

Romantic Music Essay

most significant musicians were Franz Schubert, Robert Schumann, Clara Wieck Schumann, Frederic Chopin, Franz Liszt, Felix Mendelssohn, Hector Berlioz, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Antonin Dvorak, Johannes Brahms, Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini, Richard Wagner and Gustav Mahler. The length of this list – and some important composers have been omitted from it – testifies to the richness and variety of romantic music and to its continuing impact on today’s concert and operatic repertoire. Composers…

Words 2001 - Pages 9

Essay on nationalism reading

NATIONALISM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwtl7UCWiGk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rise_of_nationalism_in_Europe As we have seen, the French Revolution and Napoleon spread the ideas of liberalism and nationalism across Europe. These ideas took root and gave rise to several outbreaks of revolution in the 1820's, 1830's, and 1840's, the most severe being the revolutions of 1848. Although most of these revolutions failed, they continued the spread of liberal & nationalist ideas and also…

Words 4002 - Pages 17

Nic Clarke's Unwanted Warriors

their own interests first ahead of the interests of Canada. Rural Canada’s view was that “The farmer's isolated and individualistic way of life created a quieter confidence which differed from the city's obsessive need to proclaim its loyalty”. Ben Wagner, a farmer from Bruce County, commented that "the people who did the most hurrahing were the people who weren't going to be affected by the war”. Ben’s statement reflected the reality faced by farmers for the First World War. They demonstrated their…

Words 1644 - Pages 7

13th Amendment: An Amendment To The US Constitution

13th Amendment – an amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1865, that has abolished slavery and involuntary servitude 14 Points – the principles making up Wilson’s plan for world peace following World War I 14th Amendment – an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1868, that makes all persons born or naturalized in the United States - including former slaves – citizens of the country and guarantees equal protection of the laws 15th Amendment – an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted…

Words 4746 - Pages 19

World War Essay

THE POST-WORLD WAR I Revolution and Change in Russia - Russia was rapidly becoming industrialized. Their leaders wanted their country to be one of the great imperialist powers of the world. They set up a sphere of influence in Chinese Manchuria, they next sought to gain control of northern Korea. Japan also wanted northern Korea. After protesting unsuccessfully against Russia’s presence there, Japan declared war with Russia. -> Japan won. The Revolution of 1905: - Businesspeople, professionals…

Words 3399 - Pages 14

Maturing Of An Industrial Society: Second Half Of The 19th Century

SS8 Unit 1, Part 1 Maturing of an Industrial Society: Second Half of the 19th Century A) Problems and progress in American politics 1) New problems created a changing role of government and the political system 2) Scandals, economic depressions, limitations of traditional politics resulted in reluctant change a) Civil Service replaced the Spoil System after the death of President Garfield b) misuse of government funds…

Words 9563 - Pages 39