1st Edition MUS M 402 Lecture 20 Outline of Last Lecture I German Composers React to Beethoven II Richard Wagner III Wagner s Music Interrelated Stylistic Concepts Outline of Current Lecture I Wagner s Gesamtskunstwerks Current Lecture I Wagner s Gesamtskunstwerks a Gesamtskunstwerk Wagner s name for his musical dramas or operas in which he would compose in a way encompassing a total ideal of art the use of music drama spectacle dance etc to synthesize total art b Interrelated Stylistic Concepts i Infinte melody 1 In Wagner s works we no longer see strict arias and recitative sections 2 Instead Wagner creates lengthy melodic lines that continue throughout the entirety of the work ii Erosion of hypermetric stability 1 No longer is the writing of music focused on clear melodic or balanced phrasing 2 The entire work is focused on moving the drama forward 3 Written in free verse style non rhyming patterns designed to reflect normal patterns in speech iii Constantly mobile chromatic harmonies 1 Stable harmonies with a clear tonal center are basically nonexistent 2 Wagner create huge harmonies that are constantly moving from one key area to another iv Few detachable numbers constant flow of musical discourse 1 Specific numbers or songs cannot easily be separated from the context of the musical drama to be performed independently a This is because of the constantly moving harmonies and the lack of a tonal center v Role of the Orchestra 1 Wagner viewed all elements singers chorus staging libretto drama orchestra lighting set etc as equal and important in creating total music art for his Gesamtkunstwerks vi Leitmotivic transformation 1 Leitmotifs specific musical cues or phrases used to represent characters actions feelings etc a Used to draw connections between Wagner s ideas concepts sketches of a new inner world of emotions b Used to communicate more than just the lyrics of the libretto would literally communicate to the audience vii Inner vs Outer Action 1 Outer Action the occurrence of specific actions and plot on stage a What the audience sees 2 Inner Action the non literal elements of Wagner s musical dramas a Which leitmotifs are being played what the audience hears and how it connects contrasts what the audience literally sees on stage
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