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librettists

Featured composer: Richard Wagner

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RichardWagnerWilhelm Richard Wagner (Richard Wagner), born May 22, 1813 and died February 13, 1883, was a German conductor, polemicist, dramatic composer and theorist. Wagner had a revolutionary influence over the course of Western music. Unique to most opera composers is the fact that Wagner wrote both the libretto and music for each of his stage works.

Wagner was born in Leipzig, where he was the ninth child of Carl and Johanna Wagner. Wagner’s father died just six months following his birth, and his mother likely married (there are no official records) Carl’s friend, Ludwig Geyer. Until his was 14, Wagner was known as Wilhelm Richard Geyer. It is thought that Wagner likely believed that Geyer was his father.

Johanna and Ludwig Geyer moved to Dresden (from Leipzig) when Wagner was one year old. Geyer loved the theatre, and young Richard embraced that love as well, even taking part in some productions. Geyer died in 1821, and Geyer’s brother funded Richard being sent to Kreuzschule, a boarding school. It was there that Wagner wrote his first play, Leubald, which was strongly influenced by Shakespeare and Goethe. Determined to set the play to music, he convinced his family to permit him to have music lessons.

When his family returned to Leipzig in 1827, Wagner’s instruction continued. Beethoven was a big inspiration to Wagner, and he wrote several piano sonatas and orchestral overtures during this period.

Wagner enrolled in Leipzig University. Wagner was a non-conformist at his academic studies and was attending primarily for student life. During this time, he composed Die Feen, his first opera. He also held a brief appointment as musical director at an opera house in Magdeburg.

Wagner married actress “Minna” Planer in 1836. In 1837, true to many of his tempestuous relationships, Minna left Wagner. Wagner then moved to Riga (at the time in the Russian Empire) and served as a director in the local opera. He soon reconnected with Minna.

Early works from our collection of arias set by Richard Wagner:

Rienzi (libretto completed in 1838; music completed in 1840)

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/w/wagner-richard-1813-1883.html?search=rienzi#rienzi

 

Wagner and his wife had so much debt that they fled to avoid creditors. It was on a stormy sea passage to London that he had the inspiration for his opera, Der fliegende Holländer.

Der fliegende Holländer (libretto completed in May, 1841; music completed in November, 1841)

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/w/wagner-richard-1813-1883.html?search=die-fliegende-hollander#die-fliegende-hollander

Rienzi was accepted for performance by the Dresden Court Theatre in the Kingdom of Saxony. Wagner then moved to Dresden in 1842. Richard Wagner lived in Dresden for more than 20 years. In 1843, he was appointed to the life-long post of Royal Kappelmeister. A number of his works were performed in the Semperoper.

Richard Wagner was politically influenced by the musical director August Röckel, posting calls to action in “Volksblätter,” published by Röckel. Wagner also called for freedom of the individual. This desire to establish a parliamentary system was in conflict with King Friedrich. Wagner the revolutionary was one of several prominent figures who took part in the Dresden uprising of 1849, where he acted as a guard and dispatch runner. His face appeared on “wanted” posters around the city, and he abandoned his post as Royal Kappelmeister when he fled to Saxony to escape arrest. It was 20 years before his works again appeared on opera programs in the city. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Uprising_in_Dresden#Prominent_figures_amongst_the_revolutionaries ).

Mid-career

Das Rheingold (libretto completed 1852; music completed 1854)

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/w/wagner-richard-1813-1883.html?search=das-rheingold#das-rheingold

Die Walküre (libretto completed 1852; music completed 1856)

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/w/wagner-richard-1813-1883.html?search=die-walkure#die-walkure

Wagner and Minna finally parted after Wagner’s affair with poet-writer Mathilde Wesendonck and his years in exile in Switzerland, Venice and Paris. Wagner returned to Germany when the political ban was lifted in 1862. He settled in Biebrich, on the Rhine. It was here that he began his work on Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. In 1864, King Ludwig II, proposed to stage several Wagner operas, including Die Meistersinger. Wagner was brought to Munich, and the King settled Wagner’s outstanding debts. The National Theatre Munich premiered Tristan und Isolde in 1865. During this time, Wagner began an affair with Cosima, the wife of Tristan conductor Hans von Bülow. Cosima gave birth to a daughter named Isolde. Wagner was Isolde’s father. Eventually King Ludwig asked Wagner to leave Munich, due to the scandal.

Minna died of a heart attack in 1866 in Dresden. Following Minna’s death, Cosima asked Hans von Bülow for a divorce, which he did not grant until after Cosima and Wagner had two more children together. Wagner and Cosima were married in 1870.

In 1871, Wagner moved to Bayreuth, the location of his new opera house. The Bayreuth Festspielhaus has completed after a number of delays due to funding, and it opened in 1876 with the performance of Das Rheingold.

Following the festival, Wagner took on commission work to help pay off the deficit in funding following the 1876 performance. He also began work at this time on Parsifal, his final opera.

Wagner dealt with political exile, turbulent love affairs, poverty and repeated flight from his creditors until near the end of his life. Richard Wagner was a lifelong anti-Semite, and his positions and writings were carried forward even after his death by his wife Cosima and other family members. Deutsch Welle has an article discussing Wagner’s anti-Semitism and how to reconcile his hatred while appreciating his music: https://www.dw.com/en/the-hateful-side-of-wagners-musical-genius/a-16850818.

Wagner died in 1883 of a heart attack. His body is buried in Bayreuth.

Later works

Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (libretto completed 1862; music completed 1867)

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/w/wagner-richard-1813-1883.html?search=die-meistersinger-von-nurnberg#die-meistersinger-von-nurnberg

Parsifal (libretto completed 1877; music completed 1882)

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/w/wagner-richard-1813-1883.html?search=parsifal#parsifal

Tristan und Isolde

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/w/wagner-richard-1813-1883.html?search=tristan-und-isolde#tristan-und-isolde

 

Art songs from our collection, as set by Richard Wagner:

op. 05. Sieben Kompositionen zu Goethes Faust

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/w/wagner-richard-1813-1883.html?search=sieben-kompositionen-zu-goethes-faust#sieben-kompositionen-zu-goethes-faust

 

Wesendonck Lieder

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/w/wagner-richard-1813-1883.html?search=wesendonck-lieder#wesendonck-lieder

Our complete collection of Richard Wagner settings:

https://www.ipasource.com/composer/w/wagner-richard-1813-1883.html

Three Mozart Opera Librettos written by Lorenzo da Ponte

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Lorenzo da Ponte
Lorenzo da Ponte
Lorenzo da Ponte (March 10, 1749 – August 17, 1838) was an Italian (later American) poet and opera librettist who is remembered today for his librettos for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s three most famous operas: Le nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cosí fan tutte. Born into a Jewish family, his father, upon the death of Lorenzo’s mother, converted himself and his family to Roman Catholicism so he could marry a Catholic woman. In his later life, Lorenzo himself became a Roman Catholic priest.

Even though da Ponte was a priest, he led a scandalous life that eventually caused him to be banished from Venice for 15 years.

Upon his banishment, da Ponte moved to Vienna, where he continued writing. Eventually, through an introductory letter from a friend, Lorenzo da Ponte obtained a position as librettist to the Italian Theatre in Vienna. It was during this tenure that da Ponte composed three librettos for Mozart.  Le nozze di Figaro was written in 1786, Don Giovanni in 1787 and Cosí fan tutte was written in 1790.

As a librettist, da Ponte worked closely with the composer to bring out characterization, humor, and satire, joining the more natural theater of Comedia del’arte with the historic story-telling of the opera seria. His work was in great demand, and Mozart wrote to his father, worrying about securing da Ponte, out of fear that other composers were trying to keep him for themselves.

From npr.org:

He seems all the way through his life to have had the most extraordinary charm,” author Rodney Bolt says.

Bolt says Da Ponte helped bring Mozart’s works to life. Perhaps nowhere is that more evident than in the famous “Catalog Song” from Don Giovanni, in which the title character’s servant lists the number of women his master has seduced:

In Italy six hundred and forty / In Germany, two hundred and thirty-one. / A hundred in France, in Turkey ninety-one, / But in Spain already a thousand three.

Da Ponte seemed to know what Mozart wanted to say, Bolt says, “and the music almost comes out of the words in themselves.”

(Rodney Bolt is the author of the book,”The Librettist of Venice“)

Shortly after the death of Austrian Emperor Joseph II, da Ponte lost his position at the Italian Theater. He left Vienna after being formally dismissed in 1791, due to more scandals. da Ponte headed to Paris, but changed direction mid-route and moved instead to London. There, he remained with his companion Nancy Grahl and their children until 1805, when he and his family fled London for the United States due to debt and bankruptcy.

In the US, da Ponte first settled in New York, then Pennsylvania. He gave private Italian language lessons, and ran a grocery store, eventually returning to New York to open a book store. Lorenzo da Ponte, through a connection with a friend, became the first professor of Italian literature at Columbia College (University). Although the role was unpaid, it was significant, because he was the first Roman Catholic priest on the faculty, and the first faculty member to be born as a Jew.

da Ponte introduced opera in 1825 to New York, where the first full performance of Don Giovanni was conducted. He became a naturalized US citizen at age 79, and at age 84, he founded the New York Opera Company. The company lasted two seasons before being disbanded due to debts. In 1836 the opera house became the National Theater.

Lorenzo da Ponte also wrote for some of these composers on IPA Source:

Here, from the IPA Source database, are the three operas as set by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with librettos by Lorenzo de Ponte.

Le nozze di Figaro https://www.ipasource.com/composer/m/mozart-wolfgang-amadeus-1756-1791.html?search=le-nozze-di-figaro#le-nozze-di-figaro

Don Giovanni https://www.ipasource.com/composer/m/mozart-wolfgang-amadeus-1756-1791.html?search=don-giovanni#don-giovanni

Cosí fan tutte https://www.ipasource.com/composer/m/mozart-wolfgang-amadeus-1756-1791.html?search=cosi-fan-tutte#cosi-fan-tutte