Preci on German Opera in the 19th century

Tessa Larson

The 19th century was defined in Germany by Wagner and without his influences much of
what is crucial to operas today might not exist, however there was obviously much more that
built up to Wagner’s musical revolution. Some of the most influential composers in the first half
of the century included Sphor, Hoffman, and Weber. These composers developed many of the
traditions that Wagner later built upon. For these three composers, setting operas in fantasy
worlds was one of the more lucrative devices, audiences flocked to these stories that told
fantastical adventures of myth and legend. As is seen in art songs at the time there was a draw
to nature, particularly in Germany and this carries over into the types of settings and stories
told at the time. There was also a fascination with Asian cultures, something we also see in
Italian audiences with some productions being set in “the orient”. Although by the time Wagner
was writing his three romantic operas that led up to the ring audiences were seemingly
beginning to tire of some of these more fantastical conventions, he drew upon Norse
mythology along with folklore of Germany. This was a very effective shift since Norse stories
had rarely been told.
Beyond the stories Weber, Hoffman, and Sphor all developed the beginnings of musical
techniques that Wagner would later perfect. Most notably their use of reminiscence motifs and
through composition of their operas. Reminiscence motifs are similar to the leitmotif that
Wagner later implemented, however they were considerably less structural and could be as
brief as a chord or as long as an entire song. Through composition was a technique that many
composers of the romantic era were dabbling in and Weber although one of the earliest
successes in structural continuity of an opera was not the first to attempt it. Once again, this
technique is expanded upon by Wagner and is a key feature to the Ring as all four of the operas
are through composed, and very successfully draw lines through the entire story using the
music.
There were obviously other prominent composers of this century, many who composed
for the voice in Germany however found their renown in art song. Schubert for example who
tried many times to compose operas was almost never successful. Another prominent
composer of art song, Robert Schumann, composed only one opera, which achieved moderate
success overall and certainly much higher acclaim than that of any of Schubert’s operas.
Wagner on the other hand may have found similar acclaim to those composers above
had he not fled from Germany when he was nearly arrested. Instead he went on to compose
Rienzi, Der fliegende Hollander and Tannhäuser. These three operas all rested in three very
different musical worlds, as Wagner drew form German compositional styles for Hollander,
French styles for Rienzi, and Italian techniques for Tannhäuser. The realizations he seemed to
make in each of these productions led him to his 26 year endeavor, the Ring. The Ring is the
culmination of leitmotifs, through composition, mythology, and German nationalism that is the
pinnacle of Wagner’s composing. After the ring he composed Tristan, Die Meistersinger and
Parsifal. Each of these final three musical dramas have significant political and social
commentary that is impossible to ignore. With the rise of nationalism in Germany growing
during and after the 1840’s Wagner composes works that speak to his ideologies that include
purifying the blood of the country.