Download Richard Wagner. Giuseppe Verdi.

Richard Wagner.
Richard Wagner (22 May 1813, Leipzig, Germany – 13 February 1883, Venice, Italy) was a
German composer, conductor, theatre director and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or
"music dramas", as they were later called). Unlike most other great opera composers, Wagner
wrote both the scenario and libretto for his works.
Wagner's compositions, particularly those of his later period, are notable for contrapuntal texture,
rich chromaticism, harmonies and orchestration, and elaborate use of leitmotifs: musical themes
associated with particular characters, locales or plot elements. Wagner pioneered advances in
musical language, such as extreme chromaticism and quickly shifting tonal centres, which greatly
influenced the development of European classical music.
He transformed musical thought through his idea of Gesamtkunstwerk ("total artwork"), the
synthesis of all the poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts, epitomized by his monumental fouropera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (1876). To try to stage these works as he imagined them,
Wagner built his own opera house, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus.
Giuseppe Verdi.
Verdi (October 9 or 10, 1813 – January 27, 1901) was an Italian Romantic composer, mainly of
opera. He was one of the most influential composers in the 19th century. His works are frequently
performed in opera houses throughout the world and, transcending the genre, some of his themes
have long since taken root in popular culture - such as "La donna è mobile" from Rigoletto, "Va,
pensiero" (The Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves) from Nabucco, and "Libiamo ne' lieti calici" (The
Drinking Song) from La traviata. Although his work was sometimes criticized for using a
generally diatonic rather than a chromatic musical idiom and having a tendency toward
melodrama, Verdi’s masterworks dominate the standard repertoire a century and a half after their
composition.
Bilingüal Proyect. Music Department. I.E.S. López-Neyra.