Richard Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is best known for his operas—or ''music dramas'', as his mature works came to be called. Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the music and the libretti (which he called "poems") for all his stage works. His operas remain central to the repertoire and continue to be performed worldwide; he is regarded as one of the most significant and influential figures in the history of Western art music.

Wagner first rose to prominence with operas rooted in the Romantic tradition of Carl Maria von Weber and Giacomo Meyerbeer, but later revolutionised the genre through his concept of the ''Gesamtkunstwerk'' ("total work of art")—a synthesis of poetry, music, drama, and stagecraft into a unified whole. He envisioned drama as a continuously sung narrative, with music arising organically from the verse and stage action, dispensing with conventional operatic forms such as arias and recitatives. He articulated this vision, and fiercely criticised prevailing operatic practices, in a series of essays published between 1849 and 1852. These ideals found their fullest expression in the first half of his monumental four-opera cycle ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (''The Ring of the Nibelung'', also known simply as ''The Ring'').

Wagner's compositions, particularly those of his later period, are notable for their complex textures, rich harmonies and orchestration, and the elaborate use of leitmotifs—musical phrases associated with individual characters, places, ideas, or plot elements. His advances in musical language, such as extreme chromaticism and quickly shifting tonal centres, greatly influenced the development of classical music; his ''Tristan und Isolde'' is regarded as an important precursor towards modern music. As he matured, he softened his ideological stance against traditional operatic forms (e.g., arias, ensembles and choruses), reintroducing them into his last few stage works, including ''Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'' (''The Mastersingers of Nuremberg'') and ''Parsifal''.

To properly present his vision of the works, Wagner had his own opera house built to his specifications: the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, which featured many innovative design elements intended to immerse the audience in the drama. The premieres of ''The Ring'' and ''Parsifal'' took place there, and his most important stage works are performed at the annual Bayreuth Festival. The early success of the festival was secured by the efforts of his wife, Cosima Wagner, and the festival has since been sustained by their descendants, attracting audiences from around the world.

Wagner's unorthodox operas, essays, and personal dealings engendered considerable controversy during his lifetime, and continue to do so. Declared a "genius" by some and a "disease" by others, his music is widely performed, but his views on religion, politics, and social life are debated—most notably on the extent to which his antisemitism finds expression in his stage and prose works. The effect of his ideas can be traced in many of the arts throughout the 20th century; his influence spread beyond composition into conducting, philosophy, literature, the visual arts and theatre.

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