Gesamtkunstwerk Analysis
Introduction
In this essay I will be discussing Richard Wagner’s artistic vision known as ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ and the historical context which inspired it as well as th e intended relation between music and text in this genre and how it differs from the considerations that gave rise to opera in the Baroque period. Finally I will make clear how Wagner’s use of motifs in his music dramas relate to his aesthetic ideas about music and language.
‘Gesamtkunstwerk’
In order to understand the theory described in ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ we must first look into what Wagner’ describes as true art and where it stems from. Wagner appraises Grecian art as being most true. He justifies this by using a metaphor within a religious context : ‘Dionysus, the tragic …show more content…
The only art could then survive was through Christianity but even then Christianity was heavily controlled religion and life style, thus also making it impossible to inspire art in its truest form. The difference was that Grecian mentality put its self at the top of nature therefore true art could be created inspired by pride and joy of being man, being human. However Christianity on the other hand did not place Man on top of nature, and in fact did not even place nature at the top but instead believed all inspiration from anything manly would be wrong and a sin, for example vices such as lust, idol worship, blasphemy etc. Christianity had to create art that corresponded with its belief. This means that the concept was abstract and inspired by spirit and the grace of God. An artist could not draw inspiration from physical beauty because this would be seen as lust or idol worship. But Wagner believed that true art could only stem from pleasures of a human nature, or tangible beauty, because all inspiration comes from a world of sense. ‘…man must reap the highest joy from the world of sense, before he can mould therefrom the implements of his art; for from the world of sense alone, can he derive so much as the impulse to artistic creation.’ Art of Christian Europe cannot compare its self to Grecian art due to the fact that Grecian art was of a world attuned to harmony and Christian art was ‘incurably and irreconcilably split up between the force of conscience and the instinct of life, between the ideal and the
In this essay I will be discussing Richard Wagner’s artistic vision known as ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ and the historical context which inspired it as well as th e intended relation between music and text in this genre and how it differs from the considerations that gave rise to opera in the Baroque period. Finally I will make clear how Wagner’s use of motifs in his music dramas relate to his aesthetic ideas about music and language.
‘Gesamtkunstwerk’
In order to understand the theory described in ‘Gesamtkunstwerk’ we must first look into what Wagner’ describes as true art and where it stems from. Wagner appraises Grecian art as being most true. He justifies this by using a metaphor within a religious context : ‘Dionysus, the tragic …show more content…
The only art could then survive was through Christianity but even then Christianity was heavily controlled religion and life style, thus also making it impossible to inspire art in its truest form. The difference was that Grecian mentality put its self at the top of nature therefore true art could be created inspired by pride and joy of being man, being human. However Christianity on the other hand did not place Man on top of nature, and in fact did not even place nature at the top but instead believed all inspiration from anything manly would be wrong and a sin, for example vices such as lust, idol worship, blasphemy etc. Christianity had to create art that corresponded with its belief. This means that the concept was abstract and inspired by spirit and the grace of God. An artist could not draw inspiration from physical beauty because this would be seen as lust or idol worship. But Wagner believed that true art could only stem from pleasures of a human nature, or tangible beauty, because all inspiration comes from a world of sense. ‘…man must reap the highest joy from the world of sense, before he can mould therefrom the implements of his art; for from the world of sense alone, can he derive so much as the impulse to artistic creation.’ Art of Christian Europe cannot compare its self to Grecian art due to the fact that Grecian art was of a world attuned to harmony and Christian art was ‘incurably and irreconcilably split up between the force of conscience and the instinct of life, between the ideal and the