2.  Born in Leipzig. His father died when he was an infant. His mother’s second husband was a writer and an artist.  He studied music at Leipzig University, but before completing his degree, he took a job in a small opera house.  He married actress Minna Planer.  In 1839, Wagner had to flee to Germany in order to avoid debtor’s prison. His passport had been revoked so he and Minna crossed the border at night into Paris.

3.  Wagner’s works were not accepted by the Paris Opera. They survived by selling music and Minna’s clothes.  He soon found out that his latest operas: Rienzi and The Flying Dutchman had been accepted for production in Germany.  He swore never to leave his native land again.  These production were a great success  At age thirty, Wagner was appointed court conductor in Dresden.  Now financially stable, Wagner continued composing operas  After joining a failed coup against the monarchy in 1848, Wagner went into exile in Zurich. During this time he wrote an essay called The Art Work of the Future 1849 and a book, Opera and Drama 1851  Music drama – Term coined by Wagner to refer to his operas, which involve ancient myth, resonant poetry and rich, dramatic music

4.  Published a vicious anti-Semitic essay entitled Jewishness in Music, which attacked the music of Mendelssohn and other Jewish composers and called for the removal of the entire Jewish community from Germany  Began the largest musical project of the entire Romantic period: The Ring of the Nibelungs, a series of four long operas based on medieval German legend, involving gods and goddesses, dwarfs and giants and human heroes. The central symbol of the cycle is a magic ring made of stolen gold that dooms all who possess it.  He did not think that this opera would ever be performed. Halfway through, he quit and wrote two other operas

5.  He had multiple affairs with other women: the wife of a French patron (her husband threatened to put a bullet through Wagner’s head), the wife of a wealthy merchant who lent him money and the new wife of a good friend, Hans von Bulow. (Bulow’s wife was Cosima von Bulow, the daughter of Franz Liszt.  Minna and Wagner eventually separated  Eight years later, Cosima and Wagner married, even though Liszt and Hans von Bulow objected. By then, they two had two daughters and a son together.

6.  In 1864, an 18 year old youth ascended the throne of Bavaria as King Ludwig II  The new king was a fan of Wagner. “An earthly being cannot match up to a divine spirit, but it can love; it can venerate. You are my first, my only love, and always will be.”  The king made Wagner a very rich man.  With financial security, Wagner was able to complete his Ring cycle.  He planned a new theatre in Bayreuth, Bavaria to house the cycle.  On February 13, 1883, Wagner died of a heart attack

7.  Important works are only operas  1 st operas in the tradition of German Romantic opera (grand scenes with separate arias, duets, ensembles, and choruses)  Later Wagner developed his poetic skill and the aria, recitative and chorus are less distinct in musical style, and there is more musical continuity.  End of his life: Wagner develops the technique of continuity to the fullest. The music is continuous and the orchestra carries the main musical content  Wagner wrote for a large orchestra including the Wagner tuba – an instrument developed by Wagner that covered the gap between the horns and the trombones.  Invented leitmotiv – This is a German word that means “leading motive." It is a musical phrase or fragment that carries associations with a person, object, or idea in the drama. (not always associated with a person: flexible undergoing musical transformation as the ideas, object, or people change in the course of the drama: and they can be combined, interwoven, contrasted, or blended to create an infinity of meanings.)

8.  Prelude and Liebestod from the music Drama Tristan and Isolde  Composed in 1865 for 3 flutes, 2 oboes, English horn, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, 3 bassoons, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, harp, violins I and II, violas, cellos, double basses; voice  The Prelude introduces the main leitmotiv of the work, an upward-striving phrase that never quite resolves.  Follow along with your listening guide

9.  Russian composer. His father was a Russian mining engineer.  He had piano lessons as a child and did some composing.  He used music as his emotional outlet only after his mother died when he was fourteen.  He began working as a government clerk when he was nineteen, but when the St. Petersburg Music Conservatory was founded, he quit his job and became a full-time student.  His talents were so profound that after one year of graduation, he was appointed professor at the music conservatory in Moscow.

10.  Met many other composers and publishers  Traveled abroad  Wrote articles and a book on music  Composed prolifically

11.  Tchaikovsky was gay.  He was tormented by self-hatred and the fear of being exposed.  In 1877, at age 37, he decided to get married, which was an instant disaster.  Tchaikovsky fled his marriage, attempted suicide and had a nervous breakdown.  Gradually he recovered and turned his attention once again to music.  A nice turn of events, Madame von Meck decided to become his patron. She commissioned some pieces and gave Tchaikovsky an annual income. The only condition was that the two must never meet. They only corresponded by letter for 13 years  Suddenly in 1890, Madame von Meck broke of the relationship and the patronage without reason.  Tchaikovsky died in 1893, apparently of cholera, though it is suggested that he committed suicide because of societal pressure.

12.  Highly emotional, master of melody  Composed ballets, three piano concertos, a violin concerto  Very interested in orchestral color, not so much orchestral size. Composed six symphonies

13.  Scene from Act II of the Ballet Swan Lake  Composed in 1876 for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, harp, strings  Composers first major ballet score  Story is derives from a Russian folk tale: A Prince falls in love with a woman who, like her companions, has been turned into a swan.  This scene depicts the swans gliding on a moonlit lake.  Follow listening guide pg. 298