skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Author
Richard Wagner (1813-1883: German)
- father was a minor police official
- only received about 6 months of instruction in music theory
- married and produced first operas at age 23
- was part of an unsuccessful revolution in 1849, fled to Switzerland
- music gained acclaim again in 1864 when an admirer of Wagner's music ascended the throne of Bavaria.
- Wikipedia Article
About the Piece
(much of the description comes from elements that were brought out by Forney and Machlis, The Enjoyment of Music, and the accompanying DVD)
- Genre is music drama (German opera)
- based on Norse sagas and a Medieval German epic
- dotted rhythms heighten anticipation throughout
- "swirling" woodwinds
- vast size of orchestra is apparent from music
- female vocalist opens the "Call" section
- text language is German
- we hear a repeated "ride" theme (triumphant but anticipatory, major key) several times
- repeated use of the word "Hoyotoho" (no clear meaning)
Purpose
- entertainment
- German nationalism, resurrecting German myths
Reflections
I actually kind of like this piece, though as before, it is a little out of place (see previous post). The accompaniment definitely possesses similar qualities to the Lord of the Rings movies and the Star Wars movies, which feels good and brings back happy memories. Perhaps that happens a lot: pieces that we like often we like mostly because they bring back something fond.