Wagner, Richard

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Wagner, Richard (1813–83) German composer. His works consist almost entirely of operas, for which he provided his own libretti. His early operas include Der fliegende Holländer (1843), Tannhäuser (1845), and Lohengrin (1850). With Tristan and Isolde (1865) and the four-part The Ring of the Nibelung (1851–76), the genius of Wagner is fully displayed. His rich, chromatic style gives the music great emotional depth, and the complex, ever-developing web of leitmotivs, which are heard in the voices and in the orchestra, propel the drama. Other operas include The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (1868) and the sacred stage drama Parsifal (1882).

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