Wagner

John F. RuncimanProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 136K words
Chapters: 14

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Wagner by John F. RuncimanAuthor: Runciman, John F., 1866-1916,Language: English, Class: ML: Music: Literature of music, Release Date: Dec 24, 2004

Editor's review

This short book by John F. Runciman is an introductory work from the early English-language scholarship on Wagner. Though brief, it attempts to place the composer within the cultural context of nineteenth-century Germany. Rather than simply summarizing opera plots, the author connects Wagner's creative ideas and his ambitions for music drama reform with the intellectual climate of his time. It suits readers who want to build an overall impression before turning to individual works. The Project Gutenberg edition preserves the original text; the English is plain and accessible. Its value lies in offering a reception perspective from over a century ago, showing how the earliest English-speaking listeners and critics understood Wagner. Its limitation is that it was written long ago, so its materials and judgments inevitably bear the marks of their era and should not be taken as current scholarly consensus. If you already own recordings of Tristan und Isolde or Der Ring des Nibelungen, this is especially suitable as background reading before or after a performance: read the character and theme overviews first, then return to the music, and you will feel less at sea before these vast music dramas.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Classical music beginners seeking a first overview of Wagner's life and creative ideas
Music lovers preparing to listen to Wagner's music dramas who need background guidance
English-language readers interested in nineteenth-century German cultural history
Music students who want to practice reading with a short English biography

Not a good fit for

Researchers who need the latest scholarship and detailed source criticism
Readers who only want opera plot summaries and do not want to engage with critical commentary
Readers who struggle with English and would prefer to read Chinese monographs directly

Reading tips

Read through the whole book first to build a framework, then choose chapters on operas you already know for close reading; you need not proceed page by page in order.
While reading, pair the text with recordings or videos of Wagner's major works, listening as you read and matching the written descriptions to musical passages.
Keep a critical distance from evaluations that reflect the biases of the era; compare with modern Wagner biographies to form your own judgment.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a complete biography of Wagner?

No. It is limited in length and closer to a concise critical biography, focusing on tracing Wagner's creative path and artistic ideas rather than detailing his life year by year. For specific dates and events, you will need more detailed biographical sources.

Can I read it if my English is not good?

The original English is generally plain and the sentences are not long, but there are many musical terms and names of people and places. A university-level reading ability in English is enough to attempt it; when you encounter terms, look up the Chinese renderings first and then reread, or consult a translation alongside if necessary.

Do I need to be familiar with Wagner's operas before reading?

Not necessarily. You can read this book first to understand the overall trajectory, then choose one work as an entry point. However, if you have already heard shorter music dramas such as Der fliegende Holländer or Lohengrin, the reading will be more vivid and the author's commentary easier to understand.

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About the author

John F. Runciman Author · English · 1866–1916

John F. Runciman (1866–1916) was a British music critic and biographer active in British music writing in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; five of his works are held in this collection. He is known chiefly for short biographies of composers and for music criticism. His representative works include Richard Wagner, Composer of Operas and Old Scores and New Readings: Discussions on Music & Certain Musicians, along with short biographical books on Haydn, Purcell, and Wagner. His prose is sharp and his judgments distinctive; within limited space he sketches a composer's character and creative traits, often expressing personal views. He is regarded as one of the representative figures in early twentieth-century British music writing. Public information on his early education, professional career, and detailed life is limited; what can be confirmed is mainly the contribution of his criticism and biographical works to the popularization and criticism of music.