Stories from Wagner

Wagner, Richard, 1813-1883Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 371K words
Chapters: 38

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.Stories from Wagner by J. Walker McSpadden and Richard WagnerAuthor: Wagner, Richard, 1813-1883,Language: English, Class: ML: Music: Literature of music, Release Date: Mar 14, 2015

Editor's review

Co-credited to J. Walker McSpadden and Richard Wagner, this book retells the stories of Wagner's operas in English narrative form and is a free Project Gutenberg eBook. Its value is that it offers readers unfamiliar with German or with opera a way into Wagner's world: learn the story skeleton first, then return to the music and libretto, often with better results. The stories draw largely on European myth and legend, with strong plots, and can serve as an introduction to material such as the Nibelung cycle. Note that this is a retelling of stories, not an opera libretto or musical analysis, and cannot replace understanding of the original music and dramatic structure. Suitable as background before attending an opera, or as light reading in myth and Romantic literature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Audiences preparing to see a Wagner opera who want the plot first
General readers interested in European myths and legends
Students taking music history or introductory opera courses
Readers who want light English reading on Wagnerian themes

Not a good fit for

Professionals needing score analysis or music-theoretical study of Wagner
Readers expecting the original librettos or German text
Readers with no interest in myth or classical themes

Reading tips

Start with the chapter for an opera you plan to see or find most interesting; no need to read in order.
While reading, look up the opera's synopsis and main arias to connect story and music.
Use the book as background before a performance and reread afterward for a fuller understanding.
Readers interested in mythic sources can consult a mythology dictionary for character relationships.

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

Are these opera librettos written by Wagner?

No. This is someone else's English narrative retelling of the stories in Wagner's operas; Wagner is credited because the stories originate with him, not because he wrote these scripts or theoretical works.

Can I understand it without any opera background?

Yes. The book is mainly storytelling and requires no musical knowledge. An interest in mythic characters and plots is enough to get started; reading with an opera synopsis helps further.

Can reading it replace seeing the opera?

No. The book provides the story line; the appeal of opera lies in the music, singing, and staging. Use it as preparation or supplement, not as a substitute for the original experience.

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About the author

Wagner, Richard, 1813-1883 Author

Richard Wagner (1813–1883) was a German composer and dramatist, known for reforming opera and advocating the idea of the "total work of art." The collection holds fifteen of his works, mostly opera librettos and related texts, including Tristan and Isolda, Siegfried and The Twilight of the Gods and The Valkyries from the Ring cycle, The Flying Dutchman, Parsifal, and the second volume of his autobiography, My Life. These works show his use of myth and legend as source material and his technique of leitmotifs running through an entire drama, with music and theatre tightly fused on a grand scale. His operatic theories and compositions have had a lasting influence on later music, drama, and literature. Because public information is limited, this note describes only the themes and style of the works held in the collection.