Wagner, Richard (1813–1883)

In the history of the arts, liberal activist Richard Wagner looms as an extraordinary genius whose prodigious creativity produced 10 remarkable music-dramas that deal with time. For subject matter, he used both legends and myths from the Germanic, Icelandic, and Scandinavian worlds of objects, characters, emotions, and events. Throughout his work resounds the theme of the search for one's identity, or the longing for one's salvation. As such, Wagner's symphonic operas reflect both psychological and philosophical issues ranging from the lust for power to the existence of evil. The concept of time is especially relevant in his epic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen and sacred work Parsifal

In Wagner's three early music-dramas, the fini-tude of human time is essential to the legend. Der Fliegende Holländer (1843) is the tale of a brash Norwegian captain who, after making a conceited claim, is condemned by the devil to sail endlessly around the world on his phantom ship. This seaman is doomed until he meets a maiden who will sacrifice her life, through faithful love unto death, in order to bring salvation to his accursed existence. Similarly, in Tannhäuser (1845), the main character seeks forgiveness and redemption from sin through his long journey from the valley of the Wartburg to Rome and back; not having received forgiveness from the Pope, only the death of Elisabeth releases [Page 1415]Tannhäuser from his guilt-ridden anguish for having once preferred the physical passion of Venus rather than her spiritual love for him. In Lohengrin (1850), the identity of a mysterious visitor to Antwerp remains a secret until Elsa begs to learn from him his name and place of birth; upon revealing his identity, Lohengrin must now return to Monsalvat, never again to visit this kingdom. Finite time gives a dramatic element of anticipation to each of these three operas.

Wagner's Tristan und Isolde (1865) focuses, however, on eternity. Because the two star-crossed lovers longed to be united forever in the darkness of night, only in death will they become free from the separating realm of earthly daylight as well as the brute reality of time and change. But, in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (1868), the medieval plot stresses the transition from a rigid style of singing with its old-fashioned restrictions, to a new mode of vocal expression with loftier aspirations and creative innovations. The two opposing orientations are each represented by a singer: One sings a traditional song according to established rules, while the other offers a beautiful love-inspired song that clearly breaks from the past. Thereby, to the delight of the wise shoemaker Hans Sachs, this unique prize song announces the dawn of a new age of enlightenment.

Nevertheless, it is in Wagner's massive four-opera masterpiece Der Ring des Nibelungen (1876) that the composer reveals the significance of time for comprehending both the evolution of characters and the passing of events. The saga spans a complex sequence of dramatic situations, [Page 1416]from the origin of the world, through the emergence of diverse individuals and pivotal circumstances, to the end of the godly domain. The flux of reality is best represented by the flowing Rhine River, raging storms, and magic fire.

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