(1813 - 1883)
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director and polemicist primarily known for his operas. Wagner's compositions, particularly those of his later period are notable for their complex texture, rich harmonies and orchestration and the elaborate use of leitmotifs. Unlike most other opera composers, Wagner wrote both the music and libretto for every one of his stage works. Perhaps the two best-known extracts from his works are the Ride of the Valkyries from the opera Die Walküre, and the Wedding March (Bridal Chorus) from the opera Lohengrin. Initially establishing his reputation as a composer of works such as The Flying Dutchman and Tannhäuser, Wagner transformed operatic thought through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk ("total work of art"). This would achieve the synthesis of all the poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts and was announced in a series of essays between 1849 and 1852. Wagner realised this concept most fully in the first half of the monumental four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen. However, his thoughts on the relative importance of music and drama were to change again, and he reintroduced some traditional operatic forms into his last few stage works, including Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.
Richard Wagner Composition Timpani and Percussion Requirements
Gotterdammerung
Timpani + 4 percussion
Tam tam, orchestral bass drum, clash cymbals, triangle, snare drum
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Meistersingers
Timpani + 3 percussion
Glockenspiel, clash cymbals, triangle
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Ride of the Valkyries
Timpani + 3 percussion
Clash cymbals, snare drum, triangle
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Rienzi (Overture)
Timpani + 4 percussion
Triangle, snare drum, clash cymbals, orchestral bass drum
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Tannhauser (Overture)
Timpani + 3 percussion
Clash cymbals, triangle, tambourine
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