The Tragedy of German Music

As an aside to Wagner

I can't resist this fooling around with Australian Prime Minister R. G. Menzies' speech bringing Australia into World War II in light of a certain significant anniversary this year. The real speech is here.

Fellow Australians,
It is my melancholy duty to inform you officially that in consequence of a persistence by Wagnerites in their invasion of the world's opera houses in 2013, they are celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth and that, as a result, Australia has also been forced to do this and stage The Ring in Melbourne.
No harder task can fall to the lot of a democratic leader than to make such an announcement.
 

Dirigent

New member
The Tragedy of German Music discussion took place on Bright Cecilia Forum - I know, I participated in it!
 

Corno Dolce

Admiral Honkenwheezenpooferspieler
As an aside to Wagner

I can't resist this fooling around with Australian Prime Minister R. G. Menzies' speech bringing Australia into World War II in light of a certain significant anniversary this year. The real speech is here.

Fellow Australians,
It is my melancholy duty to inform you officially that in consequence of a persistence by Wagnerites in their invasion of the world's opera houses in 2013, they are celebrating the 200th anniversary of his birth and that, as a result, Australia has also been forced to do this and stage The Ring in Melbourne.
No harder task can fall to the lot of a democratic leader than to make such an announcement.

Say what one might about Wagner being a lecherous rake and womanizer and a somewhat closeted anti-semite but his mastery of orchestration is beyond reproach. Yes, he had some wacky philosophical weltanschauung which he gladly vented in his operas but he was no fool - Quite unlike the other 200 year old celebrant this year named "Joe Green" aka Giuseppe(Joe) Verdi(Green). Joe Green was the country bumpkin of the two but he got it right with his operas based on a couple of Shakespeare plays(Othello comes to mind).
 
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JHC

Chief assistant to the assistant chief
I just wonder of what importance is a composers personal life to the way we enjoy/or not their music, it matters not one jot for me.
 

Dirigent

New member
I just wonder of what importance is a composers personal life to the way we enjoy/or not their music, it matters not one jot for me.

Absolutely agree!! Richard Strauss wasn't a very nice man but his music is wonderful. Also, one baroque composer (name forgotten) was a murderer!!
 
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