Richard Wagner

Wilhelm Richard Wagner was born on May 22, 1813, in Leipzig and died on February 13, 1883, in Venice. He was a German composer, dramatist, poet, writer, theater director, and conductor. With his music dramas, he is considered one of the most significant innovators of European music in the 19th century. He transformed the expressive capabilities of Romantic music and the theoretical and practical foundations of opera by shaping dramatic actions as a "Gesamtkunstwerk" (total work of art), writing the librettos, music, and stage directions himself. He founded the Bayreuth Festival, dedicated exclusively to the performance of his own works, in the festival theater he designed. His innovations in harmony influenced the development of music into the modern era.