Why has Richard Wagner been a controversial composer even today?

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Stanislav Boyadjiev    MUS 101 G      04/02/2009   Why has Richard Wagner been a controversial composer, even today? As in religious and political questions, when race has once been admitted, it becomes a factor of the highest importance in musical controversy. A prominent part in the music and literature of Germany in the 19th century played the popular, but controversial as well, German composer, conductor, theatre director and essayist Richard Wagner.  His full name actually is Wilhelm Richard Wagner. Born in Leipzig, Germany on May 22, 1813, unlike most other great opera composers, Wagner wrote both the scenario and libretto for his works. He is primarily known for his operas, called later “music dramas”. He is one of the composers who revolutionized   opera  by  writing  stage  works  of   unprecedented   length  and  complexity ,  in  which  the  orchestra  was  no  longer  a  simple  accompaniment  to  the  singers,  but  an  integral  part  of   the  action. Wagner made  the  music  continuous,  unlike  the  previous  tendency   to  make  an  opera  as  a  collection  of   separate  arias 
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and   ensembles  which  could  be   performed  separately .  He  used  a  complex  system  of   what  are  called  "Leitmotifs",  or  melodic  ideas  which   stand  for  characters , things  or  ideas  in  the  drama.  With  Wagner,  harmonies  became   more  complex  than  ever  before,  and  his  revolutionary  use  of  this  element   influenced   composers  everywhere,  and  led  to  the  music  of  the  20th  century. As I already mentioned, Wagner is the most controversial composer of 19th century. He divides people as no other composer did it before. A lot of people and musical critics find his work magnificent, but there are a lot of ...

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