WAGNER
Wagner built his own opera house, Bayreuth, and this became the only place where Parsifal was played until 1905.
As his career progressed, Wagner's aesthetics and politics became increasingly nationalistic (expressed most bitterly in the writing of his former disciple Friedrich Nietzsche). Parsifal is often cited as a turning point in his career. Over time, Wagner's nationalism, religiosity, and increasingly apparent anti-semitism made him a target to be co-opted by the Nazi movement. This appropriation is, of course, by no means a fair estimation of Wagner's career and influence on music and philosophy, but the ties between Wagner's interest in the Middle Ages and the Nazi's search for an authentic origin story should help us consider more carefully the ideological uses (and ethics) of the past, generally, and the allure of the Middle Ages as a site of origins, specifically.
Check out Hannah's page on Titurel for more!
Assignment for Tuesday 4/5:
Below I've linked a full performance of the opera from 1981. Although the opera is in German, there are English subtitles.
The opera is very long-- I do not expect you to watch all of it. I would like you to try to watch an hour of the performance. The plot follows Wolfram fairly closely so, depending on what part of that text you found most interesting, try to watch a chunk that might reflect on some of the corresponding scenes. For many of you, this might be the first (and perhaps only opera) you'll watch, so let's try to make the most of it! Think of it as a sort of "slow looking" exercise. You know my angle on this stuff. Don't worry about following the narrative so exactly; instead, try to find things that interest you!
As you watch, keep these big picture questions in mind:
- How does Wagner alter Wolfram?
- What interesting consistencies between the two text can you observe?
- How does Wagner use the music to tell the story? (Remember, romance too is an oral art-- and was often sung!)
- Does Wagner's rendition help you see Wolfram's text any differently?
- Why do you think Wagner was interested in this story? How does he update the play?
1. Isolate scene/moments that stick out to you while you watch. Jot down quick notes as you watch.
2. After watching your hour chunk, pick one moment to concentrate on. Find the corresponding scene (or the closest you can find) in the text of Parzival.
3. Watch the scene again!
4. In your first paragraph, introduce the scene with with the time (i.e. 2:48-7:26) and corresponding page numbers in Parzival (2 sentences MAX). Then, carefully unpack how the scene unfolds in the opera. Cite as many details as possible. Concentrate especially on the visuals and the music. Don't worry about analysis at this point-- I just want to see your observations! Extract as much detail as you can!
5. In your second paragraph, compare the scene in the opera to the corresponding scene in the book. If there is no obvious parallel, pick a moment in the book that you think sets up a good contrast to the scene in the opera. Here's where you want to think about analysis. How do the similarities and differences guide your interpretation of what Wagner is trying to accomplish in his scene?
6. Post your two paragraphs below with your name.
-------------------------------------------------------------