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Wagner’s style was not popular with
everyone, as seen in this American
cartoon (1877), which criticized the
dense noise of Götterdämmerung,
the last opera of the Ring Cycle.promotion of incest was just one of
many sins the composer would be
accused of during his career.) By
1856, however, Wagner had also
discovered the philosopher Arthur
Schopenhauer, who would prove
to be a powerful influence on hiscreative output. Not only did
Schopenhauer present a philosophy
of pessimism incompatible with
the revolutionary zeal that inspired
The Ring, but he viewed music as
the most profoundly expressive of
any of the arts—turning Wagner’s
drama-first conviction on its head.Breaking the cycle
In practical terms, Wagner’s
discovery of Schopenhauer brought
about a break in his composition ❯❯Tristan and its chord
Inspired by his discovery
of Arthur Schopenhauer's
philosophies and a romantic
obsession with Mathilde von
Wesendonck—the wife of his
Swiss patron—Wagner began
composing Tristan und Isolde
in 1857, finishing it less than
two years later. The work,
which explores the adulterous
romance and subsequent
death of the legendary lovers,
arguably laid the foundations
for the breakdown of tonality.
In it, Wagner creates a
disorientating, intoxicating
world built on harmonic
tension that—reflecting
the drama’s obsession with the
impossibility of perfect love—
remains unresolved until the
very end. Emblematic of this
work is the so-called “Tristan
chord”—the first chord in the
Prelude—whose apparently
unrelated notes of F, B, D-sharp,
and G-sharp form the basis
for the work’s harmonic
instability. The Tristan chord,
as used by Wagner, was
hugely influential on composers
seeking to push—and break—
the boundaries of harmony.Tristan und Isolde (1859) first
premiered in Munich in 1865,
starring Ludwig Schnorr von
Carolsfeld and his wife Malwina
Garrigues as the doomed lovers.ROMANTIC 1810 –1920
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