Wagner’s The Mastersingers Of Nuremberg

Wagner is a music innovator in history.To see all creations of Wagner and look back on his concept of music drama,we can see that it is very difficult to define a specific style or faction for his music.He pursues a kind of holistic integrated art,puts forward the ideal of this opera--"music drama",and makes distinction between his opera from subjects to the techniques and then to styles and the traditional French and Italian opera.In his drama creation,The Mastersingers of Nuremberg chose the specific subjects of history from traditional German music culture,and it is Wagner’s only one historical themes of music drama.As the only one comedy genre and also a historical themes,the technique of creative conception and the music has a great research value.On the one hand,The Mastersingers of Nuremberg embodies the principle and idea of Wagner’s musical drama reform,on the other hand,it also shows the characteristics similar to traditional opera.The music of this comic opera,like Wagner’s other later works,consists of several motives,each representing a particular person or event in the work;Even an idea,even a small object,Wagner gave it a unique motivation.These motives seem to be inexhaustible,through Wagner’s creative use of the entire opera symphonic interweaving,so as to produce a strong drama;The problem with this is that grand orchestral effects are hard to sing,making them rarely accessible to any but the most professional "Wagner performers".In this work,Wagner was almost "ruthless" with his vocalists--demanding expressive pages of nearly continuous reading of the script,which itself was written with such astonishing force.When we open the 125-page script,we are amazed that Wagner is putting a brake on himself,that the music has to be in tune with the words,and that it has to flow to keep up with them.The production took more than five hours to perform in its entirety,a heavy script that would have been considered a minister’s play if not for Wagner’s brilliant music.In some lengthy dialogue scenes,even without the dramatic significance of the conversation,also contains the possibility of singing,because the lyrics are never boring,the music contained in itself and its singing have a unique beauty.Wagner did not create style,but tried to be stylized.In this work,Wagner placed art and music in the highest position,and the artist’s soul was sublimated through the washing of music.He infuses a realistic theme with the understanding and passion of contemporary people.He expresses the connection between people through music and art.Wagner’s message was clear,and the nationalist composer certainly took it to a higher level.From the script to the drama,they all reflect the profound spirit of nationalism.Both the inheritance of national traditions and the innovation of traditions are closely connected with specific musical techniques.This inclusive work,covering traditional artistic techniques and new ideas of musical drama,undoubtedly shows the characteristics of romantic drama;In the end,the work illustrates the influence of Walter’s music on Nuremberg’s famous singers’ guild,and the end of this comedy also shows Wagner’s belief that art can change people’s lives.This article will conduct overall analysis of the play to the script and music,from Wagner’s nationalist spirit and the traditional inheritance and innovation.It also conducts specific analysis of connotation of Singer;From the application of dominant motivation,the relationship between band and voices,music drama function and structure,etc.,it conducts concrete analysis on music writing technique of Singer.