Richard Wagner (1813–83) was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor primarily known for his operas. His compositions, particularly those of his later period, are notable for their complex textures, rich harmonies and orchestration, and the elaborate use of leitmotifs—musical phrases associated with individual characters, places, ideas or plot elements. These innovations greatly influenced the development of classical music; his Tristan und Isolde is sometimes described as marking the start of modern music. Wagner revolutionised opera through his synthesis of the poetic, visual, musical and dramatic arts, first fully realised in his four-opera Ring cycle. He had his own opera house built at Bayreuth, containing many novel design features, where his most important stage works continue to be performed in an annual festival run by his descendants. Wagner's controversial writings on music, drama and politics have attracted extensive comment in recent decades, especially where they express antisemitic sentiments. The effects of his ideas can be traced in many of the arts throughout the 20th century.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wagner
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1826:
HMS Beagle departed on its first voyage from Plymouth for a hydrographic survey of the Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego regions of South America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Beagle
1915:
Five trains were involved in a crash near Gretna Green, Scotland, killing 227 people and injuring 246 others. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintinshill_rail_disaster
1980:
Pac-Man, an arcade game that became an icon of 1980s popular culture, made its debut in Japan. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pac-Man
1990:
The Yemen Arab Republic and the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen merged to become the Republic of Yemen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yemeni_unification
2003:
Swedish golfer Annika Sörenstam became the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event in 58 years. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annika_S%C3%B6renstam
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
sangfroid: Composure, self-possession or imperturbability especially when in a dangerous situation. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sangfroid
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
I am not the law, but I represent justice so far as my feeble powers go. --Arthur Conan Doyle https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle