Richard Wagner
Revolutionary opera composer, Gesamtkunstwerk
Most quoted
"The error in the art-genre of Opera consists herein: that a Means of expression (Music) has been made the end, while the End of expression (the Drama) has been made a means."
— from Opera and Drama, 1851
"The destiny of us musicians is to be the first artists to disappear from this earth; for after all, what have we got to do with a world from which beauty is vanishing?"
— from Letter
"Where the world is nothing but a dream, there is no need for a world to be. But where the world is a dream, there is a need for a world to be dreamed."
— from Letters
All quotes by Richard Wagner (411)
The redemption of the world lies in the redemption of the German spirit.
My music is not music, it is a language.
The greatest tragedy of all is the inability to love.
The true artist must be a revolutionary.
The future of art lies in the Gesamtkunstwerk.
I have no other aim than to create a new art.
The most profound truth is often found in the simplest things.
To be German means to be true.
The artist is the mirror of society.
The true hero is the one who suffers for humanity.
The world needs a new myth.
My music is a confession.
The highest art is the art of living.
The German people are the chosen people.
I am a revolutionary, but not a politician.
The artist must be free from all constraints.
The true work of art is a revelation.
My art is for the future.
The most beautiful thing in the world is a loving heart.
The German spirit is the spirit of truth.
Contemporaries of Richard Wagner
Other Musics born within 50 years of Richard Wagner (1813–1883).