Seminar in German Studies: The Music of Richard Wagner
German 495-001/Fall 2007/Mon-Wed, 11:00 – 12:15/Three Credits
Willkommen! Obwohl wir in der Klasse auf deutsch reden werden, soll zuerst die Kursbeschreibung jedem Studenten unbedingt klar stehen. Aus diesem Grund ist sie nun weiter auf englisch verfasst.
Office: Cultural Arts (CA) 1058
Office phone: 910/962-3890; E-Mail: Salwenb@uncw.edu
Office Hours: By appointment. Simply talk to me after any class, call, or email me to make a time.
This course will be devoted principally to the operas of the great German composer Richard Wagner (1813-83). To those of you not familiar with opera, this may sound a bit specialized. Never fear, however! Although we will deal to a reasonable extent with musical particulars, musical background is not required, and the course will range beyond opera as well.
To live through a Wagner opera is a bit like what Jimi Hendrix said about his shows: Wagner is an “experience.” His works are of great length and emotional range, embrace archetypal characters, and reach remarkable peaks of power and intensity. We will be dealing with excerpts rather than whole works; however, in the course of the term, you will experience a good number of those powerful moments.
Wagner was a figure of enormous influence. This is first of all musical; alongside Beethoven, Wagner was the most influential composer of the 19th century, and continued to have a major effect into the 20th century. His operas are performed constantly today, and draw large, dedicated (even fanatical) audiences.
His impact extends well beyond music too. Wagner was pioneering in his theories of stagecraft, and played a direct role in the life of the great philosopher Nietzsche. He remains intensely controversial today due to some of his political writings. We will look at some of these other aspects, and place Wagner into the currents of the times in Germany as the course unfolds.
If it is feasible, I am hoping for us to actually see part of an opera during the course of the semester, and hence experience opera as it was meant to be: as a visual event. I will see what can be done with this.
Required Text: The Wagner Operas, by Ernest Newman. ISBN: 0691027161. Paperback.
The framework for the course will be Wagner’s 10 principal operas. The above text will be our constant companion as we hear the works. Newman, despite no longer being “current,” is the biographer and commentator that every later writer on Wagner must reckon with, and this book is nearly ideal for our purposes.
Along with this book, it is my plan that the library at each university will have CD recordings of all the operas on reserve for the duration of the term. I will assign excerpts for listening, taking care to make the excerpts easy to find no matter which recording you have.
Normally CDs come with a booklet containing the full German text of the opera with an English translation. In order for you to understand what is going on as you listen, you will need to follow the text. (Even native German speakers will probably not understand everything that is sung without some help from the printed version).
In general I will discuss the texts in German. Perhaps best for our purposes is this website: http://www.rwagner.net/e-frame.html It appears to contain the libretti of all the operas with parallel translation.
(As a backup, the libretto can be brought to class as part of the CD set; libraries may have a separate book with the opera texts. We have them in various books at UNCW, and all together, with an antiquated translation, in a book at call number ML 49.W14.A2.)
Other reading
I would like everyone to familiarize themselves with Wagner’s biography. We will of course discuss this in class, but you should have the overview as well. You may consult the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, which is the definitive music reference in English. However where possible, try to use a German text, especially as I have chosen a class text that is in English. MGG (short for the definitive music encyclopedia in German, Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart) is the place to go. The new edition has not reached Wagner yet, but any music library should have the previous edition.
The other text, which we will use sparingly, is that of Wagner prose writings. Again, libraries should have these. At UNCW, the German original is at call number ML 410.W1 A1. A volume in English is number ML 410.W1 A135. Both will be on reserve. Wagner’s original German is difficult, so it may be helpful to use the two side by side.
I may assign other readings in modest quantity.
The 10 principal Wagner operas:
Der fliegende Holländer
Tannhäuser
Lohengrin
Der Ring des Nibelungen (4 operas)
Das Rheingold
Die Walküre
Siegfried
Götterdämmerung
Tristan und Isolde
Die Meistersinger
Parsifal
Tests: Because this is something of a seminar setting, and until I see the situation in the class, I want to hold my plans about tests flexible. My tentative plan is to have two tests aside from the final, at about the 1/3 and 2/3 points in the semester. What form these will take I will work out as we proceed. Assume for the moment that at least some essay writing in German will be involved.
Because the schedule for final exams will differ between campuses, I will need to work out the mechanics of the final as the semester proceeds.
Paper: There will be one paper for the semester, to deal with any Wagner-related topic. Pick something that interests you to examine more closely, or to pursue differing viewpoints on (controversy). Length: three pages to four pages, plus a title page. Double-spaced, with at least one page in German. Three or more reference sources (at most one from the internet), with the standard citations; bibliography on a separate sheet. Planned due date is Monday, 3 December.
Grading: I will give equal weight to each of the tests and your paper. The numerical result will then be significantly tilted by your oral participation, with grades rising or falling as much as two levels (B- to B+, for example) over the range of minimal to excellent participation. I greatly value oral participation. Speak up and let me hear your ideas. Again, I will be responding to the quality of your thoughts rather than to the quality of your grammar.
Attendance: please try to be in class faithfully. It is difficult to substitute for the guided listening we will do. Also, classes will not necessarily be confined to material immediately traceable to a reading you have done. I will try to post notes online after class, but this is not intended as a substitute for attendance. I will take attendance at every class, but will not deduct for absences (you are old enough to take responsibility for yourselves). I do, however, notice excellent attendance (two or fewer absences) in the form of rounding up final grades that are already near the next grade level. So in all ways, attending class is positive.
The general language of class instruction will be German. I will endeavor to find out something about each student’s level and previous study in the first class or two, so as to adapt as needed to what I assume will be varying language capability. Now and again, depending on class needs, I may explain or review in English. In general, however, we will be speaking German. When it comes time for you students to speak, simply bear in mind that the idea here is not grammatical perfection, but meaningful expression. If your speech is slow, do your best to formulate your thoughts somewhat before raising your hand, and then simply go ahead!
This touches again on the general subject of oral participation. I especially value discussion and the expression of individual ideas. The distance format may require some adjustment, especially in a second language, but you are still in a regular classroom. Feel free to speak up to ask questions, voice opinions, and even to have sensible disagreement. Wagner remains controversial in more ways than one, and I want this aspect to be part of our class interaction.
Live Music.
If a Wagner performance takes place in your area, then try to go. This can make the course material really come alive. For UNCW students, there is such an opportunity. The North Carolina Symphony will perform on Friday, 12 October, at 8:00 P.M. in Kenan Auditorium. They will play a great excerpt from Siegfried, and also a Weber opera excerpt that was a major influence on Wagner.
Finally, communication in general.
The distance learning format calls for a bit of good-natured flexibility. In class, please do let either me or your classroom technician know if you need an adjustment. This would typically relate to the sound level of the music, or the visibility of something I am writing. I want everyone to be able to see and hear!
Regardless of your location, please feel free to contact me anytime you have questions or need help. My phone number and email address are at the top of the syllabus. One- or two-step factual questions can usually be handled via email. More elaborate questions are best handled on the phone. I am hoping to have a webcam, so we can talk “face-to-face.” We can set up a phone appointment by email, and then speak directly at mutual convenience. Of course, you are welcome to ask questions in class too. But if you need more attention than is readily possible there, then we can communicate individually.
University email account: Check this daily. In addition to the class itself, this is the official means of campus communication. It is the address I will have from your student record. Make sure you check your student email box each day. Please don’t tell me that you didn’t read it, or that it was full. Make sure that your student email account is a working method of communication, and that you use it.
Statement Regarding Academic Honesty: “The University of North Carolina at Wilmington is committed to the proposition that the pursuit of truth requires...honesty among all involved...no form of dishonesty among faculty or students will be tolerated. Although all members of the university community are encouraged to report occurrences of dishonesty, each individual is principally responsible for his or her own honesty.” (From the "Academic Honor Code" in the UNCW Code of Student Life. All students are encouraged to read this section, pp. 5-7, which contains definitions of plagiarism, bribery, and cheating, and the procedures for reporting and adjudication of any such claims and offenses.)
ENJOY THE COURSE!