Richard Wagner

A 19th-century German composer and poet (Leipzig, 1813 – Venice, 1883), regarded internationally as one of the greatest geniuses of musical composition. It was Wagner who transformed opera into ‘musical drama’: an ideal blend of music, poetry, dance and visual delight. A key role in the conception of such a combination was played by the systematic use of the ‘leading musical theme’ or ‘leitmotif’ for each different character, object or central idea of the work.