W. W. Norton & Company | The Enjoyment of Music, 10e

Skip to content

Select a Chapter | Purchase the eBook | Today in Music History | Online Listening Lab

Choose a unit to view its chapters »
1The Elements of Music
- Prelude Listening to Music Today
- Ch. 1 Melody: Musical Line
- Ch. 2 Rhythm and Meter: Musical Time
- Ch. 3 Harmony: Musical Space
- Ch. 4 Musical Texture
- Ch. 5 Musical Form
- Ch. 6 Musical Expression: Tempo and Dynamics
2Musical Instruments and Ensembles
- Ch. 7 Voices and Musical Instrument Families
- Ch. 8 Western Musical Instruments
- Ch. 9 Musical Ensembles
- Ch. 10 Style and Function of Music in Society
3The Middle Ages
- Ch. 11 The Culture of the Middle Ages
- Ch. 12 Sacred Music in the Middle Ages
- Ch. 13 Secular Music in the Middle Ages
4The Renaissance
- Ch. 14 The Renaissance Spirit
- Ch. 15 Renaissance Sacred Music
- Ch. 16 Renaissance Secular Music
- Transition I From Renaissance to Baroque
5The Organization of Musical Sounds
- Ch. 17 Musical Systems
- Ch. 18 The Major-Minor System
6The Baroque and the Arts
- Ch. 19 The Baroque Spirit
- Ch. 20 Main Currents in Baroque Music
7Vocal Music of the Baroque
- Ch. 21 Baroque Opera
- Ch. 22 Barbara Strozzi and the Italian Cantata
- Ch. 23 Bach and the Sacred Cantata
- Ch. 24 Handel and the Oratorio
8Instrumental Music of the Baroque
- Ch. 25 The Baroque Sonata and Concerto
- Ch. 26 The Baroque Suite
- Ch. 27 Other Baroque Instrumental Forms
- Transition II To the Age of Enlightenment
9Expanded Elements of Form
- Ch. 28 The Development of Musical Ideas
- Ch. 29 Classical Forms
10The Classical Spirit
- Ch. 30 Classicism in the Arts
- Ch. 31 Classicism in Music
11Classical Chamber Music
- Ch. 32 Eighteenth-Century Chamber Music Style
- Ch. 33 Mozart and Chamber Music
12The Classical Symphony
- Ch. 34 The Nature of the Symphony
- Ch. 35 Haydn and the Symphony
- Ch. 36 Beethoven and the Symphony in Transition
13The Eighteenth-Century Concerto and Sonata
- Ch. 37 The Classical Concerto
- Ch. 38 The Classical Sonata
14Choral Music and Opera in the Classical Era
- Ch. 39 Sacred Choral Music and Opera
- Transition III From Classicism to Romanticism
15The Romantic Movement
- Ch. 40 The Spirit of Romanticism
- Ch. 41 Romanticism in Music
16Nineteenth-Century Art Song
- Ch. 42 The Romantic Song
- Ch. 43 Schubert and the Lied
- Ch. 44 Robert Schumann and the Song Cycle
17The Nineteenth-Century Piano Piece
- Ch. 45 The Piano and Its Literature
- Ch. 46 Chopin and Piano Music
- Ch. 47 Clara Schumann: Pianist and Composer
- Ch. 48 Louis Gottschalk and Piano Music in America
18Romantic Program Music
- Ch. 49 The Nature of Program Music
- Ch. 50 Berlioz and the Program Symphony
- Ch. 51 Musical Nationalism
19Absolute Forms in the Nineteenth Century
- Ch. 52 The Romantic Symphony
- Ch. 53 Brahms and the Late Romantic Symphony
- Ch. 54 The Romantic Concerto
- Ch. 55 The Rise of Classical Composition in America
20Choral and Dramatic Music in the Nineteenth Century
- Ch. 56 Romantic Choral Music
- Ch. 57 Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel and the Romantic Part Song
- Ch. 58 Romantic Opera
- Ch. 59 Verdi and Italian Opera
- Ch. 60 Wagner and the Music Drama
- Ch. 61 Puccini and Late Romantic Opera
- Ch. 62 Tchaikovsky and the Ballet
21The Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Eras
- Transition IV The Post-Romantic Era
- Ch. 63 Debussy and Impressionism
22The Early Twentieth Century
- Ch. 64 Main Currents in Early-Twentieth-Century Music
- Ch. 65 New Elements of Musical Style
- Ch. 66 Stravinsky and the Revitalization of Rhythm
- Ch. 67 Schoenberg and the Second Viennese School
23Twentieth-Century Nationalism
- Ch. 68 Bela Bartok and the European Tradition
- Ch. 69 American Musical Traditions
- Ch. 70 Nationalism in the Americas: Aaron Copland and Silvestre Revueltas
24Popular Styles
- Ch. 71 Ragtime, Blues, and Early Jazz
- Ch. 72 The Swing Era and Beyond
- Ch. 73 Musical Theater
- Ch. 74 Rock and the Global Scene
25The New Music
- Ch. 75 New Directions
- Ch. 76 The New Virtuosity of the Modern Age
- Ch. 77 Contemporary Composers Look to World Music
- Ch. 78 Music for Films
- Ch. 79 Technology and Music
- Ch. 80 Some Current Trends

Chapter 60: Wagner and the Music Drama

Study Plan

"How strange! Only when I compose do I fully understand the essential meaning of my works. Everywhere I discover secrets which hitherto had remained hidden to my eyes."

Key Points

The German composer Richard Wagner revolutionized opera with his idea of the Gesamtkunstwerk— a total work of art unifying all elements.
Wagner's operas—called music dramas—are not sectional (in arias, ensembles, and the like) but are continuous; they are unifed by leitmotifs, or recurring themes, that represent a person, place, or idea.
The emotional quality of Wagner's music is heightened by his extensive use of chromatic dissonance.
Wagner's most famous work is his four-opera cycle, The Ring of the Nibelung.

Section Menu

Norton Gradebook

Instructors now have an easy way to collect students’ online quizzes with the Norton Gradebook without flooding their inboxes with e-mails.

Students can track their online quiz scores by setting up their own Student Gradebook.