Gesamtkunstwerk concept
Richard Wagner's ideal of a "total work of art" that unifies music, poetry, drama, visual design, and stagecraft into a single, all-encompassing artistic experience.
In Depth
Wagner was so committed to the Gesamtkunstwerk that he built an entire theater from scratch — the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, still operating today, was designed solely to perform his operas under his exact specifications.
Related Terms
More in Theory
Browse allA sharp, flat, or natural sign that alters a note from the prevailing key signature.
Symbols placed before notes to raise or lower their pitch by a semitone or return them to their natural state
Relating to sound or the properties of sound, especially music produced without electronic amplification.
The natural minor scale, with the pattern W-H-W-W-H-W-W, producing the most common minor tonality in Western music.
Music in which some element of the composition is left to chance or to the performer's discretion.
The second-highest voice type, or an instrument pitched between soprano and tenor.
The measure of a sound wave's intensity, perceived as loudness or volume.
One or more notes before the first full bar of a piece, also called a pickup or upbeat.