Response for 10-26-11

Nietzsche's three demands at the end of "The Case of Wagner" easily sum up some of the reasons why he has turned against Wagner. The first, "that the theater should not lord it over the arts," is a reference to the manner that Wagner conducted his opera. In the evolution of Wagnerian opera, the beauty and art of the music was replaced by the acting and gestures of the story as the main focal point, which Nietzsche disagreed with. Nietzsche believed that music was infinitely more important than the "theatrics" of a story. The second demand was "That the actor should not seduce those who are authentic." Nietzsche believed that once Wagner had an idea or a theme for his opera, he would get "stuck"in the same pattern for his others. Not only was that an issue, but also, because this theme or central idea of a story was repeated, it became superficial or cliched. In the case of Wagnerian opera, the acting and theatrics would disguise the fact that the stories were similar, but the emotions that they evoke would be the same. The final demand was probably the most important: "That music should not become an art of lying." Nietzsche praised Wagner for being able to invoke specific emotions and responses from his audience with his operas. However, the manner in which Wagner was able to do this was less than desirable, in Nietzsche's opinion. He believes that Wagner's music is too "decadent," with too much instant gratification. Everything is considered to be "excellent," when, in fact, there was no taste or talent to any of Wagner's works.