Richard Wagner: Self-Promotion and the Making of a Brand

Richard Wagner: Self-Promotion and the Making of a Brand
ISBN-10
1139486462
ISBN-13
9781139486460
Series
Richard Wagner
Category
Music
Pages
222
Language
English
Published
2010-03-31
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Author
Nicholas Vazsonyi

Description

All modern artists have had to market themselves in some way. Richard Wagner may just have done it better than anyone else. In a self-promotional effort that began around 1840 in Paris, and lasted for the remainder of his career, Wagner claimed convincingly that he was the most German composer ever and the true successor of Beethoven. More significantly, he was an opera composer who declared that he was not composing operas. Instead, during the 1850s, he mapped out a new direction, conceiving of works that would break with tradition and be literally 'brand new'. This is the first study to examine the innovative ways in which Wagner made himself a celebrity, promoting himself using every means available: autobiography, journal articles, short stories, newspaper announcements, letters, even his operas themselves. Vazsonyi reveals how Wagner created a niche for his works in the crowded opera market that continues to be unique.

Other editions

Similar books