Introducing Wagner: A Graphic Guide

Introducing Graphic Guides

by Kevin Scott, Kevin Scott (Illustrator)

One of the most controversial figures in classical music, Richard Wagner's influence reaches as far as the film Apocalypse Now . Written by leading music critic Michael White, this graphic guide looks at Wagner's complex life, capturing his caprices, cruelties, and anti-semitism.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction, Graphic Novels, Philosophy, History, Comics, Art

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Jim Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent biography of a great opera composer but a terrible person.

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

As far as I recall, this is the second book I read in this series. And it's the second time the anti-semitism is whitewashed. In this case, it becomes explainable. And Wagner, one of the exponents of Romanticism becomes from a pro authoritarian figure, no less than a libertarian!

The text is choke full with dubious statements like "Wagner’s operas understood psychology before it was invented" Well, there seems to be such a thing as psychology, but so far is much based on anecdotal evidence and only in the last decades experiments started to appear. Those experiments are of dubious quality, the double blind standard being mostly an utopia in the field. So it's hard to say that people understand it in 2017. Also, it was not invented, but rather discovered as humans have not developed the brain areas to support it in the 19th century. And, of course, the operas are abstract streams of sounds. At best, they can be the sum of the musical notes printed on paper. Yet, for the shallow mind of Michael White, that does not stop the paper to understand concepts.

[Brian Mikołajczyk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard Wagner was a brilliant composer and librettist who also held anti-semetic views.
This short biography dives into the themes and beliefs Wagner held and how it reflected in his operas.
A very great read.

[Introvert Insane · Rating 4 out of 5]

So... I picked this out on a whim. Knew nothing about the guy, never even heard his name. But yeah, fascinating figure, really just a shit person tho. But hey, he contributed something to history and art so that counts for something.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great palatable Wagner biography. With pictures! Also funny.

[Coenraad · Rating 5 out of 5]

White and Scott provide a solid yet light-hearted introduction to Wagner, giving the most important facts about his life and works. They touch on sensitve issues, like his personal ideology and ethics, the Nazi obsession with Wagner's music, his debt status, the multi-interpretability of his genial compositions. The book is not intended to be comprehensive, and as such does an excellent job of introducing a flawed giant in the history of music.

White en Scott se visuele teks oor Wagner bied 'n fassinerende inleiding tot hierdie komplekse kunstenaar en komponis, sy werk, sy impak en sy kontroversiële nalatenskap.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another informative and interesting book in this series. I'll admit other than some concerts and a couple of Bugs Bunny cartoons I was not very knowledgeable about Wagner and his music. Apparently, he was very talented, and he changed the landscape of opera during his lifetime. He was also horribly anti-Semitic and blamed the Jews anytime something went wrong in his artistic endeavors or Europe. He even wrote several treatises about it. That was probably the reason his music and ideals were used so much by Hitler and the Third Reich.

[Peter Zalmayev · Rating 3 out of 5]

i love the "introducing" series, but as this one testifies, they can be a hit-and-miss affair. while the treatments is mostly competent, some of the drawings in this one are downright weird, as when Siegfried is drawn as a handsome youth but in one he comes out looking like an ugly, hook-nosed dwarf.

[Dfordoom · Rating 1 out of 5]

The usual rubbish people written about Wagner by people with no understanding whatsoever of the man or the music. With the usual "Wagner was responsible for the Nazis" nonsense. Aside from that it's just more Politically Correct drivel.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! It's hilarious, a great intro to Wagner.