Wagner's Opera Lohengrin example essay topic

The processional "Here Comes the Bride" and the recessional "The Wedding March". I am writing why the processional "Here Comes the Bride" and the recessional "The Wedding March" are being prohibited in the Catholic Church. As a catholic girl, I have always dreamed of walking down the aisle to "Here Comes the Bride", and leaving the wedding to "The Wedding March". This was to be the moment that I could cherish, the moment that would be unforgettable.

Now that I am ready to be married, is when I am upset that these two songs are no longer allowed in the Catholic Church. The catholic church's approach on the music of a wedding, is that the function of music is to be ministerial, and the music must serve and never dominate. The catholic church states that what is true for Sunday liturgy is true for the wedding liturgy, and Sunday Mass sets the standard for all other liturgies. These two pieces of music are considered Secular music, which is defined in the Webster's Dictionary as "of" or relating to worldly things as distinguished from things relating to church or religion; not sacred or religious. There are many religions that have restrictions on the type of music that is allowed at a wedding or ceremony.

The Protestant religion will most generally allow secular music during the ceremony, however you will still need to consult your officiant regarding guidelines. For a Jewish ceremony, secular music is usually allowed in Reform and Conservative Jewish weddings, however in an Orthodox ceremony, the music is traditionally performed with only one instrument, the violin or the flute. For an Eastern Orthodox ceremony, traditionally the only music allowed is sung by an unaccompanied choir, but organs and instruments are becoming more acceptable. For a Muslim ceremony, there is usually no music performed during the ceremony. For a Hindu ceremony, music is an integral part of the ceremony that most often includes vocals, drums, string and wind instruments. The Hindu ceremony is dictated by the type of ceremony, so personalization of a selection may be restricted.

For a Roman Catholic ceremony only nonsecular music is allowed. The processional "Here Comes the Bride" is a song by Richard Wagner's "Bridal Chorus". Some people refer to this song as "corny" and recollecting it as songs played in a Las Vegas Wedding Chapel. However, supposedly there are religious reasons as to why this song should not be played in a church let alone a catholic church.

The song comes from Act of Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin, which has been describe in musical standards as being rich and profound. However, the plot of the opera are full of contorted twists and turns. In this opera there is magic, deceit, trickery, superstition, love, and the death of the unhappy lover. In religious standards this song has nothing sacred about it.

Wagner was arguably the greatest musical genius of the 19th century. His musical career was brilliant, considering that he never had a music lesson or was able to play any instrument. His interest in music was aesthetic and philosophical. Wagner has referred to himself as cantankerous, anti-Semitic and misogynous. Wagner saw himself as a God-like spiritual reformer...

Wagner started work on Lohengrin in 1845, getting his inspiration from an anonymous German epic poem. It relates the story of Parsifal's son Lohengrin, sent by God in a swan-drawn boat to champion a young maiden accused of killing her brother. Lohengrin clears her name in combat with her accuser and wins her love, betrothing himself to her on the condition that she never ask his name or origin. Elsa, the young maiden, agrees but her mind is soon poisoned by doubts through the scheming of the witch Ortrud (At this point, is where the song becomes associated with weddings because it is used in Lohengrin at the marriage between the title character and Elsa).

Ortrud desired Elsa's inherited lands for her husband, Telramund. Elsa cannot help yourself and finally asks the fateful question, and Lohengrin tells her that he is a knight of the Round Table and resides on the lonely Montsalvat, guarding the Holy Grail with his knightly brethren. Since Elsa was unable to keep her side of the bargain, Lohengrin's faithful swan returns, and he must go with it to resume his vigil, prohibited from staying with a wife who has broken faith with him. It seems as thought the reason the public has such difficulty in understanding this opera is because the plot revolves around a dubious proposition. This difficulty of the proposition is that Lohengrin's condition for Elsa seems unreasonable, while Elsa's failure to repress her female curiosity is thought by many as unacceptable misogyny on Wagner's part. It is because of this opera that the catholic church has forbidden the use of "Here Comes the Bride" because they (catholic church) have interpreted it to resemble deceit and to be far from sacred.

The church also says that Wagners's personal life is reason enough not to allow this song. Wagner was said to be extreme anti-semitism, massive ego-mania, wanton gambling and womanizing, ruthless, and would exploit e anyone in order to achieve his ambitions. He was frequently in debt, in part because of failed attempts to have his early operas performed, but also due to his excessive gambling habit. Wagner also had no less than three wives, with the last relationship proving to be the most stable. This was to Cosima (daughter of Franz Liszt) who was already married, at the time of their meeting.

Wagner who was also married at the time of their meeting. Several years later the couple were able to marry, and Cosima devoted her life to supporting and promoting Wagner's work. However, his marriage to Cosima did not stop him from having affairs. Of course, this kind of life could definitely taint the song, "Here Comes the Bride", but the opera wasn't based on Wagner's personal life. In my opinion, Wagner's last marriage showed true devotion because Cosima knew that she had finally found the man of her dreams. I feel that Wagner knew what love was and that love was to be sacred.

However, Wagner was unable to achieve this because he wasn't able to find that one person to make him want to have a sacred relationship. I feel that Wagner's over Lohengrin was about love and devotion but just because Wagner couldn't find it himself, doesn't give the church the right to interpret it based on his personal life. My interpretation of this opera Lohengrin found in Elsa a woman who would trust in him and love him as he is, without asking for explanations. This opera is saying that we must love our spouse with an unconditional love. Some have said that Lohengrin "cloaks his 'higher nature' in order to ensure that he is being loved for what he is, rather than being 'humbly worshiped as a being past all understanding. ' The opera is showing that it is not if someone loves you they will be able to resist urges and feelings for the sake of each other's love.

The opera shows that each person in the marriage has to give and respect each other if the love is going to last. In the opera, Lohengrin has given to Elsa her freedom and willingness to die in combat for her because he loves her, Elsa was supposed to give in return the promise of not asking Lohengrin his name or his history. However, since Elsa could not do this, then Lohengrin was not the man for her. Had Lohengrin been the manf or her, she would have found it easy to not ask the forbidden question. Wagner claimed, that is was through Elsa, that he first 'learned to understand the purely human element of love.

' For the sake of unalloyed, unconditional love, she is driven to ask the question that cannot be avoided. She 'awakes from the thrill of worship into the full reality of love,' and loves him with the unquestioning commitment that Wagner believed was as necessary from men as from women. Elsa, 'this glorious woman,' made Wagner 'a revolutionary at a stroke,' he claimed. Her asking of the question, the necessary question, is not therefore a whim to be scorned, but a heroic act. It is Lohengrin, ensnared and compromised as he is, whose demands initiate the tragedy.

Wagner's opera Lohengrin was thought of to bring a sense of unity to Germany and allow German's to be seen as more romantic. Wagner's music is full of passion and, despite the flaws in his own character, he was able to move people and convey great emotion and love in music. The "Wedding March " The song used as a recessional in weddings is the "Wedding March" which was composed by Ludwig Mendelssohn-Bartholdi. Ludwig Mendelssohn was thought to be one of the premier German composers of the nineteenth century who converted from Judaism to Christianity in 1816 for political purposes. Because of Ludwig's personal decision to renounce his faith, many jewish couples and synagogues refuse to use his music. Mendelssohn was raised in the most intellectually stimulating circumstances imaginable.

Mendelssohn's grandfather was, Moses Mendelssohn, the son of one of Berlin's most successful bankers. Moses Mendelssohn was thought to be one of the brightest stars in the firmament of German Enlightenment thinkers. The Mendelssohn household at Leipzig er Strasse No. 3 was a hub of intellectual and cultural activity, often visited by figures like Alexander von Humboldt and G.W.F. Hegel. In my opinion, the Catholic church has now interpreted the plot of Midsummer's night dream and took no note of how Mendelssohn's life was of great attribute. So here is how the story of Midsummer's Night Dream goes. The play starts out as with the wedding of Theseus, Duke of Athens, to his newly conquered Amazonian queen, Hippolyta.

Their nuptials are interrupted by Egeus, an Athenian father asking for Theseus's help. Egeus's daughter, Hermia, is in love with Lysander, and wants to marry him. Egeus already promised her to Demetrius, who is also in love with her. Hermia's childhood friend, Helena, is in love with Demetrius, and follows him around like a lost puppy. Theseus (Duke of Athens) tells Hermia that she has until morning to decide to marry Demetrius, join a nunnery, or die. Lysander and Hermia decide to run away together into the woods and elope.

They get ready to leave as they see Helena ranting about her love for Demetrius and her unhappiness that he puts her down all the time. They tell her of their plan to escape. In the meantime, six commoners, discuss their plan to put on the play, "Pyramus and Thisbe", at the Duke's wedding. Quince dispenses the roles to the players, most notably the over-dramatic weaver Bottom. He will play Pyramus, while Flute will play Thisbe. In the woods, the fairy Puck addresses the audience.

Oberon and Titania enter the woods, furious with one another over the possession of a little Indian boy. Oberon spots Demetrius running into the woods looking for Hermia, followed by Helena, whom he hates. He tells Puck to find a magic flower that holds juice that when placed on sleeping eyelids, makes the person sleeping fall in love with the first creature he or she sees upon waking. He tells Puck to place it on the sleeping eyes of a man he will notice by the Athenian clothes he has on (namely Demetrius). Puck plans to obey these orders. Oberon sees Titania and plans to play a trick on her by placing the magic juice on her eyes, as well, allowing her to fall in love with a fool.

Lysander and Hermia go to sleep, separately because they are not yet married. Puck sees them and thinks that, Lysander is the man on whose eyes Oberon wants the magic juice placed. Helena runs into the woods at the same spot, sees Lysander, wakes him for fear of death, and Lysander falls in love with her. He leaves the sleeping Hermia to follow Helena and win her heart. Puck plays a trick on Bottom by transforming his head into that of a donkey's ass.

Bottom is unaware of his appearance. Titania awakens, sees Bottom, and falls in love. She and her fairies adorn him with flowers, attention, and 'love. ' Demetrius follows a lonely and distressed Hermia through the woods looking for Lysander. She blames him for Lysander's disappearance.

They bicker as Oberon and Puck watch, realizing that Puck placed the juice in the wrong's Athenian's eyes. They sleep and Oberon squeezes the juice into Demetrius's eyes for Helena. He awakens, sees Helena, and falls in love. Lysander and Demetrius now fight for Helena, where they used to fight for Hermia.

Hermia is now cast aside and cursed by the two men. Helena believes they are all playing a cruel joke on her. Hermia attacks Helena for stealing her lover and the insults fly on both parties' end. The two women then run away enraged. Oberon reprimands Puck for his negligence and vows to make peace of the chaos. Puck tricks the two men into falling asleep and places the juice back in Lysander's eyes.

He gets all four lovers to sleep in one location and says that in the morning, both couples will be happy and all will be well. Titania still tends to Bottom, but they get tired and lay down to nap. Oberon, pleased with his handiwork, places the juice back in her eyes and allows her to return to her normal state. She awakens and returns to Oberon, thinking it was all a dream. Bottom's head returns to human status. They prepare to perform the play at the Duke's wedding night.

Egeus, Theseus, and Hippolyta are on a hunting trip in the woods and spot the four lovers asleep together. They are shocked at the amiability between the four, but welcome the new couples. The three happy couples, Theseus and Hippolyta, Lysander and Hermia, and Demetrius and Helena return to the palace for a triple wedding. I feel that there is nothing wrong with this play. I believe that the play is saying that in marriage you cannot trick someone into loving you or trick them into getting your way. In summary I feel that the Catholic church has over analyzed these two songs.

I feel that the Catholic church has their own interpretation and it is not the correct one. How can the Catholic church forbid these two songs for a wedding but all the while have priests who are molesting altar boys. I really enjoyed researching this topic and when it is time for my wedding, I will now have answers and questions for the church if they tell me I will not be allowed to have these songs played at my wedding.

Bibliography

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