Overture to "Tannhäuser." Richard Wagner Patrick Swinkels First edition 725 The Wagner Library
http://users.belgacom.net/wagnerlibrary/
15AC959E-A487-11D6-AC79-00C04F03817C wlpr0110

Freely available for non-commercial use.

 Richard Wagner's Prose Works Overture to "Tannhäuser." The Theatre Richard Wagner William Ashton Ellis Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. London 1894 Richard Wagner's Prose Works 3

OCR errors have been corrected

All soft-hyphens have been removed. If a page break occurred in a hyphened word, then the pb tag is put AFTER the hyphened word.

 bold italic underline double quoted single quoted normal right left center justify horizontal line lowercase uppercase British Library Public Catalogue
http://blpc.bl.uk/
 Dewey Decimal Classification
http://www.oclc.org/dewey/
 Library of Congress Classification
http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/cpso.html#class
 Library of Congress Subject Headings
http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/cpso.html#subjects
 Nederlandse Uniforme Genre Indeling Nederlandstalige Uniforme Rubrieksindeling Non-fictie informatief/professioneel algemeen Muziek algemeen Biografieën van musici Muziekgeschiedenis Muziektheorie Muziekwetenschap Muziek klassiek Muziek populair Muziekinstrumenten en –techniek Bladmuziek Naslagwerken (muziek) Theater-, film- en televisiewetenschap algemeen Biografieën podiumkunsten Biografieën film en televisie Radio Film en televisie Toneel en theaterdans Theatergeschiedenis Theatertheorie en -techniek Universal Decimal Classification
http://www.udcc.org/
 The Wagner Library The Prose Writings Early Writings, 1834-1839 Essays and Autobiographical Notes Shorter occasional Pieces and Articles The Paris Years, 1839-1842 Writings for the "Revue et Gazette Musicale" Feuilletons for "Europa" (Stuttgart) Contributions to Schumann's "Neue Zeitschrift für Musik" Articles for the Dresden "Abendzeitung" Other Paris Writings Writings from 1842 to 1848 The Revolution Years, 1848-49 Revolutionary Writings Writings on Theater Reform Occasional Writings Writings from the Years 1849 to 1864 Major Writings on Aesthetics from the Zurich Period Minor Writings on Aesthetics Writings on Theater Reform Autobiographical Writings, Prefaces, and Remarks on Wagner's Musical-Dramatic Works Minor Occasional Pieces and Short Articles: Obituaries and Dedications Press Statements Letters of Thanks Program Notes Writings from 1864 to 1883 Autobiographical Works Philosophical Writings Musical Aesthetics and Drama Theater Reform and Bayreuth Short and Occasional Pieces and Articles: Obituaries and Dedications Reviews and Statements Shorter Writings on Various Subjects Statements to the Press Open Letters, Miscellaneous Fragments and Concert Programs Referring String Keys Persons Composers Auber Bach Bellini Beethoven Gluck Grétry Händel Mozart, W. A. Spohr Spontini Wagner, Richard Weber Singers Schröder-Devrient, Wilhelmine Schneider, Friedrich Lvoff, Alexis Feuerbach, Ludwig Ludwig II, King Schiller Schopenhauer, Arthur Operas Euryanthe Figaro Freischütz, Der Montecchi e Capuleti Norma Hochzeit, Die Liebesverbot, Das Feen, Die Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen Fliegende Holländer, Der Tannhäuser und der Sängerkrieg auf Wartburg Lohengrin Ring des Nibelungen, Der Rheingold, Das Walküre, Die Siegfried Götterdämmerung Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Die Tristan und Isolde Parsifal Compositions Messiah Requiem Places Cities Bayreuth Berlin Brussels Dresden Leipzig London Munich Paris Riga Regions Bavaria Countries France Germany Italy Lithuania Roles Romeo The Wagner Library German British English American English French Italian Latin german music language opera french wagner weber song mozart italian 780-dc20 924 600 2008-08-11 Patrick Swinkels encoder TEI level 1 encoding Ouvertüre zu "Tannhäuser" Neue Zeitschrift V 177-179
Translator's Note

Appeared in the Neue Zeitschrift for January 14, '53, with a note: "Written by the composer on the occasion of the performance of this work at Zurich". In Letter 56, ('Letters to Uhlig', Zurich, Feb. 26, '52), Wagner writes: "At the first rehearsal of the Tannhäuser overture the orchestra begged me to give them an explanation of the contents, after the manner of the Coriolanus overture, as it would enable them to 'play better.'"
Overture to "Tannhäuser."

To begin with, the orchestra leads before us the Pilgrims' Chant alone ; it draws near, then swells into a mighty outpour, and passes finally away.—Evenfall: last echo of the chant.—As night breaks, magic sights and sounds appear; a rosy mist floats up, exultant shouts assail our ear; the whirlings of a fearsomely voluptuous dance are seen. These are the "Venusberg's" seductive spells, that shew themselves at dead of night to those whose breast is fired by daring of the senses.—Attracted by the tempting show, a shapely human form draws nigh: 'tis Tannhäuser, Love's minstrel. He sounds his jubilant Song of Love in joyous challenge, as though to force the wanton witchery to do his bidding.—Wild cries of riot answer him: the rosy cloud grows denser round him, entrancing perfumes hem him in and steal away his senses. In the most seductive of half-lights, his wonder-seeing eye beholds a female form indicible; he hears a voice that sweetly murmurs out the siren-call, which promises contentment of the darer's wildest wishes. Venus herself it is, this woman who appears to him.—Then heart and senses burn within him; a fierce, devouring passion fires the blood in all his veins: with irresistible constraint it thrusts him nearer; before the Goddess' self he steps with that canticle of love triumphant, and now he sings it in ecstatic praise of her.—As though at wizard spell of his, the wonders of the Venusberg unroll their brightest fill before him: tumultuous shouts and savage cries of joy mount up on every hand; in drunken glee Bacchantes drive their raging dance and drag Tannhäuser to the warm caresses of Love's Goddess, who throws her glowing arms around the mortal drowned with bliss, and bears him where no step dare tread, to the realm of Being-no-more (Nichtmehrseins). A scurry, like the sound of the Wild Hunt, and speedily the storm is laid. Merely a wanton whir still pulses in the breeze, a wave of weird voluptuousness, like the sensuous breath of unblest love, still soughs above the spot where impious charms had shed their raptures, and over which the night now broods once more.—But dawn begins to break already: from afar is heard again the Pilgrims' Chant. As this chant draws closer yet and closer, as the day drives farther back the night, that whir and soughing of the air—which had erewhile sounded like the eerie cries of souls condemned—now rises, too, to ever gladder waves; so that when the sun ascends at last in splendour, and the Pilgrims' Chant proclaims in ecstasy to all the world, to all that lives and moves thereon, Salvation won, this wave itself swells out the tidings of sublimest joy. 'Tis the carol of the Venusberg itself, redeemed from curse of impiousness, this cry we hear amid the hymn of God. So wells and leaps each pulse of Life in chorus of Redemption; and both dissevered elements, both soul and senses, God and Nature, unite in the atoning kiss of hallowed Love.

Notes

In the N. Z. the opening sentence ran thus: "A band of pilgrims marches past us; their chant—of faith, remorse and penitence, mounting to hope and confident assurance of salvation—draws near at the commencement, swells louder, as if close beside us," etc.—TR.
Summary

Pilgrim's Chant; night falls; magic sights and sounds appear to those whose heart is fired by daring of the senses. Love's minstrel and the siren call of Venus; to her he sings the canticle of love triumphant; wonders of the Venusberg; he treads the realm of Being-no-more. A scurry, like the sound of the Wild Hunt; the storm is laid, merely a wanton whir remains; as dawn begins, it blends with the sacred chant. The sun rises in splendour on a world redeemed; soul and senses, God and Nature, united by the kiss of Love (231).