Newman makes the point that Wagner liked to create new things for the German people. Wagner's operas are just one example of his influence over the Germans. Newman also states that Wagner could not keep his opinions or political stances to himself. He used his opera to express his opinions. This created something new for the audience. It made Wagner satisfied with introducing something new to the public and these new political ideas spread all over Germany like wildfire. This resulted in the Germans growing into a race and not just a country. Although this book is old, it still has relevant study material about Wagner's influence over the Germans.
Osborne, Charles. Wagner …show more content…
When Wagner created his musical dramas he did it for the Germans. There was a lack of national spirit in the country and Wagner saw that. He formed a work of art that was expressively German. After spending time in France, Wagner had realized he didn't want the Germans to end up with the “empty extravagance” (4) that the performances in Paris had evoked. The German composers had always had a certain emotional depth in their compositions. Wagner just amplified that to an extreme. This source has a great description on how Wagner worked his opera compositions to fit the German …show more content…
Many people assume that Wagner's opinions about the German Race were what sparked the Third Reich and Hitler's obvious prejudice. According to Stein, the influence that Wagner held over the German people was so tight that it literally lead to over 6 million people losing their lives over the coming years! Wagner's view that the German people were the superior race was also the same view he held towards his music. Stein's book has a deeper wealth of knowledge about the influence Wagner had over the German people. Especially those opinions about race and