Other editions of book Stories from Wagner Told to the Children

The stories which I have retold for you in this little book are not new. They are very, very old, and were known and loved by many people, both big and little, hundreds of years before Wagner was born. In the old far-off days there were very few books, and as each book cost a great deal of money not many people could afford to buy them.But in these days there were plenty of stories even though books were few. And the best story-tellers were the minstrels or singers who wandered from village to village singing songs of love and of life and of war. And the people welcomed the minstrels gladly, and gave them food and lodging, and sometimes money in return for the new songs and tales they taught.When the minstrel went away to the next village there was usually some one who could remember a great deal of what had been sung, and this he would tell over and over again in the long dark winter evenings till every grown-up man and woman knew by heart what the minstrel had sung.And the old people told the tales to their sons and daughters, and the sons and daughters told them again to their little children, and so they were never forgotten but were handed down from father to son till the time came when they were written and put into a book.Wagner is the latest of the minstrels, and he has told these stories once again and has written music to sing them to, and when you are old enough I hope you will learn to sing the songs which tell the stories as Wagner wished that they should be told.

A knowledge of great European cultural works is vital for any well-rounded classical education, and the anti-European bias of many present-day educational curricula has led to the deliberate downplaying of great works of art such as Richard Wagner’s wonderful operas. Although this work was originally designed for younger readers, older persons seeking an introduction to Wagner’s tales will find it equally readable and compelling. It tells the storyline of three of his most famous works: The Flying Dutchman, Lohengrin, and The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, in easy-to-read format. Once familiar with the plot, viewing the actual opera becomes immeasurably more pleasurable, and opens up a greater understanding of the dynamics of Wagnerian themes, motifs, and their underlying meaning. Lohengrin was first performed in 1850, and is based on a number of medieval German romances. Its fame has become so well-ingrained into western consciousness that its Bridal Chorus, better known as "Here Comes the Bride", is still played as a processional at weddings. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg ("The Master-Singers of Nuremberg") was first performed in 1868, and is one of the longest operas ever written, with an average performance taking around four and a half hours. The story revolves around the real-life guild of Meistersinger (Master Singers), an association of amateur poets and musicians and provides an unparalleled insight into life in the ancient and beautiful medieval city of Nuremberg. It is Wagner’s only comedy, and also the only one which did not use supernatural elements in its storytelling. The Flying Dutchman was first performed in 1843 and is an adaptation of the older European legend of a ghost ship that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. The ghostly crew interact with live people with unexpected consequences and Wagner was inspired to write it after a perilous sea-journey of his own in which his shop was nearly sunk. Completely reset and hand-edited with all the original illustrations.

A knowledge of great European cultural works is vital for any well-rounded classical education, and the anti-European bias of many present-day educational curricula has led to the deliberate downplaying of great works of art such as Richard Wagner's wonderful operas. Although this work was originally designed for younger readers, older persons seeking an introduction to Wagner's tales will find it equally readable and compelling. It tells the storyline of three of his most famous works: The Flying Dutchman, Lohengrin, and The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, in easy-to-read format. Once familiar with the plot, viewing the actual opera becomes immeasurably more pleasurable, and opens up a greater understanding of the dynamics of Wagnerian themes, motifs, and their underlying meaning. Lohengrin was first performed in 1850, and is based on a number of medieval German romances. Its fame has become so well-ingrained in Western consciousness that its Bridal Chorus, better known as "Here Comes the Bride," is still played as a processional at weddings. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Master-Singers of Nuremberg) was first performed in 1868, and is one of the longest operas ever written, with an average performance taking around four and a half hours. The story revolves around the real-life guild of Meistersinger (Master Singers), an association of amateur poets and musicians, and provides an unparalleled insight into life in the ancient and beautiful medieval city of Nuremberg. It is Wagner's only comedy, and also the only one which did not use supernatural elements in its storytelling. The Flying Dutchman was first performed in 1843 and is an adaptation of the older European legend of a ghost ship that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. The ghostly crew interact with live people with unexpected consequences and Wagner was inspired to write it after a perilous sea-journey in which his own ship was nearly sunk. Illustrations by Byam Shaw.

A knowledge of great European cultural works is vital for any well-rounded classical education, and the anti-European bias of many present-day educational curricula has led to the deliberate downplaying of great works of art such as Richard Wagner's wonderful operas. Although this work was originally designed for younger readers, older persons seeking an introduction to Wagner's tales will find it equally readable and compelling. It tells the storyline of three of his most famous works: The Flying Dutchman, Lohengrin, and The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, in easy-to-read format. Once familiar with the plot, viewing the actual opera becomes immeasurably more pleasurable, and opens up a greater understanding of the dynamics of Wagnerian themes, motifs, and their underlying meaning. Lohengrin was first performed in 1850, and is based on a number of medieval German romances. Its fame has become so well-ingrained in Western consciousness that its Bridal Chorus, better known as "Here Comes the Bride," is still played as a processional at weddings. Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Master-Singers of Nuremberg) was first performed in 1868, and is one of the longest operas ever written, with an average performance taking around four and a half hours. The story revolves around the real-life guild of Meistersinger (Master Singers), an association of amateur poets and musicians, and provides an unparalleled insight into life in the ancient and beautiful medieval city of Nuremberg. It is Wagner's only comedy, and also the only one which did not use supernatural elements in its storytelling. The Flying Dutchman was first performed in 1843 and is an adaptation of the older European legend of a ghost ship that can never make port and is doomed to sail the oceans forever. The ghostly crew interact with live people with unexpected consequences and Wagner was inspired to write it after a perilous sea-journey in which his own ship was nearly sunk. Illustrations by Byam Shaw.