Three of the great reformers of the musical drama (Plato, V. Galileo and Wagner) are united by a desire to impress the audience something extra-musical. The Plato’s purpose was a political order, Galileo’s — a virtuous way of life, and Wagner’s — a new culture. On the contrary, Gluck wanted only to move from a simple conversation to a finer form of edification, which is accompanied by the experience of authentic emotions. He strove for inner-musical reforms without meaning to achieve a special extra-musical effect.
In the first section of this paper I outline the thrust of the opera reforms by Gluck. In the second I examine the statements of German philosophers of the 19th century (Schopenhauer, Wagner, Nietzsche), which discredited the reforms. In the final third section I question the assessment of Gluck’s opera reforms from present perspective.
Translation and commentary by
Roman Nassonov