Wagner – Tannhäuser Overture [ANALYSIS]

Last updated Jan 8, 2025 | Published on Mar 25, 2021

Winner of a fellowship at the Bayreuther Festspiele, Mr. Griglio’s conducting has been praised for his “energy” and “fine details”. Mr. Griglio took part in the first world recording of music by composer Irwin Bazelon and conducted several world premieres like "The song of Eddie", by Harold Farberman, a candidate for the Pulitzer Prize. Principal Conductor of International Opera Theater Philadelphia for four years, Mr.Griglio is also active as a composer. His first opera, Camille Claudel, debuted in 2013 to a great success of audience and critics. Mr. Griglio is presently working on an opera on Caravaggio and Music Director of Opera Odyssey.
h

Table of contents

Introduction

Without going into too much detail about the opera per se, let me just point out a couple of things: Tannhäuser is one of Wagner’s greatest successes and one he was unsatisfied with his whole life. His wife Cosima noted in her diary on 23 January 1883 (three weeks before Wagner died): 

“He says he still owes

the world Tannhäuser.”

The opera was written in 1845, had a very different version for the Paris debut in 1861, and was revised again for Vienna in 1875.
The Ouverture bears Wagner’s signature in the use of the leitmotiv: those themes or musical motives that along the opera are associated with a certain character or emotion.
As a matter of fact the theme that closes the opera also opens it. We’ve seen something similar in the Overture to Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Mind you, this overture – in the so called Dresden version – lasts an average of 15 minutes. When you add the introduction to the first scene, the Venus mountain, it will take almost 20 minutes before hearing the first human voice.

Richard Wagner in 1871

This may sound unimportant today, but back in 1845, when the average introduction was around 5-7 minutes, it was certainly something audiences were not that accustomed to. And this is only valid for the Dresden version.

The Paris version needed to accomodate a ballet, as it was tradition in French operas. But instead of putting it in the second act – where it normally would be – Wagner put it in the form of a Bacchanal 10 minutes into the overture, bringing the orchestral part to way over 20 minutes. It’s staggering, even today!

Andante maestoso

Should you need a score you can find one here.

The overture opens with a chorale, in a piano dynamic. A warm sound coming out of clarinets, valve horns, and bassoons introduce the pilgrim’s motive that will close the opera.

If you look next to the tempo marking, you’ll see additional instructions in German: “not dragging, walking movement “. And underneath the single parts he writes “sehr gehalten“, very held.

Wagner places these instructions for the conductor and the players all along his works, something that Mahler will inherit and take to the next level. 

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.1

Also known as Homecoming, or Merciful Salvation, the Pilgrim’s Hymn is also meant to be thought of as a Christian hymn, representing goodness in opposition to the lust of Venus and the Bacchanal. Tannhäuser will spend the entire opera torn between the attractions of both forces.

What follows the pilgrim’s hymn? The remorse motive, with its uncertain chromaticism. The cellos play it first, followed by the violins. This is Tannhäuser remorseful for having left the world of men (and Elizabeth) for the pleasures of Venus.

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.2
Oops...

This content is available for free with all memberships.

Already a member? Login here.

Not a member yet? Subscribe today and get access to more than 80 videos, scores analysis, technical episodes, and exercises.

Allegro

Time to get acquainted with Venus: the Allegro introduces the bacchanal motiv. It’s lively, full of energy, announced by the violas.
Notice Wagner’s instruction: “begin very softly. Make a crescendo only later”. And also how the chromaticism in the top line relates to the remorse motive

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.7

This whole section is, in fact, made up of different segments that interlace each other. A few bars into the Allegro and we get a second segment

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.9

And the Poco ritenuto, with its luscious chromaticism, introduces a 3rd segment, followed by the 2 bars answering the first segment at the beginning of the Allegro. Notice how Wagner harmonic language is rich, shifting away from the E major and back to it in a span of a few bars, in a totally unexpected way

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.10

The first segment returns, followed now by a different answer in the oboe and clarinet

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.11

and the Un poco ritenuto shows all the lusciousness of the Venus mountain: the descending chromatic motiv in the violins is countered by an ascending chromatic scale in the cellos’ sextuplets. And everything is enhanced by the dynamics: fortepiano, crescendo, accents, molto espressivo

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.12

The excitement increases leading us to a Tempo primo, with the recommendation to not rush – “Nicht eilen” – where we hear the Adulation of Venus’ theme. It’s the same theme that later on Tannhäuser will sing to Venus accompanied by his harp. Here, it almost sounds like a march, it’s bright, energic

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.13

Listen how broad it becomes in its second phrase. It’s larger than life, sung out by the violins and part of the woodwinds.

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.14

The excitement keeps growing in a modulating progression of 2 bars

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.15

Reaching letter C where one of the previous segments comes back, and transforms itself into another modulating progression.

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.17

Once it peaks, it slowly calms down, the first motive we heard in the Allegro pops up, again the violas, but not the answer in the woodwinds is of a different kind

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.18

All the different pieces come together like in a gigantic puzzle. The music slows down and we’re introduced to yet another theme, the love spell. This will be used by Venus to try and lure Tannhäuser back into the pleasure of the mountain. Look at the orchestration: it’s ethereal, with the violins split in 8 parts, and no other strings, while the theme is sung by a nictitating clarinet

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.19

The motive of the Allegro returns, in a mellower version, in one of the violins parts

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.20

Who will prevail? The clarinet slips in again but the violins don’t give up

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.21

When we hear the violas and cellos we know it’s over: we’re getting back somewhere. But where? Wagner makes a habit of deflecting the expected. A modulating progression makes use of one of the motives to build a long bridge to the Adulation of Venus

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.21

After which we cut into another motive: the full orchestra is here, including a triangle, a tambourine, and the cymbals. We are at letter F in the Dresden version. This is also the point in which the overture changes in the Paris version.

We’re already in fortissimo but Wagner keeps growing and asking for more. The fortissimo marking is reinforced every two bars

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.21

At its peak, the full orchestra is used with all the percussions in trill. And what comes out after that? That motive in triplets we heard at the beginning, in the violins, accompanying the Pilgrims’ hymn. 

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.21

It’s not in triplets here any longer, dissipating some of the tension. Faith will overcome Venus seductive powers: slowly, and solemnly, we return to the hymn, again played by the clarinet, the valve horns, and the bassoons and sustained by a deep trill of the timpani and long notes of the violas and cellos. Plus, of course, the violins with their topical figure

Mozart - Don Giovanni Ouverture analysis ex.21

The remorse motiv is back as well and the Pilgrims’ hymn relentlessly takes over in full orchestra, ending this grandiose overture.

Technical tip
While at the beginning it’s evident that the size of your stroke should be small in order to match the dynamic, it might be a little less evident when the same theme comes back at the end in full force.

And yet, that’s the trick: once you’ve initiated the forte dynamic, reduce the size of your stroke. It will help you not getting tired and it will help the sound of the orchestra. The inclination from a player when they see big gestures is to play louder and louder, and at one point the roundness of the sound pays the price for it. So, keep it small, and shape the sound.

    For a full technical analysis, look up the video in the repertoire section

    Notes

    Cover image by Lucas Craig from Pexels

    Free Download

    Conducting Pills

    A FREE video series with an analysis of structure, phrasing, and, of course, conducting tips of repertoire works: from Mozart to Brahms, from Beethoven to Debussy. A new episode every week!

    Pass the baton

    10 chapters, 11 videos, practical exercises, and examples with scores: this video course produced for iClassical-Academy will show you, through a bar-by-bar analysis of excerpts ranging from Mozart to Mahler and Copland, how to build your own technique in the most logical and effective way.

    Gianmaria Griglio is an intelligent, exceptional musician. There is no question about his conducting abilities: he has exceptionally clear baton technique that allows him to articulate whatever decisions he has made about the music.

    Harold Farberman

    0 Comments
    Submit a Comment

    Pin It on Pinterest

    Share This