Richard Wagner

Richard Wagner was born to Carl Friedrich and Johanna Rosine Wagner in Leipzig, Kingdom of Saxony. His father, a police actuary, died six months after Richard's birth.

Wagner begins his formal musical education, taking piano lessons and showing an early interest in music. He is particularly drawn to the works of Beethoven.

Wagner enrolls at Leipzig University, where he studies philosophy and aesthetics, and continues to develop his skills in composition under the guidance of Theodor Weinlig.

Wagner is appointed music director at the theatre in Würzburg, his first professional position. He composes his first opera, 'Die Feen' (The Fairies), which remains unperformed during his lifetime.

Wagner's opera 'Rienzi' premieres in Dresden to great success, marking a significant milestone in his career and bringing him recognition as a composer.

Wagner participates in the May Uprising in Dresden, a revolutionary movement against the Saxon government. He is forced to flee to Switzerland to avoid arrest.

Despite Wagner's absence, his opera 'Lohengrin' premieres in Weimar under the direction of Franz Liszt. The opera is a critical success and solidifies Wagner's reputation.

Wagner begins composing 'Der Ring des Nibelungen,' a cycle of four operas that will take him over two decades to complete. This monumental work is based on Norse and Germanic mythology.

Wagner founds the Bayreuth Festival to stage his own works, particularly 'Der Ring des Nibelungen.' The festival premieres in 1876 and becomes a significant cultural event.

Richard Wagner dies of a heart attack in Venice, Italy, while on a trip to improve his health. He is buried in the garden of his villa, Wahnfried, in Bayreuth.