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Why Sounding Librettos and Music Guides?

Wagners operas contain many musical mysteries. How can a musical layman decipher these? Reading a score is difficult and listening to music without visual support makes it hard to recognize leitmotifs. But when a leitmotif is heard and visually recognized, it can be understood and memorized. This audiovisual approach is the concept of the Sounding Librettos by MusiCosa Publishing.

The Sounding Librettos reproduce the full text of the score and supplement it with all the composer's directions with the names of the leitmotifs noted on the margin. The included Web App allows listening to the leitmotif audio samples on smartphone or PC and complete the musical experience.

Music guides give a brief introduction to the contents of Wagner's work, analyzing the leitmotifs and their musical-psychological context. With the WebApp the music samples can be heard and the explanations can be easily understood.

1

Sounding Libretto – Mastersingers

The Mastersinger of Nuremberg was published as the first volume in the Sounding Librettos series of Musicosa Publishing

  • The libretto is bilingual, on one page the German original text, on the opposite site the English translation.
  • Leitmotifs are listed in the margins when they appear and can be followed when listening to the WebApp.
  • In the appendix you find the leitmotifs with their related scores.
  • An audio example was recorded for each leitmotif, which can be played using the included WebApp.

Content

  • 354 pages
  • 53 leitmotif scores and audio samples, playable in a web browser on a PC or in a WebApp on a smart phone.

With the Sounding Libretto you will gain deep insights into the wonderful world of Richard Wagner's emotional guides. Find out more...

2

Music guide Rheingold

Wagners Oevre holds many musical mysteries. The Rhinegold is no exception:

  • Why are Camouflage Helmet- and Loge-Motif related?
  • Why are so many Leitmotifs related to the Rhinegold-Motif?
  • What are Wotan's secret plans?

Content

  • 52 pages
  • 39 leitmotif scores and audio samples, playable in a web browser on a PC or in a WebApp on a smart phone.

With the Music Guide you will gain deep insights into the wonderful world of Richard Wagner's emotional guides. Find out more...

3

Music guide Valkyrie

Wagners Oevre holds many musical mysteries. The Valkyrie is no exception:

  • How does the music show the fight against Wotan's regime?
  • Is Wotan in erotic love with his own daughter?
  • What message does the redemption motif contain?

Content

  • 56 pages
  • 36 leitmotif scores and audio samples, playable in a web browser on a PC or in a WebApp on a smart phone.

With the Music Guide you will gain deep insights into the wonderful world of Richard Wagner's emotional guides. Find out more...

4

Music guide Siegfried

Wagners Oevre holds many musical mysteries. The opera Siegfried is no exception:

  • How is Siegfried's maturation into a man reflected in his motifs?
  • Why are forest birds and Rhinemaidens musically related?
  • What message is contained in the World Heritage motif?

Content

  • 56 Pages
  • 42 Leitmotif scores and audio samples, playable in a web browser on a PC or in a WebApp on a smart phone.

With the Music Guide you will gain deep insights into the wonderful world of Richard Wagner's emotional guides. Find out more...

5

Music guide Twilight of the gods

Wagners Oevre holds many musical mysteries. The opera Twilight of the gods is no exception:

  • What question is woven into the web of fate motif?
  • How does Brünnhilde love differently than Siegfried?
  • What does Hagen suffer from?

Content

  • 60 pages
  • 39 Leitmotif scores and audio samples, playable in a web browser on a PC or in a WebApp on a smart phone.

With the Music Guide you will gain deep insights into the wonderful world of Richard Wagner's emotional guides. Find out more...

6

Music guide Mastersingers

Wagners Oevre holds many musical mysteries. The opera The Mastersingers of Nuremberg:

  • How do the ideals of the Meistersinger guild appear in music?
  • What does the dotted rhythm of many motifs mean?
  • What secret lies in the change in Walther's music?

Content

  • 64 Pages
  • 47 Leitmotif scores and audio samples, playable in a web browser on a PC or in a WebApp on a smart phone.

With the Music Guide you will gain deep insights into the wonderful world of Richard Wagner's emotional guides. Find out more...