Have you ever found an obscure piece of music that hits you just right?

[Aristus]

12. Richard Wagner's Kinder Katekismus- The Children's Catechism.

Last edited Sat Oct 12, 2024, 12:43 PM - Edit history (1)

Just two minutes long. This, from a guy who wrote four-hour-long operas. It’s impossible to convey the impact of this brief boys-choir piece unless you are familiar with Wagner’s Ring Cycle of four interconnected operas.

It took Wagner twenty -four years to complete all four operas of the entire piece. After the third opera, he got so tired of composing it that he stuck it in a drawer for five years. In those five years, he wrote two completely unrelated operas, both of which are considered masterpieces.

On the day he finally finished the last notes of the last opera, the emotional let-down was so overwhelming that he picked a stupid fight with his wife, who burst into tears.

Wagner wrote this little piece as an apology, and had their children sing it to her on Christmas morning. The coda of the piece is the final theme he wrote for the Ring Cycle on the day of the fight, in full. It’s sweet and beautiful even if you’re not familiar with Wagner’s Ring. If you are, it will bring you to tears.