Nietzsche takes numerous and compelling issues with Wagner. Compelling for it's parallel to the lack felt by our American music audience who constantly search for authenticity in a highly commodified and commercialized music scene. A main point of interest lie with pinpointing the failings of Wagner. For Nietzsche, it appears the question of authenticity; along with a lack of taste on the part of the audience; as well as theatrical dramatism ("The masses want and crave theatre." 41) that I interpreted also includes with it an added rhetorical element (29); and musically - the "immoral" melody (22).
For a rhetor, the most interesting point, however elementary, and one of the only credits given to Wagner is Nietzsche's assertion that, "...he has immeasurably increased the speaking power of music..." (29)
Performance and rhetoric being central to contemporary popular music, it was difficult to decide on a selection for this week's post:
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