Under Wagner’s Shadow: Delius’s Use of Wagnerian Models in The Magic Fountain
After 1900, Frederick Delius’s unique compositional style bears little resemblance to any singular influence. In the thirty-eight-year apprentice period that led to the development of this style, Delius drew upon a wide range of references, from the Norwegian mountains, to the “Negro” spirituals sung by former slaves in Florida, to the dramatic style of Richard Wagner. Studies have been written detailing the impact that his two years spent in Florida had on Delius as well as the twenty visits that he made to Norway throughout his life, ten of which occurred during his apprentice period. Several scholars have pointed out the similarities between Delius’s early harmonic language and that of Richard Wagner but there has not been a study showing the importance of Wagner’s influence upon the development of Delius’s dramatic style. In the creation of his second opera, The Magic Fountain (1894-95), Delius used the operatic works of Richard Wagner, specifically Tristan und Isolde and Parsifal, as musical, dramatic, and philosophical models. The use of Wagner’s works as a model for The Magic Fountain allowed Delius to discover his own artistic voice, which he continued to refine until it was fully formed in 1900. This thesis reveals the overlooked importance of Wagner in Delius’s artistic development.
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