Wilhelm Richard Wagner was one of the greatest opera writers of all time. It helped take opera to a whole new level by Verdi and Puccini as well. Some say, however, that Wagner was very selfish; “his extreme selfishness was based on conviction, Wagner had the ability to do great things” (Colles 207). He was extraordinary at composing music and formulating words. He was no prodigy, yet his musical abilities surpassed those of many other composers of his period. Richard Wagner was the son of Frau Karl Fredrich Wilhelm Wagner (Jacobs 1). The youngest was born on May 22, 1813 in the city of Leipzig (Colles 205). Six months after Richard's birth the Napoleonic war came to Leipzig (Jacobs 1). Due to the war there were many corpses that were not buried and therefore Richard's father contracted and died of typhoid fever (Jacobs 1). Shortly after his father's death, Wagner's mother remarried an actor named Geyer and the family moved to Dresden (Colles 205). Wagner began his studies in Dresden at the age of nine (Colles 205). Being at school Wagner loved language and was attracted to poetry (Colles 205). He loved reading translations of Shakespeare and also learned the English language (Colles 205). Before turning to music, he even attempted to write his own tragedies based on Greek drama and Shakespeare (Colles 205). It seems that all the literature Wagner read helped foster his creativity. One of Wagner's earliest musical influences was Carl Maria von Weber (Colles 205). Weber was friends with the Geyer family and so Wagner was able to see the musicianship firsthand. Soon the family returned to Leipzig and with this move Wagner was able to express himself... middle of paper... as a magician of fantasies and emotions. When he heard the fifths of the violins he saw the ghosts. When he saw Weber conduct, what struck him was not the music, but Weber's gestures as the personification of music. “Wagner was a phenomenal composer and writer, he challenged himself and was seen as extraordinary. He may have several problems in his life, but he channeled them very well and showed musicians that it's good to channel yourself into your music. Works CitedBonds, Mark. "Composer Profile". A history of music in Western culture. Third. London: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print.Colles, HC From Bach to Stravinsky. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1933. 205-227. Print. Jacobs, Robert. Wagner. London: J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd., 1947. Print.Newman, Ernest. Wagner as a man and an artist. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1952. Print.