Opera Background
Tannhäuser Background
Minnesingers and Courtly LoveWho was Tannhäuser?
Wagner’s Sources for Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser, Venus and the Pope
The Song Contest at the Wartburg
Saint Elizabeth
Minnesingers and Courtly Love
The title character of Tannhäuser is a Minnesinger: a medieval German troubadour who composed and performed songs about love, politics, ethics and current events. Minnesingers were an important part of German court life during the twelfth through fourteenth centuries. Their songs and poems developed and reinforced one of the defining concepts of their world: courtly love.
The term “courtly love” (minne) refers to the medieval concept of spiritual love between a brave knight and a noble lady. The lady love was usually above her knight in rank, or married to another man, or both. The knight idealized her, yearned for her, and devoted himself to her. In the world of the medieval court, marriage for love was almost unheard of. Marriage matches were made to cement political alliances or build fortunes; hence true love was thought to occur outside of marriage. Love, as opposed to marriage, was associated with personal development and private happiness. A love relationship inspired a knight to lead a better life and develop a more beautiful soul. The concept of courtly love affirmed the bold idea that there was more to a man than his title or his wealth—each individual also had a private emotional life, linked more to their soul than to their station.
Although adulterous, courtly love was expected to be virtuous. Spiritual communion was more important than physical contact. A knight proved his devotion to his lady by making himself her champion, defending her honor, impressing her with heroic feats, and obeying her every command. The perfect knight served his lady without ever expecting any reward, and his devotion to one woman made him attentive and valiant towards all noblewomen. The Minnesingers’ songs were the musical expressions of these ideals.
Who was Tannhäuser?
The historical figure of Tannhäuser was an actual Minnesinger, possibly of noble birth, who spent time in a number of German courts. He was also a crusader who participated in the sixth crusade with Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, during which he travelled widely. He eventually wound up at the Emperor’s Italian court, where the Emperor awarded him a fief. But Tannhäuser squandered his fortune on “fair women, good wine, dainty meat, and baths twice a week” (in the words of a poem ascribed to him.) Later on in life, miserably poor, he supposedly wrote penitent poetry regretting his former wasteful, sinful lifestyle. His repentance is often cited by those who wish to establish links between the historical Tannhäuser and the figure he was to become in legend.
Wagner’s Sources for Tannhäuser
Wagner combined stories drawn from several centuries of lore about the Minnesingers of the middle ages. His literary sources included the Arnim-Brentano anthology of folk verse Des Knaben Wunderhorn, sixteenth-century ballad Danhauser, Tieck’s Der getreue Echart und der Tannhäuser (1800) and other works by Eichendorff, Heine, and E.T.A. Hoffmann.
Read on to discover some of the stories Wagner used to fashion the plot of Tannhäuser.
Tannhäuser, Venus and the Pope
The legend of Tannhäuser first appeared in a song from the sixteenth century. In it Tannhäuser, who has wandered the world, comes at last to the Venusberg, the supernatural realm of the goddess of love Venus. There he enjoys all the pleasures of her secret world. But eventually, tired of this continual delight, he decides to repent and return to the real world. Venus tries to prevent him from escaping her kingdom, but Tannhäuser calls on the Virgin Mary. At the mention of this holy name, he suddenly finds himself back in the real world. Determined begin a new life, Tannhäuser makes a pilgrimage to Rome to ask forgiveness for his sins. He obtains an audience with the Pope, tells him his story and asks to be forgiven. But the shocked Pope says that his withered wooden staff will burst into bloom before Christ will forgive a sinner like Tannhäuser. Bitter and disillusioned, Tannhäuser returns to the Venusberg.
Soon afterwards, the Pope’s staff bursts into bloom. He hastily sends messengers to attempt to find Tannhäuser and bring him back to the Vatican so that he can be pardoned. But the poet has disappeared forever, and the old song tells us that it is the Pope who is damned.
The Song Contest at the Wartburg
The song contest in Tannhäuser’s second act is based on an historical event. Landgrave Hermann, ruler of Thuringia, famous for his patronage of the arts, hosted a great tournament of art. Many Minnesingers were present, and a song contest developed between six of them. Five Minnesingers literally sang the praises of Landgrave Hermann—but Heinrich von Ofterdingen praised his master Duke Leopold instead. Tempers rose, and it was agreed that the loser of the contest should be put to death. Heinrich von Ofterdingen, who was outnumbered, was judged the loser. But the rebellious Minnesinger asked Sophie, the Landgrave’s wife, for protection. She threw her mantle over him, preventing anyone from harming him.
Here historical truth and legend begin to merge. The story goes on to tell us that Sophie summoned the Hungarian sorceror Klingsor (who would become a character in Wagner’s Parsifal centuries later) to judge between the singers. In a year the contest would be repeated, Klingsor would choose the winner, and whoever argued against his decision would be killed. During this year, Heinrich von Ofterdingen gained Klingsor’s support, and the magician used his powers to help the Minnesinger. But despite Klingsor’s sorcery, Wolfram von Eschenbach won the contest by singing pious songs about God’s grace.
Saint Elizabeth
Wagner also drew inspiration from the figure of Saint Elizabeth, who was the daughter-in-law of Landgrave Hermann. In the legend of the song contest at the Wartburg, Klingsor prophesizes her birth.
Tragically widowed at 20, Elizabeth devoted her life to good works. She was noted for her extreme piety, purity, and her devotion to the poor and the sick. Wagner fused the figure of Sophie, the Landgrave’s wife who shielded Heinrich von Ofterdingen from danger, with the character of saintly Elizabeth. In Tannhäuser, Elisabeth is Landgrave Hermann’s neice, and the object of Tannhäuser’s affection.
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