Ride of the Valkyries
Composed by Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner is a German composer. He was born in Germany in the month of May! He composed operas that were way too long and complicated. When Wagner was a child he did not show much musical talent and in fact, his music teacher said, "he would torture the piano in a most abominable fashion". But, by the age of 16 he was writing musical compositions. People say he was extremely confident in his abilities.
Wagner would use something called: "leitmotifs" in his music. A 'Leitmotif' is a recurring theme that is associated with a particular person, idea, or situation. Like in Peter and the Wolf how there is an instrument and a theme representing each character. This use of the leitmotif later influenced modern film scores (music).
The Ride of the Valkyries is music from one of Wagner's operas and is one of his best-known pieces.
Enjoy listening to and watching the graphics! Listen for how the graphics and the music work together. What is happening in the music that is shown in the picture? What do you hear and see?!
Link to Music
