Essay Questions

Explain the irony of Wagner's achievement. - “The Case Of Wagner”

Nietzsche confirms, “Wagner is sung only with ruined voices: this has a more “dramatic” effect. Even talent is out of the question. Expressiveness at all costs, which is what the Wagnerian ideal—the ideal of decadence—demands, is hardly compatible with talent. All that is required for this is virtue—that is to say, training, automatism, “self-denial”.” The bad voices imply he was not absolutely talented. Nevertheless, the voices contributed to a melodramatic effect in his compositions. Accordingly, the ‘Wagnerian ideal’ confirms that talent and perfect voices are not the only factors that define a musician’s success.

Deconstruct Nietzsche’s observations about Atheism - “Beyond Good and Evil”

Nietzche writes, “Why Atheism nowadays? "The father" in God is thoroughly refuted; equally so "the judge," "the rewarder." Also his "free will": he does not hear—and even if he did, he would not know how to help. The worst is that he seems incapable of communicating himself clearly; is he uncertain?—This is what I have made out (by questioning and listening at a variety of conversations) to be the cause of the decline of European theism; it appears to me that though the religious instinct is in vigorous growth,—it rejects the theistic satisfaction with profound distrust.” Atheism is surging because people cannot hear or experience God’s help. Atheists believe that theism is non-pragmatic as it does not benefit them. For Atheists, distrusting God is more worthwhile than trusting Him for he is not existent in their lives.

Where did the Greek tragedy originate? – “The Birth of Tragedy”

Nietzsche explains, “Tradition tells us in the most unequivocal terms, that tragedy sprang from the tragic chorus, and was originally only chorus and nothing but chorus: and hence we feel it our duty to look into the heart of this tragic chorus as being the real proto-drama, without in the least contenting ourselves with current art-phraseology—according to which the chorus is the ideal spectator, or represents the people in contrast to the regal side of the scene." Manifestly, the chorus provided content that inspired the creation of Greek tragedy. However, relying on ancient folklore to explain the origin of tragedy is not unqualified for it attracts counter-folklores resulting in non-uniform conclusions concerning the precise origin. Nonetheless, the chorus underscores the convergence between tragedy and music.