which composer invented the "Gesamtkunstwerk" or "total work of art"?

a. hector berlioz
b. niccolo paganini
c. richard wagner
d. franz liszt

Question

which composer invented the "Gesamtkunstwerk" or "total work of art"?

a. hector berlioz
b. niccolo paganini
c. richard wagner
d. franz liszt

anonymous · Answer

Richard Wagner i think. but im not sure.

anonymous · Answer

"The term was first used by the German writer and philosopher K. F. E. Trahndorff in an essay in 1827. The German opera composer Richard Wagner used the term in two 1849 essays. It is unclear whether Wagner knew of Trahndorff's essay. The word has become particularly associated with Wagner's aesthetic ideals." [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gesamtkunstwerk ] So if you are talking about composers, Richard Wagner would be the answer:)