Trivia

Designed an opera house, still in use today, in Bayreuth, Germany specifically for staging his operas. The orchestra pit is covered; as a result, the singers are not overpowered by the orchestra, usually of symphonic proportions in Wagner's operas.

Created a style of music which bears his name.

Favorite composer of Adolf Hitler, who claimed to have seen Wagner's opera "Reinzi" at least 40 times.

His wife Cosima was the daughter of famous composer Franz Liszt and the ex-wife of composer Hans von Bülow. Cosima and Richard had three children: Isolde, born 1865; Eva, born 1867; and Siegfried, born 1869. All three were born before their parents wed.

Wagner once planned to produce an opera titled Die Sieger (The Victors) based on the passions of a Buddhist.

Wrote his own opera librettos along with the music.

His official father, Karl Friedrich Wagner, died when he was six months old. His mother, Johanna, hastily remarried to Ludwig Geyer, a talented painter, playwright, and actor. Raised as Geyer's favorite child and known as Richard Geyer for the first 14 years of his life, he came to suspect later that Geyer had been his biological father.

Born at 4:0am-LMT

Great grandfather of Gottfried Wagner.