Richard Wagner, a German composer born in 1813 in Leipzig, is a central figure in Romantic music. He is best known for his operas and his innovations in the field of opera, which he renamed "musical drama". Born into a modest family, he began composing at a young age and studied music on his own before attending the Leipzig Conservatory.

Wagner first came to prominence with Rienzi (1842) and The Flying Dutchman (1843), but it was with Lohengrin (1850) and Tannhäuser (1845) that he established his international reputation. His four-part trilogy, The Ring of the Nibelung (1854–74), is a monumental work that exemplifies his concept of Gesamtkunstwerk or total work of art, combining music, text and staging in an innovative way.

In 1864, Wagner settled in Bayreuth, where he founded an opera festival dedicated to his works, the Bayreuth Festival. He performed there, among others, The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (1868) and Parsifal (1882).

Wagner died in 1883 in Venice, leaving a lasting legacy that profoundly influenced the development of opera and classical music.