The Artwork of the Future

"The Artwork of the Future" (German: Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft) is a long essay[1] written by Richard Wagner, first published in 1849 in Leipzig, in which he sets out some of his ideals on the topics of art in general and music drama in particular.

However he abandoned this plan, and the draft eventually became the basis for the first Slovak opera, Kovac Wiland, by Ján Levoslav Bella, (produced in Bratislava in 1924).

When luxury (by which Wagner implies base entertainment posing as true art – i.e. Grand Opera and its like) has been abolished by the Volk they will be able to join to create the Artwork of the Future.

Modern attempts to unite these give rise to the 'unnatural abortion, the Oratorio', and to the 'shameless insolence' of contemporary opera[7] Only when these and other tawdry entertainments are swept aside will the Artwork of the Future arise.

This artwork will command all the arts – 'Architecture can set before herself no higher task than to frame' it,[8] (an early prefiguring of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus).