The Tristan Chord and Schopenhauer's lucky idea

Abstract

In the 19th century, the rapprochement between music and philosophy was so intense that it became noteworthy. This paper explores the influence of Arthur Schopenhauer's philosophy on Richard Wagner's musical composition Tristan and Isolde. It takes as starting point Wagner's texts where he claims to know Schopenhauer's philosophy, and endorses its influence in his life and his artistic labour. This article suggests that Wagner tried to represent Schopenhauer's metaphysics in his music.