Editing Romantic music (section)

====Germany====
{{Main|Opera in German}}
[[Carl Maria von Weber]], with [[Der Freischütz]] (1821) creates the first German romantic opera; the first important opera being [[Beethoven]]'s [[Fidelio]] (1805), the only operatic work of this composer.

[[Richard Wagner]], from the [[Der fliegende Holländer]], introduces the [[leitmotiv]] and the "cyclical melody" process. He revolutionizes opera by duration and instrumental power. His major work, [[Tetralogy]] is one of the summits of German opera. He creates the "musical drama" in which the orchestra now becomes the protagonist in the same way as the characters. In 1876, the [[Bayreuth Festival]] was created dedicated to the exclusive representation of Wagner's works.

Wagner's influence continues in virtually all operas, even in [[Hansel and Gretel (opera)|Hänsel und Gretel]] by [[Engelbert Humperdinck (composer)|Engelbert Humperdinck]]. The dominant figure is then [[Richard Strauss]], who uses orchestration and vocal techniques similar to those of Wagner in ''[[Salome (opera)|Salome]]'' and ''[[Elektra (opera)|Elektra]]'' while developing his own path. ''[[Der Rosenkavalier]]'' is the work of Strauss that had the most flamboyant success at the time.