A Gesamtkunstwerk (German: [gəˈzamtˌkʊnstvɛʁk], literally “total artwork”, frequently translated as “total work of art”, “ideal work of art”, “universal artwork”, “synthesis of the arts”, “comprehensive artwork”, or “all-embracing art form”) is a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms or strives to do so.
What composer used the term Gesamtkunstwerk?
composer Richard Wagner
The idea was popularized by the composer Richard Wagner who argued for the “consummate artwork of the future,” where “No one rich faculty of the separate arts will remain unused in the Gesamtkunstwerk of the Future”.
blorgons 