THE LIFE PATH and OPERA WORK OF E. W. KORNGOLD

In this Master´s thesis I will be writing about one of the most successful composers of the first half of the 20th century- Erich Wolfgang Korngold. He was born in Brno (29.5. 1897) and died in Los Angeles (29.11. 1957). On one side this thesis discusses the life path and creative career of E. W. Korngold, on the other side his five operas, which are considered to be a mainstay of his lifelong work. By these I mean one-act operas Der Ring des Polykrates and Violanta, then the most famous opera Die tote Stadt, after that a monumental piece Das Wunder der Heliane and the last forgotten composition Die Kathrin. Furthemore I couldn?t leave out Korgold?s first work on stage- pantomimic ballet Der Schneemann. In this thesis I observe these pieces of work from several view-points ? historical, musically- dramatic form and dramatic content