Final answer:
Wagner's music dramas, such as 'The Valkyrie', are characterized by the use of leitmotifs, through-composition, and special orchestral arrangements including an orchestra pit to integrate music with drama.
Step-by-step explanation:
Richard Wagner's music dramas are notable for several innovative features that radically transformed the theatrical and musical landscape of his time. Three primary features of Wagner's music dramas are:
- Leitmotifs: These are musical themes or motifs associated with particular characters, places, or ideas. In 'The Valkyrie', for example, specific themes represent different characters such as the Valkyries or Siegmund, helping to musically illustrate the story.
- Through-Composition: Wagner's music dramas, unlike conventional operas, avoid the clear divisions between arias, recitatives, and choruses. Instead, they feature continuous musical and dramatic flow, making the music an integral part of the storytelling as evident in 'The Valkyrie'.
- Orchestra Pit and Integration of Music and Drama: Wagner lowered the orchestra into a pit to balance the sound between the singers and the instrumentalists, which allowed the music to support the action on stage without overpowering the actors' voices, very much in the way we see in his Bayreuth Festival Theatre.
These features demonstrate Wagner's progressive approach to creating an immersive and emotionally powerful spectacle that continues to influence music and theatre today.