Larissa Medeiros

The Birth of Tragedy presents Friedrich Nietzsche’s perspective on Greek tragedy, which is distinguished by the union of two artistic expressions: music and word. Lyricism and feeling are elements that belong to the formation of the dithyrambic chorus, as an essential part of tragic performances. According to Nietzsche, modern opera would be a failed attempt to imitate the dithyrambic chorus, breaking with the unconscious process of Greek tragedy. This rupture occurs through the separation between music and word, as Nietzsche also seeks to demonstrate in the texts of his lectures The Greek Music Drama and The Dionysian Vision of the World.

This article presents an analysis of the concept of folk song during the youth of the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Drawing on excerpts from The Birth of Tragedy (1872), Homer and Classical Philology (1869), Introduction to the Tragedy of Sophocles (1869), and The Greek Musical Drama (1870), we explore the metaphysical perspective of the folk song, based on the idea that Dionysian music enables the human being to reconnect with their true nature. Nietzsche proposes a mirroring of the characteristics of Ancient Greece in modern Germany, identifying in folk song a sense of unity of a people, who express their collective experiences through singing. Melody, united with the word, gives rise to the verses of the lyric poet

O artigo investiga a importância da arte na renovação da cultura moderna alemã, a partir do pensamento de Friedrich Nietzsche em sua juventude. Para tanto, se baseia em obras como O Nascimento da Tragédia (1872), Sobre o futuro dos nossos estabelecimentos de ensino (1872), David Strauss: o confessor e o escritor (1873) e Schopenhauer como educador (1874). Nietzsche critica o sistema educacional alemão do século XIX, influenciado pelos jornalistas e eruditos, defendendo que a arte pode restaurar a cultura popular alemã. Inspirado nos valores culturais da Grécia antiga, o filósofo vê na arte uma forma de afirmar a vida e resgatar as origens do povo. Desse modo, Nietzsche elabora uma crítica à cultura moderna na Alemanha e propõe um resgate do passado mítico do povo, através da música dionisíaca. Para ele, a renovação cultural dependeria do engajamento dos indivíduos na preparação de um solo cultural adequado para a chegada do gênio metafísico – a meta da cultura.