Gesamtkunstwerk

[ guh-zahmt-koonst-verk ]

noun

, German.

1. total art work; an artistic creation, as the music dramas of Richard Wagner, that synthesizes the elements of music, drama, spectacle, dance, etc.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gesamtkunstwerk¹

First recorded in 1935–40; from German: literally, “total art work”