This lecture is one of his first musings on the Apollonian-Dionysian relationship in the creation of Art. Nietzsche's early essay displays a love of Wagner, Schopenhauer and Pre-Socratic philosophy, much like Heidegger. The original German title of this lecture is "Das griechische Musikdrama". This is one of three major Basel lectures he gave immediately after accepting a position at the University of Basel. At the young age of 24, Nietzsche accepted a professorship in philology in 1869, which facilitated his acquaintance with the composer, who lived in Tribschen. During this period, Nietzsche gave three lectures that foreshadowed his future focus: "The Greek Musical Drama" on January 18, "Socrates and Tragedy" on February 1, and "The Dionysian Worldview" in July/August 1870. Feeling constrained by philological topics, Nietzsche sought a professorship in philosophy. His writing reflects influences from two major sources: the philosophy of Schopenhauer and the musical and theoretical works of Wagner. Wagner's influence is particularly sharp here, as this lecture is essentially contrasting Wagner's ideas about the "Gesamtkunstwerk" ( or "total work of art") which integrates all artistic disciplines into a single, cohesive performance, against Schopenhauer's Pessimistic view of life. Art, the full synthesis of all types of art, becomes an antidote to this chaos.