Richard Wagner

A Man of Wonder

In the year 1813, Germany gave to the world, one of its greatest musical mamsters. It was in this very early part of the 19th century that Richard Wagner (Reekhard Vahgner) was born. Wagner's music began where Weber's left off and if it could be said that Weber was one of the most attractive human personalities in the history of music, it could also be said that Wagner was one of the most unpleasant. It is easy to like his music and nearly impossible to like him as a man.

Wagner was attracted to the theater at an early age and even before he decided to devote himself to music, he was writing plays. He was fifteen years of age before he began to take music seriously. It was not until he turned eighteen that he exhibited some knowledge of counterpoint and composition. This was in fact a rather late start when compared to other composers.

At the age of twenty, Wagner became chorus-master at the Würzburg theater. This was in 1833. His first opera, "Die Hochzeit" (The Wedding) came as a result of an affair with a girl named Jenny Pachhta. It was the story of a bride who pushed her lover out of a window and later collapsed at his funeral.

Wagner's second opera, "Die Feen" (The Fairees) turned out to be an imitation of an earlier work by Carl Maria von Weber. His third attempt was adapted from "Measure for Measure" by Shakespeare. It was entitled, "Das Liebesverbot" (Forbidden Love). In 1836 Richard married Minna Planer. She ran away from him on two different occasions but came back each time. They moved to Paris and became heavily in debt. Wagner made no real impressions during his time in that city and he and his wife were compelled to take in lodgers for support. They even had to pawn their personal belongings.

Through all this hardship, Richard seemed to endure. Perhaps it was a result of his great confidence in himself and his future. Two of his works from this period are "Rienzi" and "The Flying Dutchman". "Rienzi" was performed in Dresden in 1842 with much success.

"Tannhäuser" was produced in 1845 and work was already progressing on "Lohengrin" and "Die Meistersinger". Before "Tannhäuser" could be produced, Wagner became involved in certain revolutionary activities which resulted in his banishment from Germany. Franz Liszt helped him escape to Paris and he was assisted financially by two women friends, Jessie Laussot and Frau Ritter.

When Wagner became involved with Jessie, her husband threatened to shoot him. Wagner and his wife Minna eventually separated. For some time, Wagner's creative work consisted of unpopular articles which were anti-semitic, anti-operative and even revolutionary. Then Franz Liszt offered him 1500 marks to score the music for "Siegfried".

In 1853 Wagner had written "Das Rheingold" (The Ring) and a Wagner Festival was held at Zürich. Otto Wesendonck was the principal financial backer of the Festival and Wagner soon took up with his wife, Mathilde. Later, the generous couple allowed Richard to live in a house adjoining there own, on a beautiful estate in Zürich. It was here, inspired by his relationship with Mathilde, that he wrote "Tristan and Isolde".

Even after Wagner's wife Minna and Mathilde's husband Otto found out about the affair between the two, Wagner was still brazen enough to seek further financial aid from Otto. Completion of "The Ring" was made possible by an additional 24,000 francs from Otto Wesendonck. With help from Minna, Wagner was able to re-enter Germany, his homeland, and a place where he had been made unwelcome. Here he finished composing "Die Meistessinger" and found comfort in the arms of two other women, Friederike Meyer and Mathilde Maier.

Richard believed that he was not made like other people. He claimed to be in need of brilliance and light and remarked to a friend that the world owed him what he needed. When Wagner finally had to leave Vienna because of indebtedness, Minna ended their relationship. It was then that fate smiled in Richard, for a great admirer of his came to the throne of Bavaria, King Ludwig II. The first thing Ludwig did was to send for the composer with an offer of protection and life long financial support.

King Ludwig II took care of all of Wagner's debts and established him in a villa near the castle. Richard promptly invited his old friend Hans von Bülow and his beautiful wife Cosima to live and work with him. Hans received an appointment as court pianist and Wagner soon took up with his wife. Soon Richard had to have Cosima for his wife and Hans did not object.

Not too long thereafter, Wagner was accused of having an evil influence over the young King. In the press he was called an antiChrist, evil genius, and spendthrift. The prudent thing to do was to leave for a while so Richard went to Switzerland. Hans left for Italy and never wanted to see Cosima or Wagner again. Richard and Cosima were now intent upon producing the entire cycle of "The Ring" and the Bavarian town of Bazreuth was ideal. A new opera house was built there and a society called "Wagneriana" was formed. The corner stone of the new structure was laid on May 22, 1872.

Three complete performances of "The Ring" were given in 1876. "Parsifal" came next in 1882. Wagner's health was failing and he feared he would not live to see it finished but he held on and died February 13, 1883. He was buried in his own garden, next to his villa, Wahnfried, to the music of his own Siegfried Funeral March.

The sum total of Richard Wagner's human relationship marks him as an inconsiderate, selfish, ruthless, and vain man. He was fascinated by all women and every woman he was involved with seems to have appeared somewhere in his operas. He was unprincipled, extravagent, and self-centered in the extreme. He was also determined, single minded, and able to accomplish the near-impossible while being saddled with an abrassive personality and bad looks. He was a short man with a large head and big nose.

Wagner was simply tenacious and he became one of the most striking figures in the history of opera and one of the most vital forces in the cultural life of the 19th and 20th centuries. It was mainly because of Wagner that certain standards of artistic integrity came to the great and the small opera houses. He was a serious musician who believed that a work of art should be a spiritual experience, indeed it should.

Karl Marx >>

Become A Free Member ($37 Value - FREE) There is nothing fake about what you are going to be taught. By signing up for this six day mini audio course, you will learn the basic speaking skills of this language. Trust me, this course will change your outlook on learning a language forever. This course is spam free and also does not have any obligations attached to it. The only item you need is a valid working email address. You may also opt out of this list whenever you so desire. As one of the most reputable sites in the world for learning German, this course will give you a taste of what you can achieve. I urge you to do yourself a favor right now by becoming a free member below. You may unsubscribe at any time you want to, so there is no obligation nor any contracts. PS: This is a private list and we will never give away any of the emails. Believe me, we hate spam as much as you do.