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diff --git a/42875-0.txt b/42875-0.txt index 1cb4431..cfada7d 100644 --- a/42875-0.txt +++ b/42875-0.txt @@ -1,26 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Wagner as I Knew Him, by -Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Wagner as I Knew Him - -Author: Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger - -Release Date: June 4, 2013 [EBook #42875] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - -Transcriber's note: The etext attempts to replicate the printed book as -closely as possible. Obvious errors in spelling and punctuation have -been corrected. Only a few of the spellings of names, places and German -or French words used by the author have been corrected by the etext -transcriber. A list follows the etext. Footnotes have been moved to the -end of the text body. - - - -WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM - - - - -WAGNER -AS I KNEW HIM - -BY -FERDINAND PRAEGER - -NEW YORK -LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. -15 EAST SIXTEENTH STREET -1892 - -COPYRIGHT, 1892, -BY CHARLES J. MILLS. - - -TO - -THE RIGHT HONOURABLE - -THE EARL OF DYSART, - -PRESIDENT OF THE LONDON BRANCH OF THE UNITED RICHARD WAGNER SOCIETY. - -[Sidenote: _THE EARL OF DYSART._] - - -MY LORD:-- - -If an intimacy, an uninterrupted friendship, of close upon half a -century during which early associations, ambitions, failures, successes, -and their results were frankly discussed, entitles one to speak with -authority on Richard Wagner, the man, the artist, his mental workings, -and the doctrine he strove to preach, then am I fully entitled so to -speak of my late friend. - -To vindicate Wagner in all things is not my intention. He was but -mortal, and no ordinary mortal, and had his failings, which will be -fearlessly dealt with. My sole purpose is to set Richard Wagner before -the world as I knew him; to help to an honest understanding of the man -and his motives as he so often laid them bare to me; and I -unhesitatingly affirm that, when seen in his true character, many a -hostile, plausible, and unsparing criticism, begotten of inadequate -knowledge or malice, will shrivel and crumble away when exposed to the -sunlight of truth. - -The daring originality of Wagner's work could not help provoking violent -opposition. Revolution in art as in aught else has ever been wedded to -storm and tumult. - -Of all things, Wagner was a thinker. The plot, construction, and logical -development of his dramas, the employment of those wondrous -character-descriptive tone-themes, their marvellous combination, his ten -volumes of serious matter, especially "The Work and Mission of my Life," -emphatically testify to his deliberate studied thinking, and friend and -foe alike readily acknowledge the _originality_ of his thought. - -Here then entered the art world, in the person of Richard Wagner, a -quite natural subject for discussion. Here was a thinker, an original -thinker, and Carlyle says that "the great event, parent of all others, -in every epoch of the world, is the arrival of a thinker, an _original_ -thinker." No matter for marvel, then, that the air thickened with -criticism as soon as the Thinker proclaimed himself. - -The persistency and vigour with which Wagner pursued the end,--an end to -which, primarily, he was unconsciously impelled by instinctive -genius,--the emphatic enforcement of the Gospel it was the sole purpose -of his thinking manhood to inculcate, led him to reject worldly -advancement, to endure painful privation, to utter fierce denunciation -against pseudo-prophets, and to be the victim of malignant insult and -scornful vituperation. And why? Because his mission was to preach -_Truth_. - -Wagner was "terribly in earnest." His earnestness forces itself home to -us through all his works; and in his strenuous striving to accomplish -his task, he involuntarily said and did things seemingly opposed to the -very principles he had so dogmatically enunciated. But on investigating -the why of such apparent contradictions, it will be found that they are -but paradoxical after all, and that never has Wagner swerved from the -direct pursuit of his ideal. Thus he says, "I had a dislike, nay, a -positive contempt, for the stage, its rouge and tawdry tinsel," and yet -within its precincts he was spell-bound. He was chained to it by -indissoluble links. It was the pulpit from which he was to expound his -gospel. Again, he accepted from friends the most reckless sacrifices -without the simplest acknowledgment or gratitude, yet it was not -ingratitude as is commonly understood; he accepted the service not as -done to himself, but for the glorification of true art, and in that -consummation he felt they were richly recompensed. He, when he felt it -his duty to speak plainly, spared the feelings of none by an incisive -criticism which cut to the core, and yet an over-sensitiveness made him -writhe under the slightest censure. - -Towards Jews and Judaism he had a most pronounced antipathy, and yet -this did not prevent him from numbering many Hebrews among his most -devoted friends. Pursued with the wildest ambition, he steadfastly -refused all proffered titles and decorations. He formulated most -positive rules for the music-drama, and then referring to "Tristan and -Isolde," states: "There I entirely forgot all theory, and became -conscious how far I had gone beyond my own system."[1] With Meyerbeer in -view, he emphatically insisted that after sixty no composer should -write, as being incapacitated by age and consequent failure of brain -power, and then when long past this period he not only writes one of his -greatest works, but when seventy and within the shadow of death, was -engaged upon another of engrossing interest, viz. on the Hindoo -religion. Lastly, whilst vehemently protesting the inseparability of his -music from its related stage representation and scenic accessories, -compelled by fate, he traversed Europe from London to St. Petersburg to -produce in the concert room orchestral excerpts from the very works upon -whose inviolability he had in such unequivocal terms insisted,--selections -too, though arranged by himself, which give but the most incomplete -conception of the dramas themselves. - -This seeming jarring between theory and practice in so powerful a -thinker requires explanation, and in due course I shall exhaustively -treat the same. - -Wagner and I were born in the same town, Leipzic, and within two years -of each other. This was a bond of friendship between us never severed, -Wagner ever fondly delighting to talk about his early surroundings and -associations. His references to Leipzic and prominent local characters -were coloured with strong affection, and to discuss with one who could -reciprocate his deep love for the charmed city of his birth, was for him -a certain source of happiness. - -Wagner's first music-master, properly so called, was Cantor Weinlig of -Leipzic. From him he received his first serious theoretical instruction. -Weinlig, too, was well known to me. He was an intimate friend of my -father, Henry Aloysius Praeger, director of the Stadttheater and -conductor of the famous Gewandhaus concerts, the latter post being -subsequently filled by Mendelssohn among other celebrities. Between -Weinlig and my father, whom the history of music has celebrated as a -violinist of exceptional skill and as a sound contrapuntist, constant -communications passed, and I was very often the bearer of such. - -Common points of interest like this--striking Leipzic individualities, -the house at Gohlis, a suburb of Leipzic where poor Schiller spent part -of his time, the masters of St. Nicolas' School, where we both attended, -though at different periods--I could multiply without end, each topic of -absorbing interest to us both, and productive of much mutual expansion -of the heart, but I will here refer to one only--that connected with -Carl Maria von Weber. - -"Der Freischtz" was first performed at Dresden, the composer -conducting, on the 22d January, 1822. Wagner, then in his ninth year, -was living at Dresden with his family. In his letter to Frederick -Villot, he says of Weber: "His melodies filled me with an earnestness, -which came to me as a bright vision from above. His personality -attracted me with enthusiastic fascination; from him I received my first -musical baptism. His death in a distant land filled my childish heart -with sorrowful awe." "Der Freischtz" was almost immediately produced at -Leipzic, and Weber came to Leipzic personally to supervise the -rehearsals and to acquaint my father, then the conductor of the theatre, -as to the special reading of certain parts. The work excited the utmost -enthusiasm in Leipzic, and was performed there innumerable times. I, the -son of the conductor, having free entry to the theatre, went nightly, -and acquired thus early a thoroughly intimate acquaintance with the -work, such as Wagner also had gained by his frequent visits to the -Dresden theatre through his family's connection with the stage. In -after-life we found that Weber and his works had exercised over both of -us the same fascination. In 1844, the remains of the loved idol, Weber, -were removed from Moorfields Chapel, London, to Dresden. At that time I -was residing in London, and, in conjunction with Max von Weber, the -composer's eldest son, and others, obtained the necessary authority and -carried out the removal. Wagner was in Germany. There he received the -body, and on its final interment pronounced the funeral oration over the -adored artist. - -In this country, where I have now lived for an unbroken period of -fifty-one years, I was Wagner's first and sole champion, and, -notwithstanding all the calumny with which he was persistently assailed -(which even now has not entirely ceased), stood firmly by him. - -It was through my sole exertions that the Philharmonic Society in 1855 -offered Wagner the post of conductor. His acceptance and retention of -the post for one season are now matters of history. - -Wagner returned to London in 1877 to conduct the "Wagner Festival" -concerts at the Albert Hall. As his sixty-fourth birthday fell during -these concerts, some ardent friends promoted a banquet in his honour at -the Cannon Street Hotel on the 23d May. To that banquet I was invited, -and great was my amazement when Wagner, the applauded of all, -spontaneously and without the least hint to me, warmly and -affectionately said:-- - -"It is now twenty-two years ago since I came to this country, -unacknowledged as a composer and attacked on all sides by a hostile -press. Then I had but one friend, one support, one who acknowledged and -boldly defended me, one who has clung to me ever since with unchanging -affection; this is my friend Ferdinand Praeger." - -My Lord, I have felt it desirable to address these preliminary remarks -to you as indicative of the manner in which I propose to treat my -friend's life and work. Wagner was extremely voluble, and, with his -intimate friends, most unreserved. He was a man of strong affections and -strong memory, and to those he loved he freely spoke of those whom he -loved, and thus I believe I am the sole recipient of many of his early -impressions and reminiscences, of his thoughts and ambitions in -after-life. Therefore shall I tell the story of his life and work, as he -made me see it and as I knew him, keeping back nothing, believing as I -do that the world has a right to know how its great men live: their -lives are its lawful inheritance. - -It is with deep affection that I undertake a work prompted by your -Lordship's love for the true in art, and it is to you that I dedicate -the result of my labour. - -FERDINAND PRAEGER. - -LONDON, 15th June, 1885. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -CHAPTER I. - -1813-1821 - -.....PAGE - -"The child is father to the man"--Musician, poet, and dramatist--Stage -reformer--His grandfather a customs officer--His father, Frederick -Wagner, an officer of police, student, and amateur actor--Death of -Frederick, 1813--His mother--Eldest brother, Albert, a tenor -singer--Sisters Rosalie, Louisa, and Clara, actresses of repute--Ludwig -Geyer, a Leipzic actor--Marries Widow Wagner--Family removes to -Dresden--Affection of his step-father and mother for him--The girls -receive piano-forte lessons--Richard receives a few lessons in drawing -from Geyer--Beyond this, up to his ninth year, no regular education is -attempted with him--Geyer not of a robust constitution--Wagner plays the -bridal chorus from "Der Freischtz" by ear--Geyer's prediction and -death.....1 - - -CHAPTER II. - -1822-1827. - -His visit to an uncle Geyer at Eisleben--The Kreuzschule, Dresden--His -facility for languages--His modesty--Wagner a small man--Personal -appearance described--Wonder of school professors at unusual mental -activity of the delicate small boy--A prey to erysipelas--Love of -practical joking--Incident of the Kreuzschule roof--An adept in all -bodily exercises--His acrobatic feats--Love for his mother--Affection -for animals.....10 - - -CHAPTER III. - -1822-1827. _Continued._ - -Richard Wagner enters the Kreuzschule, Dresden, December, -1822--Translation of part of the "Odyssey" by private work--Begins to -learn English to read Shakespeare--Writes prize elegy in Germany at -eleven years of age--Theodore Krner, pupil of the Kreuzschule and poet -of freedom--Metrical translation of Romeo's monologue--His first lessons -on the piano--Hatred of finger exercises--Berlioz--Up to fourteen his -aspirations distinctly musical.....20 - - -CHAPTER IV. - -LEIPZIC, 1827-1831. - -Return to Leipzic--The Stadttheater; Rosalie and Louise--Jews, their -treatment by Leipzic townspeople--Wagner's attitude towards them--His -first love a Jewess--At the St. Nicolas school three years, St. Thomas -school and the University a few months each--Describes himself during -his Leipzic school-days as "wild, negligent, and idle"--Reprehensible -gambling of his mother's pension--Crisis of his life--Haydn's symphonies -at the theatres and Beethoven's symphonies in the concert-room--Beethoven -a pessimist--Haydn and Mozart optimists--Resolve to become a -musician--Private study of theory--His first overture, 1830, laughed -at--His marvellously neat penmanship--Takes lessons from Cantor -Weinlig--Writes a sonata without one original idea or one phrase of more -than common interest--Beethoven his daily study--Weber and Beethoven his -models--Combines in himself the special gifts of both, the idealism of -the former and the reasoned working of the latter.....26 - - -CHAPTER V. - -1832-1836. - -Revolution and romanticism at the beginning of the nineteenth -century--Its effect on Wagner--First grand symphony for -orchestra--Mendelssohn and Wagner--Wondrous dual gift of music and -poesy--Portion of an opera, "The Wedding," engaged at Wrzburg--Albert -Wagner--Life at Wrzburg--First opera, "The Fairies"--Schroeder-Devrient -and "The Novice of Palermo"--Stage manager at Magdeburg, 1834--Views -upon German National drama and national life.....44 - - -CHAPTER VI. - -1836-1839. - -Life and troubles at Magdeburg--Wagner marries--Minna Planer: the woman, -her home, her trustful love--Reflections on his life at Magdeburg--His -ability as a conductor of the orchestra and singers--Popularity of Auber -and Rossini--Renewed trials at Knigsberg, 1837--Success of -Meyerbeer--Paris the ruler of German taste--Wagner's ambition of going -to Paris--Sends sketch of new libretto to Scribe--No answer--Writes an -overture on "Rule Britannia," and sends it to Sir George Smart--Not -noticed--Wagner's impressions of stage life after his experience at -Wrzburg, Magdeburg, and Knigsberg--Visit to Dresden and -"Rienzi"--Conductor at Riga, 1839--His difficulties increase--Paris the -sole hope of relief--Resolves to go to Paris--Sets sail for London--"The -Champagne Mill"--Arrival in London.....55 - - -CHAPTER VII. - -EIGHT DAYS IN LONDON, 1839. - -First impression--Puts up at cheap hotel in Old Compton Street, -Soho--Loss and return of the dog--Visit to a house in Great Portland -Street where Weber died--Thoughts on English character and London -sights--Visit to Greenwich Hospital--Leaves by boat for Boulogne.....69 - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -BOULOGNE, 1839. - -Passage to Boulogne--The Mansons, friends of Meyerbeer--Wagner's visit -to Meyerbeer--Character of Meyerbeer--Interests himself in the youthful -Wagner--The reading of "Rienzi" libretto--Eulogium of Meyerbeer and -promises of help--Meyerbeer feels his way to the purchase of the -"Rienzi" book--Wishes Scribe to write one for him similarly -spectacular--Wagner and his wife at a restaurant; champagne the -"perfection of terrestrial enjoyment"--The Mansons advise him to stay in -Boulogne--The "Rienzi" music pleases Meyerbeer, who also, to Wagner's -annoyance, praises his neat writing--The "Das Liebesverbot" draws -further laudation from Meyerbeer, and the success of Wagner is -prophesied--"Le petit homme avec le grand chien" leaves Boulogne for -Paris.....78 - - -CHAPTER IX. - -PARIS, 1839-1842. - -The sanguine Wagner boldly invades Paris--Later reflections of the -bitter sufferings he underwent there--Why he went to Paris--Germany -offers no encouragement to native talent--Wagner has but a slight -acquaintance with the French tongue--Seeks out Monsieur Louis, who -becomes and remains his most devoted friend--With assistance of Louis, -engages modest apartments--Endeavours to deliver his letters of -introduction--Unsuccessful--Without occupation--His poverty--Help from -Germany for a short time--Their sadly straitened circumstances--In -absolute want--Writes for the press; Schlesinger--"A pilgrimage to -Beethoven," imaginary--He composes three romances, imaginary--Still in -want, forced to the uncongenial task of "arranging" popular Italian -operas for all kinds of instruments--Minna Wagner: her golden qualities -and admiration of Wagner--Minna performs all the menial household -duties--Bright and cheerful temperament soothes the disappointed, -passionate Wagner--His birthday tribute--His subsequent acknowledgment -of her womanly devotion--The artists he met in Paris--Heinrich Laube, an -old Leipzic friend, introduces him to Heine--Meeting of the trio--Laube -and Heine as workers--Schlesinger, music-publisher, becomes his -friend--Schlesinger upon Meyerbeer--Wagner and Berlioz in Paris and -London--The two compared--Wagner's opinion of Berlioz and his agreement -with Heine--Halvy--Vieuxtemps--Scribe--Kietz.....83 - - -CHAPTER X. - -PARIS, 1839-1842. _Continued._ - -The Paris sojourn the crucial epoch of Wagner's career--The grand opera -the hothouse of spurious art--Concessions to anti-artistic -influences--Realism of the historic opera irreconcilable with his own -poetic idealism: why?--Is infected with the revolutionary spirit of the -age--From now we date the wondrous change in his art work--Protests -through the "Gazette Musicale" against Italian composers dominating the -French stage to the exclusion of native worth--Rebuked by -Schlesinger--The Conservatoire de Musique; its performances solid food -to Wagner--"Music a blessed reality"--Probability that the unrealities -of the French stage brought Richard Wagner to a quicker knowledge of -himself--Wagner's estimate of French character--Their poesy--His -tact--Feeling of aversion towards the military and police--His -compositions--A year of non-productivity--Assertion of the -poet--Proposal by Schlesinger that he should write a light work for a -boulevard theatre--Refuses--Is put to bed with an attack of erysipelas -which lasts a week--"Overture to Faust": "the subjects not music, but -the soul's sorrows transformed into sounds"--Minna and his dog--Wagner's -lugubrious forebodings and short novel, "End of a German Musician in -Paris"--Completes "Rienzi," which is sent to Germany--The "Flying -Dutchman"--How the subject came to be adopted--Heine's treatment of -Fitzball's version--The original story as told by Fitzball--Libretto -completed, delivered to the director of the grand opera, who bargains -for it--Superiority of legend over history for musical treatment--Wagner -and his meaning of the "Dutchman" anecdote related at Munich, 1866--The -one of his music-dramas that occupied the shortest time in -composition--It is sent to Meyerbeer--News from Dresden--"Rienzi" -accepted, leaves for Germany.....99 - - -CHAPTER XI. - -DRESDEN, 1842-1843. - -New and hopeful prospect--Feels assured of "Rienzi" proving -successful--Ignored by Paris, received with open arms by Dresden, the -hallowed scene of Weber's labours--Joy at returning home a conqueror--A -new life for Minna--Reissiger, chief conductor of the Royal -Opera--Fischer, the manager and chorus director, his friend--His -"Rienzi" and "Adriano"--First performance of "Rienzi"--Unmistakable -success--Wagner appointed co-chief conductor with Reissiger--My own -first acquaintance with Richard Wagner--August Roeckel, the man, friend, -and musician--His letter describing Wagner--Intimacy and political sway -over Wagner--Visit of Berlioz to Dresden--His opinion of the "Dutchman" -and "Rienzi"--The father of Roeckel tutored by Beethoven in the part of -Florestan--Meetings of Richard Wagner and Hector Berlioz--Cold bearing -of the latter.....114 - - -CHAPTER XII. - -1843-1844. - -Hostility of the Dresden press--Wagner's energy and good humour when at -the conductor's desk--A born disciplinarian--Unflagging efforts to -improve the spiritless performances of master works--Interest evinced by -Spohr, who stigmatizes Beethoven's third period as barbarous -music--Wagner affects to ignore and despise criticism--In reality is -abnormally affected by it--Attacks on his personal attire, home -comforts, and manner of living--Wagner in seclusion--His tribute to the -constancy and devotion of August Roeckel--Wagner's opinion of Marschner -and Mendelssohn's "Midsummer Night's Dream"--The "Faust" overture -unsuccessful--Spontini and the "Vestal"--Visit of Wagner and Roeckel to -Spontini--Weber obsequies--Max von Weber with me in London--Reception of -the body in Germany--Funeral oration delivered by Richard -Wagner--Comparison between Wagner's public and private manner of -utterance.....124 - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -1845. - -"Tannhuser": story of its composition, poem and music--Its performance, -1845--First mention of Richard Wagner's name in the London press--The -criticisms (?) of 1845--An instance of the thoroughness of Richard -Wagner--Dawn of the 1848 revolution and Wagner's relation thereto--The -follower of August Roeckel expresses regret at his heated -language--Performance of the Choral Symphony under Wagner--Unusual -activity displayed in the preparations--The way he set to work--Part -explanation why I came to induce the London Philharmonic to invite him -to this country--His grasp of detail--Forethought displayed in writing -an analytical programme to acquaint audience with the meaning of the -work--Successful performance--Characteristics of Richard Wagner--His -opinion of Italian opera and dictum that an art work to endure must be -founded in reason and reflection--"Lohengrin": its popularity--"Music is -love"--The network of connection between Wagner's operas--Thoughts about -"Lohengrin" remaining on earth--Wagner never able to control his -finances--His position becomes embarrassed--At enmity with the -world--Composition of "Lohengrin"--Letter to his mother--Passionate -nature of Wagner--Complete identification of himself with his art--The -manner of his accepting services--His courage inspires our -admiration--The publication by himself of "Rienzi," "Dutchman," and -"Tannhuser"--A failure--"Tannhuser" offered to the firm of Cramer, -Beale, & Co. by me for nothing--Refused.....136 - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -1848. - -Wagner significantly silent as to his participation in the Saxon -Revolution, 1848-49--Wagner an active worker--Conclusive proof--A member -of the "Fatherland Union"--Paper read by Wagner before the Union--His -character--Charge of ingratitude towards his king absurd--Deputation to -king of Saxony--The four demands of the people--Refused--Leipzic -determines to march _en masse_ on Dresden--Reforms promised--Founding of -the "Fatherland Union"--Political leaflets printed and -distributed--Wagner reads his paper June 16, 1848: "What is the relation -that our republican efforts bear to the monarchy?"--Printed by the -Union--Copy forwarded to me at the time--Reproduced here--It is omitted -from Wagner's "Collected Writings"--An important document, since it -forms part of the official indictment against Wagner--The paper treats -of (1) relation of republic to monarchy; (2) nobility appealed to and -urged to join in the commonwealth; (3) abolition of first chamber; (4) -manhood suffrage advocated; (5) creation of national armies; (6) -communism a senseless theory and its reign impossible; (7) appeal to -improve the impoverished condition of the masses by timely concessions; -(8) founding of colonies; (9) the greatest and most far-reaching reforms -only possible under a republic of which the monarch is the head; (10) -the king logically the first republican; (11) "subjects" converted -into "free citizens"; (12) war against the office of king and not -against the person; (13) laudation of the Saxon potentate; (14) Wagner's -fidelity to the king; (15) advocates the abolition of the -monarchy--National armies--Roeckel, Wagner's assistant conductor, -dismissed, autumn, 1848--Founds a political paper; Wagner -contributes--Roeckel imprisoned for three days--The elections--Triumph -of the democratic party--Roeckel elected a deputy--Revision of taxation -and civil list--Subsidy to the theatre: Wagner defends it in paper -delivered to minister; Roeckel to defend it in the chamber--Details of -the paper.....151 - - -CHAPTER XV. - -1849-1851. - -The new Chamber of Deputies--The king of Saxony refuses to accept the -constitution formulated by the federated German parliament--The chambers -dissolved by the king--Wagner urges Roeckel to leave Dresden for fear of -arrest--Roeckel leaves for Prague--Hainberger, Bakunin, and Semper--The -outbreak--Wagner's incriminating note to Roeckel--Return of -Roeckel--Wagner in charge of convoys--Characteristic incident--Roeckel -taken prisoner--Origin of the revolt--Its character--Source of the -government charge against Wagner--Heubner, Bakunin, and Roeckel -imprisoned--Sentenced to death--Commuted--Actual part played by -Wagner--He carries a musket; heads a barricade--Wagner not personally -brave--His flight to Weimar--Liszt and the police official--Wagner in -Paris--Naturalized at Zurich--Proclamation by Saxon government, June, -1853, directing the arrest of Wagner--The government indictment -summarized--Richard Wagner amnestied, March, 1862--Important letter from -Wagner, March 15, 1851, to Edward Roeckel of Bath, detailing his own -share in the Revolution--Attempts of biographers to gloss over Wagner's -participation in Revolution--Wagner to blame--Conflicting extracts from -Wagner's early and later writings as to his precise share--The case -summarized.....170 - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -1850-1854. - -Wagner seeks an asylum in Paris--His reception disappointing--Leaves for -Switzerland--A second time within the year he returns to Paris--Again -vexed at the little recognition he meets with--Finally settles in Zurich -and becomes a naturalized subject--Reflections on the French and their -attitude towards art--His abruptness of speech, impatience of -incapacity, and vehement declamation wear the air of rudeness--Episode -at Bordeaux--He possesses the very failings of amorousness, Hebraic -shrewdness, and Gallic love of enjoyment denounced by him in others--At -Zurich unable to settle to work for some time--His exile the grandest -part of his life as regards art--Period of repose--For five years not -one single bar of music did he compose--Describes his Zurich life as -spent in "walking, reading, and literary work"--His literary -activity--Writes "Art and Revolution," "The Art Work of the Future," -"Art and Climate," "Judaism in Music," and "Opera and Drama"--The period -of his banishment the cradle of nearly all his great music-dramas: the -"Nibelung's Ring," "Tristan and Isolde," the "Mastersingers," and a -fragment of "Parsifal"--His pretty chalet, "The Retreat," at Zurich. The -Wesendoncks--Compares himself to the philosopher Hegel--The first -printing of the Nibelung poem, 1853--Resents allusion to it as a work of -literary merit--Recites portions of the lied--At Zurich conducts the -opera house--Hans von Blow his pupil--Wagner's festival week at -Zurich--Chapelmaster Lachner's prize symphony--His health always bad: -dyspepsia and erysipelas--At hydropathic establishments--His love for -the animal kingdom--Anecdote of "Peps," the Tannhuser dog.....194 - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -"JUDAISM IN MUSIC." - -The importance attached to the question--The paper said to have been -prompted by personal jealousy--Absurdity of the accusation--The London -press hostile because of his Jewish criticisms upon Mendelssohn and -Meyerbeer--The "Sunday Times" asserts that "the most ordinary English -ballad writer would shame him in the creation of melody, and no English -harmonist would pen such vile things"--The words he uttered in 1852 in -the Judaism paper lay deep in his heart, and he adhered to them in 1855 -and 1869--Wagner of opinion that his ostracism and suppression for many -years were due alone to the power of the Jews--Publication of the -article--Attempt to dismiss Brendel from his professional office at the -Leipzic conservatoire--Wagner asserts an involuntary revulsion of -feeling towards the Jews--The Jew always a foreigner--Wagner's Semitic -antipathy partly inherited--Cannot understand the natural humane -treatment of the Jews by the English--Admits the glorious history of the -Jews compared with the annals of the German barbarians--A Jew actor as a -hero or lover "ridiculous"--This assertion contradicted by -instances--The Jew offensive to Wagner in his speech, as regards -intonation and manner--Their absence of passion--Incapable of artistic -speech, the Jew is more incapable of artistic song--His unreasoned -attack on the lack of Jewish plastic artists--Further indulges in the -vulgar charge of usury--Attacks the cultivated Jew--The Jew incapable of -fathoming the heart of our civilized life--Cannot compose for those -whose feelings he does not understand--The synagogue the legitimate -sphere for the Hebraic composer--Outside this the Jewish musician can -only imitate Gentile composers--Criticism upon Mendelssohn--Criticism -upon Meyerbeer severe and unsparing--Meyerbeer's attitude towards the -critics--Cordially hated by Wagner--Wagner's own attitude towards the -London critics.....205 - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -1855. - -How Wagner came to be invited to London--I appear before the directors -of the Old Philharmonic--I find that they either know very little of him -or nothing at all--Richard Wagner visited at Zurich by a director--The -New York "Musical Gazette"--The London press upon Wagner--Condemned -before he is heard--The cause, "Judaism in Music"--Wagner's agreement -with the Philharmonic directors--Imposes two conditions: (1) a second -conductor; (2) several rehearsals--Gives way as to the first, but -insists on the second--Will not lend himself to anything -unworthy--Letter of 18th January--In accepting the Philharmonic -engagement Wagner "makes a sacrifice," but feels he must do this or -renounce forever all relations with the public--Projects a whole concert -of his works--The directors refuse--Irritation of Wagner--Letter of the -1st February--No special plan for his London expedition except what can -be done with a celebrated orchestra--States he does not know English and -is entirely without gift for modern languages--Enmity of the editor of -the "Musical World" (London), who confesses that Wagner is a "God in his -books, but he shall have no chance here"--Richard Wagner's arrival, -midnight, Sunday, 5th March, 1855--His head-gear--Objects to change his -felt hat--His democratic principles of 1849 now modified--Visit to Mr. -Anderson--The Lachner symphony proposed--Volcanic explosion of -Wagner--Would cancel his engagement rather than conduct Kapellmeister -music--Wagner's objection acceded to--Visit to Sainton and Costa--Wagner -refuses to call on any critics or pay any other visits of etiquette--At -dinner--Wagner dainty--Quick though moderate eater--His -workroom--Self-denial not his characteristic--His intrepidity borders -close upon the reckless--Introduction to the Philharmonic -orchestra--Briefly addresses them--Diplomatic, but his will law--The -concert--Programme--His conducting--The "Times" abuses him--After the -concert, at Wagner's rooms--His playing the piano--His singing like the -barking or howling of a Newfoundland dog--Well pleased with his first -introduction to an English audience--His volubility--Abuse of fashion -and white kid gloves for a conductor--The second concert--"Lohengrin" -prelude, overture to "Der Freischtz," "Ninth Symphony"--Overture -encored--Wagner objects to encores, but enthusiasm of audience demands -the repetition--"Lohengrin" prelude a surprise, as Wagner's music had -been described "noise and fury".....218 - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -1855. _Continued._ - -The "Ninth Symphony" rehearsed--Surprise of the orchestra--Guildhall, -Fafner, and Falsolt--The mint and his projected theatre--Daily promenade -of Richard Wagner with dog to Regent's Park to feed the ducks--Wagner -and the introduction of the animal kingdom upon the stage--Unlimited -means the key to his passion for realism--Unlimited means the dream of -his life--The third concert; "Euryanthe"--Wagner's habit of snuff-taking -while at the piano--His smoking--His irritability--Love for silks and -velvets partly due to physical causes--Anger at shams--"Punch" on -Wagner--Fourth concert; Wagner insists on leaving England next morning -and breaking his engagement--Dissuaded--Fifth concert; success of the -"Tannhuser" overture--Wagner's forty-second birthday; violet velvet -dressing-gown--Signs himself "Conductor of the Philharmonic omnibus," in -allusion to the "full" programmes--Cyprian Potter--The Queen, Prince -Consort, and Richard Wagner--Repetition of "Tannhuser" -overture--Berlioz and Wagner--The press and anonymous articles--Anxiety -of Wagner to serve Berlioz--The last concert and departure from London, -26th June--A few quotations from the contemporary press.....241 - - -CHAPTER XX. - -1855-1856. - -Letters of Wagner--In Paris--Home at Zurich--Domestic pets--"Cries -constantly" at the death of "Peps"--Buries the dog--Minna ill--Wagner on -a sick-bed--His acquaintance with the French language--The French of -Berlioz and Wagner compared--Letter in French from Wagner--He is "more -luxurious than Sardanapalus and all the old Roman emperors"--His frame -of mind during the composition of the Walkre--Study of Schopenhauer and -request for London snuff.....268 - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -ZURICH, 1856. - -A picture of Minna--Wagner an early riser--His acquaintance with -Schopenhauer--Wagner a pessimist?--The first promptings of "Tristan and -Isolde"--How did Richard Wagner compose?--The manner of Beethoven, -Haydn, and Wagner compared--Wagner's thumping--Admits he is not at his -best when improvising--Schaffhausen--The lions--Wagner's -extravagance--Duke of Coburg's offer--The Wesendoncks.....288 - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -1857-1861. - -His health "shattered"--Goes to Venice--Returns to Paris--Resides in -Octave Feuillet's house--The strong opposition of the press--The origin -of the performance of "Tannhuser"--The story of the cabal and -disaster.....300 - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -LETTERS FROM 1861-1865. - -Letters from Wagner.....309 - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -1865-1883. - -Munich--Wagner in low spirits--His relations with the young king of -Bavaria--His house--Fearlessness of speech--Presence of mind--Intrigues -against him--Leaves for Geneva--Return to Munich--Treatment of the -king--Approaching change in Wagner's life--Madame von Blow--Wagner's -second marriage--Letters from him--Under a new light--His love for -home--"Siegfried"--Lucerne--Wagner at home--Peace--His -autobiography--His opinion of Liszt--The end--Wagner's work and -character.....317 - - - - -WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -1813-1821. - - -Seldom has the proverb "The child is father to the man" been more -completely verified in the life of any prominent brain-worker than in -that of Richard Wagner. The serious thinker of threescore, with his soul -deep in his work, is the developed school-boy of thirteen lauded by his -masters for unusual application and earnestness. All his defects and -virtues, his affections and antipathies, can be traced to their original -sources in his childhood. No great individuality was ever less -influenced by misfortune or success in after-life than Wagner. The -mission he felt within him and which he resolutely set himself to -accomplish, he unswervingly pursued throughout the varied phases of his -eventful career. Beyond contention, Richard Wagner is, I think, the -greatest art personality of this century,--unequalled as a musician, -great as a poet as regards the matter, moral, and mode of expression, -whilst in dramatic construction a very Shakespeare. With an ardent -desire to reform the stage, he has succeeded beyond his hopes; and well -was he fitted to undertake such a gigantic task. His family--father, -step-father, eldest brother, and three sisters--and early surroundings -were all connected with the stage. Cradled in a theatrical atmosphere, -nurtured on theatrical traditions, with free access to the best theatres -from the first days his intellect permitted him to enjoy stage -representations, himself a born actor, and with earnestness as the rule -of his life, it is no matter for surprise that he stands foremost among -the great stage reformers of modern times. - -By birth he belonged to the middle class. A son of the people he always -felt himself; and throughout his career he strove to soften the hard -toil of their lot by inspiring in them a love for art, the power to -enjoy which he considered the goal of all education and civilization. To -him the people represented the true and natural, untainted by the -artificiality that characterized the wealthy classes. - -[Sidenote: _HIS FATHER, FREDERICK WAGNER._] - -Painstaking, energy, and ability seem to have been the attributes of -Wagner's ancestors. His paternal grandfather held an appointment under -the customs at Leipzic as "thorschreiber," _i.e._ an officer who levied -toll upon all supplies that entered the town. Family tradition describes -him as a man of attainments in advance of his station, a characteristic -which also distinguished his son Frederick (Richard's father). Frederick -Wagner, born in 1770, also held an appointment under the Saxon -government. A sort of superintendent of the Leipzic police, he spent his -leisure time in studying French. Although unaided, he must have attained -some degree of proficiency; as subsequently he was called upon to make -use of it, and it proved of great service to him. He was a man of -literary tastes, and was famed in Leipzic for his great reading and -knowledge. Goethe and Schiller were then the beacon-lights of young -German poetry. Their pregnant philosophical reasoning, clothed in so -attractive, new, and beautiful a garb, fascinated Frederick Wagner, and -he made them his serious study--a love which was inherited by his son -Richard, who oft in his literary works refers to Goethe and Schiller as -the two greatest German poets. - -Like all natives of Leipzic he was passionately fond of the stage. The -enthusiasm of all classes of society in Leipzic for matters theatrical -is historic. Frederick Wagner attached himself to a company of amateur -actors, and threw himself with such zest into the study of the -histrionic art as to achieve considerable distinction and court -patronage. The performances of this company were not unfrequently open -to the public; indeed, at one time, when the town theatre was -temporarily closed, the amateurs replaced the regular professionals, the -Elector of Saxony evincing enough interest in the troupe to pay the hire -of the building specially engaged for their performances. - -When the peace of Europe was disturbed by the wild, ambitious plottings -of Napoleon, a body of French troops were quartered at Leipzic under -Marshal Davoust. It was now that Frederick Wagner's self-taught French -was turned to account, as he was appointed to carry on communications -between the German and the French soldiers. The Saxon Elector submitting -to the French conqueror, the government of the town passed into French -hands. Davoust, with the shrewd perspicacity of an officer of Napoleon's -army, saw the solid qualities of Frederick, and directed him to -reorganize the town police, at the same time nominating him -superintendent-in-chief. He did not retain this appointment many months, -as he died of typhoid fever, caught from the French soldiers, on the 22d -of November, 1813. - -Of his "dear little mother" Wagner often spoke to me, and always in -terms of the fondest affection. He described her as a woman of small -stature, active frame, self-possessed, with a large amount of common -sense, thrifty and of a very affectionate nature. - -The Wagner family consisted of nine children, four boys and five girls. -Richard, the youngest of all, was born on the 22d May, 1813, at Leipzic. -At the time of his father's death he was therefore but six months old. -The eldest of the children, Albert, was born in 1799. He went on the -stage as a singer at an early age, having a somewhat high tenor voice. -In 1833 we find him stage manager and singer at Wurtzburg, engaging his -brother Richard as chorus director. He afterwards became stage manager -at Dresden and Berlin, dying in 1874. - -[Sidenote: _LUDWIG GEYER._] - -Three of Wagner's sisters, Rosalie, born 1803, Louisa, born 1805, and -Clara, born 1807, were also induced to choose the stage as a profession, -each being endowed with unmistakable histrionic talent. Although not -great they were actresses of decided merit. Laube, an eminent German art -critic and writer, has given it as his opinion that Rosalie was to be -preferred to Wilhelmina Schroeder, afterwards the celebrated -Schroeder-Devrient, but this praise Wagner considered excessive, -attributing it to the critic's friendly relations with the family. - -The unexpected death of Frederick Wagner threw the family into great -tribulation. A small pension was allowed the widow by government, but -with eight young children (one, Karl, born some time before, had died), -the eldest but fourteen years of age, the struggle was severe and likely -to have terminated disastrously, notwithstanding the watchful thrift of -Frau Wagner, had not Ludwig Geyer, a friend of the dead Frederick, -generously helped the widow. Geyer was a favourite actor at Leipzic. A -man of versatile gifts, he was poet, portrait-painter, and successful -playwright. For two years he continuously identified himself with the -Wagner household, after which, in 1815, he assumed the whole -responsibility by marrying his friend's widow. Shortly after his -marriage Geyer was offered an engagement at the Royal Theatre, Dresden, -which would confer on him the highly coveted title of "Hofschauspieler," -or court actor. He accepted the appointment, and the whole family -removed with him to the Saxon capital. At this time Richard was two -years old. Frederick Wagner, as a thorough Leipzic citizen, had already -interested his family in theatrical matters; now by Geyer becoming the -head of the household, the stage and its doings became the every-day -topic, and therefore the next consequence was its adoption by the eldest -children, Albert, Rosalie, Louisa, and Clara. What wonder then that -Richard was influenced by the theatrical atmosphere in which he was -trained. - -From the first Geyer displayed the tenderest affection towards the small -and delicately fragile baby. Throughout his life Wagner was a spoilt -child, and the spoiling dates from his infancy. Both step-father and -mother took every means of petting him. His mother particularly idolized -him, and seems, so Wagner told me, to have often built castles in the -air as to his future. They were drawn towards the boy, first, because of -his sickly, frail constitution; and secondly, owing to his bright powers -of observation, which made his childish remarks peculiarly winning. As -the boy grew up he remained delicate. He was affected with an irritating -form of erysipelas, which constantly troubled him up to the time of his -death. - -[Sidenote: _BOYHOOD AT DRESDEN._] - -Ludwig Geyer's income from all sources,--acting, portrait-painting, and -play-writing--did not amount to a sum sufficient to admit of luxuries. -Poor Madame Geyer, with her large, growing family, had still to keep a -watchful eye over household expenditure. Portrait-painting was not a -lucrative occupation, and play-writing less so, yet she contrived that -the girls should receive pianoforte lessons. It was customary for needy -students of the public schools to eke out their existence by giving -lessons in music, languages, or sciences; indeed, it was not uncommon to -find some students wholly dependent on such gains for the payment of -their own school fees. The fees usually paid in such instances were -sadly small, and not unfrequently did the remuneration take the form of -a "free table." At that time there was scarcely a family in Germany that -had not its piano. A piano was then obtainable at a cost incredibly -small compared with the sums paid to-day. True, the cases were but -coloured deal or some common stained wood, whilst the mechanism was of -the least expensive kind. In shape they were square, with the plainest -unturned legs. Upright instruments had not then been introduced. - -The Wagner family went to Dresden in 1815, and from that time, up to the -date of his entering the town school at the end of 1822, Richard -received either at school or at home no regular tuition. The boy was -sickly and his mother was content to let him live and develop without -forcing him to any systematic school work. It would seem that he -received irregular lessons in drawing from his step-father, as Wagner -told me that Geyer had hoped to discover some talent in him for the -pencil, and on finding he had not the slightest gift, he was very much -disappointed. As a boy, he continued to be a pet with Geyer, -accompanying his step-father in his rambles during the day or attending -with him the rehearsals at the theatre. Such home education as he did -receive was of the most fragmentary kind, a little help here and there -from his sisters or attention from Geyer or his mother. Music lessons he -had none. All he remembered in after-life was having listened to his -sisters' playing, and only by degrees taking interest in their work. His -own reminiscences of his boyhood were plain in one point--he certainly -was not a musical prodigy. He fingered and thumbed the keyboard like a -boy, but such scraps as he played were always by ear. - -Anxieties for a second time now began to thicken round the Wagner -family. The court actor Geyer was laid on a sick-bed. He was not of a -robust constitution, and conscious of failing health and apprehensive of -death, sought anxiously to find some indication in young Richard of any -decided talent which might help him to suggest as to the boy's future -career. He had tried, as I have said, to find whether his step-son -possessed any skill with the pencil, and sorrowfully perceived he had -none. In other directions, of course, it was difficult for Geyer to -determine as to any particular gift, if we remember the tender years of -the boy. As to music, it would have been nothing short of divination to -have predicted that there lay his future, since up to that time Richard -had not even been taught his notes. But the court actor was an artist, -and with unerring instinct detected in a simple melody played by Richard -from memory that in music "he might become something." - -[Sidenote: _THE WAGNER HOUSEHOLD._] - -Richard had been fascinated by a snatch of melody which was constantly -played by his sisters. He caught it by ear, and was one day strumming it -softly on the piano when alone. His mother overheard him. Surprised and -pleased at the boy's unsuspected accomplishment, Geyer was told, and the -melody was repeated in a louder tone for the benefit of the invalid in -the next room. It was the bridal chorus from "Der Freischtz." Although -a very simple melody and of easy execution, it must have been played -with unusual feeling for a child to prompt Geyer almost to the prophetic -utterance, "Has he perhaps talent for music?" Wagner heard this, and -told me how deeply he was impressed by it. On the next day Geyer died, -13th September, 1821. Richard was then eight years and four months old, -and preserved the most vivid remembrance of his mother coming from the -death chamber weeping, but calm, and walking straight to him, saying, -"He wished to make something of you, Richard." These words, Wagner -said, remained with him ever after, and he boyishly resolved "to be -something." But he had not then the faintest notion in what direction -that something was going to be. Certainly music was not forecast as the -arena of his future triumphs, since in his letter to F. Villot, dated -September, 1860, he tells us that it was not until after his efforts in -the poetical art, and subsequent to the death of Beethoven, 1827, _i.e_. -six years after Geyer's death, that he seriously began to study music. - -For a second time was the family thrown into comparative adversity. But -the embarrassment was less serious than in 1813, since the three eldest -children were now at an age to contribute materially to the general -support. A trifling annuity was again awarded to the widow, and with -careful thrift she resumed her sway of the household. The family at this -time consisted of the widow; Albert, twenty-two years; Rosalie, -eighteen; Julius, seventeen, apprenticed to a goldsmith; Louisa, -sixteen; Clara, fourteen; Ottilie, ten; Richard, eight and four months; -and Cecilia Geyer, six, the only child of Frau Wagner's second marriage. -The two eldest girls and Albert had already embraced the theatrical -profession. Family circumstances were therefore not so pinched as at the -death of Frederick Wagner. - -No plan having yet been devised as to the future of Richard, he was sent -on a visit to an uncle Geyer at Eisleben, between which place and his -mother's home at Dresden, he spent the next fifteen months, when it was -decided to enter him at the Kreuzschule (the Cross School), Dresden. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -1822-1827. - - -His first visit to Eisleben--the going among strange people, new -scenery, and for the first time sleeping away from his mother's -home--was the first great event of his life, and left an indelible -impression on him. The details he remembered in connection with this -early visit, at a time when he was not nine years old, point to the -vividness of the picture of the whole journey in his mind and his strong -retentive memory. - -The story I had from Wagner in one of our rambles at Zurich in 1856. - -[Sidenote: _HIS VISIT TO EISLEBEN._] - -"My first journey to Eisleben," said Wagner to me, "was in the beginning -of 1822. Can one ever forget a first impression? And my first long -journey was such an event! Why, I seem even to remember the physiognomy -of the poor lean horses that drew the jolting 'postkarre.' They were -being changed at some intermediate station, the name of which I have now -forgotten, when all the passengers had to alight. I stood outside the -inn eating the 'butterbrod,' with which my dear little mother ('mein -liebes Mtterchen' was the term of endearment invariably used by Wagner, -when referring to his mother) had provided me, and as the horses were -about to be led away, I caressed them affectionately for having brought -me so far. How every cloud seemed to me different from those of the -Dresden sky! How I scrutinized every tree to find some new -characteristic! How I looked around in all directions to discover -something I had not yet seen in my short life! How grand I felt when the -heavy car rolled into the town of Eisleben! Even then Eisleben had a -halo of something great for my boyish imagination, since I knew it to be -the birthplace of Luther, one of the heroes of my youth, and one that -has not grown less with my increasing years. Nor was it without a reason -that, at so early a period, religion should occupy the attention of a -boy of my age. It was forced upon my family when we came to Dresden. The -court was Roman Catholic, and in consequence, no inconsiderable pressure -was brought to bear upon all families who were connected in any manner -with the government to compel them to embrace the court-religion. My -family had been among the staunchest of Lutherans for generations. What -attracted me most in the great reformer's character, was his dauntless -energy and fearlessness. Since then I have often ruminated on the true -instinct of children, for I, had I not also to preach a new Gospel of -Art? Have I not also had to bear every insult in its defence, and have I -not too said, 'Here I stand, God help me, I cannot be otherwise!' - -"My good uncle tried his best to put me through some regular educational -training. It was intended that he should prepare me as far as he could -for school, as the famous Kreuzschule was talked of for me. Yet, I must -confess I did not profit much by his instruction. I preferred rambling -about the little country town and its environs to learning the rules of -grammar. That I profited little was, I fear, my own fault. Legends and -fables then had an immense fascination over me, and I often beguiled my -uncle into reading me a story that I might avoid working. But what -always drew me towards him was his strong affection for my own loved -step-father. Whenever he spoke of him, and he did so very often, he -always referred to his loving good-nature, his amiability, and his gifts -as an artist, and then would murmur with a tearful sigh 'that he had to -die so young!' - -"It was arranged that I should enter the Dresden school in December, -1822, just at a time when my sisters were busy with the exciting -preparations for the family Christmas-tree. How good it was of my mother -then to let us have a tree, poor as we were! I was not pleased to go to -school just three days before Christmas Day, and probably would have -revolted had not my mother talked me over and made me see the advantages -of entering so celebrated an academy as the Kreuzschule, pacifying my -disappointment by allowing me to rise at early dawn to do my part to the -tree. Now I cannot see a lighted Christmas-tree without thinking of the -kind woman, nor prevent the tears starting to my eyes, when I think of -the unceasing activity of that little creature for the comfort and -welfare of her children." - -[Sidenote: _MENTAL ACTIVITY.--STATURE._] - -Wagner was deeply moved when, on Christmas Day, he found amongst the -usual gifts, such as "Pfefferkuchen" (ginger-bread) and "Stolle" (butter -cake), a new suit of clothes for himself, a present from his thoughtful -mother for him to go to school with. Throughout his life Wagner was -always remarkably prim and neatly dressed, caring much for his personal -appearance. The low state of the widow's exchequer was well known to -Richard, and he could appreciate the effort made for him. He was no -sooner at school than he attracted to himself a few of the cleverest -boys by his early developed gift of ready speech and sarcasm. "Die -Dummer haben mich immer gehasst" (the stupid have ever hated me) was a -favourite saying of his in after-life. The study of the dead languages, -his principal subject, was a delight to him. He had a facility for -languages. It was one of his gifts. History and geography also attracted -him. He was an omnivorous reader, and his precise knowledge on any -subject was always a matter of surprise to the most intimate. It could -never be said what he had read or what he had not read, and here perhaps -is the place to note a remarkable feature in Wagner's disposition, viz. -his modesty. Did he require information on any subject, his manner of -asking was childlike in its simplicity. He was patient in learning and -in mastering the point. But it should be observed that nothing short of -the most complete and satisfactory explanation would satisfy him. And -then would the thinking-power of the man declare itself. The information -he had newly acquired would be thoroughly assimilated and then given -forth under a new light with a force truly remarkable. - -In stature Wagner was below the middle size, and like most undersized -men always held himself strictly erect. He had an unusually wiry, -muscular frame, small feet, an aristocratic feature which did not extend -to his hands. It was his head, however, that could not fail to strike -even the least inquiring that there he had to do with no ordinary -mortal. The development of the frontal part, which a phrenologist would -class at a glance amongst those belonging only to the master-minds, -impressed every one. His eyes had a piercing power, but were kindly -withal, and were ready to smile at a witty remark. Richard Wagner lacked -eyebrows, but nature, as if to make up for this deficiency, bestowed on -him a most abundant crop of bushy hair, which he carefully kept brushed -back, thereby exposing the whole of his really Jupiter-like brow. His -mouth was very small. He had thin lips and small teeth, signs of a -determined character. The nose was large and in after-life somewhat -disfigured by the early-acquired habit of snuff-taking. The back of his -head was fully developed. These were according to phrenological -principles power and energy. Its shape was very similar to that of -Luther, with whom, indeed, he had more than one point of character in -common. - -In answer to my inquiries about his school period at Dresden, he told me -that he was remarkably small, a circumstance not unattended with good -fortune, since it served to increase the favour of his school -professors, who looked upon his unusual mental energy in comparison with -his pigmy frame as nothing short of wonderful. - -As a boy he was passionate and strong-headed. His violent temper and -obstinate determination were not to be thwarted in anything he had set -his mind to. Among boys such wilfulness of character was the cause of -frequent dissensions. He rarely, however, came to blows, for he had a -shrewd wit and was winningly entreating in speech, and with much -adroitness would bend them to his whims. - -[Sidenote: _HIS YOUTHFUL ESCAPADES._] - -Erysipelas sorely tried the boy during his school life. Every change in -the weather was a trouble to him. As regards the loss of his eyebrows, -an affliction which ever caused him some regret, Wagner attributed it to -a violent attack of St. Anthony's fire, as this painful malady is also -called. An attack would be preceded by depression of spirits and -irritability of temper. Conscious of his growing peevishness, he sought -refuge in solitude. As soon as the attack was subdued, his bright animal -spirits returned and none would recognize in the daring little fellow -the previous taciturn misanthrope. - -Practical joking was a favourite sport with him, but only indulged in -when harm could befall no one, and incident offered some funny -situation. To hurt one willingly was, I think, impossible in Wagner. He -was ever kind and would never have attempted anything that might result -in real pain. - -His superabundance of animal spirits, well-seconded by his active frame, -led him often into hairbrained escapades which threatened to terminate -fatally. But his fearless intrepidity was tempered and dominated by a -strong self-reliance, which always came to the rescue at the critical -moment. - -On one occasion when the boys of the Kreuzschule were assembled in class -for daily work, an unexpected holiday was announced for that day. A -chance like that was a rare thing at schools on the continent. The boys, -wild with excitement, rushed pell mell from the building, and showed -their delight in the usual tumultuous manner of school-boys freed from -restraint. Caps were thrown in the air, when Wagner, seizing that of one -of his companions, threw it with an unusual effort on to the roof of -the school-house, a feat loudly applauded by the rest of the scholars. -But there was one dissentient, the unlucky boy whose cap had been thus -ruthlessly snatched. He burst into tears. Wagner could never bear to see -any one cry, and with that prompt decision so characteristic of him at -all periods of his life, decided at once to mount the roof for the cap. -He re-entered the school-house, rushed up the stairs to the cock-loft, -climbed out on the roof through a ventilator, and gazed down on the -applauding boys. He then set himself to crawl along the steep incline -towards the cap. The boys ceased cheering at the sight and drew back in -fear and terror. Some hurriedly ran to the "custodes." A ladder was -brought and carried up stairs to the loft, the boys eagerly crowding -behind. Meanwhile Wagner had secured the cap, safely returned to the -opening, and slid back into the dark loft just in time to hear excited -talking on the stairs. He hid himself in a corner behind some boxes, -waited for the placing of the ladder, and "custodes" ascending it, when -he came from his hiding-place, and in an innocent tone inquired what -they were looking for, a bird, perhaps? "Ja, ein Galenvogel" (yes, a -gallows bird), was the angry answer of the infuriated "custodes," who, -after all, were glad to see the boy safe, their general favourite. He -did not go unrebuked by the masters this time, and was threatened with -severe chastisement the next time he ventured on such a foolhardy -expedition. - -[Sidenote: _HIS ACROBATIC FEATS._] - -Wagner told me that whilst on the roof, which, like all roofs of old -houses in Germany, was extremely steep, he felt giddy, and was seized -with a dread of falling. Bathed in a fever of perspiration, he uttered -aloud, "liebe mtterchen," upon which he felt transformed. It acted on -his frame with the power of magic, and helped him to retrace his steps -from a position which would appall a practised gymnast. Many years after -this, Wagner's eldest brother, Albert, when referring to Richard having -taken part in the rising of the people of Saxony in 1849, which he -personally strongly deprecated, told me the above story in illustration -of Richard's extreme foolhardiness. The episode was fully confirmed by -Wagner, who then told me of his fears on the roof. - -It was not in climbing only that Richard excelled. He was known as the -best tumbler and somersault-turner of the large Dresden school. Indeed, -he was an adept in every form of bodily exercise; and as his animal -spirits never left him, he still performed boyish tricks even when -nearing threescore and ten. The roof of the Kreuzschule was not -infrequently referred to by me, and when Wagner proposed some -venturesome undertaking, I would say, "You are on the roof again." - -"Ah, but I shall get safely down again, too," was the answer, -accompanied with his pleasant boyish laugh. - -Richard early began to exhibit his love of acrobatic feats. When as -young as seven, he would frighten his mother by sliding down the -banisters with daring rapidity and jumping down stairs. As he always -succeeded in his feats, his mother and the other children took it for -granted that he would not come to grief, and sometimes he would be asked -to exhibit his unwonted skill to visitors. This no doubt increased the -boy's confidence in himself--a self-reliance which never left him to the -time of his death. - -Wagner's affection for his mother was of the tenderest. It was the love -of a poet infused with all his noblest ideality. The dear name, whenever -uttered by Richard Wagner, was spoken in tones so soft and tender as to -bespeak at once the sympathy and affection existing between the two. A -halo of glory ever encircled "mein leibe mtterchen." Nothing can give a -better idea of this gentle love than the passages in "Seigfried," the -child of the forest, where the hero demands of the ugly dwarf, Mime, who -had brought him up, "Who was my mother?" an inquiry he repeated after he -had killed the hideous dragon, Fafner, and thereby became able to -understand the song of the birds. If ever music could give an idea of -love, here in these passages we have it. In what touching accents comes, -"How may my mother have looked? Surely her eyes must have shone with the -radiant sparkle of the hind, but much more beautiful!" Every allusion to -his mother in this scene is expressed in the orchestra with an ethereal -refinement and originality of conception to which one finds no parallel -in the whole range of music of the past. I verily believe that Richard -Wagner never loved any one so deeply as his "liebe mtterchen." All his -references to her of his childhood period were of affection, amounting -almost to idolatry. With that instinctive power of unreasoned yet -unerring perception possessed by women, she from his childhood felt the -gigantic brain-power of the boy, and his love for her was not unmixed -with gratitude for her tacit acknowledgment of his genius. - -[Sidenote: _HIS LOVE FOR ANIMALS._] - -One of his early developed affections was a strong love for animals. On -this point, and what I know of its strong sway with him in his dramas, -I shall have something to say hereafter. Now I shall confine myself to -the recital of an incident of his boyhood. To see a helpless beast -ill-treated was to rouse all the strong passion within him. Anger would -overcome all reason, and he would as a child fly at the offender. - -One of his first impressions was a chance visit he paid with some of his -school-fellows to a slaughter yard. An ox was about to be killed. The -butcher, stripped, stood with uplifted axe. The horrible implement -descended on the head of the stately animal, who gave a low, deep moan. -The blows and moans were repeated. The boy grew wild, and would have -rushed at the butcher had not his companions forcibly held him back and -taken him away from the scene. For some time after he could not touch -meat, and it was only when other impressions effaced this scene that he -became reconciled by his mother reasoning that animals must be killed, -and that it was perhaps preferable to dying slowly by sickness and old -age. When a man, he could not refer to this incident without a shudder. - -In after-life he rarely missed an opportunity of pleading for better -treatment of animals, drawing the attention of the municipal authorities -to the prevention of wanton cruelty, and arguing that animals, to be -killed for human food, should be despatched with the minimum of pain. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -1822-1827. _Continued._ - - -From the record of the Kreuzschule it appears that Wagner entered that -famous training college on the 22d December, 1822, as Richard Wilhelm -Geyer, son of the late court actor of that name. He would then be nearly -ten years old. - -[Sidenote: _AT THE KREUZSCHULE, DRESDEN._] - -He told me that he well remembered the eager delight with which he -looked forward to the prospect of enjoying systematic instruction. He -hoped to be placed high in the school, yet dreaded the entrance -examination, conscious how very patched was _then_ his store of -information. During his first seven years' residence in Dresden, from -1815-1822, the Kreuzschule, had been an every-day object to him, and yet -on entering the building for the first time as an intending student, a -feeling of awe took possession of him. The unsuspected majesty of the -building, the echo of his footfall on the stone steps, made his young -heart beat with expectant wonder. The result of the examination was to -place him in the first form, his bright, quick, intelligent replies -proving more valuable than his disconnected knowledge. For the masters -of the Kreuzschule he ever retained an affection, their genial bearing -and friendly tuition comparing favourably with the pedantic overbearing -demeanour of the masters of the St. Nicholas school in Leipzic, where -he went later on, men who represented a past and effete dogmatic German -pedantry. - -The direction of his school studies was almost entirely classic. For -Greek he evinced a strong affection. Many a time has he told me that he -was drawn towards the history of the Greeks by their refined sense of -beauty, and the didactic nature of their drama, embodying as it did -their religion, politics, and social existence. - -Wagner never lost an opportunity of dilating upon, by speech and pen, -what might accurately be described as the basis of all his art work. The -drama of a nation, he persistently contended, was a faithful mirror of -its people. Where the tone of the drama was base the people would be -found degraded either through their own acts or the superior force of -others. Where the mission of the national drama was the inculcation of -high moral lessons, patriotism, and love, there the people were thrice -blessed. This idea of a national drama for his fatherland possessed him. -He longed to lift the German drama from its "miserable" condition, and -his model was "the noble, perfect, grand, and heroic tragedy of the -Hellenes." These words I have quoted from a pamphlet, "The Work and -Mission of my Life," written less than ten years ago by Wagner. Their -meaning is so clear and they summarize so accurately what Wagner in his -younger days oft discussed with me that I am glad to add my testimony to -what I know was the ambition of his life. - -In his ardent struggles to found a national drama we clearly trace the -young Dresden student. Here, indeed, is a plain incontestable instance -of the boy as the father of the man. His school studies were -pre-eminently Greek language and literature, and it was this which -dominated almost the whole of his future career. Hellenic history -permeated his entire being, and he gave it forth in the form and model -of his immortal music-dramas, in the mode of their development, and in -their close union between the stage story and the life of the people. - -At school, translations of schylus by Apel, a German writer of -mediocrity, constituted his chief textbooks. The tragedies suited so -well the boy's nature that he soon became possessed with a longing to -read them in the original. So real and fruitful was his earnestness, -that by the time he was thirteen he had translated at home, and entirely -for his own gratification, several books of the "Odyssey." This private -home work was, he remembered, greatly encouraged by his mother, who, -although untutored herself, revered, with a divination characteristic of -women of the people, his efforts after a knowledge which she felt would -surely be productive of future greatness. This piece of diligent extra -school work is another of the many examples of the boy Wagner, "father -to the man." Hard worker he always was. Persistency of application -characterized him throughout his life, and when it is stated that during -this very period of the "Odyssey" translation, he was also privately -studying English to read Shakespeare, who is not amazed at the -extraordinary energy of the boy? No wonder that the school professors -spoke flatteringly of him, and looked for great things from him, and no -wonder that the fond mother felt confirmed in her belief that Richard -"would become something," and that Geyer's dying utterance would not be -falsified. - -[Sidenote: _EARLY POETICAL EFFORTS._] - -Wagner's nature was that of a poet. The metrical skill of the Hellenes -fascinated him and fostered his strongly marked sense of rhythm. - -As regards mathematics, I never remember him in all our discussions to -have uttered anything which might lead me to suppose he had ever any -special liking for that branch of education, but at the same time I -should add that his power of reasoning was at all times strong and -lucid, as if based upon the precision acquired by close mathematical -study. In all he did he was eminently logical. - -His effort as a poet dates from a very early period. The incident, the -death of a fellow-scholar, was just that which would touch a sensitive -nature like Richard's. A school prize was offered for an elegy, and -Wagner, eleven years old, competed. The presence of death to him was at -all times terrible in its awful annihilation of all consciousness. -Whether in man or beast, it was sure to set him pondering on the -"whither?" a question to which at a later period of his life he devoted -much labour to satisfactorily answer. Although not twelve years old, -death had robbed him of his father and step-father, and their dark -shadows flitted before him, reviving sad memories which time had paled. -It was under this spell that the elegy was written, and it is not -astonishing that the prize was adjudged to him. The poem was printed, -but, unhappily, not preserved. In telling me of this early creative -effort, and in reply to a naturally expressed desire to hear his own -opinion about it, he said that beyond the incident he had not the -faintest remembrance of the style or wording of the poem, jocularly -adding that he would himself much like to see his "Opus I." - -There was a halo of poetry about the Dresden school. Theodore Krner, -the poet of freedom, was a pupil at the Kreuzschule up to 1808. His -inspiriting songs were sung by old and young. Loved by all, his death, -at the early age of twenty-two on the battle-field fighting for German -freedom, made him the idol of his countrymen. The boys of his own school -were intensely proud of him. To emulate Krner was the eager wish of -every one of them, and into Wagner's poetic nature the poetry of the man -and the cause he sung sank deeper than with the rest. The battle-songs -of the fiery young patriot received an immortal setting by Wagner's -idol, Weber. - -[Sidenote: _FIRST LESSONS ON THE PIANO._] - -The admiration of the future poet of "Tristan" for the genius of -Shakespeare impelled him, as soon as he had sufficiently mastered -English, to produce a metrical translation of Romeo's famous soliloquy. -This was done when he had hardly completed his fourteenth year. Up to -this period, poetry unquestionably dominated him. All his essays had -been literary. Nothing had been done in music. It was now, however, that -his latent music forced itself out of him. Up to the time that he -entered the Dresden school, in his ninth year, he had received -absolutely no instruction in music, and during his five years of school -life a few desultory piano lessons from a young tutor, who used to help -him at home with his school exercises, embraced the whole of his musical -tuition up to the age of fourteen. For the technical part of his music -lessons he had a decided dislike. The dry study of fingering he greatly -objected to, and to the last never acquired any rational finger method. -When joked about his ridiculous clumsy fingering, he would reply with -characteristic waggishness, "I play a great deal better than Berlioz," -who, it should be stated, could not play at all. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -LEIPZIC, 1827-1831. - - -For some time Rosalie and Louisa, Richard's two sisters, had been -engaged at the Leipzic theatre, where they were very popular. Madame -Geyer, desirous of being near her daughters and within easy reach of -assistance, returned to Leipzic with the younger children and Richard -with them. For ten years, from about 1818 to 1828, my father held the -post of Kapellmeister at the Stadttheater, under the management of -Kstner, a celebrated director. The period of Kstner's management is -famous in the annals of the German stage for the high intellectual tone -that pervaded the performances under his direction. The names of some of -the artists who appeared there are now historic. So high was the -standard of excellence reached in these truly model performances, that -the whole character of German stage representations was influenced and -elevated by it. This was the theatre at which Rosalie and Louisa were -engaged. These were the high artistic performances which the youthful -poet Richard witnessed, and which deeply affected the impressionable -embryo dramatist. - -[Sidenote: _ROSALIE AND LOUISA WAGNER._] - -Of this period, actors, plays, and incidents, I had the most vivid -remembrance from the close connection of my father with the theatre and -the friendly intercourse of my family with the actors. Wagner would -take great delight in discussing the performances and actors. He was -fond, too, of hearing what I, in my boyhood, thought of the acting of -his sisters, and from our frequent and intimate conversations, bearing -on his youthful impressions of the stage, he uttered many striking and -original remarks which will appear later on. A popular piece then was -Weber's "Sylvana," in which Louisa performed the part of the forest -child. This part apparently won the youthful admiration of both of us. -Wagner's remembrance of certain incidents connected with it was -marvellous to me. - -On his return to Leipzic, his first impulse drove him to visit the house -in the Brhl in which he was born. Is it not possible that even at that -early stage of his life his extraordinary ambition of "becoming -something great" might have foreshadowed to him that the humble -habitation of his childhood would later on bear the proud inscription, -"Richard Wagner was born here"? What struck him at once as very strange -was the foreign aspect of that part of the town where the Jews -congregated. It was continually recruited by an increasing immigration -of the nomadic Polish Jews, who seemed to have consecrated the Brhl -their "Jerusalem," as Wagner christened it and ever referred to it when -speaking to me. The Polish Jews of that quarter traded principally in -furs, from the cheapest fur-lined "Schlafrock" to the finest and most -costly furs used by royalty. Their strange appearance with their -all-covering gabardine, high boots, and large fur caps, worn over long -curls, their enormous beards, struck Wagner as it did every one, and -does still, as something very unpleasant and disagreeable. Their -peculiarly strange pronunciation of the German language, their -extravagantly wild gesticulations when speaking, seemed to his aesthetic -mind like the repulsive movements of a galvanized corpse. - -[Sidenote: _HIS FIRST ATTACHMENT._] - -I was sorry to find that Wagner, although generally averse to acts of -violence and oppression, was but little shocked at the unreasoned hatred -and contempt of the Leipzic populace (especially the lower classes) for -the Jews. Their innate thrift, frugality, and skill in trading, were -regarded as avarice and dishonesty. Tales of unmitigated cruelty and -horror perpetrated by the Jews floated in the brains of the lower -Christian (?) populace. The murder of Christian infants for the sake of -their blood, to be used in sacrifice of Jewish rites, was a commonplace -rejoinder in justification of the suspicion and hatred against this -unfortunate race. Crying babes were speedily silenced by the threat, -"The Polish Jew is coming." What wonder, then, to see what was almost a -daily occurrence,--a number of Christian boys rush upon an unprotected, -inoffensive Jew boy and mercilessly beat him to revenge the imaginary -wrongs which the Jews were said to have done to Christian infants. Nor, -I am sorry to add, did the fully grown Christian burgher interfere in -such brutal scenes; the poor wretched victim, beaten by overwhelming -numbers and rolled howling in the mud, was but a Jew boy! Strange to -say, Wagner had imbibed some intuitive dislike to the Egyptian type of -Hebrew, and never entirely overcame that feeling. No amount of reasoning -could obliterate it at any period of his life, although he counted among -his most devoted friends and admirers a great many of the oppressed -race. Still considerably more odd is it that Wagner's first attachment -was for one of the black-eyed daughters of Judah. When passing in review -our earliest impressions of school life, we naturally came to that -never-to-be-forgotten period of the earliest blossoms of first love, -which then revealed to me this remarkably strange episode. Events of -everyday occurrence, which in the lives of ordinary mortals scarcely -deserve mentioning, are invested with a significance in the lives of men -whose destiny points to immortality. When Wagner came to this curious -incident of his school life, amazed, I ejaculated, "a Jewess?" in a tone -of "impossible!" - -It was after a discussion of Jew-hating, and my pointing to the many -friends and adherents he had among the Jews, he with his joyous outbreak -of humor said, "After all, it was the dog's fault," referring to -"Faust," where Mephisto, as a large dog, lies "unter dem Ofen." Then -followed the story. - -He had called at his sister Louisa's house (by the way, he had an -affection for this sister which, in our intimate converse, he likened to -that which Goethe in his case speaks of as having for its basis the -frontier where love of kin ends and love of sex commences), went to her -room, where he found an enormous dog which attracted his attention. Any -one acquainted with Wagner knew of his devoted attachment to dogs, of -which I shall have more to say hereafter. Not many could understand an -affection which included every dog in creation. Wagner would engage in -long conversations with dogs, and in supplying their answers would -infuse into them much of that caustic wit which philosophers of all ages -and countries have so often and powerfully put into the mouth of -animals. Richard Wagner delighted to make dumb pets speak scornfully of -the boasted superiority of man, thinking that after all the animal's -quiet obedience to the prescribed laws of instinct was a surer guide -than man's vaunted free will and reasoning power. He was fond, too, of -quoting Weber on such occasions, who, when _his_ dog became disobedient, -used to remark, "If you go on like that, you will at last become as -silly and bad as a human being." - -The dog so wholly engrossed Richard's attention that he failed to notice -a visitor, Frulein Leah David, who had come to fetch her dog, left at -her friend's house whilst paying visits in the neighbourhood. The young -Jewess was of the same age as Richard, tall, and possessed that superior -type of Oriental beauty more frequently found among the Portuguese Jews. -She was on intimate terms with Louisa Wagner, who shortly after married -one of the celebrated book publishers of Germany. Leah David made an -immediate conquest of Richard. "I had never before been so close to so -richly attired and beautiful a girl, nor addressed with such an animated -eastern profusion of polite verbiage. It took me by surprise, and for -the first time in my life I felt that indescribable bursting forth of -first love." - -[Sidenote: _FRULEIN LEAH DAVID._] - -Wagner was invited to the house of her father, who, like most wealthy -Jews, surrounded himself with artists of every kind. Indeed, it was -there that Richard made many acquaintances which subsequently proved -useful to him. There was an extravagant luxury in the ostentatious house -of Herr David, which made the ambitious young student poignantly feel -the frugal economy practised in his own home. Wagner's imaginative -brain always made him yearn for all the enjoyments that life could -supply. Unlimited means was the roseate cloud that incessantly hovered -before his longing fancy. In this respect he differs largely from most -other creative great minds, who, by force of inventive genius, have -conjured up worlds of power and riches, and yet have lived contentedly -on the most modest fare and in the lowliest of habitations. - -Richard's new-found friend was an only daughter, and having lost her -mother, she was free to do as she willed; the enthusiastic young -musician was allowed to visit the house and proved a very genial -companion, fond of her dog, and adoring art. Wagner did not declare his -passion, feeling that in the sympathetic, friendly treatment he received -it was divined and accepted. But he was regarded more in the light of a -boy than as a lover, small and slight in stature, dreamy and absorbed as -he was then. If the young lady chanced to be out when he called, he -either went to the piano or occupied himself with the dog, Iago, if at -home. The visits becoming frequent, the attachment ripened into an -intimacy. At such a house, with a daughter fond of music, _soires -musicales_ were constantly occurring. At one of them a young Dutchman, -nephew of Herr David, was present. He was a pianist, and had just that -gift which Wagner lacked, dexterity of fingering. Flatteringly -applauded, the jealous Wagner intemperately and injudiciously launched -out about absence of soul and similar expressions. Taunted into playing, -his clumsy, defective manipulation provoked a sneer from the Dutchman -and a titter from the assembly. Wagner lost his temper. Stung in his -tenderest feelings before the Hebrew maiden, with the headlong -impetuosity of an unthinking youth he replied in such violent, rude -language that a dead silence fell upon the guests. Then Wagner rushed -out of the room, sought his cap, took leave of Iago, and vowed revenge. -He waited two days, upon which, having received no communication, he -returned to the scene of the quarrel. To his indignation he was refused -admittance. The next morning he received a note in the handwriting of -the young Jewess. He opened it feverishly. It was as a death-blow. -Frulein Leah was shortly going to be married to the hated young -Dutchman, Herr Meyers, and henceforth she and Richard were to be as -strangers. - -"It was my first love-sorrow, and I thought I should never forget it, -but after all," said Wagner, with his wonted audacity, "I think I cared -more for the dog than for the Jewess. Whilst under the love-spell I had -paid little heed to much that soon after, in pondering over the episode, -revolted me. The strange characteristics of the Jews were unpleasant to -me. Then it was that I first perceived that impassable barrier which -must always rise up between Jews and Christians in their dealings with -the world. One cannot help an instinctive feeling of repulsion against -this strange element, which has been gradually creeping into our midst, -growing like mistletoe upon the oak tree, a parasite taking root -wherever it can fasten but the smallest fibre, and clinging with a -tenacity entirely its own, drawing in all nutriment within reach, and -yet remaining, notwithstanding, a parasite. Such is the Jew in the midst -of Christian civilization." - -[Sidenote: _AT SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY._] - -His entrance to the St. Nicolas school in 1827, where he remained three -years, was as the passing through a dark cloud. The whole training here -differed vitally from that at the Kreuzschule. The masters and their -mode of tuition was unsympathetic to him. I did not wonder at this when -he told me. I had been at the school, too, and experienced similar -feelings of resentment. The Martinet system of discipline was irksome to -high-spirited boys. No attempt was made to develop individuality of -character. This was unfortunate for Wagner. He was just then at an age -when personal interest and sympathetic guidance would have been -invaluable. Filled with wild dreams of a glorious future that was to -follow his self-dedication to the drama, he threw himself with ardour -into the completion of a play he had begun to work at. Ambition had -prompted him to base it on the model of Shakespeare's tragedies. The -plot was as wild and impossible as the unrestricted exuberance of so -extravagant a fancy might suggest. It occupied him for upwards of two -years, and greatly interfered with his legitimate school work. When in -later life he surveyed this period he describes himself as "wild, -negligent, and idle," absorbed with one thought, his great drama. - -[Sidenote: _HIS ARTISTIC CRISIS._] - -From the St. Nicolas school he passed to St. Thomas's school, where he -stayed but a few months, leaving it for the University. At the -University he attended occasional lectures only, showing none of that -assiduity which distinguished him at the Kreuzschule. His University -days were marked by a profligacy to which he afterwards referred with -regret and even disgust. He was young and wild, and had determined with -his insatiable nature to drain to the dregs the cup of dissoluted -frivolity. I should not be performing the duty of an honest biographer -were I to omit an incident which occurred at this period, regrettable as -it might seem. His mother still received her modest pension. On one -occasion Richard was commissioned to receive it for her. Returning home -with the money in his pocket he chanced to pass a public gambling house. -_There_ was one sensation he had not yet experienced. At that moment he -felt that in the throw of the fascinating dice lay the fateful omen of -his future. The money was not his, yet he entered and risked the hazard -of the dice. He was unfortunate; lost all but a small sum he had kept -back. Yet he could not resist the alluring excitement. He staked this -too. Fortune, happily for the wide world of art, befriended him, and he -left the debasing den with more than he had entered, "But," inquired I, -"what would you have done had you lost all?" "Lord!" he replied, "before -going into the house I had firmly resolved that should I lose I would -accept the omen and seek my end in the river." A man in years calmly -telling me this so long after the incident had occurred urged me again -to ask, "Would you really have done that?" "I would," was the short -determined answer. He was unable to keep the story back from his mother, -and at once on his return told her all. "Instead of upbraiding me," -Wagner said, "she fell with passionate love around my neck, exclaiming, -'You are saved. Your free confession tells me that never again will you -commit so wicked a wrong.'" This Wagner related to me when I was staying -with him at Zurich in 1856. This hazardous throw of the dice was not the -only occasion on which he had boldly defied fate. He was ever buoyed up -with an implicit faith in his destiny, which sustained him through many -trials, though at the same time it urged him to act in a manner where -more thoughtful minds would have hesitated. - -I now come to what was undoubtedly the crisis of Wagner's artistic -career. It was the practice at German theatres, between the acts, for -the orchestra to play movements of Haydn's symphonies or similar -excerpts by other masters. The rule was to hurry through them in the -most indifferent manner. Not the slightest attention was paid to -expression, and if it happened that the manager's bell rang while the -"playing" was going on, the performance would terminate with a jerk, -each artist seemingly anxious not to play a note more, and heedless of -finishing the "phrase" together. - -At Leipzic, the entire music was particularly slovenly, played under the -cynical Matthey. And yet the very men who played so reprehensibly in the -stage orchestra, when performing at the famous Gewandhaus concerts -seemed to be moved by feelings of reverence for their work, unknown to -them in the theatre. It would be an interesting investigation to -discover why this was. The symphonies of Beethoven in the concert-room -compelled their whole worship; the symphonies of Haydn in the theatre -were treated like "dinner" music. Perhaps the explanation is, that the -symphonic movements played in the theatre bore no relation to the drama -enacted, whereas music played for itself went with a verve and spirit, -and attention to its meaning quite unknown to thestop-gap-music-scrambling -of the theatre. - -[Sidenote: _RESOLVE TO BECOME A MUSICIAN._] - -From the unsatisfying scrambling performances of the theatre, Wagner, -fifteen years old, went to the Gewandhaus concerts. There he heard -Beethoven's symphonies. What a revelation were they to him, played with -the artistic perfection for which that orchestra was so justly -celebrated, although there was room for improvement. They forced open in -him the floodgates of a torrent of emotion. A new world dawned upon him. -Music that had hitherto lain dormant, suddenly awakened into a vigorous -existence truly electrifying. His future career was decided. Henceforth -he, too, would be a musician. And what was there in Beethoven that -should so startle him into new life? He had heard Haydn, Mozart, and -earlier masters without being so completely awed and fascinated. What -was there in these symphonies that should exercise such a determining -influence over him? It was the overpowering earnestness of the unhappy -composer. Beethoven dealt with life problems according to the spirit of -his age--the demand for freedom of thought and liberty of the person. -Beethoven had been baptized in that mighty wave, the struggle for -freedom, which rolled over Germany at the beginning of this century. He -could not help being eloquently earnest. He was the creature of his -time, and when called upon to declare himself, was not found wanting in -rugged, bold earnestness. Yet although Haydn and Mozart, I too, were -earnest, their utterances were of a subjective character. The world to -them presented none of the doubts and philosophic speculations which -convulsed Beethoven's period. Their view of life was pure optimism. A -vein of bright joyousness runs through all their works, aye, even their -most serious. But Beethoven was a pessimist, and his works betray him. -When he has a sunshiny moment it serves only to show how deep is his -prevailing gloom. Wagner at fifteen was a poet, and the energetic, -suggestive music of Beethoven was mentally transformed into living -personalities. He has said that he felt as if Beethoven addressed him -"personally." Every movement formed itself into a story, glowed with -life, and assumed a clear, distinct shape. I do not forget the earlier -influence of Weber over him, but then that was more due to emotion than -to reason. The novelty of "Der Freischtz," the freshness of its melodic -stream, and the wild imaginative treatment of the romantic story -captivated his first affection and enchained it to the last. The whole -of his impressions of Beethoven (whom, by the way, Wagner never saw) -were embodied by him in a sketch written for a periodical and entitled, -"A Pilgrimage to Beethoven." Although the incidents painted there are -not to be taken as having happened to the pilgrim, Wagner, yet the story -is clear on one point--the unbounded spell Beethoven exercised over him. - -As he was now determined to become a musician, and seeing the necessity -of acquiring some theoretical knowledge of his new art, with his usual -perseverance he began studying alone. His progress was so disappointing -that he made arrangements with a local organist, with whom, too, he -advanced but little. However, he was resolved. Music he wanted for his -own play; without music he felt it was incomplete, and although he -worked assiduously, theory seemed a long, dreary road which, instead of -helping him to the goal he yearned to reach, presented innumerable -obstacles in the path. He wanted to compose, yet all the grammarian's -rules were so many caution-boards, warning him against doing this or -that, impediments that prevented him accomplishing what he strove to -perform. It was always what should _not_ be done instead of what should -be done. With youthful impetuosity he then revolted against all -grammarianism, and to the end of his life maintained an attitude of -derisive defiance towards all who fought behind the shield inscribed -fugue, canon and counterpoint. - -Although conscious of how unsatisfactory his theoretical progress had -been, ambition prompted him to write an overture for the orchestra. The -young composer was seventeen. The overture is characterized by Wagner's -besetting sin--extravagance of means. Through his sister's connection -with the stage he became acquainted with the music director of the -Leipzic theatre, a young man, Heinrich Dorn, a few years older than -Wagner. I knew Dorn as a friendly, easy-going, good-tempered fellow. -Impressed with the unusual enthusiasm of the youth, Dorn kindly offered -to perform his overture at the theatre. It was performed. The audience -laughed at it, and Wagner was not slow to admit the justice of its -reception. - -[Sidenote: _A PUPIL OF CANTOR WEINLIG._] - -Of the caligraphy displayed in this work I must say a few words. The -score was written in different-coloured inks, the groups of strings, -wood, and brass, being distinguished by special colours. His extreme -neatness and care at all times of his life, when using the pen, was -wonderful. Before putting word or note to paper every thought had been -so fully digested that there was never any need of erasure or -correction. In strange contrast with Richard Wagner's clean, neat, -distinct writing, stand Beethoven's hieroglyphics, whole lines of which -were sometimes smudged out with the finger. - -Wagner accepted the judgment upon his overture, though not without a -painful feeling of disappointment. But as he was determined to be a -musician, his family now encouraged him, and for that purpose placed him -under Cantor Weinlig of Leipzic. The Cantor was on intimate terms with -my father, and therefore was well known to me. He had a great name as a -skilled contrapuntist. Gentle and persuasive in demeanour, he soon won -the affection of his pupil, and although his tuition lasted for about -six months only, it was sufficient to cause Wagner to refer with -affection to this, his only real master. - -The immediate result of Weinlig's tuition was the production of a sonata -for the pianoforte. It is in strict form, but Wagner's conscientious -adherence to the dogmatic principles he had learned seem to have dried -up all sources of inspiration. He was evidently in a straight jacket, -for the sonata does not contain one original idea, not one phrase of -more than common interest. It is just the kind of music that any average -pupil without gift might have written. Time was wanting before the -careful, orthodox training of Weinlig could thoroughly assimilate itself -to the peculiarity of Wagner's genius. - -It is curious that he should have produced such a very inferior work as -regards ideas and development while he was at the same time a most -ardent student of Beethoven. It can only be explained by regarding the -period as one of transition and receptivity. He was not full grown nor -strong enough to wing himself to independent flight. - -Beethoven was his daily study. He was carefully storing up all the grand -thoughts of the great master, but his fiery enthusiasm had not yet come -to that burning-point when it should ignite his own latent powers. His -acquaintance with the scores of Beethoven has never been equalled. It -was extraordinary. He had them so much by heart that he could play on -the piano, with his own awkward fingering, whole movements. Indeed, -beyond Weber, the idol of his boyhood, and Beethoven, there was no -master whose works interested him at that period. His family considered -him Beethoven-mad. His eldest brother, Albert, then engaged actively in -the profession, and more of a practical business man, particularly -condemned the exclusive hero-worship of a master not then understood or -acknowledged by the general public. But Richard persevered with his -study, and as a testimony of his affection for Beethoven it may be -mentioned that, at eighteen, he produced a pianoforte arrangement of the -whole of the "Ninth Symphony." - -[Sidenote: _WEBER AND BEETHOVEN HIS MODELS._] - -In the school of Weber and Beethoven did Wagner form himself. The -musical utterances of both his models were in harmony with their time. -Weber was romantic, Beethoven pessimistic. The cry for liberty which ran -throughout Europe at the end of the eighteenth century affected the -republic of letters sooner than the world of music. It was Wagner's -"idol," his "adored" master, who first musically portrayed the -revolutionary spirit of the dawn of this century. It was he who founded -the romantic school of musicians. His ideality, his "romantic" genius, -taking that word in its highest and noblest sense, place him in an -entirely separate niche of the temple of art. His inventive faculty, the -irresistible charm of his melody, his entirely new delineation and -orchestral colouring of character, are immeasurably superior to anything -of the kind which preceded him. He was the basis, the starting-point of -a new phase in the art of music. And yet, with it all, the great Weber -fell short in one important feature of his art--the consequential -development of his themes. All his chamber music testifies to this. Even -in his three great overtures, "Der Freischtz," "Euryanthe," and -"Oberon," the "working-out" of the subjects is feeble and unskilful, and -only compensated for by the ever gushing forth of new and potent ideas. -Weber had not passed through the crucible of a serious study of the -classical school. In his early period he had treated music more as an -amateur than as an earnest-thinking musician. Nor was he gifted with the -brain power of Beethoven. It was the latter master's causal strength of -brain, combined with his deep, serious studies and his incessant -striving to express exactly what he felt, which have secured for him -that exceptional position in modern tonal art. - -[Sidenote: _STUDY OF INSTRUMENTATION._] - -Coming now to Wagner, we find him possessing, to a truly remarkable -degree, the special powers of both. His wondrous inventive genius was -controlled by a brain power as solid as rare. It enabled him to fuse in -his own work the gifts of the idealist, Weber, and of the thinker, -Beethoven. The latter's mastery of workmanship, his reasoned sequence of -ideas, are vastly surpassed in Wagner's dialectic treatment. As an -instrumental colourist Weber was superior to Beethoven. The deafness of -the latter sometimes led him to mark the wrong instrument in his scores. -He could not hear, and therefore was not fully able to comprehend the -qualities of every instrument, like Weber. The greatness of his power as -an orchestral writer is undeniable, yet many instances could be quoted -where he has misapplied a particular instrument of whose character, -through his deafness, he had lost the exact knowledge. Wagner based his -instrumentation on that of Weber. In spite of an almost unlimited -admiration of Beethoven, Wagner has not refrained from pointing to -certain defects of scoring in him. He shows that whilst Beethoven -modelled his orchestra after Haydn and Mozart, his conceptions went -immeasurably beyond them and clashed with the somewhat inadequate means -of their orchestra. Beethoven had neither the modern keyed brass -instruments to support the wood-wind against the doubled and trebled -strings, nor did he dare to venture beyond the then supposed range of -the wood, brass, and string instruments. Often when reaching what was -thought to be the topmost note on either, he suddenly jumps in an almost -childishly anxious manner to an octave below, interrupting the melody -and producing an irritating effect. Wagner has asserted that had -Beethoven heard the tonal effect of portions of his marking, he would -unquestionably have rewritten them or altered the instruments. But -whilst deploring his great predecessor's deafness as the cause of -certain defective instrumentation he renders unstinted homage to the -general orchestration of the symphonies. The enormous amplification of -deeply reasoned detail in those nine grand works demands from each -individual of the orchestra an attention and refinement of expression -to be expected only from an orchestra composed of virtuosi. - -It was shortly after his return to Leipzic that Wagner began to study -instrumentation. The Gewandhaus concerts and Beethoven's symphonies had -stirred him. He thumped the piano, was conscious of his lack of skill, -but nevertheless bought the scores of the symphonies and studied them -with heart and soul. The magnificent colouring charmed him. To work the -score at the piano, and see where the secret lay, was his careful study, -and then, when he found it, he saw how necessary was individual -excellence of performance. Even the Gewandhaus performances failed to -completely satisfy him. The members of the orchestra were familiar with -the works, yet was the performance far from conveying that lasting -impression which the delineation of the intensely grand ideas were -capable of, and which from his piano-reading he expected. The -dissatisfaction he experienced induced him to seek further for the -explanation, and after careful thought he fixed the blame on the -shortcomings of the conductor. The head of an orchestra, he asserted, -should study the work to be played under him until every phrase, its -meaning, and bearing to the whole composition were thoroughly -assimilated by him. He should, further, have a perfect acquaintance with -the capabilities of every instrument, and an excellent memory. Works -performed under conductors not possessing these qualifications never -produce their legitimate effect. "It was only when I had conducted -Mozart's works myself," says Wagner, "and had made the orchestra execute -every detail as I felt it, that I took real pleasure in their -performance." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -1832-1836. - - -[Sidenote: _THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD._] - -Had Wagner's youthful enthusiasm been fired at the Dresden Kreuzschule -with love for Germany and hatred of the French oppressor, a feeling -which flew through the land like lightning, had the songs of Krner's -"Lyre and Sword," set to vigorous music by Weber, inspired him, his -patriotism was intensified tenfold when, returning to his native city, -he came into the midst of a population that had suffered all the horrors -and privations of actual war. His study of modern literature, -assimilated with surprising facility in a brain where all was order and -consecutiveness, gave him an insight into the deplorable state of his -beloved country, whilst indicating the direction in which future efforts -should be directed. He found that the revolutionary spasm of the end of -the eighteenth century had shattered time-honoured traditions, roughly -shaken the creeds of the past, and indeed had left nothing untouched, -infiltrating itself into every great and small item of human existence. -The impetus of the time was "revolution!" To throw down the trammels of -moral and physical slavery, to free man and raise him to the throne of -humanity, was the desire of all European peoples. All worked towards one -common goal; there was not one movement of importance then that was not -influenced by the revolution. In literature the tendency was to make -letters a concrete part of the national mind, just as the great French -revolution called into existence the first notion of national life by -investing the people with the controlling power of their country's -interests. All the master-minds of the time of Louis the Fourteenth were -an some measure connected with the king; but with the nineteenth century -revolution a third state was developed, which enriched national life, -and, acting upon literature, drove the hitherto secluded savants and -their works into the vortex of popular life. Before this upheaval, -literature had been the exclusive property of the professional savant -and his high-born protector. The tendency of modern social life was to -enthrone mind and genius. The third state was actually breaking down -social barriers, the line of demarcation between them and so-called -"good society," the monarch and aristocracy. That such a violent change -at the beginning of the century should have unsettled and bewildered -some otherwise remarkably gifted men is not surprising. The turbulent -state of society, and the confused investigation and awkward handling of -important moral questions, led to doubt and despair. Men like the -brothers Schlegel became Roman Catholics, hoping by so doing to cast the -responsibility of their life on a religion which closes every aperture -to the reasoning powers. Ludwig Tieck, another German savant, followed -their example, whilst men like Zacharias Werner, after having given -proofs of the highest capability, destroyed their mental being by -pursuing a most dissolute and reprehensible course; or, like Hoffman, by -an over-indulgence in wine, helped to create an unsthetic phase in -German literature which, alas, serves only to show how sadly distorted -gifted brains can become. Kleist was driven to commit suicide. I could -cite more unhappy victims of that troublous epoch, existences blighted -by the powerful wave of romanticism and freedom that swept over the -land. The only man who remained unaffected by the movement was Goethe. -In his striving for plastic beauty and classicism, he never became -enthusiastic for the romantic school. He even stood somewhat aloof from -Shakespeare; nor would he, in his cold simplicity and placid grandeur, -see in all the romantic movement aught but a remnant of revolution -against his "legitimate" supremacy. - -Those early years of Wagner were passed in a scene of unusual activity -and excitement. His native city a great battle-field the year of his -birth, people hardly recovered from the shock of the 1793 revolution, -when again they are startled by its reverberation in July, 1830. Then -Wagner was seventeen, of an age and thoughtful enough to be impressed by -the struggle carried on around him, or, to quote his own words, "all -that acted more and more on my mind, on my imagination and reason." This -was the spirit which he brought to bear on his study of -orchestration,--ideality controlled by strong reasoning power. He had -studied under the first professor of Leipzic, had had an overture -performed in public, and now, in 1832, he essayed a grand symphony for -orchestra, which ever remained a pleasing work to him, and to which he -would refer with evident satisfaction. Its history is a curious one. - -[Sidenote: _HIS ONLY SYMPHONY._] - -Though not twenty, he, with his usual self-reliance, boldly took the -score and parts to Vienna. He wanted his work to be heard. His daring -ambition was not satisfied with a lesser centre than the Austrian -capital. Vienna was then, as it is now, the city of pleasure and light -Italian music. As Beethoven himself could command but a small section of -adherents among the pleasure-seeking Viennese, it is not surprising that -the untried and unknown young composer was ignored. But undaunted, he -took his treasure to Prague, where Dionys Weber, conductor of the -Conservatorium, performed it to Wagner's unbounded delight. Returning -home, he had the proud satisfaction of hearing it played at the -classical Gewandhaus concerts and also at its rival but lesser -institution, the "Euterpe." This was a promising augury, and to Wagner -amply sufficient for assuming that later his work would be repeated. -Therefore, when in 1834 Mendelssohn was appointed conductor at the -Gewandhaus, Wagner unhesitatingly took the symphony to him. For a long -time nothing was heard of it. Wagner became anxious, and applied to -Mendelssohn, when to his indignation he was informed that the score had -unfortunately been lost. Wagner never alluded to this incident without -indulging in one of those bitter ironical attacks upon Mendelssohn in -which he was such an adept. The incident rankled in the memory of the -over-sensitive composer, and no amount of external amiability at a later -period from Mendelssohn was ever able to efface it. This symphony was -Wagner's first acknowledged work and acknowledged, too, by men of -weight, whose commendation had, not unnaturally, elated him. "My first -symphony!" How often have I heard that phrase? and spoken with such -satisfaction that on several occasions I tried to induce Wagner to play -some reminiscences of it to me. He could not; he had lost all -remembrance of it. Accident or fate willed it that shortly before his -death the orchestral parts were discovered at Dresden. A score was -arranged and the fifty-year-old work performed _en famille_ in 1882, -under the revered old man's bton at Venice. - -[Sidenote: _DIRECTOR OF A CHORUS._] - -Though proud of his success as a musician, the poetic side of his nature -was not repressed. He was a poet as well as musician. Suddenly the poesy -within him leaped forth and impelled him to write words already wedded -in his own heart to sounds. Its appearance was as a revelation -disclosing an allied power which was to exalt him to a pinnacle to which -no other composer in the whole history of art could possibly lay claim. -He wrote a libretto to "The Wedding." This was to be his first opera, -and the same year, 1833, in which he wrote the words he also began the -music. However, he composed but three numbers, still in existence, the -introduction, a chorus, a sextet, and then was dissuaded by his sister -from proceeding further with it. The story and its treatment were both -pronounced ill-adapted for stage representation. The book was the -veriest hyper-romantic scum, a mixture of the gloomy fatalist Werner and -the wildly extravagant Hoffman. The opera was abandoned with regret, and -a living was sought in any form of musical drudgery. He was willing to -"arrange," to "correct proofs," or do anything but teaching, to which he -always had the strongest antipathy. To my knowledge, he never gave a -lesson in his life. When, therefore, the post of chorus master at the -Wrzburg theatre was offered to him, he readily accepted it. His eldest -brother, Albert, was then engaged at Wrzburg as singer, actor, and -stage manager. It was the practice of Albert all through life to assume -the rle of mentor to his younger brother, but against this Richard -strongly rebelled, though at the same time readily admitting his -brother's abilities as a manager and singer. Possessed of a remarkably -high tenor voice, Albert was unfortunately subject to intermittent -attacks of total loss of vocal power. But the singer's loss was the -actor's gain, for to compensate for this defect he exerted himself and -succeeded in shining as an actor. - -This Wrzburg engagement was Richard Wagner's first real active -participation in stage life. He had entered upon his new duties but a -short time when an opportunity presented itself wherein he could exhibit -his practical skill as a musician. Albert was cast for the tenor part in -Marschner's "Vampyre." According to his notion, his chief solo finished -unsatisfactorily. Richard's aid was invoked, and the result was -additional words, some forty lines and music, too, which enabled Albert -to display his unusually fine high tones. - -The life to Wagner was novel, attractive, and full of bright promise. -The friendly relations that existed between the chorus and their -director, the habitual banter of the players, their studied posing, -their concealing home miseries beneath a simulated gaiety, attracted and -charmed the inexperienced neophyte. He was yet blind to all the wiles, -trickeries, and petty infamies that seem inseparable from stage life. In -the theatre the meannesses and jealousies that clog human existence -under all forms are focused and exposed to the glare of publicity, -whereas in the wide world they are lost among the crowd. It was not -long before Wagner began to hate the shams and petty meannesses of the -stage with ten-fold the intensity he had at first been bewitched by it. - -During his stay at Wrzburg, urged by his brother he again thought of -composing an opera. Casting about for a fitting subject, he alighted -upon a volume of legends by Gozzi. One, "La Donna Serpente," attracted -him, and seemed to invite operatic treatment. He resolved to write his -own text, and within the year produced what was his first complete -opera, which he called "The Fairies." The musical treatment was entirely -in the romantic style of Weber and Marschner, but Wagner frankly -confesses it did not realize his expectations. He had thought himself -capable of greater things than his powers were yet equal to. -Nevertheless, he strove to obtain a hearing for it, but without success. -French and Italian opera ruled the German stage, and native productions -were not encouraged. However, an ardent aspirant for fame like Wagner -was not to be discouraged by the cold slights offered to his first stage -work. He returned to Leipzic, 1834, again energetically endeavouring to -get it accepted, but only to be disappointed once more. - -[Sidenote: "_DAS LIEBESVERBOT._"] - -It was during this visit to Leipzic that an event occurred which was -destined to strongly influence his future career. He heard that great -dramatic artist, Schroeder-Devrient. The effect of her performance upon -him was startling, although the operas in which she appeared, "Romeo" -and "Norma" of Bellini, were of the weakest. He saw what a striking -impression could be produced by careful attention to dramatic detail. -The poorest work was elevated into the realms of high art by the grand -style of the inspired artist. For the first time he realized the immense -value of perfection of "style." The lesson was not lost, and the high -point to which Wagner artists have subsequently carried it by the -master's imperative insistence upon the most thorough and exhaustive -attention to every detail of art, has formed the undying Wagner school. - -Fired by enthusiasm, he began the composition of a new opera, in which -he ambitiously hoped the great actress would perform the principal rle. -This was his second music-dramatic work, "Das Liebesverbot" ("The Novice -of Palermo"), founded upon Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure." It took -him about two years to write it. To Wagner this period was one of -transition, alternately dominated by the serious Beethoven, the -"romantic" Weber, Auber, and even the popular Italian school. He was as -a tree through whose branches the winds rushed from all quarters, only -the more firmly to consolidate the roots. He, too, was young, and a not -unnatural desire to acquire some of the world's riches induced him to -write his new work in a "popular" vein. The "Novice of Palermo" has but -very faint indications of the Wagner of after-life, and in the -composer's own judgment was but an indifferent work, although comparing -favourably with the operas of its day. - -[Sidenote: _ART AND NATIONALITY._] - -After the termination of his Wrzburg engagement Wagner went to -Magdeburg, 1834, where he was appointed music director, a post he held -for nearly two years, steadily working, meanwhile, at the "Novice of -Palermo." The Magdeburg company was above the usual level of provincial -troupes. The conductor was young and energetic, and soon secured the -good will of his subordinates. But the Magdeburghers were apathetic in -musical matters, and in the spring of 1836 the theatre announced its -final performances. The "Novice of Palermo" was not then completed. -After some discussion it was decided to perform it. Wagner hurried on -his work, battling with innumerable difficulties which presented -themselves thick and fast. First the theatre was threatened with -bankruptcy. To escape this it was arranged to close the building a month -earlier than the time originally announced. It left Wagner ten days for -rehearsals. His book had not been submitted to the censor, and as it was -now the Lenten season, there was a dread that the title might subject -the libretto to vexatious pruning. The opera was given out as founded on -one of the serious plays of Shakespeare, and by this means escaped all -maltreatment. But what could be done in ten days? Little even where -friendly will was engaged. However, after rehearsal upon rehearsal, the -work was performed. Its reception was moderate. The tenor singer had -been unable to learn his part in the short time and resorted to -unlimited "gag." Perhaps hardly one was perfect in his rle, and the -whole work went badly enough. In after-life Wagner could afford to laugh -at this makeshift performance, but at that time it was terribly real. He -once gave me a representation of the tenor singer and other -impersonators in a manner so ludicrous and mirth-provoking that he said, -"You laugh now, but listen! A second performance was promised for my -benefit. We were assembled and about to begin, when suddenly a -hand-to-hand fight sprung up between two of the characters, and the -performance had to be given up." This put him in sad straits. He had -hoped to receive such a sum of money from this "benefit" as would free -him from all monetary difficulties, but no performance taking place he -was worried in a most uncomfortable manner. - -I suppose that if there be any feature in Wagner's character about which -there is no difference of opinion it is his love for his native land. At -critical junctures, he has not hesitated, by speech or action, to -declare his pronounced feelings. At present, however, my purpose is not -to illustrate this point, but to emphasize a phase of thought in -Wagner's early manhood, which, boldly proclaimed at the time, gathered -strength with increasing years, and forms one of the most important -factors in his art-workings. He contended that the national life of a -people was intimately entwined with their art productions. "The stage," -said Wagner, "is the noblest arena of a nation's mind." This was a very -favourite theme of his. He would descant on it unceasingly. The stage -was the mirror of a people. Shakespeare he worshipped, and gloried that -such an intellect was counted in the republic of letters. England should -be proud of her great man. He thought Carlyle right when he said -Shakespeare was worth more to a nation than ten Indias. But poor -Germany! What could she show? Where was her race of literary giants? The -war of liberation had fired every German heart with the intensest -patriotism. Young Germany had fought with unexampled ardour, and the -hateful Napoleonic yoke was victoriously cast off. Liberty, patriotism, -and fraternity were the watchwords of every German, and they found -their art expression in the inspiriting strains of the soldier-poet, -Krner, and the vigorous melodies of the patriotic Weber. And German -potentates looked on bewildered. Where would this torrent of enthusiasm -end? Were they themselves secure on their thrones? Would it not sap the -foundations of their own rule? And, as history too sadly shows, fear -developed into despotism. The princes turned, and with the iron heel -trampled upon the very men who had valiantly defended them against the -ruthless invader. They were fearful of the German mind awakening to a -sense of its political and social shortcomings. They argued that this -uncontrolled enthusiasm for liberty of speech and person was a menace to -their thrones; therefore they strove to crush it out. Their conduct -Wagner later stigmatized as "replete with the blackest ingratitude," and -their treatment of national art as dictated by "cold, calculating -cruelty." For the stage, alien productions were imported. French -frivolity reigned supreme. Rossini's operas, licentious ballets, were -patronized to the exclusion of Beethoven's works, and now, though half a -century has elapsed, the baneful influence is still discernible. Such -feelings greatly agitated Wagner's early manhood. By 1840 they had -assumed definite shape, and we find him through the public journals -deploring the want of a German national drama. It was his effort to -supply this want. He went to work with a fixed purpose. How far he has -succeeded posterity will judge. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -1836-1839. - - -For nine months, from the Easter of 1836 to the opening of the new year, -1837, Wagner was without engagement. It was a period of hardship and -suffering. In a most miserable plight he went to Leipzic and Berlin, -energetically exerting himself to get his opera, "The Novice of Palermo" -accepted. He met with plenty of promises but no performances. His needs -became more pressing. Debts had been incurred and the prospect of paying -them was of the gloomiest. An ordinary mortal would have sunk under such -overwhelming trouble, but Wagner was made of sterner stuff. His -indomitable self-reliance and pluck, based upon an abnormal self-esteem, -ever kept alight the lamp of hope within him, and sustained him through -sadder times than this. True, he had not proved to the world that he was -a genius, but he, himself, was fully convinced of it. He had written two -operas, a symphony, and other works, and though they did not surpass or -even equal what had been accomplished by other artists, yet for all that -he was strongly imbued with a consciousness of the greatness of his own -power in the tonal and poetic arts. He was convinced that he had a -mission to fulfil, a new art gospel to preach, and, too, that he would -succeed. The death-bed prediction of his step-father that he would be -"something" would be fulfilled. - -As far as his art creations show, this was a period of non-productivity. -But it is impossible to suppose that Wagner was idle. Genius is never -inactive. If not visibly at work the reflective faculties are certain to -be actively employed. Though beset with every conceivable worldly -trouble, depending for daily wants on what he could borrow, he, with -alarming temerity, married. - -It was on the 24th November, 1836; the bride, Frulein Wilhelmina -Planer, leading actress of the Magdeburg company. She was the daughter -of a working spindle-maker. It was not the known possession of any -histrionic gift that caused her to become a professional actress, but a -very natural desire, as the eldest of the family, to increase the -resources of the household. Spindle-making was not a profitable calling, -and with a family, other help was gladly welcomed. But, as necessity has -oft discovered and forced to the front many a talent that would have -lain hidden from the world, so now was Magdeburg astonished by the -presence of an unquestionably gifted artist. Minna Planer played the -leading characters in tragedy and comedy. When off the stage her bearing -was quiet and unobtrusive. No theatrical trick or display indicated the -actress. And, after she had finally quitted stage life, it had been -impossible to suppose that the soft-spoken, retiring, shy little woman -had ever successfully impersonated important tragic rles. - -[Sidenote: _MINNA A HOUSE-WIFE._] - -Minna was handsome, but not strikingly so. Of medium height, slim -figure, she had a pair of soft gazelle-like eyes which were a faithful -index of a tender heart. Her look seemed to bespeak your clemency, and -her gentle speech secured at once your good-will. Her movements in the -house were devoid of everything approaching bustle. Quick to anticipate -your thoughts, your wish was complied with before it had been expressed. -Her bearing was that of the gentle nurse in the sick-chamber. It was joy -to be tended by her. She was full of heart's affection, and Wagner let -himself be loved. Her nature was the opposite of his. He was passionate, -strong-willed, and ambitious: she was gentle, docile, and contented. He -yearned for conquest, to have the world at his feet: she was happy in -her German home, and desired no more than permission to minister to him. -From the first she followed him with bowed head. To his exuberant -speech, his constant discourses on art, and his position in the future, -she lent a willing, attentive ear. She could not follow him, she was not -able to reason his incipient revolutionary art notions, to combat his -seemingly extravagant theories; but to all she was sympathetic, -sanguine, and consoling,--"a perfect woman, nobly planned," as -Wordsworth sweetly sings. As years rolled by and the genius of Wagner -assumed more definite shape and grew in strength, she was less able to -comprehend the might of his intellect. To have written "The Novice of -Palermo" at twenty-three, and to have been received so cordially was to -her unambitious heart the zenith of success. More than that she could -not understand, nor did she ever realize the extent of the wondrous -gifts of her husband. After twenty years of wedded life it was much the -same. We were sitting at lunch in the trimly kept Swiss chalet at Zurich -in the summer of 1856, waiting for the composer of the then completed -"Rienzi," "Dutchman," "Tannhuser," and "Lohengrin" to come down from -his scoring of the "Nibelungen," when in full innocence she asked me, -"Now, honestly, is Richard such a great genius?" On another occasion, -when he was bitterly animadverting on his treatment by the public, she -said, "Well, Richard, why don't you write something for the gallery?" -And yet, notwithstanding her inaptitude, Wagner was ever considerate, -tender, and affectionate towards her. He was not long in discovering her -inability to understand him, but her many good qualities and domestic -virtues endeared her greatly to him. She had one quality of surpassing -value in any household presided over by a man of Wagner's thoughtless -extravagance. She was thrifty and economical. At all periods of his life -Wagner could not control his expenditure. He was heedless, relying -always upon good fortune. But Minna was a skilled financier, and he knew -this. For years their lot was uphill, sometimes a hard struggle for bare -existence, and through all the devotion and homely love of the woman -soothed and cheered the nervous, irritable Wagner. When their means -enabled them to enjoy the comforts of life without first anxiously -counting the cost, Minna was possessed of one thought, her husband and -his happiness. And Wagner knew it and gratefully appreciated the heart's -devotion of the worshipping woman. Home was her paradise, her husband -the king. Love, simple, trusting love, was her religion, and no greater -testimony to the noble work of a genuine woman could be offered than -that of the poet Milton in his "Paradise Lost":-- - - Nothing lovelier can be found - In woman, than to study household good. - -[Sidenote: _DIRECTOR AT KNIGSBERG._] - -Throughout his career Wagner shook off the troubles of daily life with -an elasticity truly remarkable. But now he must do something. He had -incurred the most sacred of all obligations, to provide for his wife, -and employment of some description was a pressing necessity. Viewed from -an artistic point, his lost appointment had been a success. He had -acquired all the skill of an efficient conductor and had familiarized -himself with a large number of opera scores. But what had he done with -his own gifts? The miserable finale of the Magdeburg episode, and his -increased responsibilities, made him seriously reflect on this past year -and a half. True he had composed an entire opera. But of what material -was it made? He had regretfully to acknowledge that it was not as he -would wish it. He had thrown over his household gods to worship Baal. He -had rejected Weber and Beethoven, "his adored idols," to dress his -thoughts in attractive, showy, French attire. He had forsaken heartfelt -truth for a graceful exterior. And what had he gained by imitating Auber -and Rossini? Not even the satisfaction of public success. And why? His -models spoke as they felt, whilst he clothed his thoughts in a borrowed -garb. He was now conscious that he had but to express himself in his own -language to convince others of the truth of his art gospel. - -Some such similar post as at Magdeburg was what he now desired. There he -would be Wagner himself. But in these early years smiling fortune was -not always his happy companion. Nearly a year elapses before he again -finds himself directing an operatic company. This time it is at -Knigsberg. - -[Sidenote: _CONDUCTS ORCHESTRAL CONCERTS._] - -But before accompanying the weary artist to his new home some mature -reflections of Wagner on his Magdeburg period are worthy of notice. His -elevation to the post of music director of the Magdeburg theatre was a -joyful moment. For the first time he would be sole controller of -operatic performances. When a youth he had been revolted by the -slatternly manner in which theatre conductors had led the performances. -Even the Gewandhaus concerts had not been altogether satisfactory. -Something then was lacking in the ensemble. Now was his opportunity. The -mechanical time-beating prevalent among conductors of opera houses would -find no place with the ardent youthful composer. He first secured the -affection of the singers by evincing a personal interest in their public -success. His born actor's skill enabled him to illustrate how such a -character should move, whilst with the orchestra he would sing passages -and rehearse one phrase incessantly until he was satisfied. He was -indefatigable. The secret of his success was his earnestness. He knew -what he wanted, which was half-way to securing it. The company seems to -have been fairly intelligent and to have responded freely to his wishes, -but the audiences were phlegmatic. Magdeburg was a garrison city, and -the audiences were domineered by the cold reserve observed by the -military. Wagner thought of all publics the worst was a military one. -Effusive exhibitions of joy they regard as indecorous and unseemly, and -the absence of spontaneous enthusiasm exercises a depressing effect on -artists. Among the operas he conducted were Auber's "Masaniello" and -Rossini's "William Tell." Both of them were favourites of his. At that -period, 1836, they stood out in bold relief from modern and ancient -operas. Their melodies were fresh and graceful, and a dramatic -truthfulness pervaded them which to the embryo imitator of the Greek -tragedy was a strong recommendation. Further, the revolutionary subjects -were congenial to the outlaw of 1848. But Auber and Rossini were soon to -be eclipsed by the clever Hebrew, Meyerbeer, and it is this last writer -who in a couple of years impels Wagner to leave his fatherland for -Paris. It is Meyerbeer's works that he is now about to conduct at -Knigsberg, where we shall at once follow him. - -The time he spent in Knigsberg was a prolongation of the miserable -existence which had followed the breaking up of the Magdeburg company, -intensified now, alas, by anxiety for his young wife. It was unenlivened -by any gleam of even passing sunlight. The time dragged heavily, and was -never referred to without a shudder. In later years, in the presence of -his first wife, he has compassionately remarked, "Yes, poor Minna had a -hard time of it then, and after the first few months of drudgery no -doubt repented of her bargain." To which the gentle Minna would reply by -a look full of tender affection. Wagner's references to the devotion and -untiring energy of his wife during the Knigsberg year of distress -always affected him. - -He began his public life at Knigsberg by conducting orchestral concerts -in the town theatre. This led to his appointment as music director of -the theatre. The operatic stage was then governed almost entirely by -Meyerbeer, "Robert le Diable" and "Le Prophte," both recent novelties, -being the great attraction. They met with an enormous success -everywhere. Meyerbeer was in Paris, the idol of the populace. A man -possessed of undeniable genuine merit, he bartered it away for gold. -The real merit was over-laden with a thick coat of meretricious glitter. -Attractive and dazzling show was what he set before the light-hearted -public of the French capital, and they mistook the tinsel for pure gold. -But, for all that, Meyerbeer was the hero of the hour, and what was -fashionable in Paris was immediately reproduced in the fatherland towns -and cities. In matters of art Paris was the acknowledged leader of -Germany. From afar, the young ambitious music director of Knigsberg -heard of the fabulous sums which Meyerbeer received for his works. He -was in the direst distress. The troubles of Magdeburg had followed him -to his new home, and he looked with longing eyes towards Paris, the El -Dorado of his dreams. He became haunted with visions of luxurious -independence, startling in their contrast to his present penurious -position. He looked about him and bestirred himself. With his accustomed -boldness, not to say audacity, he promptly wrote to Scribe, hoping by -one effort to emerge from all his trouble. What he sent to the famous -French librettist was a plan he had sketched of a grand five-act opera -based on a novel by Knig, "Die Hohe Braut" ("The Noble Bride"). He was -anxious for the collaboration of Scribe, since in that he saw the _open -sesame_ of the Grand Opera House, Paris. The French writer did not -reply. Wagner felt the slight. This was the second time the assistance -of an acknowledged litterateur had been solicited, and it was the last. -Laube did not satisfy him. Scribe did not notice him. Henceforth he -would rely on himself. - -[Sidenote: _THE LOST OVERTURE._] - -His stay at Knigsberg is marked by an event of peculiar interest to -Englishmen. Wagner had heard "Rule Britannia." He gave me his -impressions of it. He thought the whole song wonderfully descriptive of -the resolute, self-reliant character of the English people. The opening, -ascending passage, which he vigorously shouted in illustration, was, he -thought, unequalled for fearless assertiveness. The dauntless -expressiveness of its themes seemed admirably adapted for orchestral -treatment, and he therefore wrote an overture upon it. This he sent to -Sir George Smart, one of the most prominent of English musicians, justly -appreciated, among other things, for having introduced Mendelssohn's -"Elijah" to England at the Liverpool festival of 1836. When Wagner -related this incident to me in 1855, on his visit to London, he said -that, having received no reply, he inquired and ascertained that the -score seemed to have been insufficiently prepaid for transmission, and -that Sir George Smart had refused to pay the balance, "and for all I -know," continued Wagner, "it must still be lying in the dead-letter -office." - -A digest of Wagner's impressions of the world beyond the footlights, -after his intimate connection with the provincial theatres of Wrzburg, -Magdeburg, and Knigsberg, will explain how so serious a thinker could -adapt himself to the slipshod existence of thoughtless, light-hearted -play-actors. Among modern stage reformers Richard Wagner stands in the -front rank. He was earnest. He was practical. He had experienced all -evils arising from the shortcomings of the theatre, and he knew where to -place his finger on the plague spot. His drawings and prescriptions were -those of the practical worker; and he was enabled to make them so -through the knowledge acquired during his early life behind the scenes. - -What a curious medley stage life introduces one to! "My first contact -with the theatre seems like the fantastic recollection of a masked -ball," was Wagner's vivid description of his early stage experiences. -The stage in Germany has too frequently, for the advance of dramatic -art, been the last resort for gaining a livelihood. People of all ranks, -highly educated, or with no more than the thinnest smattering of -education, as soon as they find themselves without the means of -existence, fly to the stage. To one individual endowed by nature for the -histrionic vocation who thus adopts the profession, there are ten with -absolutely no gifts and whose appearance is due to failure in other -walks of life, or to want. All this motley group is, by the restricted -stage precincts, brought _nolens volens_ into daily contact and cannot -avoid constantly elbowing each other. Their private affairs, their -friendships, are an open secret. A special jargon is current coin among -them. Cant phrases abound and their very occupation familiarizes them -with sententious quotations on almost every subject. In no profession is -there such an ardent catering for momentary praise. It is the food, the -absolute nourishment of the actor; hence jealousy and envy exist -stronger here than anywhere else, and Byron does not exaggerate when he -speaks of "hate found only on the stage!" - -[Sidenote: _READS BULWER'S "RIENZI."_] - -To Wagner's impressionable and pageant-loving nature, the stage -possessed fascinating attractions. The free and easy intercourse that -existed between all the members of the company, actors, singers, and -orchestral performers, the existence of a sort of masonic equality, and -the general light-hearted exterior, was in accordance with the jocular -temperament of the chorus master. He was familiarly joking and laughing -with all his surroundings, a habit he retained to the day of his death. -His self-esteem would at all times insist on a certain deference to his -opinion, nor would he brook with equanimity any infraction of his ruling -as music director. From the age of twenty, when he first ruled the -chorus girls at Wrzburg, down to the Bayreuth rehearsals for -"Parsifal," at which he would illustrate his intention by gesture, -speech, and song, he was eminently the commander of his company. His -lively temperament, his love of fun, and remarkable mimetic gifts made -him a general favourite. In the supervision of operas, musically -distasteful to him, he was earnest and energetic, attending to detail -and appropriate gesture in a manner that demanded the respectful -admiration of all under his bton. Respect and submission to his rule he -exacted as due to his office, and he rarely had difficulty in securing -it. - -From Knigsberg he paid a flying visit to Dresden, the city of his -school-boy days. With his accustomed omnivorous reading, scanning every -book within reach, he fell upon Bulwer Lytton's "Rienzi." Here was a -subject inviting treatment on a large scale. Here was a hero of the -style of William Tell and Masaniello. The spirit was revolution and -moral regeneration of the people. It was a happy chance which led him to -this story, the sentiment of which harmonized so perfectly with his own -aspirations. Visions of Paris and its grand opera house had never left -him. "Rienzi" offered the very situations calculated to impress an -audience accustomed to the gorgeous splendour of the grand opera. -Although his eyes were turned towards the French capital, and his -immediate hope the conquest of the Parisians, it was not his sole nor -ultimate desire. Paris was a means only. He saw that Paris governed -German art, and he felt that only through Paris lay his hope of success -in his fatherland. It was while under such influences that he began to -formulate "Rienzi." - -His stay in Knigsberg was cut short owing to the company becoming -bankrupt. This was the second experience of the kind he had met with in -the provinces, and it helped to intensify his contempt for stage life. -He was again in money troubles. Fortunately, his old friend Dorn was -well placed at Riga and able to secure for him the post of conductor of -the opera there. The company was a good one, and its director, Hotter, -an intelligent and well-known playwright, who understood Wagner's -artistic ambition. The young conductor was very exacting in his demands -at rehearsals. To appeal to him was useless. He was earnest and -inflexible. And yet, notwithstanding his earnestness and the trouble he -took in producing uncongenial operas, he became weary of their flimsy -material. Within him the sap of the future music-drama was beginning to -rise. His own genius and artistic tendencies were in conflict with what -was enacted before him. It was the difference between simulated and real -feeling. What he was forced to conduct was stage sentiment, what he -yearned for was life-blood. And this latter he strove to infuse into his -"Rienzi," which was now assuming definite shape, words and part of the -music being written. - -[Sidenote: _STARTS FOR PARIS._] - -When two acts were finished to his satisfaction, there was no longer any -peace for him. Paris was the only fitting place where it could be -adequately represented. But how to get to Paris? At Riga, as elsewhere, -he lived beyond his means. I have before remarked on his incapability of -controlling his expenses and living within a fixed income. Minna was -thrifty and anxious, but her will was not strong enough to restrain her -self-willed husband. She was in a constant state of nervous worry, but -her devotion to Wagner prevented her making serious resistance. Now -funds were wanting for the projected Paris trip, he had none. However, -such a trivial item was not likely to thwart his ambition and to stand -in his way. He borrowed again. He was without any letters of -recommendation to Paris, spoke but very little French, and yet was full -of buoyancy and hope of the success that awaited him when there. It was -a bold, not to say reckless, venture. But it is characteristic of -Wagner. At all great junctures of his life he risked the whole of his -stakes on one card. His determination to leave Riga, and to turn his -back on the irritating miseries of a provincial theatre, led him to -embark with his wife and an enormous dog, in a small merchant vessel -_Pillau_ for London. Totally unprovided with any convenience for -passengers, badly provisioned and undermanned, the frail trading-craft -took the surprisingly long period of three weeks and a half to reach -London. It encountered severe weather and on two occasions narrowly -escaped foundering. The three passengers, Richard Wagner, his wife, and -dog, were miserably ill. On one occasion the bark was driven into a -Norwegian fiord; the crew and its passengers--there were no others on -board beside the Wagner trio--landed at a point where an old mill stood. -The poor wretches, snatched from the jaws of death, were hospitably -received by the owner, a poor man. He produced his only bottle of rum -and struck joy into all their hearts by brewing a bowl of punch. It was -evidently appreciated by the hapless ship's company, as Wagner was -hilarious when he spoke of what he humorously called his "Adventures at -the Champagne Mill." When the weather had cleared sufficiently the ship -set sail for London and arrived without any further mishap. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -EIGHT DAYS IN LONDON. - -1839. - - -[Sidenote: _LONDON IS TOO LARGE._] - -His first impression of London was not a pleasant one. The day was -wretched, raining heavily, and the streets were thick with mud. At the -Custom House Wagner was helped through the vexatious passport annoyance -by a German Jew--one of those odd men always to be found about the -stations and docks ready to perform any service for a trifling -consideration. He recommended Wagner to a small, uninviting hotel in Old -Compton Street, Soho, much resorted to by needy travellers from the -continent. The hotel, considerably improved, still exists. It is -situated a dozen doors or so from Wardour Street, and is opposite to a -public house known then, as now, as the "King's Arms." Wagner would have -gone straight away to a first-class hotel, but this time, feeling how -very uncertain the immediate future was, he asked to be recommended to a -cheap inn. He hired a cab, one of those curious old two-wheeled -vehicles, where the driver was perilously perched at the side, and with -his big dog, carefully sheltered from the weather under the large apron -which protected the forepart of the vehicle, they started for Old -Compton Street. Arrived there without incident, such of their luggage -as they had been able to bring with them at once was carried upstairs, -and Wagner and his wife sat down gloomily regarding each other. The room -was dingy and poorly furnished, and not of a kind to brighten weary, -seasick travellers. Wagner called his dog. No response. He opened the -door, rushed down the narrow, dark staircase to the street. Alas! -Neither dog nor cab were to be seen. He inquired of every one in broken -English, but could learn nothing hopeful or certain about his dumb -friend, the companion of his journey, and silent receiver of much of his -exuberant talk. Returning to Minna, they came to the conclusion that the -dog had leaped down from underneath the covering while the luggage was -being transported upstairs. But where was he now? They had not the -faintest clue, and knew not in which direction to seek for him. That -evening, their first in London, was one of sorrow and discomfort. The -next morning Wagner went back to the docks and gleaned tidings -sufficient only to dishearten him the more. The dog had been seen the -previous evening. Back to Old Compton Street, disconsolate; he had -scarcely ascended the first flight of stairs when, his step recognised, -loud barks of welcome greeted him from above. The dog was there. It had -found its way into the room where his wife had remained during his -absence. The poor beast was bespattered with mud, but this did not -prevent Wagner affectionately fondling him. To Wagner the return of the -dog was wonderful. How a dumb brute, that had seen absolutely nothing -during the journey from the docks to Old Compton Street, could find its -way back to the old starting-place, and then retrace its steps was a -marvellous instance of canine instinct, and one which endeared the race -to him deeper than ever, a love that endured to the last. - -Wagner remained in London about eight days, time to look round and to -arrange for passage to Boulogne, where Meyerbeer was staying, and from -whom he hoped to receive introductions to Paris. Although Wagner could -read English he was not sufficient master of it to understand it when -spoken. This in some degree accounts for the slight interest he felt in -his London visit. But he made the best use of his time. He was living -within a quarter of an hour's walk of the house in Great Portland Street -where his "adored idol," Weber, had died. To that shrine he made his -first pilgrimage, to reverently gaze upon the hallowed house. He -traversed all London, determining to see everything. The vastness of the -metropolis with its boundless sea of houses oppressed him. He had -strong, decided opinions as to what the dimensions of a town should be, -attributing much of the poverty and misery of large towns to their -overgrowth, and felt that when a township exceeded certain limits it was -beyond the control of a governing body, and that neglect in some form or -another would soon make itself felt. No city, he used to argue, should -be larger than Dresden then was. - -[Sidenote: _FASCINATED BY SHIPS._] - -He was amazed and most disagreeably surprised with the bustle of the -city. It bewildered him, and, as he expressed it, "fretted his artistic -soul out of him." The great extremes of poverty and riches, dwelling in -close proximity to each other, were a sad, unsolvable enigma. His -lodgings were perhaps in one of the worst neighbourhoods of London. Old -Compton Street abutted on the Seven Dials. There he saw misery under -some of its saddest aspects, and then, but a few minutes' walk and he -found himself amidst the luxury of Oxford Street and Regent Street. The -feelings engendered by this glaring inequality in his radical spirit -were never effaced. He thought that the English in their character, -their institutions, and habits were strangely contradictory, and the -impressions of 1839 were confirmed on his subsequent visits to this -country. The grand, extensive parks, open to all, delighted him. In -Germany he had seen no parks, and where public walks or gardens had been -laid out, walking on the grass was prohibited, whilst here no officious -guardian attempted to interfere with the free perambulation of the -visitor. The bearing of the police, too, equally surprised him. Here -they were ready with information, acting as protectors of the public, -whereas in Germany at that period they were aggressive and bureaucratic. -It is curious, but at no time do I remember Wagner speaking of having -visited any of the London theatres in 1839, whilst in 1855, when he was -here for the second time, he went to almost every place of amusement -then open, even those of third-rate order. But if in London he fell upon -"sunny places," compared with his German home, he also was sorely tried. -As I have remarked, his rooms were in a very unaristocratic quarter. The -bane of all studious Englishmen, especially musicians--the imported -organ-grinder, unknown in Germany--worried the excitable composer out of -all patience. The Seven Dials was a favourite haunt of the wandering -minstrel, and the man who retired at night, full of wild imaginings as -to his "Rienzi," was worked into a state of frenzy by two rival organ -men grinding away, one at each end of the street. - -The immensity of the shipping below London Bridge was a wonderful sight -to him. He had come into dock in a tiny, frail sailing craft, the cradle -of "The Flying Dutchman," after a hazardous passage across the North -Sea. The size and number of the trading vessels appealed direct to his -largely developed imaginative faculty. He pictured the mysterious -Vanderdecken in this and that vessel, and was full of strange fancies of -the spectral crew. The sea of sail so fascinated him that he took a -special river trip to Greenwich, the closer to inspect the shipping, and -with the further intent to visit the Naval Pensioners' hospital. - -When it was known at the hotel in Old Compton Street that he was about -starting for Greenwich, he was advised to go over the _Dreadnought_ -hospital-ship, then lying in the river just above Greenwich. He seized -at the suggestion. The _Dreadnought_ was one of the vessels of Nelson's -conquering fleet in the famous battle of Trafalgar, in the year 1805. -Wagner was a devoted worshipper of great men. An opportunity now -presented itself to inspect one of the wooden walls of England. It is a -widely known fact that hero-worship was a salient feature of Wagner's -character. He always referred to Weber as his "adored idol" or "adored -master," and for Beethoven he was equally enthusiastic. The "Dutchman," -that weird story of the sea, had taken possession of him, and a visit to -so celebrated a ship as the _Dreadnought_ was an occasion of some -importance. In his maturer age, when closer acquaintance with the -English people had given him the right to express an opinion as to -their nature, he said that in his judgment they were the most poetic of -European nations. Poetry, with them, lay not on the surface as with the -impetuous Gauls, nor was it sought after and cultivated as with the -Germans; but with the English it was deep in their hearts and associated -with their national institutions in a manner unknown among any other -modern people. No nation has produced such a galaxy of poetic -luminaries. The employment of the disabled battle-ship as a refuge for -worn-out seamen, men who had fought their country's battles, was, he -thought, an incontestable proof of a poetic sentiment founded in the -heart of a nation and fostered by natural love. I am aware how much this -is in opposition to the judgment of the English by a man who enjoyed a -high social standing and intimate acquaintance with the best of Albion's -intellect, viz. Lord Beaconsfield, whose famous dictum it was that the -"English people care for nothing but religion, politics, and commerce," -but the thoughtful opinion of a poet of acknowledged celebrity, Wagner -himself, I have deemed it advisable to set forth. - -[Sidenote: _IN POETS' CORNER._] - -The visit to the _Dreadnought_ left an indelible impression upon Wagner. -Arrived at the ship, he was in the act of ascending the pilot ladder put -over the side of the vessel, by which passengers came on board, when his -snuff-box fell out of his pocket into the water. The snuff-box was the -gift of Schroeder-Devrient. He prized it highly and attempted to clutch -it in its fall. In so doing, it seems he lost his hold of the ladder and -was himself only saved from immersion by his presence of mind and -gymnastic ability. The precious snuff-box was lost, but the composer of -"Parsifal" was saved. From the _Dreadnought_ he went with the nervous -Minna to the Greenwich hospital. Wagner had the habit of talking loudly -in public, and while walking about the building, seeing a pensioner -taking snuff, he said to Minna, "Could I speak English, I would ask him -for a pinch." Wagner was an inveterate snuff-taker from early manhood. -Imagine Wagner's surprise and delight when the Greenwich snuff-taker -accosted him with, "Here you are, my friend," in good German. The -pensioner proved to be a Saxon by birth, and, delighted to hear his -native tongue, was soon at home with his interlocutor. He told him that -he was perfectly contented with his lot, but that his companions, the -English, were dissatisfied and were "a grumbling lot." - -Wagner was filled with admiration at the generosity and beneficence -displayed in the bounteous provision for the comfort of the pensioners. -He told me his thoughts sped back to the German sailors on the East -Prussian coast, their miserably poor and scanty food, their ill-clothed -forms, and the general poverty of their position, when he saw the -apparently unlimited supplies of good, wholesome provisions and -substantial clothing; and yet, he said, the poor Germans are contented, -while the Greenwich pensioners complain. - -Wagner had been but two days in London in 1855, when he took me off to -Westminster. This was not his first visit to the national mausoleum; he -had been there in 1839, and recollections of that occasion induced him -at once to revisit the Abbey. We went specially to pay homage to the -great men in Poets' Corner, Shakespeare's monument being the main -attraction. It will be remembered that his first effort in English had -been a translation from Shakespeare, and I found that with increasing -years such an enthusiasm for the great dramatist had been developed as -was only possible in the ardent brain of an earnest poet. While -contemplating the Shakespeare monument on his first visit, it seems he -was led to a train of thought, the substance of which he related to me -in our 1855 visit. At the time I considered it noteworthy as an -important psychological feature and now relate it here. In reflecting -over the work done by the British genius, and its far-reaching influence -in creating a new form, he was carried back to the classic school of -ancient Greece and its Roman imitator. - -The ancient classic and the modern romantic schools were opposed to each -other. The English founder of the modern school had cast aside all the -rigid rules of the classical writers, which even the powerful efforts of -the three Frenchmen, Corneille, Racine, and Voltaire, had been unable to -revivify. In these reflections, referring to an antecedent period of -sixteen years, I have often thought I could discern the germ of his -daring revolution in musical form. Turning from the serious to the gay, -as was his wont at all times, he added that his reverie had a -commonplace ending. Minna plucked his sleeve, saying, "Komm, Lieber -Richard, du standst hier zwanzig minuten wie eine Bildsaule, ohne ein -Wort zusprechen" (Come, dear Richard, you have been standing here for -twenty minutes like one of these statues, and not uttered a word), and -when he repeated to her the substance of his meditations, he found as -usual she understood but little the serious import of his speech. - -[Sidenote: _MINNA LIKES LONDON._] - -Wagner's anxiety to reach the goal of his ambition left him no peace, -and on the eighth day after his arrival in London he left by steamer for -Boulogne. - -The London visit charmed Minna. The quiet, unobtrusive manner of the -English pleased her, but annoyed Wagner. He was irritated by their -stolidity, and complained always of a want of expansiveness in them. -Their stiff politeness he thought angular, and the impression did not -wear off during his second visit. These first eight days were not wholly -pleasant to him. He was anxious to get to Paris, and all his thoughts -were turned towards the city of the grand opera. Minna carried away -pleasant recollections, but Wagner thought his dog was the happiest of -all, for in London he had been provided daily with special dog's fare, -an institution unknown in Germany. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -BOULOGNE, 1839. - - -[Sidenote: _MEETING WITH MEYERBEER._] - -The passage to Boulogne began pleasantly, but a bad sailor at all times, -he did not escape the invariable discomforts of a channel journey. His -large Newfoundland dog, for whom he had an affection almost parental, -was on board, and excited general interest. Two Jewish ladies, named -Manson, mother and daughter, hearing Wagner speak German to his wife and -dog, soon entered into conversation with him through the medium of the -dog. Speaking a vitiated German with a facility which seems to be the -heirloom of the tribe of Judah, they discussed music, and with a -familiarity also characteristic of the race they told Wagner they were -going to spend a few days in Boulogne before proceeding to Paris. -Interested in music, they at once blundered into the delusion, common to -all the race, that every great composer was a Jew, supporting their -assertion by naming Mendelssohn, Halvy, Rossini, and their personal -intimate, Meyerbeer, including also Haydn, Mozart, and Weber. Wagner -seized with such eagerness at the name of Meyerbeer that he did not stop -to disprove the supposed Israelitic descent of Haydn, Mozart, and Weber. -As the ladies were going to call on Meyerbeer, they promised to apprise -him of Wagner's intended visit. In this opportune meeting, Wagner -thought fate seemed to be stretching out a helping hand to the young -German, he who had abandoned in disgust his post of conductor at Riga, -to compel the admiration of Paris for his genius. With Meyerbeer at -Boulogne and a friendly introduction to the ruler of the Paris Grand -Opera, the future seemed promising. Notwithstanding his wife's -misgivings he did not hesitate to accompany his travelling companions to -their hotel. The expenses were so great, and out of all proportion to -his scanty funds, that in a few days he sought a more humble abode. - -He saw Meyerbeer, and though he was received amicably enough, yet were -his first impressions not altogether agreeable. The ever-present smile -of the composer of the "Huguenots" seemed studied and insincere, as -though it was rather the outcome of simulated affability than of natural -good feeling. Meyerbeer was a polished courtier, his manners bland and -his speech unctuous. Diplomatic, committing himself to nothing, he -seemingly promised everything. The impassioned language of the young -idealist, his fervid outpourings on art, surprised and startled the -worldly-wise Meyerbeer. The earnest expression of honest conviction -rarely fails to excite interest even in the shrewd business man of the -world. Meyerbeer listened attentively to Wagner's story of his early -struggles, and of his hopes for the future, ending by fixing a meeting -for the next day, when the "Rienzi" poem might be read. The subject and -treatment pleased Meyerbeer greatly. From all that is known of him, it -is clear that his great and only gift lay in the treatment of spectacle. -The stage effects which "Rienzi" offered were many, and the situations -powerful. Both features were then adjudged imperative for a successful -grand opera in Paris, and in proportion as the "Rienzi" book promised -spectacular display, so Meyerbeer grew eulogistic and generous in his -promises of help. Wagner was strongly of opinion that Meyerbeer's first -friendly feeling was won entirely by the striking tableaux of the story. -Meyerbeer discussed with Wagner kindred scenes and situations in "Les -Huguenots," and such comparison was made between the two books, that -Wagner was forced to the conclusion that effect was the chief aim of -Meyerbeer, and truth a subordinate consideration. - -[Sidenote: _MEYERBEER HEARS "RIENZI."_] - -But to have won the unstinted praise of the enormously popular opera -composer seemed to promise immediate and certain success. It unduly -elated him, so that when he experienced the difficulties of getting his -work accepted at the Paris Grand Opera House, the shock was more severe -and harder to bear. But in Boulogne everything augured well. Indeed, -Meyerbeer expressed himself so strongly on the libretto as to request -Scribe to write one for him in imitation of it. When talking over this -incident with me, Wagner said that he believed Meyerbeer's lavish praise -of the book was uttered partly with a view to its purchase, but that -Wagner's enthusiasm for his own work prevented Meyerbeer making a direct -offer. However this may have been, from Wagner's plain language to me -there is no doubt at all in my mind that Meyerbeer did feel his way to -purchase the "Rienzi" text for his own purpose. Another meeting was -arranged for trying the music. On leaving Meyerbeer, he went direct to -relate all to the expectant Minna. As was his wont at all times after an -event of unusual import, he made this a cause of festivity. With Minna -he went to dine at a restaurant, and with juvenile exultation ordered -his favourite beverage, a half bottle of champagne. To Wagner champagne -represented the perfection of "terrestrial enjoyment," as he often -phrased it. While sipping their wine they met their newly made -acquaintances, the Mansons. Flushed with his recent success, he -recounted the whole of the morning episode. The Mansons advised him to -stay in Boulogne as long as he could whilst Meyerbeer was there, arguing -that he was such an amiable man, and since his good-will had been won -was sure to do all he could to promote Wagner's success; and they added -significantly, "He has the power to do all." - -The trying over of the "Rienzi" music with Meyerbeer was as successful -as the reading of the book. Two acts only were then completed, but with -these Meyerbeer expressed himself perfectly satisfied. It was just the -music to be successful in Paris, and he prognosticated for Wagner a -triumph with the Parisians. In discussing the incident with me, Wagner -said he believed Meyerbeer's laudation of the music was perfectly -sincere, "for," he cynically added, "the first two acts are just the -very part of the opera which please me least, and which I should like to -disown." It means that Meyerbeer committed the unpardonable fault in -Wagner's eyes of praising the careful and neat writing of the composer -when the score was opened. On all occasions Wagner would become -irritated if his really remarkably neat writing were praised. He would -say it was like praising the frame at the expense of the picture, and a -slight on the intelligence of the composer. - -Wagner took his place at the piano without being asked, and impetuously -attacked the score in his own rough-and-ready manner. Meyerbeer was -astonished at the rough handling of his piano. He was himself a highly -finished performer on the instrument, having begun his public artistic -career as a pianist. Wagner supplied as well as he could the vocal parts -(with as little technical perfection as his piano-playing), whilst -Meyerbeer carefully studied the score over the performer's shoulder. The -opinion of Meyerbeer was most flattering, his admiration for Wagner -intensifying greatly when at a subsequent meeting he went through the -only complete work Wagner had brought with him to conquer Paris--"Das -Liebesverbot." Before such lavish and warm praise Wagner's first -distrust of Meyerbeer melted as snow before the sun's rays. Meyerbeer -pointed to what he considered many admirable stage effects in the "Das -Liebesverbot" libretto, and thought that a man so young who could write -that and the "Rienzi" text was sure of future celebrity as a dramatist. - -Meyerbeer was profuse in his promises of help, and proposed at once to -recommend him to the director of a small Paris theatre and opera house, -though he pointed out to Wagner that letters of recommendation were of -little avail compared to personal introduction. But buoyed with such -testimonials and a letter from the Mansons, he left Boulogne, where he -was known as "le petit homme avec le grand chien," for Paris, again -accompanied by his wife and dumb friend. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -PARIS, 1839-1842. - - -That a young artist but six and twenty years of age, with a wife -dependent on him for existence, unknown to fame, almost penniless, and -even without art works that he could show in evidence of his ability, -should boldly assault the stronghold of European musical criticism, -confident of success, often flitted before Wagner's mind in after-life -as an act of temerity closely allied to insanity. "And ah!" he has added -in tones of bitter pain, "I had to pay for it dearly: my privations and -sufferings were as the tortures in Dante's 'Purgatorio.'" "But why did -you undertake such a seemingly Quixotic expedition?" I asked. "Because -at that time Paris was the resort of almost every artist of note, -whether painter, sculptor, poet, or musician, and even statesmen, when -all Europe clothed itself with the livery of Paris fashion." He felt -within him a power which urged him forward without fear of failure, and -so he came to Paris. - -Germany offered no encouragement to native talent. Paris was the gate to -the fatherland. First achieve success in Paris, and then his German -countrymen would receive him with open arms. It is true, that even a -short residence in Paris invested an artist with a certain superiority -over his confrres. - -As Wagner had but a very imperfect acquaintance with the French -language, he at once sought out the relative of the Mansons to whom he -had been recommended. I have been unable to recall the surname of -Wagner's new friend, but do remember well that he was spoken of as -Louis. This Monsieur Louis was a Jew and a German. He proved an -exceedingly faithful and constant companion of Wagner's during his stay -in Paris, indeed played the part of factotum to the Wagner household. He -must have been quite an exceptional friend, for on one occasion, when -Wagner and I were discussing Judaism _per se_, he turned to me and with -unusual warmth even for him, said, "How can I feel any prejudice against -the Jews as men, when I sincerely believe that it was excess of -friendship of poor Louis for me that killed him,--running about in all -weathers, exerting himself everywhere, undertaking most unpleasant -missions to find me work, and all whilst suffering from consumption. He -did it too from pure love of me without any thought of self." Through -the aid of Louis he found a modest lodging in a dingy house. The future -was so much an uncertainty that with the remembrance of the first days -of the Boulogne expensive hotel before him, he yielded to Minna's -persuasiveness and reconciled himself to the new abode. He was told that -Molire was born there; indeed, a bust of the great Frenchman did, I -believe, adorn the front of the house, and this helped to make him -accept his new quarters with a little more contentment than his own -ambitious notions would have admitted. - -[Sidenote: _TROUBLES IN PARIS._] - -Settled in his scantily furnished rooms, with ready business habits, so -unusual in a genius, he made it his first duty to call wherever he had -been recommended. Difficult as it may be in any European city to gain -access to the houses of prominent men, in Paris the troubles are -greater, if only on account of that terrible Cerberus, the concierge, -who instinctively divines an applicant for favours, and as skilfully -throws obstacles in the way while angling for pourboires. - -Disappointment upon disappointment met Wagner. Nowhere was he -successful. In speech at all times he uttered himself _en prince_, and -for a man seeking the favour and patronage of others this feature -militated against him. Meyerbeer had told him in Boulogne that letters -of introduction would avail him little or nothing, and that only by -personal introduction could he hope to make headway. But though -unsuccessful in every direction, he was not the man to give up without -desperate efforts. In a few months his funds were entirely exhausted. -Where to turn for the necessary money to provide the daily sustenance -was the exciting trouble of the moment. His family in Germany had helped -him at first, but material help soon gave place to sage advice. Barren -criticism on his "mad" Parisian visit, and admonition on his present -mode of existence, Wagner would not brook, and so communications soon -ceased between him and Germany. But how to live was the harrowing -question. It is with feelings of acute pain that I am forced to recall -the deep distress that overwhelmed this mighty genius, and the -humiliating acts to which cruel necessity drove him. After one more -wretched day than the last he suggested to Minna the raising of -temporary loans upon her trinkets. Let the reader try and realize the -proud Wagner's misery and anguish, when Minna confessed that such as she -had were already so disposed of, Louis having performed the wretched -office. - -[Sidenote: _ARRANGING POPULAR MUSIC._] - -This state of sad absolute poverty lasted for months. He could gain no -access to theatres or opera house. He offered himself as chorus master, -he would have taken the meanest appointment, but everything failed him. -With no prospect of succeeding as a musician, he turned to the press. As -he possessed a facile pen and a wide acquaintance with current -literature, he sought for existence as a newspaper hack. Here he -succeeded, and deemed himself fortunate to obtain even that thankless -work. The one man to whom he owed the chief means of existence during -this wretched Paris sojourn was a Jew, Maurice Schlesinger, the great -music publisher and proprietor of the "Gazette Musicale," a weekly -periodical. It is curious to note how again he finds a kind friend in a -Jew. For Schlesinger he wrote critical notices and feuilletons upon art -topics, one, now famous in Wagner's collected writings as "A Pilgrimage -to Beethoven." The pilgrimage is wholly imaginary for as I have already -stated Wagner never saw Beethoven. The paper itself contains some -remarkable foreshadowings of the matured, thinking Wagner and his -revolutionary art principles. He also wrote for other papers, Schumann's -"Die Neue Zeitschrift," for a Dresden journal, and the "Europa," a -fashionable art publication which occasionally printed original tonal -compositions. For this last paper he wrote three romances, "Dors mon -enfant," "Attente," and "Mignonne." He hoped by these to gain some entry -into the Paris fashionable world, but, though he tried to assimilate his -style to the popular drawing-room ballad of the day, his songs were -pronounced "too serious," and met with no success. - -But alas! his literary work was not financially productive enough, and -dire necessity drove him to very uncongenial musical drudgery. For the -same music-seller, Schlesinger, he made "arrangements" from popular -Italian operas, for every kind of instrument. He told me that "La -Favorita" had been arranged by him from the first note to the last. The -whole of this occupation, to a man as intimate with the orchestra as he, -was an easy task, yet very uninteresting and to him humiliating. But -though suffering actual privation, he would not give lessons in music. -Teaching was an occupation which, even in the darkest days, he would not -entertain for a moment. - -Such were the means by which Richard Wagner gained an existence during -his Paris sojourn. But they were not productive enough. Often he was in -absolute want. It was then in this hour of tribulation that the golden -qualities of Minna were proved. Sorrow, the touch-stone of man's worth, -tried her and she was not found wanting. The hitherto quiet and gentle -housewife was transformed into a heroine. Her placid disposition was -healing comfort to the disappointed, wearied musician. The whole of the -Paris period is "a gem of purest ray serene" in the diadem of Minna -Wagner. Thoughts of what the self-denying, devoted little woman did then -has many a time brought tears to Wagner's eyes. The most menial house -duties were performed by her with willing cheerfulness. She cleaned the -house, stood at the wash-tub, did the mending and the cooking. She hid -from the husband as much of the discomforts attaching to their poor -home as was possible. She never complained, and always strove to present -a bright, cheerful face, consoling and upholding him at all times. In -the evening she and his dog, the same that was temporarily lost in -London, were his regular companions on the boulevards. The bustle of -life and the Parisians diverted him from more anxious thoughts, whilst -supplying him with constant food for his ever-ready wit. - -In dress Wagner was at all times scrupulously neat. After nearly a -year's residence in Paris, the clothes he had brought with him from -Germany were showing sad signs of wear. The year had been fruitless from -a money point, and his wardrobe had not been replenished. His -sensitiveness on this topic was of course well known to Minna. To give -him pleasure she hunted Paris to find, if possible, some German tailor -in a small way of business who, swayed by the blandishments of Minna, -provided her with a suit of clothes for her husband for his birthday, -22d May, 1840, agreeing to wait for payment until more favourable times. -This delicate and thoughtful attention on the part of Minna deeply -touched Wagner, and he related the incident to me in illustration of the -loving affection she bore him. He said that during those three years of -pinching poverty and bitter disappointments his temperament was variable -and trying. It was hard to bear with him. Vexed and worn with fruitless -trials to secure a hearing for his "Rienzi," angered at witnessing the -lavish expenditure at the opera house upon works inferior to his own, he -has admitted that his already passionate nature was intensified, and yet -all his outbursts were met by Minna in an uncomplaining, soothing -spirit, which, the first fury over, he was not slow to acknowledge. Her -sacrifices for him and all she did became only known years after, when -their worldly position had changed vastly for the better. He never -forgot her devotion, nor did he ever hide his indebtedness and gratitude -to her from his friends. - -[Sidenote: _FRIENDSHIP WITH JEWS._] - -During the three years that Wagner was in Paris, he was brought into -communication with several prominent men in the world of art, men -eminent in literature, in music, both as composers and as executants, in -painting, and other phases of art. Of the dozen or so of men with whom -he thus became more intimately acquainted, the greater portion were his -own countrymen and about half were Jews. This constant close intimacy of -Wagner with the descendants of Judah is a curious feature in his life, -and shows that when he wrote as strongly as he did of Jews and their art -work, his judgments were based upon close personal knowledge of the -question. As may be supposed, the acquaintance of a young man between -twenty-six and thirty years of age with these several thinkers and -writers, could not fail to influence, more or less, an impressionable -and receptive nature. - -It was an odd freak of fortune that almost immediately after Wagner had -settled in Paris, he should, by accident, meet in the streets an old -friend from Leipzic, Heinrich Laube. It was in a paper edited by Laube -that Richard Wagner's first printed article on the non-existence of -German opera had appeared. That was when Wagner was about one and -twenty. Laube was a political revolutionist who underwent several terms -of imprisonment for daring to utter his thoughts about Germany and its -government through his paper. But prison confinement never controlled -the dauntless courage of the patriot. He was a man of considerable and -varied gifts. It is not only as a political demagogue that he will be -known in future times, but as a philosopher, novelist, and playwright. -In Leipzic he had shown himself very friendly to Wagner, whose sound, -vigorous judgment attracted him, and now after hearing of Wagner's -precarious situation, offered to introduce him to Heine. Such an -opportunity could not be lost, and so the cultured Hebrew poet and -Richard Wagner met. - -[Sidenote: _MEETS HEINRICH HEINE._] - -A curious trio this: Laube, hard-featured and unpleasant to look upon, -with a weirdness begotten possibly of frequent incarcerations,--a -strange contrast to the handsome, regular-featured, soft-spoken Heine; -and then the pale, slim, young Wagner, short in stature, but with -piercing eyes and voluble speech which surprised and amazed the cynical -Heine. When Heinrich Heine heard that Meyerbeer had given Wagner -introductions, he doubted the abilities of the newcomer. Heine was -strongly biassed against Meyerbeer and distrusted his sincerity. -Although the meeting with Laube was a delight to Wagner, as it brought -back to him all his youthful enthusiasm and hope, yet his appreciation -of the accomplished writer, which in Leipzic amounted almost to -reverence, had been by time and events considerably lessened. Wagner's -greatest majesty, earnestness, was wanting in Laube. The litterateur in -Wagner's estimation had no fixed purpose, no ideal. He frittered away -considerable gifts in innumerable directions. Incongruities the most -glaring not unfrequently appeared in his writings. A paragraph of sound -philosophical reasoning would be followed by a page of the merest -bombastic phraseology. In his dramatic efforts tragedy and farce were -placed in amazing juxtaposition. He wrote a large number of novels, but -not one proved entirely satisfactory. "Reisenovellen" was an imitation -of Heine, but it fell immeasurably below the standard attained by his -model. His best literary production was, without doubt, the history of -his life in prison, which interests and touches us by its simplicity. -However, Wagner could not resist the attraction which Laube's -peculiarities possessed for him. The litterateur's unprepossessing -pedantic exterior contrasted strangely with his voluptuous and -imaginative mind. Possessed of a brain specially fitted for the -conception of the noblest schemes for the freedom of human thought, he -often childishly indulged in a roguish _plaisanterie_. From a thoughtful -disquisition on the philosophy of Hegel he glides into the description -of such unworthy topics as a ball-room, love behind the scenes, -coffee-room conversation, etc. But, curiously, his revolutionary -tendencies in all other matters were in strange contrast to his -tenacious clinging to the then existing opera form, and Wagner's -outspoken notions about the regeneration of the opera into that of the -musical drama were vehemently opposed by him. - -In Heinrich Heine Wagner found a more congenial listener to his advanced -theories. Although Heine's appreciation of music was not based on any -more solid ground than that of a general acquaintance with the operas -then in vogue, he was far more affected, and was a greater critic on the -tonal art than his contemporary, Laube. Heine had resided in Paris since -1830, and was thoroughly acclimatized to Parisian taste. He was accepted -as the representative of modern German poetry, and his works, -particularly "Les deux Grenadiers," "Les Polonais de la vraie Pologne," -were popular amongst all classes. Heine was pre-eminently spiritual, a -quality exceedingly appreciated by the French; hence his popularity. -However serious or painful the topic, Heine could enliven it by his -clever Jewish antithetic wit. Heine received Wagner with a certain -amount of reserve. His respect for musicians was not great. He had found -many who, with the exception of their musical knowledge, were -uncultured. Wagner's thorough acquaintance with literature, especially -that of the earlier writers, agreeably surprised him, and the composer's -elevated idea of the sacred mission of music touched the nobler chords -of the poet's nature. His opinion on Wagner, as quoted by Laube, -presents an interesting example of Heine's perspicacity. As a specimen -of unaffected appreciation from a critic like Heine, who rarely sat in -judgment without giving vent to a vitiated vein of sarcasm, it is most -interesting. - -"I cannot help feeling a lively interest in Wagner. He is endowed with -an inexhaustible, productive mind, kept almost uninterruptedly in -activity by a vivacious temperament. From an individuality so replete -with modern culture, it is possible to expect the development of a solid -and powerful modern music." Heine could never refrain from employing a -degenerated imitation of irony, called persiflage, as a weapon for the -purpose of mockery, and for the production of effect. Heine's -imagination is bold, and his language idiosyncratic, though not -affected. His sentiment is deep, but his fault is the want of an ideal -outside the circle of his own ideas. In his poems, effeminate tenderness -is contrasted by a vigorous boldness, the purest sentiment by sensual -frivolity, noble thought by the meanest vulgarity, and lofty aspirations -by painful indifference. Whilst overturning all existing theories and -institutions, he failed to establish any one salutary doctrine. - -[Sidenote: _SCHLESINGER'S ADMIRATION._] - -It was a happy chance for Wagner that a man in the prominent position of -Schlesinger should have interested himself in a young musician, whose -nature was the opposite of his own. A shrewd music-seller, with an eye -always to the main chance, and an art enthusiast in close intimacy, was -a strange spectacle, only to be accounted for by the fact that opposite -natures attract, whereas similar characters repel each other. -Schlesinger admired in Wagner the very qualities of earnestness and -enthusiasm which were lacking in his own being. Meyerbeer was his deity. -It was one day in a mail coach that I found myself the travelling-companion -of Schlesinger. He talked the whole day, of Meyerbeer principally. He -said that Meyerbeer showed a commercial sagacity in composing his works -which was remarkable. Behind the stage he was as painstaking with -artists and the _mise-en scne_ as he was careful in the comfortable -seating of critics. Not the smallest journalist, nor even their -relations, failed to be seated well. Meyerbeer was the embodiment of the -art of _savoir faire_. It seemed to me, then, a curious contradiction in -my companion's character, that he could regard such phases in a man's -character as wonderful, and at the same time have listened to the -intemperate outpourings of the earnest Wagner. But it was so. - -At the back of Schlesinger's music shop was a room where artists -casually met for conversation. Wagner, owing to the "musical -arrangements" for the firm and being writer for Schlesinger's "Gazette -Musicale," was a frequent visitor. He met many known men and noted their -speech. It all tended one way. The French were light-hearted, persiflage -was a principal subject of their composition, and for such a public only -light dainties were to be provided. They wanted the semblance and not -the reality. Amusement first and truth after. His own romances, penned, -as he hoped, in a fittingly light manner, were not light enough and as a -consequence were not pleasing enough. - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER AND BERLIOZ._] - -With Berlioz his relations were less happy. The two men met often, but -were mutually antagonistic. They admired each other always. Both were -serious and earnest, but their friendship was never intimate. In -after-life the same strained bearing towards each other was maintained. -From close observation of the two men under my roof, at the same table, -and under circumstances when they were open heart with each other, I -should say however that the constraint arose purely from their -antagonistic individualities. Berlioz was reserved, self-possessed, and -dignified. His clear, transparent delivery was as the rhythmic cadence -of a fountain. Wagner was boisterous, effusive, and his words leaped -forth as the rushing of a mountain torrent. Wagner undoubtedly in Paris -learned much from Berlioz. The new and refined orchestration taught, or -perhaps I should rather say indicated, to Wagner what could be done with -the orchestra. Indeed, Wagner has said that the instrumentation of -Berlioz influenced him, but disagrees with the use to which the -orchestra was put. To Berlioz it was the end: to Wagner, a means. -Berlioz expended his ideas in special colouristic effects, whilst -Wagner's pre-eminent desire was truthfulness of situation, the orchestra -serving as the medium for the delineation of his ideas. Wagner paid -Berlioz a tribute in Paris by declaring that he was distinguished from -his Parisian colleagues, that he did not compose for money, and then in -the same breath sarcastically asserts that "he lacks all sense of -beauty." This I think unfair, nor do I consider it as representing what -Wagner really wished to convey. Berlioz was undoubtedly possessed of -ideality, his intentions were noble and earnest, but in their execution -he fell short of his conceptions. However, he towers above all French -composers for earnestness of purpose and strength of intellect. - -Although Wagner often and strongly disagreed with Heine's judgment in -matters of art, yet with one, the poet's racy notice dated April, 1840, -published in "Lutce," a miscellaneous collection of letters upon -artistic and social life in Paris, he felt that the pungent criticism -was not altogether wide of the truth. Wagner kept the notice, and when -he and Berlioz were in this country together in 1855, he gave it to me, -remarking that though grotesque it was in the main faithful. As it is -very interesting I reproduce it:-- - - We will begin to-day by Berlioz, whose first concert has served as - the dbut of the musical season, as the overture, so to speak. His - productions, more or less new, which have been performed, found a - just tribute of applause, and even the most indolent present were - aroused by the force of his genius, which revels in creations of - the "grand master." There is a flapping of wings, but it is not of - an ordinary bird, it is a colossal nightingale, a skylark of the - grandeur of the eagle, as it existed, it is said, in the primitive - world. Yes, the music of Berlioz, in general, has for me something - primitive, if not antediluvian, and it makes me think of extinct - gigantic beasts, of mammoths, of fabulous worlds, and of fabulous - sins; indeed, of impossibilities piled one upon another. His magic - accents recall to us Babylon, the suspended gardens of Semiramis, - the marvels of Nineveh, the bold edifices of Mizraim, such as are - seen in the pictures of the Englishman, Martin. Indeed, if we seek - for analogous productions in the realms of the painter's art, we - find a perfect resemblance with the elective Berlioz and the - eccentric Englishman. The same outrageous sentiment of the - prodigious, of the excessive, of material immensity. With one - brilliant effect of light and darkness, with the other thundery - instrumentation: with one little melody, with the other little - colour, in both a perfect absence of beauty and of navet. Their - works are neither antique nor romantic, they recall to us neither - the Greek pagan, nor the medival catholic, but seem to lift us to - the highest point of Assyrico-Babylonio-Egyptian architecture, and - bear us back to those poems in stone which trace in the pyramids - the passion of humanity, the eternal mystery of the world. - -[Sidenote: _A NATIONAL DRAMA._] - -Of the other notabilities in the art world with whom Richard Wagner came -into contact in Paris, the chief were Halvy, Vieuxtemps, Scribe, and -Kietz. For Halvy he had great admiration. His music was honest. It had -a national flavour in it. It was of the French, French. There was a -visible effort to reflect in tones the mind and sentiment of a people -which was highly meritorious. He was the legitimate descendant of Auber, -the founder of a really national French opera. If conventionality proved -too strong for Auber, Halvy made less effort to throw off the thraldom. -The latter was wholly in the hands of opera directors, singers, ballet -masters, etc. Had he been a strong man, an artist of determination, -governed more with the noble desire to elevate his glorious art than of -pleasing popular favourites, he might have done great things. Opera -comique represented truly the national taste of the Gauls. Auber and -Halvy were the men who, assisted by Boildieu, could have laid a sure -foundation, but conventionality proved too powerful for all three. - -It is not difficult to understand why Wagner so constantly made a -"national music-drama" the subject of discourse. In his judgment a drama -reflecting the culture and life of a people was the noblest teacher of -men. It appeals direct to the heart and understanding. It is the mirror -of themselves, purified, idealized, and as such cannot fail to be the -most powerful and effective moral instructor. "National drama" was an -undying subject with Wagner. His constant effort was the founding of a -national art for his own compatriots. It was the ambition of his life, -so that after the first and so grandly successful festival performance -of the "Nibelungen" in the Bayreuth theatre, 1876, his address to the -spectators began, "My children, you have here a really German art." No -wonder, then, that he spoke in Paris with such earnestness of the -absence of a true national opera, and of the destruction of such as -there promised to be through the attention lavished on Rossini and -Donizetti. Halvy's "La Juive," a grand opera, Wagner considered a -particularly praiseworthy work, and thought it promised great things. So -much did he consider it worthy of notice, that when later on he became -conductor of the Dresden Opera House, he devoted great attention to its -production and adequate rendering. - -Vieuxtemps, Wagner met occasionally, but was on less intimate terms with -him. He admired him as a virtuoso on the violin; he had a grand style, -but in his conversation and writings he was without any distinguishing -or attractive ability, adhering so steadfastly to the rigid classical -form that there was little sympathy between them. In Scribe he admired -the skill and esprit of his stage works. He saw that the Frenchman most -accurately gauged the taste of his public and was dexterous in the -manipulation of his matter. Scribe was not then at anything like the -zenith of his power, yet was possessed of a finish and delicacy in -writing that Wagner admired. Lastly, Kietz, a painter from Germany, of a -certain merit, was perhaps one of his most intimate friends. He painted -a portrait of Richard Wagner which is now regarded as very excellent. -Full of fun, his jocularity harmonized completely with Wagner's own -humour, and, united with Louis, the three were ever at their most -comfortable and happy ease. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -PARIS, 1839-1842. _Continued._ - - -Viewed from an art standpoint, those dreary years of misery, spent in -the centre of European gaity, were the crucial epoch of Richard Wagner's -career. Then, for the first time, was he filled with the consciousness -of the complete impossibility of the French operatic stage and its -kindred institutions outside France, ever becoming the platform from -which he could preach his doctrine of earnestness and truth. The Paris -grand opera was the hothouse of spurious art. The master who would -succeed there must abandon his inspiration and make concessions to -artists and to managers. He found the so-called grand opera tainted, an -unreal thing which dealt not with verities, but was the handmaid of -fashion. It had no heart, no living, free-flowing blood, but was a -patchwork of false sentiment rendered attractive by its gorgeous -spectacular frame. - -But it was not at one bound that Wagner arrived at this conclusion. The -turning-point was not reached until after he had himself essayed a grand -opera success, and found how inadequate and imperfect fettered -utterances were to free thoughts. Indeed, by degrees he discovered that -realism, the prime element of the grand historic opera, was completely -antagonistic to the tenderness of his own poetic instinct, idealism. He -looked too, to the grand opera for expression of the feelings of a -people, and found works manacled by a rigid conventionality. - -He had come to Paris with the "Das Liebesverbot" (the manuscript of -which, by the by, I believe passed into the possession of King Ludwig of -Bavaria: it would be interesting to see the score of this early work -written in 1834) and a portion of "Rienzi." His aspirations were to -complete this latter in a manner worthy of the Paris stage. He attended -much the productions of the opera house. He heard Auber, Halvy, -Meyerbeer, Rossini, and Donizetti, and, as the months rolled by he grew -sick in heart at seeing the sumptuous settings devoted to works that -were paltry, mean, and artificial compared with his own. - -[Sidenote: _A CHAMPION OF AUBER._] - -Wagner was now a young man rapidly nearing thirty winters of life. He -was in a foreign land, earning a bare existence, but withal full of -earnest enthusiasm and vigorous work. A thinker always, he set himself -the problem in the midst of pinching poverty, why was it that an -unmistakable and growing aversion for the grand opera had been awakened -in him? He pondered over it. For months it exercised his mind and then, -suddenly, the revolutionary spirit of the age took possession of him, -and he threw over once for all preconceived operatic notions, and -resolved to be no longer the slave of a form walled in by -conventionality, nor the puppet of an institution like the grand opera -house, controlled by innumerable anti-artistic influences. It is from -this time that we date that glorious change in his art work which has -made music an articulate language understood by all, whereas hitherto it -had been but a lisping speech, with occasional beautiful moments -undoubtedly, but for all that, an imperfect art. - -Poor Wagner, what sorrows did he not pass through in 1840 and 1841! Now -he has stolen into the opera house to listen to the sensuous melodies of -Rossini and Meyerbeer, and afterwards wended his way home dejected and -disconsolate, with his heart a prey to the bitterest pangs. He could -vent a little of his imprisoned indignation in the "Gazette Musicale," -and availed himself of this channel of publicity. He fell upon Rossini -and Donizetti. Why should they, aliens, dominate the French stage to the -exclusion of superior native worth and pure national sentiment? In his -opinion Auber was badly treated by the Parisians, "La Muette de -Porticci" (Masaniello), contained germs of a real national French opera. -It was a work of excellence and merited a better reception at the hands -of the composer's countrymen. "Poor Wagner!" I feel myself again and -again unconsciously uttering, when I remember that his championship of -Auber nearly cost him the little emolument his newspaper articles -brought him, for Schlesinger administered a sharp rebuke, and told him -that if he wished to enter the political arena he must write for a -political and not a musical journal. That Wagner's attitude toward Auber -was based on purely artistic grounds will be admitted, I think, when it -is known that during these three years of Paris life the two men never -met. - -But if the grand opera procured him no pleasure he was compensated by -the orchestral performances at the Conservatoire de Musique. Wagner has -often related an incident connected with one of his visits to the -miserable rooms of the Conservatoire in the Rue Bergre, that will never -fail to make affection's chords vibrate with compassionate sympathy for -the beloved master. I remember well Wagner telling the story to me. It -was during his worst hours of poverty. Disappointments had fallen thick -around him. For two whole days his food had been almost nothing. -Hungered and wearied, he silently and unobtrusively entered the -Conservatoire. The orchestra were playing the "Ninth Symphony." What -thoughts did it not recall! It was more than ten years since he had -heard the symphonies of Beethoven. Then he was in his Leipzic home. How -changed were all things now! But the music was the same! The old -enchantment overcame him. The genius of Beethoven again dazzled his -senses, and he left the concert-room broken down with grief, but more -determined and with a fixity of purpose more resolute than he had had at -any time during the Paris period. "It was," he says, "as a blessed -reality in the midst of a maze of shifting, gloomy dreams." He went home -invigorated with the healthy, refreshing draughts of the "Ninth -Symphony," bent upon pouring out the feelings of his early manhood, but -falling sick, his original intentions were abandoned. - -[Sidenote: _HIS OPINION OF THE FRENCH._] - -The concerts at the Conservatoire afforded him genuine pleasure. The -director, Habeneck, seems to have been a zealous, painstaking artist, -all works conducted evidencing the very careful study they had received -at his hands. It was at the Conservatoire that Wagner's soul of music -was fed, his heart and mind satisfied, the eye was gratified by the -magnificent mise-en-scene of the grand opera. These two institutions -exercised a vast and wholesome influence over him, though he rebelled -wholly against the dicta of the grand opera. Perhaps had it not been for -the violent antagonism the Paris opera excited within him, and the deep -feeling of revulsion that it engendered, Richard Wagner would not so -soon have come to that invaluable knowledge of himself, nor the art-fire -within have glowed with such clearness and intensity. - -To Wagner the Gallic character was at once the source of attraction and -repulsion. He admired the light-hearted gaiety, the racy wit, and -agreeable tact which seems to be the birthright of even the lowest and -least educated. Such qualities were akin to his own being. At all times -he sparkled with witty remarks, and as for tact, the times are without -number when I have seen him display a discretion and dexterity of tact -which belong only to the born diplomat. It was not tact in the common -understanding of the term, but a keen sense of perceiving when to -conciliate, when to hit hard, and when to stop. I have been present on -occasions when his language has been so intemperate and severely -sarcastic that I have expected as the only possible consequence an -unpleasant dnouement; but his fine discernment, aided by undoubted -skill and adroitness of speech, have produced a marvellous change, and I -am convinced that the happy termination was only arrived at because of -the tone of conviction in which he expressed himself. His words bore so -plainly the stamp of unadulterated truth, that those who could not agree -with him were captivated by his enthusiasm and earnestness. On the other -hand, he was repelled by the frivolous tone with which the Parisians -characteristically treated serious topics. There was a want of causality -in them. His conception of the world with its duties and obligations was -in complete contrast to theirs. Moreover, he felt they lacked true -poetic sentiment. Their poesy was superficial. It was replete with grace -and charm, nor was beauty occasionally wanting. But it did not well up -from their hearts. They associated it closely with every action of life -but it was more often the veneer than the thing itself that shone. And -again, their proclivities were in favour of realism, whereas his own -sentiments were entwined round a poetic ideal. It was during this Paris -period that the aspiration for the ideal burst forth with an intensity -that never afterwards dimmed. The longing for the ideal was no new -sensation. Flashes had been observed earlier at Leipzic when under the -fascination of Beethoven's symphonies, but, ambition, love of fame, and -a not unnatural youthful desire to acquire wealth had diverted him from -the ideal to the real, and it was not till saddened with disappointments -and sorely tried in the crucible of misfortune that he emerged purified, -with a vision of his ideal beautified and enthroned on high, resolved -henceforth never to tire in his efforts to achieve his purpose. - -[Sidenote: _THE REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT._] - -I should not omit to refer to certain observations Wagner made upon the -military and police element in these early Paris years. He was a keen -scrutinizer of men and manners, and failed not to observe the power -wielded by the army. The French were a pageant-loving people, but were -heavily burdened to maintain their large military force. Poverty was a -natural result, and bitter feelings were engendered towards a -government which employed the army as an awe-inspiring power towards -peaceful citizens. Though the soldier was drawn from the people, yet as -the unit of an army he came to be regarded as an enemy of his class. Nor -was Wagner more satisfied with the police. He said he never could be -brought to regard them as custodians of the peace and protectors of the -rights of citizens. Instead of being well-disposed, they assumed a -hostile attitude towards civilians. Perhaps these may seem items of no -great importance, but to me the shrewd, perceptive Wagner of 1840-41, -with his revolt against an overbearing military and police is the father -of the revolutionist of 1848. It is but a short space of seven years. - -With all its attendant suffering and weariness Wagner was accustomed to -regard his first sojourn in Paris as the most eventful period of his -life in the cause of art. There he burnt the ships of the youthful -aspirant for public renown. Worldly tribulation tried and proved him, -and the art genius emerged from the conflict purified and strengthened. -As he says in his short autobiographical sketch, "The spirit of -revolution took possession of me once forever." As it is not an uncommon -fact in history that great events have often been brought about by most -trifling incidents, so now did the first step in this wondrous -development arise out of an apparently unimportant conversation to which -I shall shortly refer. He had come to Paris sustained by an -over-sanguine conviction of compelling French admiration by a rich -display of its own art proclivities. Omitting for the moment his "Faust" -overture, he first completed "Rienzi," in the all-spectacular spirit -suited to the grand opera house. Then, as far as actual production went, -ensued nearly a year of sterility, only to be followed by the advent of -the poetic ideal which, when once cherished, was never afterwards cast -aside. It was the poet who was now asserting his power. Poesy was -claiming its birthright with the tonal art, and as the holy union of the -twin arts manifested itself before his seer-like vision, so the artist, -Wagner, the creator of a music whose every phase glows with the blood of -life, so the poet-musician clearly perceiving his ideal, strove towards -its attainment and never abated his efforts to realize his object, nor -turned aside from its pursuit. - -It is a matter of vast interest to learn how he was led in this -direction. Some months after he had been in Paris, with little prospect -of obtaining a hearing at the grand opera house, and suffering the -keenest pangs of poverty, he heard the "Ninth Symphony" at the -Conservatoire. He had heard it years ago, but now its story, its -"programme," was clear before him. He too would write a symphony. He -would speak the feelings within him, and music should be a "reality" and -not the language of mysticism. - -[Sidenote: _"EINE FAUST" OVERTURE._] - -Overburdened with such feelings as these, a few days later he entered -the music shop of Schlesinger. There was news for him. The publisher had -a proposition which he thought promised well for Wagner. Deeply -interested in his penniless, enthusiastic compatriot, he had almost -brought to a successful conclusion an arrangement by which Wagner was to -write a piece for a boulevard theatre. The conditions were that the -trifle should be light and showy, nothing serious, but attractive. Such -an offer at any other period prior to this, Wagner said he would have -gladly welcomed. The time, however, was inopportune. Unfortunately for -him, but to the incalculable gain of the art, just now he was under the -magnetic influence of the "Ninth Symphony." He seems to have burst into -an uncontrollable onslaught upon the trivialities that ruled the French -stage. He would have none of them. Music now for him was a "blessed -reality," and the hollow fictions of the boulevard theatres were -unworthy of a true artist. Schlesinger reasoned with him, urged the -wisdom of accepting the offer, though at the same time uncompromising in -his demand that the proposed piece must not be serious, and must be -written to suit the tastes of the uneducated public. But Wagner was not -to be won over, quoting the dictum of Schiller, a great favourite with -him, that "the artist should not be the bantling of his period, but its -teacher." No arrangement come to, Wagner went home. It was raining -heavily. Excited and wet through, he talked wildly to Minna, the result -being that he was put to bed with a severe attack of erysipelas. -Brooding over his position, angered with the world and himself, caring -not for life, his thoughts reverted to the "Ninth Symphony," and he, -with the energy of a sick, strong-willed man, resolved to write -forthwith that which should be the expression of his pent-up rage with -the world, and, as by magic, he fell upon the story of Faust. To Wagner, -then, as to the aged student, "Life was a burden, and death a desired -consummation." And so he plunged with his woes thick upon him into the -composition, superscribing his work with the words of Faust:-- - - Thou God, who reigns within my heart, - Alone can touch my soul. - -[Sidenote: _HEINE'S "FLYING DUTCHMAN."_] - -While writing this, Wagner told me, that then for the first time did -music speak to him in plain language. The subjects poured hot out of his -heart as molten metal from a furnace. It was not music he wrote, but the -sorrows of his soul that transformed themselves into sounds. His illness -lasted for about a week, the erysipelas attacking his face and head. The -forced reflection upon the past that his confinement induced was bitter, -but his floating ideas about the poetic drama were cemented. That -sick-chamber was the hothouse of the "romantic" Wagner. There the -revolutionary views first gathered strength and the germs of the "art of -the future" consolidated themselves. All his thoughts and feelings upon -the future he communicated to his gentle nurse, Minna, who was always a -ready listener to his seemingly random talk. This quality of "a good -listener," of always lending a sympathetic ear, was perhaps more -soothing and valuable than a criticising, discerning companion might -have been to him, especially during his days of sickness. He had also -another ever-ready and attentive auditor, his dog, the companion of his -voyage from Riga to London and thence to Paris. How fond he was of that -dumb brute! The innumerable times he addressed it as if it were a human -being! And Wagner was not forgetful of its memory. During the worst -hours of want he wrote for a newspaper a short story entitled, "The end -of a German Musician in Paris"; in that one sees with what affection he -regarded his devoted friend. The principal character in this realistic -romance is himself, whom he causes to die through starvation. In that -the sorrow and suffering endured by Wagner are set forth in a manner -that touches one to the quick. As soon as he was sufficiently -recovered, he did not, as the majority of natures would have done, rest -from all active mental work, but at once vigorously attacked his -unfinished "Rienzi," the remaining acts of which were completed by the -end of the year 1840. A curious fate Wagner's. He had embarked upon a -hazardous voyage to the French capital with the view of producing -"Rienzi" there, and yet no sooner was the work quite finished than he -despatched it to Germany, hoping to get it performed at Dresden. A -glance at the music reveals the gulf that separates the Wagner of the -first two acts--composed before he came to Paris--from the writer of the -remaining three. Yet another composition, a complete opera, was given to -the world in Paris in the end of 1841. It has the unique distinction of -being the work of Wagner that occupied the shortest time in writing. -From the time of its inception--I am now speaking only of the music--to -its completion, about seven weeks sufficed for the work. The poem had -been completed some months earlier. He had submitted "Rienzi" to the -director of the grand opera, who gave him no tangible hope of its being -accepted, but promised to do his best in producing a shorter opera by -him. This engagement on the part of the director, though not couched in -unequivocal terms, was not to be allowed to drop. Wagner went to Heine -and discussed the situation. Among the subjects proposed for an opera -was Heine's own treatment of the romantic legend of "The Flying -Dutchman" and his spectral crew. The story was not new to Wagner. He had -heard it for the first time from the lips of the sailors on his voyage -to London. Then it had impressed him. Now it took hold of him. - -How this legend of the ill-fated mariner came to form the basis of an -opera text is curious and interesting. There are few, perhaps, who have -any notions from what crude material the significant "Dutchman," as we -know it, was fashioned. - -There existed in England, and a copy can still be obtained from French, -the Strand theatrical publisher, a melodramatic burlesque by Fitzball, a -prolific writer for the English stage, entitled "Vanderdecken, or The -Phantom Ship." To mention the names of three of the original dramatis -personae, Captain Peppersal, the father of the Senta, Von Swiggs, a -drunken Dutchman in love with Senta, and Smutta, a black servant, the -character and mode of treatment of the story will be at once perceived. -Vanderdecken retains much of the legendary lore with which we are -accustomed to surround him, except that Fitzball causes him occasionally -to appear and disappear in blue and red fire. Vanderdecken too is under -a spell; the utterance of a single word though it be joy at his -acceptance by Senta, will consign him again to his terrible fate for -another thousand years. - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER'S "FLYING DUTCHMAN."_] - -It was a perusal of this medley, of the spectral and burlesque, which -led Heine to treat the story after his own heart, and it was the -discussion with the poet that determined Wagner in his choice of -subject. The libretto was finished and delivered to the director, who, -whilst expressing entire satisfaction at the work, only asked its price -so that he might deliver it to a composer to whom a text had been -promised, and whose opera had the next right of being accepted. The poem -was not sold, and Wagner turned again to his "arranging" drudgery. -Later, however, he retook his text. The subject-legend was in the -highest manner adapted for musical treatment. Whilst writing the poem he -had felt in a very different mood than when writing the "Rienzi" text. -In the latter, his object was a story so arranged as would admit of the -then orthodox operatic treatment with its set forms of solos, choruses, -ensembles, etc., etc. Wagner was a man of thought. He did not perform -things in a haphazard manner. He saw his mark and flew to it. The -historic opera, he reasoned, demanded a precise and careful treatment of -detail incidents. This was not the province of music. The tonal art was -a medium for the expression of feelings, to illustrate the workings of -the heart. Now with legend the conditions are entirely opposite to those -demanded by the historic opera. It is of no consequence among what -people a particular legend originated. Place and period are equally -unimportant. Romantic legends possess this superlative advantage over -historical subjects; no matter when the period, or where the place, or -who the people, the legends are invested with none of the trammelling -conditions of nationality or epoch, but treat exclusively of that which -is human. This is an immense gain to both poet and musician. By this -process of reasoning, Wagner gradually came to exclude word-repetition. -In the "Dutchman" much verbal reiteration is still indulged in; but the -story and treatment show us the real Wagner of the future. - -As to the composition of the music, I have heard so much from Wagner on -this particular opera, to convince me that, though it occupied but a few -weeks, it was not done without much careful thought. The scaffolding -upon which it was constructed is very clear. Indeed, the "make" of the -whole work is most transparent. There are three chief subjects. (1) -Senta's song, (2) Sailor's and (3) Spinning chorus, and those have been -woven into an organic whole by thoughtful work. - -In the summer of 1866, I was sitting with Wagner at dinner in his house -at Munich. It chanced that the conversation turned upon the weary -mariner, his yearning for land and love, and Wagner's own longing for -his fatherland at the time he composed the "Dutchman," when going to a -piano that stood near him, he said, "The pent-up anguish, the -homesickness that then held complete possession of me, were poured out -in this phrase,"--playing the short cadence of two bars thrice repeated -that preludes Vanderdecken's recital to Daland of his woeful wanderings. -"At the end of the phrase, on the diminished seventh, in my mind I -paused and brooded over the past, the repetitions, each higher, -interpreting the increased intensity of my sufferings," and, Wagner went -on, that with each note he originally intended that Vanderdecken should -move but one step, and move only in time with the music. Now this -careful premeditated tonal working in the young man of twenty-eight is -indicative, as much as any portion of Wagner is, of his _style_, a word -of pregnant meaning when used in relation to Wagner's works. - -[Sidenote: _HE LEAVES PARIS._] - -The "Dutchman" was written at Mendon, a village about five miles from -Paris. It was composed at the piano. This incident is of importance, -since for several months he had not written a note, and knew not whether -he still possessed the power of composing. He had left Paris because of -the noise and bustle, and to his horror discovered that his new landlord -was a collector of musical instruments, so there was little likelihood -of securing the quietude he so much desired. When the work was finished, -conscious that realistic France was not the place where he could produce -his poetic ideal, he despatched it to Meyerbeer, then in Germany, whose -aid he solicited in getting it performed. Replies were not encouraging. -Meanwhile, sorely harassed how to provide life's necessities, he sold, -under pressure, his manuscript of the poem for 20. - -The sole ray of hope, the one chance of rescue from this sad plight, lay -in "Rienzi." It had been accepted at Dresden and in the spring of 1842 -he was informed that it was about to be put into preparation and his -presence would be desirable. He therefore left Paris for Germany after -nearly three years of absence. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -DRESDEN, 1842-1843. - - -From now begins a new epoch in Wagner's life. The call he had received -from Dresden filled him with delirious joy. The world was not large -enough to hold him. He trod on air. That Dresden, the hallowed scene of -Weber's labours, possessing the then first theatre in Germany, famed -alike for its productions, style, and artists, should accept his work, -and request his presence to supervise the rehearsals, was an -acknowledgment which transformed, as by magic, a sombre, cruel outlook -into a gloriously bright and warm future. - -He was very sanguine of succeeding with "Rienzi." It was completely in -the style of the foreign operas then in vogue among his countrymen. -Germany had no opera of her own. Mozart and Gluck both composed in the -French and Italian style, and Meyerbeer, the then ruler of the German -operatic stage, fashioned his popular works on the spectacular style of -the grand French opera. "Rienzi" was spectacular, with plenty of the -same description of material as "Les Huguenots." So Wagner's hopes ran -high, and a vista of happiness spread itself before him as an enchanted -fairy-land. - -[Sidenote: _THE CHOSEN OF DRESDEN._] - -With joy he took leave of Schlesinger and his few Parisian intimates, -and set out for Germany, his fatherland. His fatherland! what a sea of -tumultuous feelings did that thought of returning home produce in him. -He was going back a conqueror. The creative artist was at last -recognized; he was rescued from desperate distress at the very moment it -seemed as if he were going to succumb to the conflict. It is difficult -to at all thoroughly understand what Wagner went through after he had -been summoned to Germany. The transformation scene in his life's drama -was taking place. Again and again has he expatiated upon it with an -honesty characteristic of him, and with a volubility that laid bare all -his heart's hopes and emotions at the time. - -Paris had not accepted him. He came, he saw, but had not conquered. His -soul had swelled with artistic ambition; he was enthusiastic, desiring a -platform from which to expound his cherished tenets; and Paris ignored -him, treated his projects and himself as nought, and for all it cared, -he might have perished unheeded, with none but his dog to mourn his -loss. And now, from an unacknowledged artist, he was the chosen of -celebrated Dresden, still warm with the inspired accents of his -"beloved" Weber. Well might he become delirious with joy. - -His homeward journey was full of happy incident and profit. He heard his -native language again as the common tongue. Of German as a language -Wagner was always enamoured. He possessed a large vocabulary himself, -was a poet of no mean rank, and had always a wealth of illustration -ready at command. Now to hear German spoken about him was delight. He -was in a happy frame, ready to be touched with whatever he saw. The -Rhine unusually excited him. In later years, when writing of the period, -he tells us that at sight of the Rhine he vowed eternal fidelity to his -country. He remarked to me, in his poetic language, that its eddying -wavelets seemed to be telling him its legends, and dolefully inquiring, -Why did you leave us? He was happy to come home. His escape from -feverish, sensuous Paris, to his healthy, honest fatherland, was, to use -his own graphic analogy, as Tannhuser emerging from the Venus grotto to -breathe the invigorating, bracing atmosphere of the German mountains. It -was the awakening from an oppressive nightmare. The unvarnished -straightforwardness of the German character welcomed him with the -affection of fond parents. With all its rude plainness and stolidity, he -loved the German mind. It was sincere, true, and made the French -courteous polish, which he had just quitted, seem as a thing unreal, a -lacquer, an affection that became offensive. - -The return of Wagner and his wife to Dresden was particularly agreeable -to the latter. In Dresden, she had a reputation as an actress, though -not in the first rank, yet she was somebody, and would be so recognized. -Besides, there she could have the respect paid to her due to the wife of -the composer of "Rienzi." Poor Minna! what a patient and gentle woman -she was. To hear her unaffected talk of the change in her own position, -on their coming to live in Dresden, was touching, indeed. In Paris she -had been a drudge, and no one knew but Wagner the half of her heroism, -self-denial, and suffering. Now for her, too, the horizon was clearing, -and it was with difficulty that she endeavoured to restrain the -overflowing hopefulness of Richard. But he would not be repressed, and -on nearing Dresden the two who had suffered together consoled and -encouraged each other with visions of prospective prosperity. - -[Sidenote: _A VISIT TO REISSIGER._] - -A change of scene was always conducive to happiness in Wagner. For the -first few days he visited well-remembered spots. He had a veritable -passion for at once setting off to see familiar places. The joy of -Dresden homely life contrasted with the Paris mode of living, acted like -a charm on him. His spirits were at their best, his health good, and the -kindly greetings he met everywhere worked together to make him -thoroughly enjoy life. His sister Rosalie, the actress, was dead, so -that all that was really known of him when he came to Dresden was that -he was born at Leipzic, had been educated at the Dresden Schule, and had -wholly written and composed two operas, and was the brother of the late -Rosalie Wagner. - -One of his first visits was to Reissiger, chief conductor at the Royal -Opera (where Wagner's "Rienzi" was to be performed), and of the Royal -Chapel. Reissiger was some fifteen years older than Richard Wagner. He -had been trained in the school of strict fugue and counterpoint at -Leipzic, and as a musician was prolific and clever, but lacked poetical -inspiration and intellectual power. He was eminently a professor. He -received Wagner politely, praised the "Rienzi," the score of which he -knew, but with it all maintained an attitude of reserve. Wagner, who was -on the best terms with himself and the world, ready to embrace -everybody, was cooled by his reception, and felt that he could never be -intimate with Reissiger, who occupied the greater part of their first -interview with complaints about his own non-success on the operatic -stage, all of which he peevishly attributed to the shortcomings of the -_libretti_. - -If, however, Wagner was disappointed with his probable standing with -Reissiger, he was amply compensated by the warmth and spontaneity of -Fischer's greeting. Fischer was stage manager and chorus director. He -was a musician of superior attainments, a man of sound reflection, and -felt that theirs was to be a friendship for life. He was enthusiastic -about "Rienzi," foretold a certain success, and showed his earnestness -by untiring activity in training the chorus, so important in the new -work. He proved of invaluable service to Wagner by describing the -character and temperament of the many individuals connected with the -theatre with whom he would come into contact. - -There was yet another friend who affectionately greeted Wagner. -Tichatschek, the "Rienzi" of the forthcoming performance. Tichatschek -was of heroic stature, finely proportioned, and dignified in bearing. He -was enraptured with his part. He saw in it one which fitted him to -perfection, both as to physical appearance and vocal powers, which, in -his case, were strong and enduring. - -A passing cloud was the absence of the "Adriano," his womanly ideal, -Schroeder-Devrient. But she soon came to Dresden and was present at the -"Rienzi" rehearsals. Wagner related to her the episode of the -_Dreadnought_, and the fate of her precious gift, the snuff-box, when -she pleasantly rejoined that "Rienzi" would produce him a shower of -golden snuff-boxes from all the potentates of Germany, so convinced was -she of its success. - -[Sidenote: _PRODUCTION OF "RIENZI."_] - -"Rienzi" was performed at the end of 1842. An unquestioned success, -everybody enthusiastic, the orchestra played with an energy that went -quite beyond the phlegmatic Reissiger who conducted. Apart from the -effective situations, the well-treated story and verve with which the -chief characters worked, there is no doubt that a great portion of the -success was due to the splendid appearance of Tichatschek. Commanding in -stature and clad in glittering armour, possessing a powerful voice which -he used to advantage, the audience were enraptured with the hero and -cheered him lustily. The processions, the conflagrations, and all those -stage effects so skilfully calculated by Wagner and intended for the -grand opera house, Paris, appealed to the spectacle-loving portion of -the playgoers. The plot, the revolt of an oppressed people, was -unquestionably in harmony with the spirit of the period, for revolution -was in the air; all over Germany there were disquieting signs. It has -often been suggested that "Rienzi" was a confession of faith of Wagner's -political, so-called revolutionary, principles, and was a forecast of -the democratic storm of 1848, but it need scarcely be said that it was -mere coincidence. - -I have now arrived at the time when my own acquaintance with Richard -Wagner began. It was in the beginning of the spring of 1843. Wagner had -been appointed in January of that year co-chief conductor at the opera -with Reissiger, but the superiority of his intellectual and artistic -abilities over the homespun plebeian Reissiger soon gave him the first -position in Dresden. Their second in command was August Roeckel. Roeckel -was my most intimate friend. We were of the same age, and had but one -judgment upon music. He was the nephew of Nepomuck Hummel and possessed -much of the talent of that celebrated pianist. He was also a composer of -merit; indeed, it was by reason of the sound musicianly skill displayed -in his opera "Farinelli" that he was appointed second music director at -Dresden, similarly as Wagner had been appointed chief director through -the success of "Rienzi." The director of the opera had accepted -"Farinelli" and announced a performance, but so dazzled was Roeckel by -the brilliancy of Wagner's genius that he withdrew "Farinelli" and would -under no circumstances permit its production. This act of -self-effacement accurately paints the character of the over-modest man. -Between Wagner and Roeckel the closest intimacy sprang up. Through all -that stormy period of the revolution, Wagner thought and spoke of none -other as he did of Roeckel. They were twin souls. For range of -knowledge, active intelligence, and similarity of thought, Wagner had -met with no one more congenial to him, and, I must add, none worshipped -Wagner as August Roeckel did. He had resided in London and Paris, and -the literature of both countries was as familiar to him as that of his -native land. The first description I had of Richard Wagner was from -August Roeckel. I had such complete confidence in his perception and -judgment that I was at once won over to Wagner's side by the tone of -hero-worship that pervaded the letter. Happily it has been preserved and -I now reproduce it:-- - -[Sidenote: _INFLUENCE OF ROECKEL._] - - At last fortune smiles on me. Think, I have been appointed - Sachsischer music director, at the head of the most celebrated - orchestra of Germany, no longer doomed to give lessons, my horror - and abomination. "Farinelli," after all, was the right thing, but - what chiefly reminds me of your perspicacity was the encouragement - in regard to my pianoforte playing. Now that is of the greatest - importance in helping me to establishing a name here. It was but - natural that I doubted my gift as a pianist, when Edward (his - brother) was the favourite of uncle "Hummel," but when at Vienna, - I remembered your prophecy, and worked at the piano harder than - ever, and now it stands me in good stead. Henceforth, I drop myself - into a well, because I am going to speak of the man whose greatness - overshadows that of all other men I have met, either in France or - England,--our new friend, Richard Wagner. I say advisedly, our - friend, for he knows you from my description as well as I do. You - cannot imagine how the daily intercourse with him develops my - admiration for his genius. His earnestness in art is religious; he - looks upon the drama as the pulpit from which the people should be - taught, and his views on a combination of the different arts for - that purpose opens up an exciting theory, as new as it is ideal. - You would love him, aye, worship him as I do, for to gigantic - powers of intellect he unites the sportive playfulness of a child. - I have a great advantage over him in piano-playing. It seems - strange, but his playing is ludicrously defective; so much so, that - when anything is to be tried I take the piano and my sight-reading - seems to please him vastly. - - DRESDEN, March, 1843. - -My correspondence with August Roeckel was at this period a large one. He -had a religious reverence for the gift, intellectual attainments, and -eloquence of his new friend, topics which constitute the main theme of -his letters. That Roeckel had an equal sway over Wagner in another -direction, viz. politics, arose, too, from that same earnest enthusiasm, -the parent of Wagner's own successful art efforts. It is necessary that -I should explain that Roeckel was Wagner's shadow. They were -inseparable, visiting each other during the day and at the theatre -together at night. They had, so Wagner told me afterwards, a life in -common. He was as much fired by Roeckel's wealth of literary lore, his -heroic notions of life and duty, and the claim of a people to be well -governed, as Roeckel was sympathetic and appreciative of those art -theories which, according to Wagner, formed the upper stratum of man's -existence. Roeckel's view is therefore the judgment of Wagner's other -self, and as such has a right of existence here. It is full of warm -interest about Wagner, who, in later years, greatly enjoyed the perusal -of the correspondence. The absolute worship of Roeckel for his chief -shows itself in the following letter written under the influence of -early relations:-- - - I have the most affectionate letter from Bamberg. They want me back - there, offer me greater advantages, urging that I was the first and - only conductor there, whilst at Dresden I am but second. But can - they understand to whom I am second? Such a man as Richard Wagner I - never yet met, and you know I am not inclined to Caesar's maxim, - that it were better to be the first in a village than the second in - Rome. I have begun to rescore my opera under Wagner's supervision; - his frank criticism has opened my eyes to some very important - instrumental defects. His notions of scoring are most novel, most - daring, and altogether marvellous; but not more so than his - elevated notions about the high purpose of the dramatic art; - indeed, they foreshadow a new era in the history of art. - - DRESDEN. - -[Sidenote: _BERLIOZ AND WAGNER._] - -An incident of interest in the first part of 1843 was a visit of Hector -Berlioz to Wagner. The great Frenchman came to hear "Rienzi." Satisfied -he was not; about the only number that he thought meritorious was the -prayer. With the "Dutchman," which he also heard, he was even still less -contented. He complained of the excess of instrumentation. This is -curious, to put it gently, that a composer who employs four orchestras -with twelve kettledrums in one work, whose own scoring is noted for -excessive employment of means, should make such a charge. It is -inexplicable. The truth is, Berlioz was jealous of Wagner. Roeckel had -been intimate with Berlioz in Paris. The father of Roeckel was the -impressario who introduced the first complete German opera troupe to -Paris and London. He had been an intimate friend of Beethoven, had -impersonated "Florestan" in "Fidelio," and, indeed, had been tutored by -the composer for the tenor part. The elder Roeckel's company included -Schroeder-Devrient when he went to Paris. August Roeckel was therefore -well known to Berlioz, and Schroeder-Devrient, having travelled with -Roeckel's father, and being known intimately by August, was also a link -between Wagner and himself. When, therefore, Berlioz came to Dresden, -August was delighted, and was always present at the friendly meetings of -the two composers. He wrote to me that their meetings were embarrassed. -Wagner was first attracted, but the cold, austere, though always -polished demeanour of Berlioz checked Wagner's enthusiasm. He had the -air of patronizing Wagner; his speech was bitter, freezing the -boisterous expansiveness of Wagner. At times the conversation was so -strained that Roeckel was of opinion that Berlioz intentionally slighted -Wagner. The more they were together, the less they appeared to -understand each other; and yet, notwithstanding the fastidious -criticism, the constant fault-finding of Berlioz, he took pains to -arrange meetings with Wagner, naturally fascinated by the vigour with -which Wagner discussed art. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -1843-1844. - - -[Sidenote: _A TOUCH OF HIS HUMOUR._] - -However inclined the Dresden musical press may have been to be captious -and antagonistic towards Wagner, there were certain decided evidences of -gifts whose existence they could not deny, and which they were -reluctantly compelled to acknowledge, in spite of their openly -pronounced hostility. The rehearsing and conducting of "Rienzi" and the -"Dutchman" had established Wagner's reputation as a conductor of unusual -ability. "But," said his censorious critics, "that proves nothing, for -he worked with heart and soul to secure success, just because the operas -were his own. Wait until he is called upon to produce a classic; then we -shall see." They had not to wait long. Within a month, Gluck's "Armide" -and Mozart's "Don Giovanni" were performed under his bton. His reading -of both was original. He had, first, his individual conception of the -opera as an organic art work, and then very pronounced views as to the -manner in which each should be studied and performed. He spared not the -orchestra. This not unnaturally created among the less intelligent some -amount of irritation. Custom had sanctioned a certain slovenly -rendering, and they revolted at the revolutionary spirit of the new -conductor. But the openly expressed appreciation of the unquestioned -abilities of the conductor by the leading members of the orchestra, was -not without effect upon the malcontents. The friction did not last long; -a marked improvement was felt by all, and Wagner's irrepressible animal -spirits and jocularity won over even the drudges. I have it from August -Roeckel, his colleague at the desk, that the intelligent members of the -orchestra idolized Wagner, and never wearied under his bton. - -Wagner was possessed of a keen sense of euphonic balance. The -predominance of one section of the orchestra over another, except where -specially required to produce certain effects, he would not tolerate, be -the defaulting instrument ever so difficult to control. On one occasion -the trombones were excessively noisy at a "Rienzi" rehearsal in the -overture, where they should accompany the violins _piano_. Their braying -aroused Wagner's anger; however, with ready wit, instead of a reproof, a -joke, and turning good-humouredly to the culprits, he laughingly said, -"Gentlemen, if I mistake not, we are in Dresden, and not marching round -Jericho, where your ancestors, strong of lung, blew down the city -walls." The humour of the admonition was not lost, and after a moment's -general hilarity Wagner obtained the desired effect. - -[Sidenote: _SPOHR'S KINDLY DEED._] - -Wagner was a born disciplinarian. He held the orchestra completely in -the palm of his hand. The members were so many pawns which he moved at -will, responding to his slightest expressed wish. The rigid enforcement -of his will upon the players became talked of outside the doors of the -theatre. The critics could not understand why he should wish to change -the order of things, have a greater number and longer rehearsals than -any one else, and have the works performed in his heterodox way; and so, -they first ridiculed him, and then uncompromisingly attacked him, -attacks which, it is regrettable to add, lasted all the years he -remained in Dresden. But for all this, he was not to be deterred from -his purpose. He knew what he wanted, and meant to have it, and in this -Wagner has again and again acknowledged to me his indebtedness to August -Roeckel, who so ably seconded his chief. According to Wagner's notions -the masterpieces of German musicians could never be properly understood -by the music-loving public, owing to their imperfect and faulty -rendering under conductors who were so many automaton time-beaters. -Great works of all descriptions were produced in a styleless manner, no -regard, indeed, but very little effort, being made to discover the -intention of the composer. All were rendered in the same pointless -manner. This was revolting to his sense of artistic probity, therefore -when he held the office of conductor he altered this almost dishonest -state of things, for it was dishonest not to seek to reproduce a -composer's intention. Thus the works of all masters suffered. Therefore -Wagner made it a rule that whatever he conducted should be, when -possible, entirely committed to memory. His earnestness became -infectious, until players and singers became animated by one feeling. -They felt that he, at the desk, was as much a worker as any of them, and -the result was a performance hitherto unknown for perfection. It -happened, therefore, that when "Don Giovanni" was given, according to -his feelings and as he willed it, the critics fell upon him fiercely, -going so far even as to declare he did not understand Mozart, so -unexpectedly new did they find his conception. The contest waged hotly. -A large and important body of directors of art opinion selected the -phlegmatic Reissiger as their idol, and lauded him indiscriminately. It -is, to say the least, strange that there should have been found any one -to prefer a man of the diminutive talents of Reissiger to Richard -Wagner. The former was a pure mechanic, respectable in his way, but -completely overshadowed by the mighty genius of Wagner. This study of -conductors and conducting was a phase of his art to which Wagner devoted -much careful thought, embodying at a later period his views in a -pamphlet on the subject, which will be found invaluable by orchestral -conductors of every degree. - -An incident of this year, 1843, his first at Dresden, to which Wagner -referred with pleasure, was the performance of the "Dutchman" at Cassel -by Spohr. It was done entirely on its merits, without any solicitation -from Wagner, the pleasure being intensified by reason of the ripe age of -the conductor and his well-known reverence for the orthodox. Spohr was -sixty-nine, and Richard Wagner thirty. Wagner felt and expressed himself -as deeply touched at the interest a musician of such opposite tendencies -should take in his work, particularly, too, on receiving later a letter -from Spohr expressing the delight he experienced on making the -acquaintance of a young artist who showed in all he did such earnestness -and striving after truth. When Wagner related this to me, wondering at -the curious contradiction in Spohr's character, I remarked that the -solution seemed to lie in the gentle, almost effeminate nature of Spohr, -which found its completion in the robust, manly vigour of Wagner's own -conceptions. - -How Spohr could have been attracted by Wagner, and repulsed by the "last -period" of Beethoven, is a contradiction difficult to account for; but -that it existed is beyond doubt, for the last time he was in London, -about 1850-51, I put the question direct to him whether it was true, as -asserted, that he had stigmatized the third period of Beethoven as -"barbarous music," to which he promptly and emphatically replied, "Yes, -I do think it barbarous music." After the performance at Cassel, Wagner -endeavoured to get the "Dutchman" accepted elsewhere, but signally -failed; from Munich, where a quarter of a century later he was to be the -ruling spirit, came the discouraging response that "it was not German -enough," though the composer thought this its distinguishing merit. - -[Sidenote: _HIS PECULIAR DRESS._] - -The acrimoniously bitter attacks that were made upon Wagner, during his -first year at Dresden, increased in poignancy, as he showed himself -uncontrolled by custom's laws. He affected a careless, defiant attitude -towards all criticism, whereas he was abnormally sensitive to -journalistic opinion. He could scoff, play the cynic, treat his opponent -with derisive scorn, but it was all simulated; the iron entered into his -soul, and he chafed and grew irritable under it. It was as though he -suffered a bodily castigation. He brooded over the attacks, and there -can be no doubt that they caused him moments of acute pain. It is true -that in combat he could parry and thrust with as much vigour as his -opponents; that the sting of his reproof was as torturing as any he -suffered; perhaps even that his assaults were more annihilating than -the occasion demanded; yet with it all, though he emerged from the -contest victorious, he suffered deeply, acutely. There can be no doubt -that the genesis of this hostile criticism was directed more against the -man than his art work, and that wounded personality played an important -part in it. Richard Wagner was seen to be a man of artistic taste, with -proclivities which were exhibited in his domestic surroundings, novel, -perhaps, to the somewhat heavy Dresdenites. First, Wagner's attire was -different from that of the ordinary individual. He persisted in wearing -in the house a velvet dressing-gown and a biretta, truly an uncommon -head-gear. His apartments were asserted to be upholstered luxuriously. -And in these things the art critics (?) saw a target for ridicule and -sarcasm. Now that his apartments were furnished in a costly manner is -absolutely untrue. Wagner had a keen appreciation of the beautiful, and -loved tasty decoration, but it was secured at the minimum of cost. The -thrifty Minna contrived and invented, to gratify Wagner's fancies, at an -outlay which does credit to German thrift. And yet there were found -Dresden journals that went so far as to discuss his mode of living, -attributing all the apparent extravagance to gratification of an -over-rated self-esteem, the appeasing of an inordinate vanity. - -A year of vexation! a year of consolidation was 1844! From Wagner I have -often heard it: "My failures were the stepping-stones to success"; and -this year, when the hot blood of ambition coursed violently through his -youthful veins, when he aimed as high as the heavens, and met with -failures everywhere, when directors of German opera houses returned his -scores "unopened" or pronounced them unripe and lacking in melody, -truly, it was an epoch of bitter disappointment. Attacked relentlessly -by journalistic hacks, imbued with the bitter feeling that he was the -rejected of his countrymen; that for him there was not a glimmer of hope -of success on the German stage, and yet convinced of his own exceptional -gifts, and the living truth of the mission he was destined to -accomplish, he, broken down in spirit, angered with the world, and -fractious with himself, retired from all intercourse with his -fellow-men, shunned society as the plague, appeared at the Dresden -theatre only when absolutely necessary, and went into seclusion, -accessible to none except August Roeckel. Of this gloomy period, and the -devotion of his friend, Wagner has left it on record. "I left the world, -retired from public life, and lived in the closest communion with one -intimate companion only, one friend, who was so full of sympathy for me, -so wholly engrossed in my artistic development, that he ignored his own -unquestioned talents, artistic instinct, and inventive powers, and cast -to the winds his own chances of worldly success. This companion of my -gloom was Roeckel." In referring to his friend's self-abnegation, Wagner -evidently alludes to Roeckel's opera, "Farinelli," which the composer -had withdrawn from the Dresden repertoire through excess of modesty, -over-awed, as he was, by his conception of Richard Wagner's genius. - -[Sidenote: _HE PRODUCES "ARMIDE."_] - -This tribute to the constancy and humble workship of August Roeckel is -not a whit too much. Roeckel idolized Wagner. The two men were the -complement of each other; whilst the vivacious imagination of Wagner -inspired admiration in Roeckel, the latter's placid, closely-reasoned -logic soothed the excitable poet-musician. All Roeckel's letters to me -of this period--and he was an excellent correspondent--might be summed -up in the word "Wagner." The minutest incidents of work and details of -their conversations are related. This poor Roeckel suffered thirteen -years imprisonment, from May, 1849, when his friend Wagner escaped. At -the termination of his confinement, the two friends met with a warmth of -affection difficult to describe. Seeing, then, the intimacy of the men -during this year of retirement, it is the letters of August Roeckel -which will supply the faithfullest record of Wagner's life and work. - -He tells me that Wagner spoke of himself as "one crying in the desert." -But few sympathized with him, his breaking away from the "Rienzi" period -being frowned upon, but that through all disappointment Wagner's -inexhaustible animal spirits never left him. The following letter is -dated March, 1844:-- - - Wagner has returned from Berlin, very morose in temper; the "Flying - Dutchman" did not touch the scoffing Berliners, who certainly have - less poetical feeling than most Germans; they only saw in - Schroeder-Devrient a star, and in the touching drama an opera like - other operas; yet they pose as profound art critics. Bah! they are - simply stupid! - - Since then we have had "Hans Heiling" and "Vampyr." Wagner thinks - much of Marschner's natural gifts, but finds that his general - intelligence is not on a level with his musical gifts, and that - this is often painfully evident in his recourse to commonplace - padding.... I wish you could have witnessed the work of the old - Gluck "Armide," most tenderly cared for by Wagner. I doubt that it - ever was rendered with such reverence,--nay, not even in Paris. We - have also had what Wagner considers the masterwork of Mendelssohn, - "Midsummer Night's Dream," with which he also took considerable - pains, although fully aware of the composer's unfriendly feeling - towards himself. - -Later I find the following:-- - - You cannot conceive what a system of espionage has grown up about - Wagner, how keenly all his actions are criticised. He deemed it - advisable to rearrange the seating of the band (I send you a plan); - but oh! the hubbub it has produced is dreadful. "What! change that - which satisfied Morlacchi and Reissiger?" They charge Wagner with - want of reverence for tradition and with taking delight in - upsetting the established order of things. - -In the middle of the year it seems the "Faust" overture was performed; -the reception was disheartening. It was another disappointment, and -showed Wagner how little the public was in sympathy with his art ideal. -Although performed twice, it produced no effect. - -[Sidenote: _SPONTINI AND "LA VESTALE."_] - - This is not to be wondered at [writes Roeckel]; for in the judgment - of some here it compares favourably with the grandest efforts of - Beethoven. Such a work ought to be heard several times before its - beauties can be fully perceived. - - Wagner day by day becomes to me the beacon-light of the future; his - depth of thought, his daring philosophical investigations, his - unrestrained criticism, startle one out of the every-day optimism - of the Dresden surroundings. The only ready ear besides myself is - Semper, who, however, agrees with Wagner's outbursts only so far as - they are applicable to his own art, architecture, as in music he is - but a dilettante. Much of Wagner's earnestness in his demands for - improvement in art matters is attributed by the opposition to - self-glorification. At the head of it stands Reissiger, who can not - and will not accept the success of "Rienzi" as _bona fide_. He is - forever hinting at some nefarious means, and cannot understand why - his own operas should fail with the same public, unless, indeed, - he stupidly adds, it is because he neglected to surround himself - with a "life-guard of claqueurs"; but he was a true German, and - against such malpractices. You can imagine how such things annoy - Wagner; and although he eventually laughs, it is not until they - have left a scar somewhere. For myself, I wonder how he can mind - such stuff. I keep it always from him, but nevertheless it always - seems to reach him; and Minna is not capable of withholding either - praise or blame from him, although I have tried hard to prove to - her that it affects her husband deeply, whose health is none of the - strongest. Another annoyance is the Leipzic clique, with - Mendelssohn at the head, or, to put the matter into the right - light, as the ruling spirit. He gives the watchword to the clique, - and then sneaks out of sight, as if he lived in regions too refined - and sublime to bother himself about terrestrial affairs. But the - worst sore is that coming from our intendant. He has not the shadow - of an idea upon music; takes all his initiative from current - phrases learnt by heart; he is the veriest type of a courtier, and - hates nothing so much as "revolutionary" suggestions from a - subordinate, for as such he rates the conductors, nor has he a - glimpse of discernment as to their relative merits, and finding - Reissiger always ready to bow to his aristocratic acumen, he - evidently thinks him the more gifted. The matter is not made better - by the bitter tone of the press, which, arrogating to itself the - office of defenders of true art, smites heavily the "iconoclast - Wagner." Schladebach leads them, and unfortunately, his prominent - position inspires courage in scribblers. - - * * * * * - - We have had a very interesting event here. Spontini came to conduct - his "Vestal." It was done twice. He is a composer who has said what - he had to say in his own manner. He commands respect, is full of - dignity and amiability. Wagner had trained the orchestra well; his - respectful bearing to the veteran composer incited them to exert - themselves heart and soul. The result was a very satisfactory - rendering. But after the second performance, a peremptory order - came from Luttichorn, that the "Vestal" was not to be repeated, and - Wagner was to convey the decision to Spontini. Wagner prayed me to - accompany him; first, because he does not speak French so fluently - as I do; and secondly, since Spontini had shown himself very - friendly towards me, and it was hoped my presence might calm the - composer's expected anger, for Spontini is known for his - irritability on such occasions. We went. The time was most - opportune, for as a new dignity had just been conferred upon him by - the Pope, his vanity was so flattered that he listened with - unruffled temper to what was, for him, unpleasant news. - - DECEMBER, 1844. - -Perhaps the event of the year was the removal of the remains of Weber -from London to Dresden. An earnest committee had been working some time -towards this end; concerts and operatic performances had been given in -Germany and subscription lists opened to provide the necessary funds. -Wagner was truly enthusiastic in the matter, but August Roeckel merits -equal tribute. It was arranged that the deceased musician's eldest son, -Max von Weber, should come to London to carry out the necessary -arrangements. He came in June, 1844, and was the guest of Edward -Roeckel. We met daily. Max von Weber was a bright, intelligent man. -Enthusiastic for the cause, I accompanied him everywhere, soliciting -subscriptions from compatriots in this country and interviewing the -authorities to facilitate the removal. - -August Roeckel writes:-- - -[Sidenote: _AT THE GRAVE OF WEBER._] - - All Dresden was in excitement; the event produced a profound - sensation. The body was received by us all. We had been rehearsing - for some time a funeral march arranged by Wagner from themes in - "Euryanthe." The loving care bestowed by Wagner on the rehearsals - touched every one. It was clear that his whole heart was in the - work. His own opinion is that he never succeeded in anything as in - this. The soft, appealing tones of the wood-wind were wonderfully - pathetic, and when the march was performed in the open air, - accompanying the body, not a member of the cortge or bystander but - was moved. And then the scene at the grave! Schulz delivered an - oration, and Richard Wagner too. Wagner had composed and written - his out. Think of the care! He wished to avoid being led away at - the sight of the mourners' grief, and the great concourse which was - sure to be present, and so he learned his speech by heart. The - impression produced upon me was such a one as I never before - experienced. Deep sympathy reigned everywhere; all the musicians - adored Weber; and the towns-people, members of whom had known that - lovable man personally, did honour to Germany's great son, for - national sentiment played an important part in the matter. You know - that in ordinary conversation, the strong accent of the Leipzic - dialect is the common speech of Richard Wagner, but when delivering - his oration, his utterance was pure German, his measured periods - were declaimed in slow, clear, ringing tones, showing unmistakable - evidence of histrionic power. As an effort of will it was - remarkable, and surprised all his intimate friends. - -This curious and interesting feature of dropping the somewhat harsh -Leipzic accent and delivering himself in the purest German remained with -Wagner to the last. On all what might be termed state occasions, when -addressing an assembly his speech was clear, measured, and dignified; -not a trace of his Leipzic accent was observable. It should be explained -that the Leipzic accent is a sort of sing-song, almost whining -utterance, with as strongly marked a pronunciation compared to pure -German as that of a broad Somerset dialect to pure English. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -1845. - - -The story of the composition of "Tannhuser," poem and music, is a -forcible illustration of the proverb, that the life of a man is -reflected in his works. Of the music and the performance of "Tannhuser" -in October, 1845, at Dresden, I wrote a notice for a London periodical, -called the "English Gentleman." This was the first time, I believe, that -Wagner's name was mentioned in England. They were exciting times, and it -is of exceptional interest at this epoch to reflect upon the judgment of -the composer at the birth of "Tannhuser." - -When the legend first engaged Wagner's attention, with a view to its -composition, he was not thirty years old. It will be remembered that the -transformation from Paris poverty to a comparative Dresden luxury -infused new life into him. He tells me, "I resolved to throw myself into -a world of excitement, to enjoy life, and taste fully its pleasures." -And he did. It was in this mood of feverish excitation that the Venus -love invaded him. His state was one of intense nervous tension. The poem -was worked out, but not in the shape we now have it. The end was -subsequently changed. The poetry and music simmered in his brain for -three years. He began elated, filled with sensations of ecstasy. He -ended dejected, fearing that death would intervene before the last notes -were written. - -[Sidenote: _THE WRITING OF "TANNHUSER."_] - -Now wherein lies the explanation of this? Let me recount briefly his -life during these three years, and the reason will at once be perceived. -He had opened his Dresden career with brilliancy. "Rienzi" had proved a -great success; he had been appointed conductor to the court, a -competence of 1500 thalers or 225 yearly was guaranteed him, and his -horizon seemed brighter;--but the reverse soon began to show itself. The -"Dutchman," by which he had hoped to increase his reputation, proved a -failure; even "Rienzi" was refused outside Dresden, and the press was -violently inimical. His excited sanguine temperament had received a -grievous shock. At Berlin, the "Dutchman" proved so abortive, that he -took counsel with himself, and resolved that this "Tannhuser" should -not be written for the world, but for those who had shown themselves in -sympathy with him. As "Tannhuser" neared its completion, his state grew -more morbid and desponding. His only solace, outside Roeckel, was his -dog. It was a common saying with Wagner that his dog helped him to -compose "Tannhuser." It seems that when at the piano, at which he -always composed, singing with his accustomed boisterousness, the dog, -whose constant place was at his master's feet, would occasionally leap -to the table, peer into his face, and howl piteously. Then Wagner would -address his "eloquent critic" with, "What? it does not suit you?" and -shaking the animal's paw, would say, quoting Puck, "Well, I will do thy -bidding gently." - -[Sidenote: _THE REVOLUTION OF 1849._] - -During the composition Tichatschek, who was to impersonate the hero, -practised such portions as were already written. His enthusiasm was -unbounded, and with Roeckel, he urged the Dresden management to provide -special scenery. The appeal was responded to, and painters were even -brought from Paris. On the 19th October, 1845, the opera was performed, -Johanna Wagner, aged nineteen, the daughter of his brother Albert, -singing the part of Elizabeth. As an illustration of Richard Wagner's -thoroughness and attention to detail, I would mention that for this -performance he wrote a prefatory notice to the book of words, in which -he explained the purport of the story, with the object of ensuring a -better understanding of the drama by the public. The performance, alas, -was only a partial success, nor was a second representation, given -within a fortnight, any more successful. The music was unlike anything -heard before. It was noised abroad that passages had been written for -the first violins which were unplayable, and the audience listened -expectantly for the "scramble." No doubt there were violin passages as -difficult as original, but the heart of the leader, Lipenski, was in his -work, and he set himself so earnestly to teach individually each -violinist difficult phrases, even carefully noting the fingering, that -the performance was anything but a "scramble." Then the critics -ridiculed the hundred and forty-two bars of repetition in the overture -for the violins. This confession of superficial intellect was not -confined to Dresden critics; a dozen years later, that sound musician, -Lindpaintner, expressed the opinion to me that the first eight bars of -the overture were "sublime," but that the remainder was all "erratic -fiddling." Such were the criticisms (?) passed upon the work. Wagner saw -there was no hope of its acceptation elsewhere, and thinking to bring it -prominently before Germany, wrote in the following year for permission -to dedicate the work to the king of Prussia. The reply was to the effect -that if he would arrange portions of it for military performance, it -might in that manner be brought to the notice of the king, and perhaps -his request complied with. It is needless to say Wagner did nothing of -the kind, and "Tannhuser" sank temporarily into oblivion. - -As the part which Richard Wagner played in the Revolution of 1848-49 is -of absorbing interest, the incidents which led up to it are of -importance to be carefully noted. The first sign of the coming -opposition to the government appeared in 1845. In itself it was slight, -when we think of the terrible struggle that was shortly to be carried on -with such desperation, but it shows the embers of revolt in Wagner, -which were later fanned into a glowing flame by the patriot, August -Roeckel. Wagner's heart, as that of all men, revolted at the cause, but -had it not been for the "companion of my solitude," as Wagner calls -Roeckel, he would never have taken so active a part in the struggle for -liberty. Upon this part, I cannot lay too much stress. - -Throughout Saxony, a feeling had been growing against the restraint of -the Roman Catholic ritual. One Wronger, a Roman Catholic priest, -proposed certain revisions and modifications. To this the Dresden court, -steadfastly ultramontane, offered violent opposition, and Duke Johann, -brother of the king, showed himself a prominent defender of the faith. - -The struggle was precipitated by the following incident. In his capacity -as general commandant of the Communal guard, the Duke entered Leipzic -one day in August, to review the troops. He and his staff were -received, on the parade ground, by a large concourse of spectators with -such chilling silence that, losing command of himself, the Duke at once -broke off the projected review. Later in the day, while at an hotel on -the city boulevard, some street urchins marched up and down singing, -"Long live Wronger." In a moment a tumult arose, upon which the royal -guard stationed outside the hotel, by whose order is not known, fired -upon the citizens promenading in the town. "The street," writes Roeckel, -"was bathed in blood." This caused a tremendous stir throughout Saxony. -This wanton act of butchery was openly denounced by Roeckel and Wagner, -in terms so emphatic that they were called upon to offer some sort of -apology to the court. The two friends arranged a meeting with Reissiger, -Fisher, and Semper, when the subject was discussed, with the result that -it was deemed advisable, while holding service under the court, to -express regret at the exuberance of the language, and the matter was -allowed to drop. But it rankled in Wagner. His position of a servitor -was irksome; he became restive in his royal harness, and vented his -annoyance in anonymous letters to the papers. From this time his -interest in the political situation increased; continually stimulated by -Roeckel, his sympathies were always with the people, his pen ready to -support his feelings. And so the time wore on till the outbreak of 1848. - -[Sidenote: _BEETHOVEN'S "NINTH SYMPHONY."_] - -In the spring of 1846 an event occurred which had a great deal to do -with my subsequent introduction of Wagner to the London public. It was -his conducting of the "Ninth Symphony." A custom existed in Dresden, of -giving annual performances on Palm Sunday for the benefit of the -pension fund of the musicians of the royal opera. Two works were usually -produced, one a symphony, the two conductors dividing the office of -conductor. This year the symphony fell to Wagner, and he elected to -perform the "Choral." When a youth he had copied it entirely at Leipzic, -knew it almost by heart, and regarded it as the greatest of Beethoven's -works, the one in which the great master had felt the inadequacy of -instrumental music to express what he wished to convey, and that the -accents of the human voice were imperatively necessary for its full and -complete realization. When it became known what symphony had been -selected the orchestra revolted. They implored Wagner to produce -another. The ninth had been done under Reissiger and proved a failure, -in which verdict Reissiger had agreed, himself going so far as to -describe that sublime work as "pure nonsense." But Wagner was -inexorable. The band, fearing poor receipts, sought the aid of Intendant -Luttichorn: to no purpose, however. Wagner's mind was made up, and he -set to work with his usual thoroughness and earnestness. To avoid -expense he borrowed the orchestral parts from Leipzic, learned the -symphony by heart, and went through all the band parts himself, marking -the nuances and tempi. As to rehearsals, he was unrelenting. For the -double basses he had special meetings, would sing and scream the parts -at them. He increased the chorus by choir-boys from neighbouring -churches, and worked for the success of the performance with an energy -hitherto unknown. To Roeckel he detailed the practice of the best -portion of the band, whilst he persisted with the less skilful. The -result was a performance as successful financially as artistically. -More money was taken than at any previous concert, and the fame of -Richard Wagner increased mightily. This performance brings out -prominently certain features in Wagner's character which enable us to -see how, through subsequent reverses, he was able to achieve success. -First, witness his courage and indomitable will in overcoming the -obstacles of Luttichorn's opposition and the ill-will of the orchestra, -the want of funds; then his earnestness and care in committing the score -to memory, his energy at rehearsals, his forethought and wondrous grasp -of detail evident in the programme he wrote explaining the symphony, and -his untiring efforts to succeed. Such points of character show of what -material the man was made, how in all he did he was thorough, and how -firmly impressed with the conviction that he must succeed. - -[Sidenote: _THE FASHIONABLE OPERA._] - -The analytical remarks he appended to the symphony were not those that -the musical world now know as Richard Wagner's programme, but a shorter -and more discursive exposition. The year was 1846, but two from the -revolution. The spirit of the brotherhood of nations was in the air, and -the references of Schiller to this world's bond of union were seized by -Wagner as presenting the means of contemplating Beethoven's work from a -more exalted elevation than that of an ordinary symphony. It was -currently known that the poet had originally addressed his "Ode to -Liberty! the beautiful spark of heaven," but that the censor of the -press had struck out "Freiheit" (liberty), and Schiller had substituted -"Freude" (joy). The sentiment, then, was one shared by all, and there -can be no question that the success of the final chorus was as much -owing to the inspiriting language as to the tonal interpretation. - -Of recent years much has been said of Wagner's attitude towards the -opinions upon Italian opera. The years he served at the conductor's desk -at Dresden, at the period when the sap of his art ambition was rising -rapidly, truly brought him into intimate acquaintance enough with the -fashionable works of French and Italian masters, but his resentment, I -can vouch, was not directed against the composer. He often and often -pointed out to me what, in his opinion, were passages which seemed to -betoken the presence of real gift. What he did regret was that their -faithful adherence to an illogical structure should have crippled their -natural spontaneity. That the talent of the orchestra, too, should be -thrown away on puerile productions annoyed him. But Wagner was nothing -if not practical, and after a season of light opera, the conducting of -which was shared by Reissiger and Roeckel, he writes, "After all, the -management are wise in providing just that commodity for which there is -demand." When his own "Tannhuser" was produced with its new ending, he -was charged in the press with being governed too much by reflection, -that his work lacked natural flow, that he was domineered by reasoning -at the expense of feeling. To this Wagner replied in very weighty words, -significant of the thought which always governed the earnest artist, -"The period of an unconscious productivity has long passed: an art work -to endure the process of time, and to satisfy the high culture which is -around us, must be solidly rooted in reason and reflection." Such -utterances are clearly traceable to his elevated appreciation of poetry -and keen reasoning faculties. - -"Lohengrin," beyond contradiction the most popular of all Wagner's -operas, or music-dramas, for it should be well remembered that Wagner in -all his literary works up to the last persistently applies the term -"opera" to "Lohengrin," and its two immediate predecessors, whilst -music-drama was not employed until 1851, and then only for compositions -subsequent to that period. The popularity of "Lohengrin" is not confined -to its native soil, Germany, but all Europe, England, Russia, Italy, -Spain, Portugal, and Denmark (shameful to add, France alone excepted), -and America and Australia, have received it with acclamations. And why? -The secret of it? For learned musicians too, anti-Wagnerians though they -be, accepted it. From notes in my possession, I think the explanation -becomes clear. Wagner writes at that time, "Music is love, and in my -projected opera melody shall stream from one end to the other." The -form, too, does not break from traditions. It is the border between the -old and new. When "Lohengrin" was composed, not one of his theoretical -works had been penned. He was untrammelled then. The principles upon -which his subsequent works were based can only be applied, he says, to -the first three operas "with very extensive limitations." Hence he -satisfies the orthodox in their two fundamental principles, "form and -melody." "Lohengrin" is a love-poem; to Wagner, then, music was love, -and he was intent on writing melody as then understood throughout the -new work. - -[Sidenote: _AT WORK ON "LOHENGRIN."_] - -The network of connection that exists between Wagner's opera texts, is -but one of the many examples which might be adduced of the sequential -thought characteristic of the composer. Each was suggested by its -predecessor. The contest of the Minnesingers' "Tannhuser" was naturally -followed by the story of the Mastersingers, first sketched in 1845, the -year of the "Tannhuser" performance, and then Elsa the love-pendant of -innocence and purity to the material, voluptuous Venus. - -In this story of "Lohengrin," Wagner wavered for a time whether the hero -should not remain on earth with Elsa. This ending he was going to adopt, -Roeckel informs me, out of deference to friends and critics, but Wagner -told me that Roeckel argued so eloquently for the return of Lohengrin to -his state of semi-divinity, that to permit the hero to lead the life of -a citizen would clash harshly with the poetic aspect, and so Wagner, -strengthened in his original intention, reverted to his first -conception. Allusion is made to this by Wagner in "A Commutation to my -Friends," written in Switzerland, 1851; the friend there referred to is -August Roeckel. - -During the composition of "Lohengrin" Wagner was at deadly strife with -the world. He flattered where he despised. He borrowed money where he -could. Just then the world was all black to Wagner. Of no period of his -life can it be said that Wagner managed his finances with even ordinary -care. He always lived beyond his means. Though he was in receipt of 225 -a year from the Dresden theatre, a respectable income for that period be -it remembered, he did not restrict his expenses. And so his naturally -irritable temperament was intensified and he resolutely threw himself -into the "Lohengrin" work, determined not to write for a public whose -taste was vitiated by "theatres having no other purpose but amusement," -but to pour his soul out in the love-strains with which his heart was -bursting. The original score shows that the order of composition was Act -III, I, II, and the prelude last, the whole covering a period of eleven -months, from September, 1846, to August, 1847. It was unusual for Wagner -to compose in this manner; indeed, as far as I am aware, it was the only -work so written. - -At the time Wagner was meditating upon the "Lohengrin" music, when it -was beginning to assume a definite shape in his mind, weighed down with -the feeling of being "rejected" by his countrymen and depressed in -general circumstances, the following letter, written to his mother, -throws a charming sidelight upon Wagner, the man. The deep filial -tenderness and poetic sentiment that breathe throughout it, touch and -enchant us. - -[Sidenote: _A LETTER TO HIS MOTHER._] - - MY DARLING MOTHER: It is so long since I have congratulated you on - your birthday, that I feel quite happy to remember it once at the - right time, which I have, alas, in the pressure of circumstances, - so often overlooked. To tell you how intensely it delights me to - know you body and soul among us; to press your hand from time to - time; and to recall the memory of my own youth so lovingly tended - by you. It is the consciousness that you are with us that makes - your children feel one family. Thrown hither and thither by fate, - forming new ties, they think of you, dearest mother, who have no - other ties in this world than those which bind you to your - children. And so we are all united in you: we are all your - children. May God grant thee this happiness for years yet to come, - and keep you in health and strength to see your children prosper - until the end of your time. - - When I feel myself oppressed and hindered by the world, always - striving, rarely enjoying complete success, oft a prey to - annoyances through failure, and wounded by the rough contact with - the outer world, which, alas, so rarely responds to my inner wish, - nothing remains to me but the enjoyment of nature. I throw myself - weeping into her arms. She consoles me, and elevates me, whilst - showing how imaginary are all those sufferings that trouble us. If - we strive too high, Nature shows us that we belong to her, are her - outgrowth, like the trees and plants, which, developing themselves - from her, grow and warm themselves in the sun of heaven, enjoy the - strengthening freshness, and do not fade or die till they have - thrown out the seed which again produces germs and plants, so that - the once created lives an eternity of youth. - - When I feel how wholly I belong also to nature, then vanishes every - selfish thought, and I long to shake every brother-man by the hand. - How can I then help yearning for that mother from whose womb I came - forth, and who grows weaker while I increase in strength? How do I - smile at those societies which seek to discover why the loving ties - of nature are so often bruised and torn asunder. - - My darling mother, whatever dissonances may have sounded between - us, how quickly and completely have they disappeared. It is like - leaving the mist of the city to enter into the calm retreat of the - wooded valley, where, throwing myself upon mossy earth, with eyes - turned towards heaven, listening to the songsters of the air, with - heart full, the tear unchecked starts forth, and I involuntarily - stretch my hand towards you, exclaiming, "God protect thee, my - darling mother; and when He takes thee to Himself, may it be done - mildly and gently." But death is not here: you live on through us; - and a richer and more eventful life perhaps awaits you through us - than yours ever could have been. Therefore, thank God who has so - plentifully blessed you. - - Farewell, my darling mother, - -Your son, - -RICHARD. - - DRESDEN, 19th September, 1846. - -It was well for Wagner that his mind was occupied with the composition -of "Lohengrin" during 1846-47, for by the summer of the latter year the -pressure of circumstances had become so acute that notwithstanding his -exceptional elasticity of spirits the mental worry must have resulted in -a more distressing depression than that which we know did take hold of -him. This exuberance of youthful frolic is an important characteristic -of Wagner. It was his sheet anchor, a refuge from annoyances that would -have incisively irritated or crushed another. True, he would burst into -a passion at first,--there is no denying his passionate nature,--but it -was of short duration and once over the boisterous merriment of a -high-spirited school-boy succeeded. Though deeply wounded, as only -finely strung sensitive natures can be, he was quick to recover, and -whilst animadverting upon the denseness of those who slighted his art, -he distorted the incident and treated it as worthy of affording fun -only. Wagner identified himself with his art body and soul, his breath -of life was art, his pulse throbbed for art, and to wound him was -insulting art. His success was the triumph of art, and the sacrifices -his friends made of mental energy, wealth, and time were regarded by him -but as votive offerings to the altar of the divine art, honouring the -donor. Then when his scores of "Rienzi," the "Dutchman," and -"Tannhuser" were returned unopened by managers, he turned with -undiminished ardour upon "Lohengrin," doubting his capacity to realize -in tones his feelings, but with dauntless fortitude to write his -"love-music" for the glory of art, conscious that its scenic -interpretation was, for the present at least, a very improbable -circumstance. - -[Sidenote: _PUBLISHING THREE OPERAS._] - -What, in Wagner's character at all times, inspires our admiration is his -courage. "He never knew when he was beaten." Weighed down with monetary -difficulties,--though his poor means were made rich by the wealth of -love and ready invention of Minna, whose patience and self-denial he was -always ready to extol,--with a cloudy art horizon, he sought to approach -the great public in a more direct manner than by stage representations, -by publishing the three operas already composed. It was not a difficult -matter; he was a local celebrity, and on the strength of his reputation -he entered into an engagement with a Dresden firm, Messrs. Meser and Co. -The large initial cost was borne by the firm, but the liability was -Wagner's. Messrs. Meser and Co. predicted a success, and risking -nothing, or comparatively nothing, urged the issue of "Rienzi," -"Dutchman," and "Tannhuser." The contract was signed, the works were -produced, but alas, the forecast was pleasant to the ear but breaking in -the hope. There was absolutely no sale, and claims were soon preferred -on the luckless composer for the cost of production. Of course they -could not be met. Wagner had no available funds, his income was -insufficient for his daily needs, and so he borrowed, borrowed where he -could, sufficient to temporarily appease the publishers. This debt, paid -by instalments, hung over him as a black cloud for years, always -breaking when he was least equal to meet it. How he has stormed at his -folly, and regretted his heedlessness of the future, but the demand met, -his tribulation was immediately forgotten. A brother of mine, passing -through Dresden in 1847, wrote to me of his surprise at the state of -Wagner's finances, and of the sum that was necessary to keep him afloat, -which under my direction was immediately supplied. - -It was then that Wagner wrote to me: "Try and negotiate for the sale of -my opera 'Tannhuser' in London. If there be no possibility of -concluding a bargain, and gaining a tangible remuneration for me, -arrange that some firm shall take it so as to secure the English -copyright." I went off at once to my friend Frederick Beale, the head of -the house Cramer, Beale and Co., now Cramer and Co. Though Frederick -Beale was an enthusiast in art, with a sense beyond that of the ordinary -speculator in other men's talent, yet "he could not see his way to -publishing 'Tannhuser.'" I knew Beale would have done much for me, our -relations being of so intimate a character, but the times "were out of -joint," his geniality had just then led him to accept much that proved a -financial loss to the firm, and so the work which, as time now shows, -would have produced a future, was rejected, yes, rejected, though on -behalf of Wagner I offered it _for nothing_. It is the old, old story; -Carlyle offering his "Sartor Resartus" for nothing, Schubert his songs, -etc., etc., and rejected as valueless by the purblind publisher. The -publisher invariably is the man of his period; he is incapable of seeing -beyond his age, and thrusts aside the genius who writes for futurity. -"Wouldst thou plant for eternity?" asks Carlyle, "then plant into the -deep, infinite faculties of man, his fantasy and heart; wouldst thou -plant for a year and a day? then plant into his shallow, superficial -faculties, his self-love and arithmetical understanding." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -1848. - - -I now come to perhaps the most important period in Richard Wagner's -life, full of deep interest in itself, and pregnant with future good to -our art. Additional interest is further attached to it because of the -incomplete or inaccurate accounts given by the many Wagner biographers. -For this shortcoming, this unsatisfactory treatment, Wagner is himself -to blame. He has left behind him rich materials for an almost exhaustive -biography; he was a man of great literary power, a clear and full -writer, and yet, with reference to the part he played in the revolution -in Saxony, of 1848-49, he is singularly, I could almost say -significantly, silent, or, when he does allude to it, his references are -either incomplete or misleading. - -Wagner was an active participator in the so-called Revolution of 1849, -notwithstanding his late-day statements to the contrary. During the -first few of his eleven years of exile his talk was incessantly about -the outbreak, and the active aid he rendered at the time, and of his -services to the cause by speech, and by pen, prior to the 1849 May days; -and yet in after-life, in his talk with me, I, who held documentary -evidence, under his own hand, of his participation, he in petulant tones -sought either to minimize the part he played, or to explain it away -altogether. This change of front I first noticed about 1864, at Munich. -But before stating what I know, on the incontestable evidence of his own -handwriting, his explicit utterances to me, the evidence of -eyewitnesses, and the present criminal official records in the -procs-verbal Richard Wagner, of his relations with the reform movement -(misnamed the Revolution); I will at once cite one instance of his--to -me--apparent desire to forget the part he enacted during a trying and -excited period. - -Wagner was a member of a reform union; before this body he read, in -June, 1848, a paper of revolutionary tendencies, the gist of which was -abolition of the monarchy, and the constitution of a republic. This -document, of somewhat lengthy proportions, harmless in itself, which was -printed by the union, constituted part of the Saxon government -indictment against Richard Wagner. From 1871-1883 Wagner edited his -"Collected Writings," published by Fritsch, of Leipzic, in eleven -volumes; these include short sketches on less important topics, written -in Paris, in 1841, but this important and interesting statement of his -political opinions is significantly omitted. Comment is needless. - -[Sidenote: _THE REVOLUTION AGAIN._] - -To help in forming an accurate judgment of Richard Wagner's -"revolutionary tendencies" (?) a slight sketch of the outbreak, its -objects, and the means employed, will be of assistance. Secondly, as the -head and front of Wagner's offending, according to the government, -rested on a letter he had written from Dresden to August Roeckel at -Prague, on the first day of the rise, which letter was unfortunately -found on Roeckel when taken prisoner, references to Roeckel's -participation will be necessary. Indeed, from an intimate knowledge of -the two men, I place my strong conviction on record, that had it not -been for August Roeckel, the patriot, Wagner, revolutionary demagogue, -would never have existed nor have been expatriated. True and undoubted -it is, that Richard Wagner's nature was of the radical reformer's type, -but in these matters he was cautious, and would not have played the -prominent part he did, had it not been for the stirring appeals of "the -friend who sacrificed his art future for my sake." The feeling already -existed in him; it was fanned into a glowing flame by his colleague, -Roeckel. When aroused, Wagner was not the spirit to falter. - -Wagner has often been charged with base ingratitude towards his king. -The accusation is absurd, and proceeds solely from ignorance, forsooth, -indeed, it is disproved emphatically in the very revolutionary paper -which forms part of the official government indictment against him. -Although he therein argues in favour of a republic, his personal -references to the king of Saxony are inspired by feelings of reverential -affection. Wagner was no common trickster, or prevaricator, and when he -speaks of the "pure virtues" of the king, "his honourable, just, and -gentle character," of the "noblest of sovereigns," we may unhesitatingly -acquit him of any personal animosity. He even seems to have had a -prophetic instinct of this charge, and meets it by, "He who speaks this -to-day, and ... is most firmly convinced that he never proved his -fidelity to the oath of allegiance he took to the king, on accepting -office, more than on the day he penned this address." - -[Sidenote: _HIS INCENDIARY PAPER._] - -In the year 1848 the kingdom of Saxony, and other German principalities, -were in a state of much unrest. The outbreak of the French Revolution -caused an onward movement, and the German people clamoured for -constitutional government, and demanded (1) freedom of the press, (2) -trial by jury, (3) national armies, and (4) political representatives. A -deputation set out from Leipzic, in February, 1848, and pleaded -personally before the king of Saxony. He replied by a more rigorous -press censorship. The people congregated in thousands before the Leipzic -town hall, to hear the royal reply read. Enraged at the refusal of their -requests, and at the tone of that refusal, they determined on sending a -second deputation. Wagner was present when this arrived. They no longer -prayed, but plainly told the king that the press was free, demanded -another minister, and intimated that if the freedom was not officially -recognized, Leipzic would march _en masse_ on Dresden. Six other towns -then sent deputations; the king was advised not to receive them, but -they forced their way to the presence chamber, which the king left by -another door, exclaiming, "I will not listen--go!" As a reply to such -unwise treatment, Wagner's townsmen prepared to make good their words, -and marched on Dresden. Prussian aid was sought, and promptly given, -troops mobilizing on the northern frontier, the Saxon soldiery being -despatched to surround Leipzic. Other towns arranged mass deputations to -the king, who despatched a minister to report on the attitude of -Leipzic. The report came, "The people are determined and orderly." The -whole report was favourable to the town; upon which, the king changed -his ministers, abolished the press censorship, instituted trial by jury, -and promised a reform of the electoral laws. The people became -delirious with joy, and received the king everywhere with acclamations. - -It was during these stirring times that Wagner and Roeckel became -members of the "Fatherland Union," a reform institution with a modest -propaganda. The Union was really a federation of existing reform and -political institutions, adopting for its motto, "The will of the people -is law," leaving the question of a republic or a monarchy an open one. - -There was plenty of enthusiasm and strong determination among members of -the Union, but they lacked organization. The drift of the government's -attitude was clear, seemingly conciliatory, but really more oppressive. -The Union felt that until the electoral laws were altered and national -armies instituted, the people would never be in a position to cope with -the government. It was not that they desired the abolition of the -monarchy so much as the acknowledgment that capable, law-abiding -citizens had a right to a voice in the selection of their rulers. The -Union had its own printing-press, and distributed largely political -leaflets, a proceeding carried on openly, though the members knew -themselves exposed to every hazard. - -It is a fact that one of the best papers read before the members of the -Union was written by Richard Wagner. It was not possible that a man of -Wagner's excitable temperament, with his love of freedom, his -deep-rooted sympathy with the masses, would have joined such a society -without actively exerting himself to further its objects. In his heart -he was not a revolutionist, he had no wish to overturn governments, but -his principles were decidedly utilitarian, and to secure these he did -not scruple to urge the abolition of the monarchy, although represented -by a prince he dearly loved. His argument was delivered against the -office and not against the man. Among the many reforms he advocates in -this paper are two to which democratic England has not yet attained: (1) -manhood suffrage without limitation or restriction of any kind, and (2) -the abolition of the second chamber. Though he urges the substitution of -a republic for a monarchy, he strives at the impossible task of proving -that the king can still be the first, the head of a republic, and that -the name only would be changed, and that he would enjoy the heart's love -of a whole people in place of a varnished demeanour of courtiers. His -paper was read on the 16th June, 1848, before the Fatherland Union. It -was ordered to be printed and circulated among the various federated -societies. A copy of this paper was sent to me, of which I give a -translation here. It will be noted that it is not signed Richard Wagner -but only "A Member of the Fatherland Union." This mattered not, as the -author was well known, and when Wagner was numbered among those accused -by the government, this paper was filed as part of the indictment -against him. It is entitled:-- - -"What is the Relation that our Efforts bear to the Monarchy?" and is as -follows:-- - -[Sidenote: "_STRIP HIM OF HIS TINSEL._"] - - As it is desirable that we become perfectly clear on this point, - let us first closely examine the essence of republican - requirements. Do you honestly believe that by marching resolutely - onward from our present basis we should very soon reach a true - republic, one without a king? Is this your deliberate opinion, or - do you say so only to delude the timorous? Are you so ignorant, or - do you intentionally purpose to mislead? - - Let me tell you to what goal our republican efforts are tending. - - Our efforts are for the good of all and are directed towards a - future in which our present achievements will be but as the first - streak of moonlight. With this object kept steadily in view, we - should insist on the overthrow of the last remaining glitter of - aristocracy. As the aristocracy no longer consists of feudal lords - and masters who can enslave and bodily chastise us at their will, - they would do wisely to obliterate old grievances by relinquishing - the last remnants of class distinction which, at any moment, might - become a Nessus shirt, consuming them if not cast off in time. - - Should they answer us that the memory of their ancestors would - render it impious to resign any privileges inherited by them, then - let them remember also that we too have forefathers, whose noble - deeds of heroism, though not inscribed on genealogical trees, are - yet inscribed--their sufferings, bondage, oppression, and slavery - of every kind--in letters of blood in the unfalsified archives of - the history of the last thousand years. - - To the aristocracy I would say, forget your ancestors, throw away - your titles and every outward sign of courtly favour, and we will - promise you to be generous and efface every remembrance of our - ancestors. Let us be children of one father, brothers of one - family! Listen to the warning--follow it freely and with a good - will, for it is not to be slighted. Christ says, "If thy right eye - offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee, for it is better - that one of thy members should perish than that thy whole body - should be cast into hell." - - And now another point. Once for all, resign the exclusive honour of - ever being in the presence of our monarch. Pray him to cease - investing you with a medley of useless court offices, distinctions, - and privileges; in our time they make the court a subject for - unpleasant reflection. Discontinue to be lords of the chamber and - lords of the robes, whose only utterance is "our king,"--strip him - of his tinsel, lackeys, and flunkeys, frivolous excrescences of a - bad time--the time of Louis the Fourteenth, when all princes sought - to imitate the French monarch. Withdraw from a court which is an - almshouse for idle nobility, and exert yourselves, that it may - become the court of a whole and happy people, which every - individual will enjoy and will be ready to defend, and smile on a - sovereign who is the father of a whole contented people. - - Therefore, do away with the first chamber. There is but one people, - not a first and a second, and they need but one house for their - representation. This house, let it be a simple, noble building, - with an elevated roof, resting on tall and strong pillars. Why - would you disfigure the building by dividing it with a mean - partition, thus causing two confined spaces? - - We further insist upon the unconditional right of every - natural-born subject, when of age, to a vote. The more needy he be, - the more his right, and the more earnestly will he aid in keeping - the laws which he himself assisted in framing and which, - henceforth, are to protect him from any similar future state of - need and misery. Our republican programme further includes a new - system of national defence, in which every citizen capable of - bearing arms shall be enrolled. No standing army. It shall be - neither a standing army nor a militia, nor yet a reduction of the - one nor an increase of the other. It must be a new creation, which - in its process of development, will do away with the necessity of a - standing army as well as a militia. - - [Sidenote: _NOT THREATS, BUT WARNING._] - - And when all who draw breath in our dear German land are united - into one great free people, when class prejudices shall have ceased - to exist, then do you suppose we have reached our goal? Oh, no; we - are just equipped for the beginning. Then will it be our duty to - investigate boldly, with all our reasoning power, the cause of - misery of our present social status, and determine whether man, the - crown of creation, with his high mental abilities and his wonderful - physical development, can have been destined by God to be the - servile slave of inert base metal. We must decide whether money - shall exert such degrading power over the image of God--man--as to - render him the despicable slave of the passions of usury and - avarice. The war against this existing evil will cause neither - tears nor blood. The result of the foregone victory will be a - universal conviction that the highest attainable happiness is - commonwealth, a state in which as many active men as Mother Earth - can supply with food will join in the well-ordered republic, - supporting it by a fair exchange of labor, mutually supplying each - other's wants, and contributing to the universal happiness. Society - must be in a diseased state when the activity of individuals is - restrained and the existing laws imperfectly administered. In the - coming contest we shall find that society will be maintained by - the physical activity of individuals, and we shall destroy the - nebulous notion that money possesses any inherent power. And heaven - will help us to discover the true law by which this shall be - proved, and dispel the false halo with which the unthinking mind - invests this demon money. Then shall we root out the miseries - engendered and nourished by public and secret usury, deceptive - paper money and fraudulent speculations. This will tend to promote - the emancipation of the human race (whilst fulfilling the teachings - of Christ, a simple and clear truism which it is ever sought to - hide behind the glamour of dogma, once invented to appeal to the - feeble understanding of simple-minded barbarians), and to prepare - it for a state towards the highest development of which we are now - tending with clear vision and reason. - - Do you think that you scent in this the teachings of communism? - - Are you then so stupid or wicked as to confound a theory so - senseless as that of communism with that which is absolutely - necessary to the salvation of the human race from its degraded - servitude? Are you not capable of perceiving that the very attempt, - even though it were allowed, of dividing mathematically the goods - of this world, would be a senseless solution of a burning question, - but which attempt, fortunately however, in its complete - impossibility, carries its own death-warrant. But though communism - fails to supply the remedy, will you on that account deny the - disease? Have a care! Notwithstanding that we have enjoyed peace - for thirty-three years now, what do you see around you? Dejection - and pitiful poverty; everywhere the horrid pallor of hunger and - want. Look to it while there is yet time and before it becomes too - late to act! - - Think not to solve the question by the giving of alms; acknowledge - at once the inalienable rights of humanity, rights vouchsafed by - the Omnipotent, or else you may live to see the day that cruel - scorn will be met by vengeance and brute force. Then the wild cry - of victory might be that of communism, and although the - impossibility of any lengthened duration of its principles as a - ruling power can be boldly predicted, yet even the briefest reign - of such a thraldom might be sufficient to expunge for a long time - to come all the advantages of a civilization of two thousand years - old. - - Do you believe I threaten? No; I warn! When by our republican - efforts we shall have solved this most important problem for the - weal of society, and have established the dignity of the freed man, - and established his claim to what we consider his rights, shall we - then rest satisfied? No; then only are we reinvigorated for our - great effort. For when we have succeeded in solving the - emancipation question, thereby assisting in the regeneration of - society, then will arise a new, free, and active race, then shall - we have gained a new mean to aid us towards the attainments of the - highest benefits, and then shall we actively disseminate our - republican principles. - - Then shall we traverse the ocean in our ships, and found here and - there a new young Germany, enriching it with the fruits of our - achievements, and educating our children in our principles of human - rights, so that they may be propagated everywhere. We shall do - otherwise than the Spaniards, who made the new world into a - papistic slaughter-house; we shall do otherwise than the English, - who convert their colonies into huge shops for their own individual - profit. Our colonies shall be truly German, and from sunrise to - sunset we shall contemplate a beautiful, free Germany, inhabited, - as in the mother country, by a free people. The sun of German - freedom and German gentleness shall alike warm and elevate Cossack, - Frenchmen, Bushmen, and Chinese. You see our republican zeal in - this respect has no termination; it pushes on further and further - from century to century, to confer happiness on the whole of the - human race! Do you call this a Utopian dream? When we once set to - work with a good will, and act courageously, then every year shall - throw its light on a good deed of progress. - - But you ask, will all this be achieved under a monarchy? My answer - is that throughout I have persistently kept it in view, but if you - have any doubts of such a possibility, then it is you who pronounce - the monarchical death-warrant. But if you agree with me, and - consider it possible as I realize it, then a republic is the exact - and right thing, and we should but have to petition the king to - become the first and most genuine republican. - - [Sidenote: _THE QUESTION TO BE SOLVED._] - - And who is more called upon to be the most genuine republican than - the king? _Res-publica_ means the affairs of the people. What - individual can be destined more than the king to belong with his - whole soul and mind to the people's affairs? When he has been - convinced of this undeniable truth, what is there possible that - could induce him to lower himself from his exalted position to - become the head of a special and small section only of his people. - - However deeply any republican may feel for the general good, he - never can emulate the feelings of the king, nor become so genuine a - republican, for the king's anxiety is for his people as a whole, - whilst every one of us is, in the nature of things, compelled to - divide his attention between private and public affairs. And in - what would consist a sacrifice, which it might be supposed the king - would have to make in order to effect so grand and noble a change? - Can it be considered a sacrifice for a king to see his free - citizens no longer subjects? This right has been acknowledged and - granted by the new constitution, and he who confirms its justice - and adopts it with fidelity, cannot see a sacrifice in the - abolition of subjects, and the substitution of "free men." Would it - be possible that a monarch could view the loss of the idle, vapid - court attendance, with its surfeit of extinct titles and obsolete - offices, as a sacrifice? What a contemptuous notion we should have - of one of the most gentle-minded, true-hearted princes of our - period, were we to assume that the fulfilment of our wishes - entailed a sacrifice on his part, when we feel convinced that even - a real sacrifice might with safety be expected from him, and the - more so, when it is proved to him that the love of his people - depended on the removal of an obstacle. What gives us the right to - suppose this? that by our interpretation of the feelings of so - exceptional a prince, we are able to infer that he would grant our - request when we could not dare act thus with one of our body? It is - the spirit of our time, the new state of things, that has grown up, - which seems to give to the simplest among us the power of prophecy. - There is a decided pressure for a decision. There are two camps - amongst the civilized nations of Europe; from one we hear the cry - of monarchy; republic, is the cry of the other. - - Will you deny that the time has come when a solution of this - question must be arrived at, a question, the reply to which - embodies all that which, at the present moment, excites human - sympathies down to their lowest depths? Do you mean to say that you - do not recognize the hour as inspired by God, that all this had - been said and attempted before, and would again pass off like a fit - of inebriation, and would fall back into its old place? Well, - then, it would seem as though the heavens had stricken you with - blindness. No; at the present moment we clearly perceive the - necessity of distinguishing between truth and falsehood, and - monarchy as the embodiment of autocracy is a falsehood--our - constitution has proved it to be so. - - All who despair of a reconciliation throw yourselves boldly into - the arms of the republic; those still willing to hope, lift their - eyes for the last time to the points of existing circumstances to - find a solution. The latter see that if the contest be against - monarchy, it is only in isolated cases against the person of the - prince, whilst everywhere war is being waged against the party that - lifts the monarch on a shield, under the cover of which they fight - for their own selfish ends. This is the party that has to be thrown - down and conquered, however bloody the fight. And if all - reconciliation fail, party and prince will simultaneously be hit. - But the means of peace are in the hands of the prince; if he be the - genuine father of his people, and by one single noble resolution he - can plant the standard of peace, there where war seems otherwise - inevitable peace will reign. Let us then cast our glance around, - and seek among the European monarchs those said to be the chosen - instruments of heaven for the great work of paternal government, - and what do we see? A degenerated race, unfit for any noble - calling! What a sight we find in Spain, Portugal, or Naples. What - heartache fills us when we look in Germany, on Hanover, Hesse, - Bavaria. Let us look away from these! God has judged the weak and - wicked; their evils extend from branch to branch. Let us turn our - eyes towards home. There we meet a prince beloved by his people, - not in the old traditional sense, but from a genuine acknowledgment - of his real self, his pure virtues, his honourable, just, and - gentle character; therefore, we cry aloud, "This is the man - Providence has chosen!" - - [Sidenote: _A SELF-DEPOSING KING._] - - If Prussia insists on monarchy, it is to suit its notion of - Prussian destiny, a vain idea that cannot fail to pale soon. If - Austria is of the same mind, it is because she sees in her dynasty - the only means of keeping together a conglomeration of people and - lands thrown into an unnatural whole and which cannot by any - possibility hold together much longer. But if a Saxon chooses - monarchy, it is because he loves his king, is happy in calling such - a prince his own, not from a cold, calculating spirit of - advantage, but from genuine affection. This pure affection shall be - our beacon-light, our guide not only during this troubled state of - things, but for the future and forever. Filled with this - unspeakably grand and important thought, we with inspired - conviction courageously exclaim, "We are republicans!" - - By what we have achieved we are rapidly nearing our goal,--the - republic,--and although much anger and deception attach themselves - still to the name, all doubts can be dispelled by one word from our - sovereign. It is not we who shall proclaim the republic; it will be - our king, the noblest of sovereigns; he shall say:-- - - "I declare Saxony to be a free state, and the first of this free - state shall give to every one the fullest security of his station, - and we further proclaim that the highest power in the land of - Saxony is invested in the royal house of Wettin to descend from - branch to branch by the right of the firstborn. And we swear to - keep the oath that the law shall never be broken, not that our - taking it will be the safeguard of its being kept, for how many - oaths are continually broken to such covenants! No; its safeguard - will be the conviction we had before we took the oath, that the law - will be the beginning of a new era of unchangeable happiness, not - only for Saxony, but the whole of Germany, aye, to all Europe will - it carry the beneficent message." - - He who speaks this to-day, emboldened by inspired hope, is most - firmly convinced that he never proved his fidelity to the oath of - allegiance he took to the king on accepting office more than on the - day he penned this address. Does it appear to you that by this - proposition, _monarchy would be altogether abolished? Yes, so it - would!_ But the kingdom would thereby be emancipated. Do not - deceive yourselves, ye who clamour for "a constitutional monarchy - on the broadest basis." - - You are either not honest in reference to that basis, or if you are - in real earnest, you will torture your artificial monarchy to - death, for every step you take in advancing on that democratic - basis will be an encroachment on the power of the monarch, viz.: - his autocracy; and in this light only can a monarchy be understood, - therefore every step you take in a democratic direction will be a - humiliation to the monarch, since it will bespeak a distrust of his - rule. How can love and confidence prosper in a continual conflict - between totally opposed principles? A monarch cannot fail to be - thwarted and annoyed in a contest in which very often undignified - measures are employed that cannot but produce an unhealthy state of - things. Let us save the monarch from such an unhappy half-life. - _Therefore, let us abolish monarchy altogether_, as autocracy, - _i.e._ sole-reigning, becomes impossible by the strong opposition - of democracy,--the reign of the many,--but, on the other hand, let - us set against this the complete emancipation of royalty. - - At the head of the free state--the republic, the king by lineal - descent, will be what he in the noblest sense should be, viz. the - first of the people, the freest of the free! - - Would this not be the grandest realization of Christ's teaching, - "the highest among you shall be the servant of all," for in serving - and upholding the liberty of all, he raises in himself the - conception of liberty to the highest pinnacle, the divine. The more - earnestly we dive into the annals of German history, the more we - become convinced that the signification of sovereignty, as we have - given it, is but a resuscitated one. The circle of historical - development will be closed when we have adopted it, and its - greatest aberration will be found in the present un-German - conception of monarchy. - - Should we wish to formulate our heartfelt wishes into a petition, - then I am convinced we should have to count our petitions by the - hundred thousands, for their contents would lead to a - reconciliation of contesting parties, at least of all of them that - mean well. But only one signature is wanted here to be conclusive, - that is, the signature of our beloved king, whom from the innermost - depth of our hearts we wish a happier lot than he can at present - enjoy! - -A MEMBER OF THE FATHERLAND UNION. - - 16TH JUNE, 1848. - -[Sidenote: _HE BECOMES A MASKED MAN._] - -It may be supposed with such documents scattered broadcast by a great -political institution, that the government would have shown discretion -and endeavoured to conciliate the people by judicious concessions. Their -action, however, was in the contrary direction. They were well aware -they could crush the people at the first appearance of an outbreak, and -cared not. As long as they had control of the army they felt secure. -This question of natural armies was for the moment pressing. Wagner had -endeavoured to solve it in his paper, but his were more suggestions than -a detailed plan, so his talk with his friend, August Roeckel, led to the -latter attempting a solution. Roeckel took for his basis the various -military organizations in force in Switzerland. His paper was read -before the Fatherland Union, and Wagner told me, he was loudly -applauded. Like his own paper it was printed, and in thousands. He, too, -signed his scheme, "A Member of the Fatherland Union," but it was an -open secret who was the author. The result was that he was dismissed -from his post of assistant court conductor, after five years of service. -The Union then resolved to hold themselves in readiness for extreme -measures, and with that view directed Roeckel to amplify his plan. As -this was a question of technical skill and practical experience, the aid -of officers in the army was sought. The movement was popular with the -troops, and advice was readily forthcoming. The government, becoming -aware of this, at once dismissed all military men who had aided in -formulating the plan. From this time Wagner was what might be termed a -marked man. It was known that "the companion of my solitude" was his -offending assistant director, and means were taken to indicate the -disapprobation of the court. August Roeckel was dismissed in the autumn -of 1848, just at the time all Dresden was celebrating the three-hundred -years' jubilee of its theatre. Among the favours bestowed by the king -were decorations for Chapel Master Reissiger, (a man vastly the inferior -of Wagner) and other subordinates, but Wagner was passed over. The -slight was intentional. - -But a few weeks later Liszt was going to produce "Tannhuser" at Vienna. -To secure as perfect a representation as possible, Jenasst, the Vienna -stage manager, visited Richard Wagner, for consultation, and he relates -how Wagner took him to a meeting of republicans where the men all wore -large hats, and behaved themselves generally in a wild, excited fashion. - -No longer a musician by profession, but engaged entirely in the cause of -the people, August Roeckel founded a small weekly paper called the -"Volksblatte" (People's Paper), naturally supported by the Union; it was -narrowly watched by the government. Occasionally seizures were made, but -no charge was brought against Roeckel. In this Wagner wrote, and I know -that the tenour of his articles was, "Destroy an interested clique of -flatterers who surround the King; and let the royal ear be open to the -prayers of all the people." The government contemplated a prosecution of -Roeckel, but refrained solely because of the difficulty of securing a -conviction. - -[Sidenote: _ROECKEL'S PROMINENCE._] - -In November the _Prussian National Gathering_ was dissolved. This -procedure exasperated the people, upon which Berlin openly announced -that any exhibition of revolt would be at once put down mercilessly by -bayonet and cannon. August Roeckel was appealed to, and he wrote a -letter to the Prussian military authorities on the subject, copies of -which he sent to the public journals. For this the government arrested -him and put him in prison, where he remained three days without trial; -a generous unknown friend, putting ten thousand dollars as bail, secured -his release. Shortly after, he was tried and acquitted, but to this day -it is not known who was the benefactor on that occasion. So popular was -August Roeckel with the people, that on his acquittal, he was met by a -large concourse of friends, to which joined a detachment of Life Guards, -some two dozen, from the barracks close at hand, and headed a procession -through the town. As may be expected, the whole of the troop of soldiers -were tried, punished, and dismissed from the army. I mention this -incident as bearing upon the prominence of Roeckel in the eyes of the -government; and because the charges against Wagner rested on his -friendship with Roeckel, and on papers found at Roeckel's house, -implicating Richard Wagner. - -In the opening winter months of 1848, the air was thick with reform. A -new chamber was to be elected; every one was straining his utmost for -the cause. It was felt that on the result of the elections the fate of -the people rested. The Fatherland Union determined to run as many -candidates of their own as possible, and Roeckel was of the chosen -number. He was elected deputy for Limbach, near Chemnitz, the electors -purchasing and presenting him with the freehold property, which it was -required all members should possess. The result of the elections gave an -overwhelming majority for what were termed the people's candidates. -Roeckel wrote me the result, which was as follows:-- - - Government party, nil seats. - Moderate liberals, one-tenth. - Democratic party, nine-tenths. - -[Sidenote: _A GERMAN NATIONAL THEATRE._] - -The democratic party as a body had pledged itself to a revision of -taxation. It was felt that the new chamber would not trifle with an -iniquitously large court list, nor would it tolerate luxuries on the -civil list. This was openly talked about. Wagner was in distress. The -subsidy granted by the government to the theatre was one of the items of -the civil list; was this to go? He saw Roeckel; there was the man most -fitted to urge the wisdom of retaining the charge. His devotion to the -cause of the masses was unhesitatingly admitted on all hands, and he -knew the theatre and its necessary expenditure better than any one. It -was decided that while Roeckel should work in the chamber, Wagner -should, as conductor, draw out a scheme and submit it to ministers, -independently of his coadjutor. The plan once begun assumed much larger -proportions than was intended for the occasion. It was delivered, and he -heard nothing of it for months, officially, but he knew that the -discussion was being shirked. When it was returned to him, there was -evidence in the shape of pencil-marks that he had been laughed at as a -visionary, anticipating a great measure of reform when it was intended -none should be granted. Communications had been opened up secretly with -the Prussian government, who promised on the first show of discontent to -enter Saxony with their troops and very effectively stamp it out; and so -the king's advisers had no intention of considering any plan the newly -elected chamber might submit. In itself the plan is a marvel of -administrative and constructive ability. He entitled it, "Scheme for the -Organization of a German National Theatre." There are many propositions -advanced in it which are very moot points, in urging which Wagner, in -my judgment, was in error; _e.g._ private enterprise was to be -discountenanced for the reason that an impressario might produce immoral -pieces. To him the theatre was a great educator of a nation, and he -would insist on all theatres being under the direct control of the -government. But apart from this, which is a matter of opinion, the -scheme is a logical and exhaustive treatment of the whole question of -dramatic and vocal art, from the training-school for girls and boys to -their retirement on a pension to be allowed by the government. I will -briefly mention the main features of his plan: (1) Girls to enter -training-schools at fourteen, boys at sixteen, for three years; (2) -curriculum to embrace dancing, fencing, and general culture; (3) pupils -to first appear in the provinces; (4) pensions to be guaranteed, and -innumerable details as to construction of chorus, orchestra, -qualification of directors and instructors, practice, etc. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -1849-1851. - - -The year of the Revolution, Wagner's flight and exile,--to comprehend -the full significance of these three incidents of magnitude, the -condition of society, the determination of the masses, and the unwise -prevarication of the ministry must be understood. Before stating what I -know of Wagner's active participation during the next few exciting -months, I will describe the events themselves, and then treat of Wagner. - -[Sidenote: _LEANING ON A REED._] - -The newly elected chamber met on the 10th January. For weeks they -struggled to make headway. Whatever measure they passed was vetoed or -postponed by the king's advisers. The excuse ever was, "Wait until the -constitution of the Frankfort diet has been promulgated"; or, when the -chamber insisted on reforms as regards the jury system and law -procedure, they were hung up on the miserable plea that the minister of -justice was ill, and could not devote himself to a careful study of the -changes proposed. The constitution as laid down by the federated German -parliament at Frankfort gave to every native German equal civil rights -and freedom of speech and press. Special civil privileges for the -nobility were not recognized; all Germans were to be governed by the -same laws. Out of the thirty-four principalities, twenty-nine had -accepted the enactment wholly, but Saxony held out. The Dresden chamber -resolved on coming to close quarters; they insisted on its official -recognition. Matters were assuming a cloudy aspect, but the king had no -intention of granting what a representative parliament of the whole -German people held to be the just rights of every man. The ministry, -therefore, at the wish of the king, resigned on the 24th February. This -purchased a short period of tranquillity. The new ministry would require -time to examine the question. False hopes were held out, but nothing was -done in the shape of advance or concession. The people refrained from -breaking out, expecting the Frankfort diet to insist on the Saxon -monarch acknowledging the constitution. But they leaned on a reed. The -king of Prussia, aware of the disturbed state of Saxony, sent a note to -the king, intimating that at a word from him he was ready to overrun -Saxony with his soldiers. Thus supported, there was no hope of any -reform passing into Saxon law. And so, on the 23d April, August Roeckel -writes to me, "This day we have passed a vote of want of confidence in -the king's advisers." Five days later, the 28th, I hear again that "the -ministry had the temerity to demand the imposition of a new tax." This -was fiercely resisted, and the king, to bring his unfaithful commons to -their senses, issued a proclamation dissolving the chamber. This -unconstitutional and high-handed act was protested against with -vehemence, and was denounced in plain terms by Roeckel. The chambers -would not dissolve then, but arranged a final meeting two days hence. -Rough work was expected by the ministry; orders were given to confine -all troops to barracks on the 29th April, the day before the final -meeting arranged for; armaments were to be held ready for use. - -On the 3Oth April the angered and excited chambers met. The debate was -stormy, for the members were aware that troops and police were held in -readiness to seize certain of their members, immediately on the rising -of the house. Richard Wagner still held his office under the government. -In a sketch of these exciting days, written and published by Roeckel, at -my instigation, he states that Wagner, by some means, became aware that -his friend Roeckel was to be taken prisoner; at once making his way to -the house, he called Roeckel out, while the debate was in progress. -Deputies had an immunity from arrest while the house was sitting, a -privilege similarly enjoyed by English members of Parliament. - -[Sidenote: _MICHAEL BAKUNIN._] - -Roeckel desired to stay till the end of the sitting. He had long felt, -he says, that the government wished to force a decision by an appeal to -arms, and he was anxious to remain to the last, to hear what the -intentions of the government were. To this Wagner would not listen, but -finding his own entreaties not strong enough, he quickly brought a few -friends together, Hainberger, Bakunin, and Semper, and to their -unanimous decision he gave way. They urged that he should not even go -home to take farewell of his wife and five young children, but escape at -once. The question then was--where? Roeckel proposed Berlin, as he -thought there the revolt would first break out, but Bakunin advised -Prague, where the cause had some staunch friends, as safer. It was -decided then for Prague. Roeckel was to be recalled immediately there -was need for his presence. - -The men who advised this temporary flight were important leaders of the -people during the outbreak. First, Hainberger, son of Herr von -Hainberger, one of the eight imperial councillors of the emperor of -Austria. A musician of gift, his father wished him to enter the law, his -studies in which drove him into the ranks of democracy. He came to -Dresden, and took up his abode with August Roeckel, was a member of the -Fatherland Union, addressed public gatherings, and though but twenty -years of age, was of invaluable service in the organizing (such as it -was) and controlling of the people. He was on the staff, too, of -Roeckel's paper. - -Michael Bakunin, an historic revolutionary figure, was, by birth, a -Russian. Driven into exile by the severity of the laws in his own -country, he had taken refuge in Dresden, where he was hidden by Roeckel. -A man of imposing personality, high and noble-minded, of impassioned -speech, he was one of the greatest figures during those terrible May -days. As gentle and inoffensive as a lamb, his intellect and energy were -called into action by the unjust treatment of the people. He -unfortunately gave Roeckel a letter addressed to the heads of the -movement in Prague, urging no precipitation, but combination, unity of -action. - -Here, for a moment, I must turn aside to the most prominent of Wagner's -biographers, Glasenapp. In vol. I, p. 267, it is stated that Roeckel had -left Dresden to escape the consequences of a law-suit. This is totally -inaccurate. My information is derived from manuscript now before me, -under Roeckel's own hand, and I will produce textually what he says:-- - - I had scarcely been three days in Prague, when a premature outbreak - recalled me. Richard Wagner, whose later long years of persecution - can but find their explanation in that he dared to distinguish - between his duties as a court conductor and his conscience as a - citizen, he who as conductor insisted on being unfettered, had long - since been wearied out in bitter disappointment, by the - non-fulfilment of the promises of 1848. Wagner wrote to me during - the feverish excitement of 3d May. "Return immediately. For the - moment you are not threatened with any danger, but there is a fear - that the excitement will precipitate a premature outbreak." These - last words [Roeckel goes on to add], were held by his judges to - imply a preconcerted plot to overthrow all German princes, whereas - his letter had reference solely to Dresden. The inference was - erroneous. As you know, no organization existed by which the - principalities could be united. - -[Sidenote: _HE MUST HAVE ICE._] - -Simultaneously with this incriminating note from Wagner, a messenger -arrived from Bakunin urging Roeckel to return with all possible speed, -as directing heads were sorely needed, and particularly popular men. -This was on the 4th. He left Prague immediately, arriving outside -Dresden on Sunday, the 6th May, whence he heard the booming of guns, -ringing of church bells, fusillading of musketry, and saw two columns of -fire rising to the sky. From his position, he discerned that one was -from the site of the old opera house. His heart sank. Had the people -grown wild? Were they reckless, and was the grand cause to be lost in -fury and ill-directed efforts? The gates of the town were held open to -him by citizens. He made his way at once to the town hall. In his -patriotism he thought not of wife or children. The streets presented an -appearance akin to the sickening, horrible sight he had seen in Paris -during the July Revolution of 1830,--shops closed, paving-stones doing -duty as barricades, strengthened by overturned carts, etc., etc., a -miscellaneous collection of domestic articles. - -Hurrying along, he came suddenly upon Hainberger. The incident is -curious and characteristic. Rapid inquiries and answers passed. It -appeared that Hainberger was at the same barricades as Richard Wagner, -who, he said, had just returned to the town in charge of a convoy of -provisions, and a strong detachment of peasants, and Hainberger was sent -in search of an ice for the parched Wagner. The significance of this -incident should not be lost sight of. The character of "Wagner as I knew -him" is herein painted accurately in a few lines. He was fond of luxury; -a sort of Oriental craving possessed him; and, whether weighed down with -debt and the horizon obscure, or in the midst of a nation's throes for -liberty, he would appease his luxurious senses. Hainberger was the -messenger, first, because of his devotion, and secondly, because of his -long legs, which enabled him to step over the barricades. - -At the town hall he found the members of the provisional -government--Heubner, Todt, Tzchirner--that had been appointed on the -flight of the king, 4th May. With them were Bakunin and Heinze, a first -lieutenant in the army, who had thrown in his lot with the people, and -took the military lead during the outbreak. Heinze had no means of -communicating his orders to anybody. Every man guarded the post he -thought best, and left it at his discretion. The commander had no notion -how many men he commanded; it was a chaos, a seething medley of -uncontrolled enthusiasm. Up to the 5th May no one had realized the -serious nature of the conflict; masses streamed hither and thither, were -in a rough sort of manner marshalled and directed to defend certain -streets; but it was a terribly unorganized mass, each man fighting as he -thought best. - -[Sidenote: _THE ARREST OF ROECKEL._] - -Roeckel placed himself at the disposal of the provisional government, -and was appointed director of a district,--that in which Wagner worked. -Roeckel visited the barricades, encouraged the people, and to open up -communications with comrades in neighbouring streets, he had walls -broken down and passages made through houses. But his chief crime, -according to the government, was the making of pitch rings to be flung -burning into public buildings held by the soldiers. The actual facts of -the case were these: The barricades were too low; men could with little -effort step over them. He hurriedly consulted Wagner, and it was agreed -that a storming by the soldiers could only be prevented by covering the -top of the barricades with some substance easy of ignition. Then Roeckel -suggested tar or pitch rings; and while Wagner went off to his convoy -supervision, Roeckel, with a body of men, set to work making these rings -in the yard opposite the town hall. The work had only proceeded an hour -when he received a message from the provisional government. His presence -was urgently required elsewhere, so the ring-making was discontinued at -once. This was on the Monday, or but one day after he had entered -Dresden. That evening information was received that a convoy of -provisions and a detachment of peasants were a few miles outside the -city waiting to enter. It was raining hard, and very dark; only some -person acquainted with the road and place would be of service. Roeckel -knew both, and started with Hainberger. As their mission was of such -importance, they deemed it advisable to wait until night had completely -set in. The rain and darkness increasing, the utmost caution was -imperative; but alas! they were met by a patrol of the Saxon troops, and -Roeckel was taken prisoner, his companion Hainberger escaping, owing to -his nimbleness. Roeckel was immediately taken before an officer and -searched. On him were found papers inculpating Wagner and others. A few -lines, too, from Commander Heinze as to the conduct of the people in the -event of a sortie taking place, caused him considerable discomfort. His -hands were tied behind him with rope which cut the flesh, and for the -night he was left in a barn. Next morning, still tied, he was sent down -the Elbe to Dresden under a strong escort, for the importance of the -capture was soon known. On his way down, he passed his own house; his -wife was at the window, and his children, attracted by the helmets of -the troops, were on the banks, unconscious that their father was a -prisoner on board. He was confined in a narrow, dark room, in his wet -clothes, and saw no one for two days, by which time the firing in the -town had ceased, and he knew then that the outbreak was at an end. - -And now, to measure accurately the extent of Wagner's culpability or his -claim to eulogy, the precise nature of the revolt should be understood, -the class and character of the insurgents, and their avowed purpose, -plainly stated. Further, the source of the government indictment against -Wagner and the reason of their relentless persecution should both be -fully comprehended. - -First, the revolt. It began through pure accident. Naturally the -townspeople were excited at the knowledge of the military being held in -readiness to suppress, by force of arms, any public expression at the -arbitrary dissolution of the chambers. They gathered in groups about the -streets, the pressure being greatest near the town hall. As the crowd -swayed, a wooden gate, opening upon a military magazine, gave way. The -troops were turned out, and defenceless people fired upon,--men, women -and children dying in the streets. This was May 3d. Then began that -loose organization. And who took part in it? Let the official records -supply the answer. I find that when the insurrection was suppressed the -government indicted twelve thousand persons, this lamentably lengthy -list including thirty mayors of different towns, about two-thirds of the -members of the dissolved chambers, government officials, town -councillors, lawyers, clergy, school-masters, officers and privates of -the army, men of culture, position, and social influence. - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER'S SEDITION._] - -Well might Herr von Beust, the king of Saxony's chosen prime minister -during March and April, 1849, when speaking in the Dresden chamber on -the 15th August, 1864, or fifteen years after the terrible May days of -1849 that condemned Richard Wagner to exile, describe this revolt as an -"insurrection that embraced the whole of the people of Saxony." After -such striking, conclusive testimony to the character of the revolt, from -the highest minister of the crown, no stigma can attach to Wagner or any -member who united in defence of the liberty of the subject, but rather -is such action to be commended. - -One more fact from the official report now before me: of Prussian and -Saxon troops thirty-four are recorded dead and a hundred wounded; -whereas, of the people, or "insurgents," one hundred and ninety men, -seven women killed, and a hundred and eleven men and four women wounded, -besides "about fifty more" of the people admittedly killed by the -soldiery, and then thrown into the Elbe, or a gross total of a hundred -and thirty-four soldiers killed and wounded against three hundred and -sixty-two people. - -And now as to the source of the government charge and the reason of its -intolerant bearing for thirteen years towards Richard Wagner. I have -already referred to the note taken upon Roeckel, which Wagner wrote and -addressed to him at Prague, urging his immediate return. Further, I have -reproduced the revolutionary paper which Wagner read before the -Fatherland Union, a copy of which figures in the official indictment -_re_ Wagner. There yet remain other incriminating documents, and -occasional words uttered by prisoners under examination, besides the -knowledge the government possessed of his close intimacy with that -revolutionary directing spirit, Bakunin, and also with August Roeckel; -and further, his membership in the Union. But the chief materials for -the government accusation were furnished by poor Roeckel himself. There -was, first, the letter taken upon him--"Return immediately ... -excitement may precipitate a premature outbreak." Then his house was -sacked. He was the editor and proprietor of the "Volksblatte," the -people's paper. Naturally, therefore, documents and papers of every -description were found in profusion, held to incriminate several -persons. Here copies were found of the June, 1848, paper, by Richard -Wagner, on the "Abolition of the Monarchy," and articles written by him -for the "Volksblatte," then minutes of meetings of the Fatherland Union -and of the sub-committee. In a letter from his wife to me, detailing the -incidents of the sacking of his house in Dresden, she says, "Every -paper, printed and in manuscript, was taken away by the police officer -who accompanied the military guard"; and, further, she says, "When I was -ordered to leave Dresden I went first to Leipzic and Halle, thence to -Weimar, and at each town, when it became known who we were, I and my -five children were received with every sign of affection; at Leipzic the -townspeople coming out in a body to welcome us." - -[Sidenote: _A CHIEF OF INSURRECTION._] - -Roeckel's wife was ordered to quit Dresden so that she might not witness -the execution of her husband. Both Bakunin and Roeckel were, by order of -the Prussian commander, to be shot in the market place, an order only -countermanded when it was thought that further information could be -extracted from them. Ten days after Roeckel's capture he was brought up -for investigation, in company with Heubner, the head of the provincial -government, Heinze, the military commander of the people, and Bakunin, -directing spirit. These four men were all chained. From this time each -was examined and interrogated separately. Roeckel's investigations were -endless. He could not at the time perceive why he was repeatedly -cross-questioned on the same point. Alas, it was too cruelly potent -when, on the 14th January, 1850, or nineteen months after he was taken -prisoner, for the first time he heard specifically with what he was -charged, and his sentence,--death. He saw then clearly that the last -part of Wagner's note to him had been interpreted as implying a general -organized rising throughout Saxony at a moment to be decided upon by the -leaders, Bakunin, Heubner, Todt, Wagner, and Roeckel--"return -immediately ... the excitement will precipitate a premature outbreak." -The official interpretation was entirely wrong. No decision of the kind -had been arrived at. There was a complete lack of organization. They -wished to be prepared for emergencies, but a deliberate attack was not -contemplated. However, it sufficed to include Wagner among the chiefs of -the insurrection. - -Then there were Bakunin's letters to the sympathizers at Prague, -unaddressed. By all manner of cunning questions that legal ingenuity -could suggest was it sought to drag out from Roeckel in his cell, the -names of the leaders at Prague. The addresses of several personages were -found in the sacking of Roeckel's house, and these were all arraigned. -For a year these secret investigations were carried on, in June, July, -and August at Dresden, and subsequently at the fortress of Knigstein. -On the last day of August, 1849, Heubner, Bakunin, and Roeckel seem to -have been confronted separately by a witness who swore to the part -actually played by Wagner during the rising. Refusing to utter a word -that should incriminate their friend, they were transported that night -in three separate wagons to the impregnable fortress of Knigstein. -Officers with loaded revolvers sat inside each conveyance, a troop of -mounted soldiery forming the van and rear of the cavalcade. The night -had been chosen, as these men were known to be beloved of the people; -they were martyrs in a nation's cause, and it was feared that, should it -become known who were the prisoners being conveyed, a rescue might be -attempted. Inside the prison house, Roeckel met with kind treatment and -was permitted to receive letters from his friends. The nobility of his -character, his integrity, fearlessness, and unselfishness had rendered -him so popular that the directors of the Royal Library at Dresden placed -their whole store of books at his disposal. Within the walls of his -prison he was equally popular, warders and soldiers uniting to form a -plan for his escape, and that of Heubner and Bakunin. Roeckel and -Bakunin declared themselves ready, but Heubner refused, whereupon -Roeckel and Bakunin declined to hazard the attempt without their friend. -It is to these efforts of the soldiers that Wagner refers in a letter to -Edward Roeckel, brother of August, which appears later on. The -friendliness of the warders being perceived by the authorities, Roeckel -was removed to that Bastille of Saxony, the fortress of Waldheim, and -Bakunin to Prague. - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER'S ACTIVE PART._] - -And now for the first time was Roeckel brought before a properly -constituted tribunal. It was on the morning of the 14th January, 1850, -that he heard for the first time the charge formulated against him and -the sentence. The official accusation of my friend is before me, and as -Richard Wagner is concerned, I will summarize the charge. It consists of -eight distinct counts to the effect that he, Roeckel, had placed himself -at the disposal of the provisional government, constructed barricades, -was present at military councils, received the convoys of men and -provisions that were brought into Dresden by Wagner and others, prepared -tar brands, was concerned in a plot for a general uprising in the -principalities to overthrow the lawful rulers, as proved by the letter -from Richard Wagner taken upon him, etc., etc. The sentence passed upon -Roeckel was death, Heubner and Bakunin having been brought up for trial -and sentenced at the same time. The friends shook hands for the last -time. - -Outside a party had arisen demanding a second trial. The clamour was -strong, so that a rehearing was conceded, but the second court, on 16th -April, 1850, only confirmed the judgment of the first, the extreme -penalty, however, being commuted by the king, who had under all -circumstances shown himself averse to capital punishment, to -imprisonment for life. Roeckel was, however, reprieved after having been -incarcerated nearly thirteen years. - -And now for the actual part played by Wagner. Throughout he was most -active. He was, as he says, "everywhere." His genius for organizing and -directing, which we have seen carried to such perfection on the stage, -proved of infinite value during those anxious days. An outbreak had long -been expected, but not at the moment it actually took place, and when it -came he was found ready to carry out the work appointed him. Though not -on the executive of the provisional government, he was consulted -regularly by the heads, and as he says, "it was pure accident" he was -not taken prisoner with Heubner and Bakunin, as he had but "left them -the night before their arrest to meet them in the morning for -consultation." - -[Sidenote: _LEAD FROM THE HOUSE-TOPS._] - -His temperament, all who have come into contact with him well know, was -very excitable, and under such a strain as he then endured it was at -fever pitch. Hainberger related to me a dramatic episode which thrilled -Wagner's frame and stirred the whole of the eye-witnesses. I recounted -it subsequently to Wagner, and he agreed entirely as to the truth of -Hainberger's recital. It was in the morning about eight o'clock, the -barricade at which Wagner and Hainberger were stationed was about to -receive such morning meal as had been prepared, the outposts being kept -by a few men and women. Amongst the latter was a young girl of eighteen, -the daughter of a baker belonging to this particular barricade. She -stood in sight of all, when to their amazement a shot was suddenly -heard, a piercing shriek, followed by the fall of the girlish patriot. -The miscreant Prussian soldier, one of a detachment in the -neighbourhood, was caught redhanded and hurried to the barricade. Wagner -seized a musket and mounting a cart called out aloud to all, "Men, will -you see your wives and daughters fall in the cause of our beloved -country, and not avenge their cowardly murder? All who have hearts, all -who have the blood and spirit of their forefathers, and love their -country follow me, and death to the tyrant." So saying he seized a -musket, and heading the barricade they came quickly upon the few -Prussians who had strayed too far into the town, and who, perceiving -they were outnumbered, gave themselves up as prisoners. This is but one -of those many examples of what a timid man will do under excitement, for -I give it as my decided opinion, and I have no fear of lack of -corroboration, that Richard Wagner was not personally brave. I have -closely observed him upon many occasions, and though entering into a -quarrel readily enough,--once in the London streets with a grocer who -had cruelly beaten his horse,--he always moved away when it looked like -coming to blows. This might be termed discretion; well, he was discreet, -there are no two opinions about that, but I distinctly affirm that what -is commonly understood by personal bravery, Wagner possessed none of it. - -He was ever ready to harangue the people; his volubility, excitability, -and unquenchable love of freedom instigating him at all times. This was -well known to the government, as also the foregoing incident, I am -convinced, for, be it remembered, Wagner and his companions only made -the Prussian soldiers prisoners, and it is not supposing the impossible -that on release they would have reported fully who it was that led, -musket in hand, the people against them. - -Another incident of the campaign, and this time the author is Wagner. -When it was reported that the ammunition was running short, the not very -original idea sprang from him in this instance to use the lead from the -house-tops. That Wagner's very active participation was fully reported -to the government, is proved by their attitude towards him. They -expected to take him prisoner with Heubner and Bakunin, for he was -constantly with them, and they were betrayed by the Prussians; and, as -Wagner says, it was "pure accident" only that he was not taken with -them. - -As soon as the leaders were taken, and Wagner saw there was no use in -continuing the conflict, he fled. He knew not in what direction to turn, -but the thought of his precious manuscripts which he had with him -determined his course--Weimar, Liszt. And so it fell out. Liszt was good -and sheltered him, and interested himself so far as to go to the police -official at Weimar to try and discover whether any warrant had been -issued for his apprehension. Wagner remained below while Liszt entered -to inquire. He was not kept in suspense long. Liszt hurried out -breathless and excited. "For the love of God, stay not a moment; a -warrant has been issued and is upstairs now waiting to be executed, but -I have prevailed upon H----, who out of friendship will not put it into -execution for an hour." Under Liszt's advice he left for Paris, the -Weimar virtuoso being intrusted with Wagner's precious manuscripts. He -went to Paris, but remained a few weeks only, seeking an asylum in -Zurich, of which city in the October following he became a naturalized -subject. - -In the summer of 1853 he thought of quitting Zurich, information which -was soon conveyed to the Dresden government, who at once issued the -following proclamation. I draw attention to the words "most prominent," -and further to the date, June, 1853; or, it should be borne in mind, -four years after the Revolution. It ran as follows:-- - -[Sidenote: _A HAPPY ACCIDENT._] - - Wagner, Richard, late chapel master of Dresden, one of the most - prominent supporters of the party of insurrection, who by reason of - his participation in the Revolution of May, 1849, in Dresden, has - been pursued by police warrant, this is to give notice that it - having transpired he intends to leave Zurich, where he at present - resides, in order to enter Germany, he should be arrested; whereby, - for the better purpose of apprehension, a portrait of the said - Richard Wagner is hereby given, so that should he touch German land - he may at once be delivered over to the police authorities at - Dresden. - -The question then arises, is it to be supposed that a man thus pursued -by the Saxon government had taken little or no part in the insurrection? -There cannot be any doubt as to the answer. As I have before stated, -Richard Wagner was deeply implicated in revolutionary proceedings before -the May days of 1849, facts within the cognizance of the government. -They knew he was a member of the political society, Fatherland Union, -the centre of Saxon discontent; it was notorious that the conductor, -Wagner, had written and read a celebrated paper in June, 1848, before -the society, advocating the abolition of the monarchy; his most intimate -companion and confidant was the second conductor, Roeckel, dismissed -from office by reason of his revolutionary (?) practices, and he, -Wagner, had already expressed his regret for hasty language condemnatory -of the powers, and what was even still more convincing evidence, did he -not stand convicted by his own handwriting--the short note taken on the -person of August Roeckel, besides the evidence of his having contributed -articles to Roeckel's paper? It is then a matter of universal rejoicing, -that the "pure accident" did prevent his meeting Bakunin and Heubner, -for, judging from the sentence of death passed upon those two, and upon -Roeckel, it is more than probable that the same sentence would have been -pronounced against him. - -That the government regarded Roeckel and Wagner in much the same light, -is to my mind further shown by the similarity in time of their -respective imprisonment and exile--August Roeckel serving nearly -thirteen years, and Richard Wagner's amnesty dating March, 1862. Several -persons of high rank interceded for him, among them Napoleon the Third, -who, after the "Tannhuser" fiasco in Paris of 1861, expressed himself -amazed at the fatherland exiling so great a son. After the perusal of -the following letter, dated by Wagner, Enge, near Zurich, 15th March, -1851, future biographers can no longer ignobly treat the patriotism of -Wagner by striving to whitewash or gloss over the part he played during -those sad days. It is addressed to my life-long friend, Edward Roeckel -(the brother of August), now living at Bath, where he has resided since -1849.[2] - -[Sidenote: _LETTER TO EDWARD ROECKEL._] - - -ENGE, NEAR ZURICH, 15th March, 1851. - - MY DEAR FRIEND: Many a time have I longed to write to you, but have - been compelled to desist, uncertain as to your address. But now I - must take my chance in sending you a letter, as the occasion is - pressing, and I have to claim your kindness in the interest of - another. I will, therefore, at once explain matters, and so have - done with the immediate cause of this letter. - - A young man, Hainberger, still very young, half German, half Pole, - at present my exile companion in Switzerland, originally found - refuge in the Canton Berne. This canton has expelled all political - refugees, refusing to harbour them any longer, and, indeed, no - canton will now receive another exile, at most keeping those - already domiciled there; thus Hainberger is obliged to seek - sanctuary either in England or America. Being a good violinist, I - had already secured for him several months' engagement in the - Zurich orchestra. His present intention, if possible, is to go next - winter to Brussels, in order to profit by lessons from de Beriot, - but alas! for him, his most reactionary Austrian parents and - relations are as yet too angry with him to permit him to hope of - their furnishing the necessary money for that plan. Until he can - expect a change in that quarter, he does not wish to go as far as - America, but prefers London, there to await that happy - reconciliation with his relations. Meanwhile, and in order to - ensure the means of subsistence, he would much like to find an - engagement in one of the London orchestras. As he does not know a - soul in London to whom he could apply for help in this case, I turn - to you in friendship, to assist in procuring him such an - engagement. And, further, besides knowing no one in London, my - young friend does not speak English. If, therefore, you could - indicate any house where he could live moderately, and make himself - understood, you would confer a great favour on me. Could we not - direct him at once to Praeger? I take a deep interest in this young - man, as he is of an amiable disposition, and I have become closely - acquainted with him at Dresden, where indeed he stayed for some - long time, with August. He is really a talented violinist, and - possesses letters of recommendation from his masters, Helmsberger - and David (in the first instance, he was a pupil of Jansa), which - he wishes to be known, as he believes the name of Helmsberger a - guarantee. If you are willing to do me this service I beg, in my - name, that he may be sustained in all power. - - Now to another matter. During the last few years much has occurred - of a most painful nature, and oft have I thought of your sorely - tried brotherly devotion. We were all compelled to be prepared for - extremes during those times, for it was no longer possible to - endure the state of things in which we lived, unless we had become - unfaithful to ourselves. I, for my part, long before the outbreak - of the Revolution, was incapable of anything but contemplating that - inevitable catastrophe. What in me was a mixture of contemplation, - was with August all action. His whole being was impelled to - energetic activity. It was not until the fourth day of the outbreak - at Dresden that I saw him on a Monday morning for the first and - last time. For some time after he was captured, I could get no news - of him but what I gathered from the public journals. Although I had - not accepted a special rle, yet I was present everywhere, actively - superintending the bringing in of convoys, and indeed, I only - returned with one from the Erzgebirge[3] to the town hall, Dresden, - on the eve of the last day. Then I was immediately asked on all - sides after August, of whom since Monday evening no tidings had - been received, and so, to our distress, we were forced to conclude - that he had either been taken prisoner or shot. - - [Sidenote: _A CONVENIENT MEMORY._] - - I was actively engaged in the revolutionary movement up to its - final struggle, and it was a pure accident that I, too, was not - taken prisoner in company with Heubner and Bakunin, as I had but - taken leave of them for the night to meet in consultation again the - next morning. When all was lost, I fled first to Weimar, where, - after a few days, I was informed that a warrant of apprehension was - to be put in motion after me. I consulted Liszt about my next - movements. He took me to a house to make inquiries on my behalf. - While awaiting his return in the street, I suddenly caught sight of - Lullu,[4] who told me her mother had arrived at Weimar, was living - close by, and gave me their address, I promising to call at once; - but on Liszt returning he told me that not a moment was to be lost, - the warrant of apprehension had been received, and I must quit - Weimar at once. It became, therefore, impossible to call on - August's wife; and only now, as I am writing, does it strike me - that "Linchen"[5] might perhaps think my behaviour unfeeling. I beg - of you, then, when you have an opportunity, if she may have - considered me wanting in sympathy, to explain how the matter then - stood, as I should feel deeply distressed at such a belief - existing. I heard from Dresden that, thanks to your brotherly - devotion, the family of the unhappy August have been well provided - for. Where they at present reside I do not know. As regards August, - from whom, alas, I have not yet received any detailed information, - I can, thinking of the terrible trial he is now undergoing, have - only one profound anxiety, that is, his health. Should he lose - this, it would be the worst possible thing; for his imprisonment - cannot last eternally, of that there is no doubt. I cannot speak of - "plots," as of them I know nothing authoritatively, and most likely - they even do not exist, but a glance at the affairs of Europe - clearly shows that the present state of things can be but - shortlived. Good health and patience are most to be desired for - those who suffer the keenest under existing circumstances. Happily, - August's constitution is of the kind that gives every hope for him. - I know, from his manner of living, that neither an active nor a - sedentary life affect him deeply. But one thing is to be feared, - viz. that his patience will not last him; and alas, in this respect - I have heard, to my sorrow, that he has been incautious, and - suffers in consequence stricter discipline. Altogether, however, I - believe that the political prisoners in Saxony are treated - humanely, and we must hope that by prudent behaviour August will - soon experience milder treatment, could we but influence him in - respect to his easily understood passionate outbreaks. - - I live here very retired with my wife, receiving from certain - friends in Germany just sufficient monetary assistance. My special - grief is my art, which, though I had my freedom of action, I could - not unfold. I was in Paris, intended even going to London, but the - feeling of nausea, engendered by such art excursions, drove me back - here; and so I have taken to write books, amongst others, "Das - Kunstwerk der Zukunft," and, on a larger scale, "Oper und Drama," - my last work. I could also turn again to composing "Siegfried's - Tod," but after all, it would only be for myself, and that in the - end is too mournful. Dear Edward, write to me. Perhaps I may hear - much news from you, and I would greatly like to hear how you are - getting on. Farewell. Be assured of my heartiest devotion. - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -And now for a few closing remarks upon this revolutionary epoch. I have -alluded to the whitewashing, as it were, of Wagner by his biographers -when treating of this period. If it were asked who is to blame, the -answer might fairly be, "Imperfect or inadequate knowledge of the -facts," fostered, I regret to add, by Wagner's own later utterances and -writings upon the point. When Wagner visited London in 1855, the -Revolution and the thousand and one episodes connected therewith were -related and discussed fully and dwelt upon with affection, but as the -years rolled on he exhibited a decided aversion towards any reference to -his participation. Perhaps we should not judge harshly in the matter; he -had suffered much and there were not wanting, and I fear it may be said -there are still not wanting, those who speak in ungenerous, malignant -tones about the court conductor being false to his oath of allegiance, -of the demagogue luxuriating in the wealth of a royal patron. Wagner's -art popularity was increasing and his music-dramas were gradually -forcing themselves upon the stage, and he did not wish his chance of -success to be marred by the everlastingly silly and spiteful references -to the revolutionist. But whether he was justified in writing as he did, -in permitting almost an untruth to be inferred and history falsified, I -should not care to decide. As, however, I am of opinion that the lives -of great men (their public actions at least) are the property of -posterity, I have stated what I know to have been the true facts, and -will bring my remarks to a close by appending a few extracts from -Wagner's early and later writings upon this point which, read by the -light of the uncontrovertible facts, I leave for each to form his own -opinion:-- - - (1) Paper on the "Abolition of the Monarchy," read before the - Fatherland Union, dated 16th June, 1848. - - (2) Note to August Roeckel: "Return immediately; a premature - outbreak is feared."--May, 1849. - - (3) Letter to Edward Roeckel: March, 1851: - - (_a_) "It was no longer possible to endure the state of things in - which we lived." - - (_b_) "I was present everywhere, actively superintending the - bringing in of convoys, etc." - - (_c_) "I was actively engaged in the revolutionary movement up to - its final struggle." - - (4) His active participation, related by himself to me, - corroborated by Hainberger's testimony. (I should add that - Hainberger came to London in April, 1851, stayed with me, and that - I secured for him lessons and a place in the orchestra of the New - Philharmonic.) - - (5) Max von Weber, son of Carl Maria von Weber, told me that he was - present during the Revolution, and saw Wagner shoulder his musket. - -[Sidenote: _A SIGNIFICANT OMISSION._] - -As I have stated, the general drift of Wagner's references to the -Revolution is to minimize his share; I content myself with two extracts -only:-- - - 1. From "Eine Mittheilung an meine Freunde" (a communication to my - friends), vol. IV. of his collected writings, and dated 1851: "I - never had occupied myself really with politics." - - 2. "The Work and Mission of my Life," the latest of Wagner's - published writings, written in 1876 for America: "In my innermost - nature I really had nothing in common with its political side," - _i.e._ of the Revolution. - -The significant omission of "The Abolition of the Monarchy" paper from -his eleven volumes of "Collected Writings," a collection which includes -shorter papers written too at earlier periods than the above, may also -be noted. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -1850-1854. - - -[Sidenote: "_TERRIBLY IN EARNEST._"] - -Pursued by a police warrant, Wagner first sought refuge and a home in -Paris. The French capital possessed alluring attractions for him, but -his reception, in 1849, was no brighter or more promising than it had -been ten years earlier. He therefore left Paris, after a few weeks, and -went to Zurich. Here he found a true home and hearty friends, and felt, -as far as was possible, so contented that in the autumn following he -became a naturalized subject. And yet Wagner used to say his forced -exile pressed sore upon him, and there is no doubt he did chafe under -it, and strove hard to free himself from its galling chains. He could -not settle to work. He endeavoured to open communications with August -Roeckel, through influential friends in Dresden, but was unsuccessful. -When in Paris, and whilst still under the influence of the -multitudinous, unsettling thoughts that had pressed him into the ranks -of liberty, making him one of its most energetic champions, he -endeavoured to negotiate with the editor of a newspaper of standing, for -a series of letters, on the interesting and timely topic of "The -Revolution, and its Relation to Art." But the proposal came to nothing. -He was told the time was inopportune. "Strange and silly people," was -his comment, and he left the Parisians for the more homely, though -heavier folk, of Zurich. - -And still he could not tear himself away from Paris. The city and people -fascinated him then and at all times, and he returned, in the early part -of 1850, to make another effort in the cause of art. Though his -invectives were frequent and bitter, yet I have seen enough, and know -enough, of the inner Wagner, to state positively that he highly esteemed -the French intellect and judgment in matters of art. This is one of -those curious paradoxes in Richard Wagner's character. He could never -refer to the French without some sarcastic allusion to their frivolity. -At all times Wagner was "terribly in earnest," and he almost took it as -a personal insult to see the French full of sensuous enjoyment, and -regarding art as a pleasant, agreeable relaxation, at the end of the -day's labour. And yet he strove to succeed there for all that; even in -1860, when he was again in Paris, his feelings were precisely the same. -Writing on this point, some sixteen years later, he says: "I thought -that it was there (_i.e._ Paris) only that I could find the atmosphere -so necessary to the success of my art,[6] that element of which I so -much stood in need." - -His success in 1849-50, however, was no more than it had been hitherto. -His vanity was piqued at his reception. He visited old acquaintances, -and was received with a patronizing friendship, as one who had come to -Paris, an aspirant for fame. They would not see in him the "Tannhuser" -composer, the prophet who had come to baptize them with the pure, holy -water of the true in art. His pride was wounded. - -He was envious, too, of that smooth, highly polished gracefulness which -the French possess in the small matters of every-day life, and which he -was conscious he lacked. Though refined in intellect, courteous in -bearing, carrying himself with majestic dignity when occasion demanded, -yet Richard Wagner's natural characteristic was a plainness and -directness of speech, which often took the form of abruptness. -"Amiability usually runs into insincerity," says Mr. Froude, when -describing Carlyle's character in the "Reminiscences," and Wagner was at -all times sincere. Sensitive, too, as artists commonly are, he saw the -Parisians resolving life and art into a pastime, and doing it with an -elegant, natural gracefulness that was absent in his own serious -utterances of the heart. Impatient of incapacity, blunt in speech, and -vehement in declamation, even with bursts of occasional rudeness, he was -angered and jealous, that a people--his intellectual inferior--should -take life so easily. - -[Sidenote: _NOT FOND OF EXILE._] - -Sick in heart, he soon became sick in body; seriously ill indeed. On his -recovery, feeling naught congenial to him in Paris, he left again for -Zurich, via Bordeaux and Geneva. At Bordeaux an episode occurred similar -to one which happened later at Zurich, about which the press of the day -made a good deal of unnecessary commotion and ungenerous comment. I -mention the incident to show the man as he was. The Opposition have not -spared his failings, and over the Zurich incident were hypercritically -censorious. The Bordeaux story I am alluding to, is, that the wife of a -friend, Mrs. H----, having followed Wagner to the south, called on him -at his hotel, and throwing herself at his feet, passionately told of -her affection. Wagner's action in the matter was to telegraph to the -husband to come and take his wife home. On telling me the story, Wagner -jocosely remarked that poor Beethoven, so full of love, never had his -affection returned, and lived and died, so it is said, a hermit. - -Another adventure of this description took place at Berlin, which to my -mind is a verification of the homeopathic doctrine, _similia similibus -curantur_, for I often taunted him with possessing, though in -homeopathic doses, just those very failings he denounced in others, viz. -amorousness, Hebraic shrewdness, and the Gallic love of enjoyment. When -he was in a jocular mood he would laugh heartily at my endeavour to -prove the truth of my opinions by the citation of instances, and -occasionally he would admit the impeachment, whereas, at other times, he -would become irritated, and put an end to any such conversation by -charging me with having lost all my German feeling under the pernicious -influence of a London fog. - -Back in Zurich, he could not force himself to compose. He could not, and -never did, take kindly to his compulsory exile, even appealing himself -to the authorities more than ten years later for permission to re-enter -his fatherland. And yet I have no hesitation in asserting that the world -should regard it as a boon for art that he was thus driven into exile. -Away from the theatre and the busy activity connected with his office of -conductor, he had time to reflect over the many schemes for the -elevation of art that constantly held communion with his inner self. -Freed from the contact of that vortex of petty agitation which -constitutes the active life of the stage, and of which every -individual, no matter how inferior his grade, thinks himself the chief -attraction, he gained that repose which enabled him to see art matters -in their just proportion. His state, he described to me, as that spoken -of by both Aristotle and Plato: "One of the highest happinesses attained -through the pleasures of the intellect by the contemplative life." -Indeed, it can be maintained, that all the great works of his after-life -were either completed or sketched during those years of exile. - -[Sidenote: _THE VILLA AT ZURICH._] - -To begin with his literary work. In this branch of thought he was -remarkably active. For five whole years, the first five of his Zurich -life, I remember he said he did not compose a bar; all was literary -outpouring, and so much was he given to reflection on the strange -position in which he found himself in the art world, and the manner in -which his operas had been received, that he even seriously considered -the question whether music was his province, whether he should not -reject tonal composition entirely in favour of the spoken drama. In a -letter of that period he says, "I spend my time in walking, reading, and -literary work." And when one considers what Wagner did during those -years of banishment, it will be seen how hard a worker he was. His exile -lasted for something like twelve years, and during that time he wrote -those masterly expositions: "Art and Revolution," "The Art Work of the -Future," "Art and Climate," "Judaism in Music," and "Opera and Drama," -whilst, as regards the music-drama, he wrote the whole of the words and -music of the "Nibelung's Ring," "Tristan and Isolde," the -"Mastersingers" (1861-62), and a fragment of music subsequently -embodied and amplified in "Parsifal." - -Wagner met with many reverses in the early portion of his career, but he -also, on occasions, enjoyed exceptionally good fortune. Though caged, as -he said, like an angry, irritable lion in Zurich, longing to burst his -prison door, yet he met everywhere with troops of friends. The personnel -of the opera house united to do him honour, and individually he was -treated with hearty good will. One of his ardent admirers and intimate -friends was Madame Wesendonck, the wife of a wealthy retired merchant -who had come, with her husband, to take up her abode in Zurich. -Wesendonck was a musical amateur, but not so gifted as his wife, who was -enthusiastic for Wagner. Wesendonck had purchased some land overlooking -the beautiful lake, and was building himself a house there. For that -purpose he had brought architects and upholsterers from Paris. While the -building was in course of erection, a very pretty chalt adjoining the -property became untenanted, which it was stated was about to be used as -an asylum. Such information was not pleasant to Wesendonck, and at the -suggestion and wish of his wife he purchased it and rented it to Wagner -for a nominal sum. This really charming villa was an immense delight to -Wagner. Hitherto, living in the town, he had grown fractious under the -infliction of noises and cries inseparable from the bustle of civic -life, and the "Retreat," as he called the chalt, afforded him a -pleasure, and procured that quiet comfort invaluable to him at that -period of thought. - -At the house of his friends there were frequent gatherings of musicians -from Zurich and neighbouring towns, at which, it seems, he often -delivered himself of lengthy harangues on his view of art, to find that -one only of those who applauded him comprehended the heart of the thing -he spoke of. He said it was with him, just as it had been with the -unfortunate Hegel, the philosopher, who with facetious cynicism -remarked, that "nobody understands me, except one disciple, and he -misunderstands me." Perhaps the fault was partly his own. His fervid -perorations were ambitious, and he spoke above the heads of his hearers. -They saw in him only the composer of "Tannhuser" and "Lohengrin," -whereas he felt within himself the embryo of the colossal tetralogy; and -how could they comprehend, then, a man who addressed his inward -clamourings rather than his auditors. When I say the embryo of the -tetralogy, I include the musical sketch of certain of the leading ideas, -for the whole of the Nibelung poem was completed, and a few copies -printed in 1853 for his intimate friends, of one copy of which I am the -fortunate possessor. - -[Sidenote: _CONDUCTING THE OPERA._] - -On recalling the occasion, when in 1855 Wagner gave me a bound copy of -his "Nibelung lied," one incident stands out prominently. On studying -the poem I had been struck with the keen dramatic insight displayed by -Wagner throughout his treatment of the old Norse sagas: the laying out -of the ground plan, the sequence of the story, the exclusion of -extraneous and subsidiary matter, the many powerful and striking -tableaux presented, the crisp dialogue and scholarly retention of the -alliterative verse, the merit of these features being increased by the -high literary standard attained throughout the work. Now when I -congratulated Wagner on the literary skill he had shown, he grew -peevish; and indeed he resented at all times praise of his poetic -ability, seeming to think that in some measure it was a denial of his -musical power. - -Some portion of the Nibelung poem Wagner read to his small circle of -intimates in London. At that time Richard Wagner was forty-two years of -age, and his histrionic powers, at all times great, were perhaps then at -their best. With his head well thrown back, he declaimed his poem with a -majestic earnestness that cast a spell over all. But of his histrionic -and mimetic powers I shall have something to say later on. - -At Zurich he interested himself largely in the opera house. He sought to -control the local taste, but the directors were governed with one -thought and that, that only such works as bore the hall-mark of Paris -success could succeed in Zurich. Accepting the state of things, he -conducted performances of "Robert le Diable," "Les Huguenots," -"Guillaume Tell," Halvy's "La Juive," Donizetti's "La Fille du -Regiment," and other works of similar type. He even conducted the -rehearsals, attending and exerting himself at these for the benefit, -however, of Hans von Blow, who had become his pupil. I know he was -deeply attached to Blow; he spoke of him with enthusiasm, praised his -wonderful reading at sight, and was much impressed by his general -culture. There is no doubt that Blow merited the high opinion Wagner -held of him, as subsequent events have proved. - -On Richard Wagner's fortieth birthday, 22 May, 1853, a grand Wagner -festival was held at Zurich, musicians from neighbouring towns being -invited. All the principal theatres responded with the exception of -Munich, which through its conductor, Lachner, refused to permit -orchestral members of the theatre to attend, giving as the flimsy -pretext that journeymen, _i.e._ orchestral performers, could not be -granted passports. Lachner as a composer has found his level, and there -it is wise to leave him. I will only note the curious fate which later -made Wagner supreme at Munich and, further, how odd it was that when -Wagner was conducting the Philharmonic concerts in London, Mr. Anderson -informed him that it was the wish of the directors he should produce a -prize symphony of Lachner. The proposition startled Wagner and perhaps, -somewhat contemptuously, he exclaimed, "What! have I come all this way -to conduct a prize symphony by Lachner? No! no!" and he would not -either, not because the composition was superscribed "Lachner," but -because of the really wretched Kapellmeister music it was. - -The Wagner festival at Zurich was very gratifying to him. For a whole -week he was fted, and at the close received an ovation that took all -his self-control. He addressed the audience in faltering accents, and on -bidding his friends farewell he broke down entirely--that they should -return to the fatherland and he an exile. Such a wail of anguish went -out from his heart as only those who have known the sensitive character -of the man can understand. - -[Sidenote: _LOVE FOR HIS DOG._] - -From the time Wagner went into exile his health generally gave way. -Constant brooding over his enforced isolation from his countrymen -induced melancholia, and in its train a malignant attack of his old -enemy, dyspepsia. His wife, fortunately, was of a homely nature with a -buoyancy of spirits, the value of which cannot be over-estimated, nor, -must I add, was Wagner insensible to her worth. But with these terrible -fits of dyspepsia which prostrated him for days, there also came, as one -ill upon another, attacks of erysipelas. When he had the strength, he -fought against them, but more often he succumbed. He sought relief at -hydropathic establishments, for which form of prevention and cure he -retained a fancy for many years. The bracing air of the mountains, too, -he sought as a means of removing the ills under which he suffered. He -was fond, too, of taking "Peps" with him in these rambles. "Peps," it -will be remembered, was the dog who, he used to assert, helped him to -compose "Tannhuser." He was passionately fond of his dog, referred to -him in his letters with affection, and ascribed to him feelings and a -perceptiveness only possible from a man loving the animal kingdom as he -did. All who remember the last sad incidents connected with the -interment at Wahnfried will think of the faithful canine creature (a -successor of "Peps"), who came to lie on the grave, and could not be -induced to quit the spot where his master was buried. As it was there, -so it was at Zurich. He loved "Peps" with a human love. Taking his -constitutional on the Zurich mountains, "Peps" his companion, reflecting -upon his treatment by his fatherland, he would declaim against imaginary -enemies, gesticulate, and vent his irascible excitement in loud -speeches, when "Peps," "the human Peps," as he called him, with the -sympathy of the intelligent dumb creation, would rush forward, bark and -snap loudly as if aiding Wagner in destroying his enemies, and then -return, plainly asking for friendly recognition for the demolition. Such -an expression of sympathy delighted Wagner, and he was very pleased to -rehearse it all to his friends, calling in "Peps" to go through the -performance, and I must say the dog seemed to understand and appreciate -it all. Numerous anecdotes of this kind he could tell, and he generally -capped them with such a remark as, "'Peps' has more sense than your -wooden contrapuntists," pointing his speech by naming the authors of -some concocted Kappelmeister music who were specially objectionable to -him. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -"JUDAISM IN MUSIC." - - -As regards his literary productions, that which provoked most discussion -and engendered a good deal of acrimonious hostility towards him was -"Judaism in Music." No one knowing Wagner, and writing any reminiscences -of him, no matter how slight, could omit reference to this subject. Any -such treatment would be incomplete, though it would be easy to -understand such omission, for no friend of Richard Wagner would elect to -put him in the wrong, nor care to admit that his attitude towards the -descendants of Abraham, in certain phases, was as unreasoned, and -perhaps as ungenerous, as that of earlier anti-Semitic agitators of the -fatherland. However, an impartial critic must confess that in Wagner's -attacks on the Jews and their treatment of art, he has, in much that he -says, force and truth on his side. Unfortunately, much of the cogency of -his reasoning is weakened in the eyes of many by the introduction of the -names of two of his prominent contemporaries, Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, -both of Hebraic descent. His attack is put down to personal spite, -jealousy born of anger at the success of his rivals. Never was charge -more groundless. Richard Wagner was high above such small-minded enmity. -His was a nature incapable of mean, paltry envy. Rancour was not in -him. Yet how could an attack upon "Judaism in music" be maintained -without indicating Semitic composers, in whose works supposed -shortcomings and spurious art were to be found? That he was not animated -by any personal motive I am convinced, and that the things he wrote of -lay deep, deep in his heart, I am equally persuaded. Finding in me a -partial antagonist, he debated the question freely. Perhaps, too, it was -a subject impossible of exclusion from our discussion, since, when he -came here (London) in 1855, or three years after his Jew pamphlet had -been published, the press spared not its sneers and satire for a man who -only saw in the grand composer of "Elijah" "a Jew,"[7] the man Wagner, -whom "it would be a scandal to compare with the men of reputation this -country (England) possesses, and whom the most ordinary ballad writer -would shame in the creation of melody, and of whose harmony no English -harmonist of more than one year's growth could be found sufficiently -without ears or education to pen such vile things." - -[Sidenote: _TROUBLE FOR BRENDEL._] - -To understand this "Jew" question thoroughly, one should remember the -admiration, the just admiration, in which Mendelssohn was held in this -country. He was the idol of English musicians. That he should have been -"assailed" by Wagner because of his Hebraic descent was unpardonable. -This was the spirit of hostility with which the larger proportion of the -press received him, seeing in him the personal enemy of the "Jew" -Mendelssohn. And thus it happened that references to this question were -continually being made, and discussions, occasionally of an angry -character, were thrust upon us. What Richard Wagner wrote in 1852, the -date the paper was first published, he adhered to in 1855, and what is -more, in 1869, when he was master of the situation, he somewhat -pertinaciously appended a letter to the original indictment, from which -he did not recede one step. - -When Wagner had almost attained the zenith of his fame, at a time when -his weight and genius were admitted, he then deliberately placed on -record that years of his earlier suppression and ostracism from great -musical centres were due, and due alone, to the power wielded by the -Jews, and their determination to keep his works out of sight where -possible. - -The article, "Judaism in Music," was originally published in "Die Neue -Zeitschrift," under the nom de plume of "Freethought." At the time the -journal was edited by Franz Brendel, and when the subject-matter of the -article is known, it will be admitted that the editor was courageous, -and perhaps no one will be surprised at the hostile acts which followed. -Poor Wagner seems to have been much troubled at the difficult position -in which he had placed his friend. No sooner had the article appeared, -he told me, than about a dozen of Brendel's co-professors at the Leipzic -conservatoire sent forward a petition to the directors of the Institute -urging the dismissal of the editor, but, though the signatories of the -document were such names as Moritz Hauptmann, David, Joachim, Rietz, -Moschelles (all Jews), Brendel retained his post. Of course there was no -attempt at withholding the name of the real author; it was at once -admitted. It was a bold act to first publish the paper in Leipzic, for -though Richard Wagner's birthplace, it had received, as it were, a -Jewish baptism from the lengthened sojourn of Mendelssohn there. - -Certainly the article contained enough to create enmity on the part of -the Jews. It opened with an assertion that one has an involuntary and -inexplicable revulsion of feeling towards the Jews; that, as a people, -there is something objectionable in them, their person repellant, and -manner obnoxious. Now when it is remembered that Wagner's daily visitor -during his first sojourn in Paris was Dessauer, a Jew, that the man who -brought about his own death for love of Wagner was a Jew, and that the -music-publisher Schlesinger, his friend, was also a Jew, it will be -confessed that this was a startling charge to come from him. I must add -that Wagner always insisted it was not a personal question, and pointed -out that some of his staunchest friends were Jews. - -Then he further asserted, in the "Judaism" pamphlet, that it mattered -not among what European people the Jew lived, he was always a foreigner, -and our wish was to have nothing to do with him. This, again, was -surprising, for Wagner was not slow to admit the loyalty of the people -of Shiloh to the government of the country in which they were domiciled, -and there is no doubt they are eminently patriotic, calling themselves -by the name of the country in which they live. Indeed, it cannot be -contended that the Jews are one nation; they are many. - -[Sidenote: _FOR AND AGAINST JEWS._] - -Wagner's antipathy towards the Hebrew people was, he felt, partly -inherited by him as a German. He knew them to be observant, discerning, -energetic, and ambitious, yet he could not put away from him an -instinctive feeling of repugnance, and could not understand why the -"Musical World" and the London press should so severely flagellate him -because of his attitude towards the Jews. He found the Semitic race -regarded here in an entirely different manner from what it was in -Germany. Here it was much the same as in France. Civil disabilities had -been removed, and the Israelites had proved themselves as great patriots -as English Christians, one, Mr. Solomons, filling the post of alderman -of the city of London at the time Wagner was here. This Mr. Solomons had -been, with others of his co-religionists, previously elected a member of -Parliament, and Wagner used often to express his wonder how a man -waiting for the advent of the Messiah could sit in a house of Gentiles. -Wagner marvelled, too, how the citizens of London could permit the Jews -to amass such a large proportion of the wealth of the country, but he -soon came to admit the force of the argument, that special laws having -been enacted against them, preventing the acquisition of land, denying -them the professions, and restricting them to certain trades, it was -unreasonable, after having driven them to mean occupations, to reproach -them for not having embraced honourable professions. I pointed out to -him that in bygone centuries, when the Germans were barbarians, this -much-despised people had produced poets, men of letters, statesmen, -historians, and philosophers, all, too, of such brilliant genius as -would add lustre to any galaxy of modern luminaries. He was struck by -this, and, as his bent was art, fully admitted the poetic fancy and -genius of the harpist David, the imagination of Solomon, and other of -the old Hebraic writers. - -And yet he would insist on the truth of his own assertion in the -pamphlet. "If in the plastic art a Jew has to be represented," he said, -"the artist models after an ideal, or, if working from life, omits or -softens those very details in the features which are the characteristic -of the countrymen of Isaiah." - -As regards the histrionic art, he laid it down that it is impossible to -picture a Jew impersonating a hero or lover without forcing a sense of -the ridiculous upon us. And this feeling he felt of an actor, -irrespective of sex. It would not be difficult to destroy this argument -now: the names of Rachel, Sarah Bernhardt, Patti at once cross the mind. -He asserted that their strength in art lay in imitation and not in -creation. - -[Sidenote: _MAKING STRANGE STATEMENTS._] - -In speech, too, the Jew was offensive to him. The accent was always that -of a foreigner, and not of a native. The language was spoken as if it -had been acquired, as something alien, and had not the ring of -naturalness in it; for language, he argued, was the historic growth of a -nation, and the Jew's mother tongue, Hebrew, was a dead language. To the -Jew, our entire civilization and art had remained a foreign language. He -could only imitate it; the product, therefore, was artificial; and as in -speech, so in song. "Notwithstanding two thousand years of contact with -European peoples, as soon as a Jew spoke our ear was offended by a -peculiar hissing and shrill manner of intonation." Moreover, he -contended, in their speech and writing there was a wilful transposition -of words and construction of phrases, characteristics of an alien -people, also discernible in their music. These racial characteristics -which Wagner asserted were repugnant, were intensified in their -offensiveness in his eyes by an absence of genuine passion, _i.e._ -strong emotion coming deep from the heart. In the family circle he -allowed the probability of the Jews being earnest and impassioned, yet -in their works it was absent. On the stage he would have it that the -passion of a child of Israel was always ridiculous. He was incapable of -artistic expression in speech, and therefore less capable of its -expression in song; for true song is speech raised to the highest -intensity of emotion. - -It will not be difficult to call to the mind the names of celebrated -Hebrews, great as histrionic artists, who at once appear to confute this -statement; and for my part, one name is sufficient, viz. Pauline Viardot -Garcia, though it will be admitted, on closely examining Wagner's -feeling, there is a vein of truth in it, which grows upon one on -reflection. - -And then Wagner turns towards the plastic art, and examines the position -of the Jew under that art aspect. He states as his opinion that the -Hebrew people lack the sense of balance and proportion, and in this he -sees the explanation of the non-existence of Jewish sculptors and -architects. Now it is regrettable that Wagner should have committed -himself to so faulty a statement. The sculptor's art was not practised -by the Jews, because it was prohibited by the Mosaic law, and to this -day strict Hebrews would not fashion "any graven image, nor the likeness -of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the -waters under the earth." But Wagner was of opinion that the Jew was too -practical to employ himself with beauty, and yet he was unable to -explain the Jew's acknowledged supremacy as a connoisseur in works of -art. - -In such a general indictment, it is hardly to be expected that Wagner -would have omitted the vulgar charge of usury, nay, he even went so far -as to assert that it was their chief craft. This, I told Wagner, was -hardly generous or fair on his part. By persecution and restriction of -the Jew to certain trades we had driven him to the tables of the -money-changers, and then charged, as crime, the very vice persecution -had engendered. - -Nor was he less severe towards the cultivated Jew, charging him with a -desire to disown his descent, and wipe out his nationality, by embracing -Christianity, but whatever his efforts, he remained isolated in a -society he did not understand, with whose strivings and likings he had -no sympathy, and whose history and development had remained indifferent -to him. - -[Sidenote: _MUSIC OF THE SYNAGOGUE._] - -With such convictions, strong and deep, it follows that Wagner would not -allow that Hebraic tonal art could be acceptable to European peoples. -The Jew, he said, was unable to fathom the heart of our civilized life; -he could not feel for or with the masses. He was an alien, and at the -utmost, the cultured Jew could only create that which was trivial and -indifferent to us. Not having assimilated our civilization, he could not -sing in our heart's tones. He could compose something pleasant, slight, -and even harmonious, since the possibility of babbling agreeably, -without singing anything in particular, is easier in music than in any -other art. When the Jew musician tried to be serious, the creative -faculty was entirely absent; all he could do was to imitate the earnest, -impressive speech of others, and then the imitation was of the parrot -kind, tones, without the purport being understood, and occasionally -exhibiting an unconscious gibberishness of utterance. Now this seemed to -me the denial of pure feeling to the Jew, and so I sought to get from -Wagner precisely what he did mean by his charges on this point in the -"Judaism" pamphlet. Music, I urged, was the art of expressing feelings -by sounds; did he deny feelings to the Semitic people? "No." Then it is -only the mode of utterance, I urged, to which you so strongly object. -But he would not wholly subscribe to this view, though he confessed it -was an important element in the question. His view was, that the true -tone poet, the genius, was he who transfixed in immortal tones the joys -and sorrows of the people. "Now," said he, "where is the Jew's people to -be found, where would you go to see the Hebrew people, in the practice, -as it were, of unrestrained Judaism, which Christianity and civilization -have left untouched, and where the traditions of the people are -preserved in their purity? Why, to the synagogue." Now if this be -admitted, Wagner has certainly made out a strong case. Truly, the folk -melody proper of the Hebrews is to be found in the song service of the -synagogue, and a dreadful tortuous exhibition it is. As Wagner said, "it -is a sort of 'gargling or jodelling,' which no caricature could make -more nauseous than it is in its nave seriousness." There was the proper -sphere for the Hebrew musician, wherein to exercise his art, and when he -attempted to work outside his own people's world he was engaged in an -alien occupation. The melodies and rythmical cadences of the synagogue -are already discernible in the music of Jewish composers, as our folk -melodies and rhythm are in ours. If the Jew listened to our music and -sought so dissect its heart and nerves, he would find it so opposed to -his own cult, that it were impossible for him to create its like from -his own heart; he could only imitate it. Following up this reasoning, -Wagner argued that the Hebrew composer only imitated the external of our -great composers, and that his reproductions were cold and false, just as -if a poem by Goethe were delivered in Jewish jargon. The Hebrew musician -threw the most opposed styles and forms about, regardless of period, -making what Wagner called, with his usual jocularity, a Mosaic of his -composition. A real impulse will be sure to find its natural expression, -but a Jew could not have that, since his impulse would not be rooted in -the sympathies of the Christian people. Then he enters into a -description of Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, or of the men and their music. -Of Mendelssohn he says:-- - - In this man we see that a Jew may be gifted with the most refined - and great talent, that he may have received a most careful and - extensive education, that he may possess the greatest and noblest - ambition, and yet, with the aid of all these advantages, be unable, - even once, to impress on our mind and heart that profound sensation - we look for in music, and which we have so many times experienced - as soon as a hero of our art intones one single chord for us. Those - who specially occupy themselves with musical criticism, and who - share our opinion, will, on analyzing the works of Mendelssohn, be - able to prove the truthfulness of this statement, which, indeed, - can hardly be contested. - - [Sidenote: _COLD WORDS FOR MEYERBEER._] - - In order to explain the general impression which the music of this - composer makes upon us, it will be sufficient to state that it - interests us only when our imagination, always more or less eager - for distraction, is excited in following in its many shapes, a - series of forms most refined, and most carefully and artistically - worked. These several forms only interest us, in the same manner as - the combinations of colour in a kaleidoscope. But when these forms - ought to express the profoundest and most forcible emotions of the - human heart, they entirely fail to satisfy us. - -No one, judging dispassionately, will contend that Wagner has exceeded -the legitimate limits of criticism. It is not dogmatism, since he -appealed to the reasoning faculty and adduced proof in favour of his -deduction. The context of the article naturally imparts additional force -to his statements. Mendelssohn is credited with the highest gifts, -natural and acquired, and yet falls short in the production of a -masterpiece that appeals direct to the heart, because by ancestry and -surroundings he has stood without the pale of our European civilization, -and consequently has not assimilated the feelings of the masses. - -In his observations upon Meyerbeer he says:-- - - A musical artist of this race, whose fame in our time has spread - everywhere, writes his works to suit that portion of the public - whose musical taste has been so vitiated by those only desiring to - make capital out of the art. The opera-going public has for a long - time omitted to demand from the dramatic art that which one has a - right to look for from it. - - This celebrated composer of operas to whom we are making allusion, - has taken upon himself to supply the public with this deception, - this sham art. It would be superfluous to enter upon a profound - examination of the artistic means which this artist employs with - profusion to achieve his aim; it will be sufficient to say that he - understands perfectly how to deceive the public. His successes are - the proof of it. He succeeds particularly in making the bored - audience accept that jargon which we have characterized as a - modern, piquant expression of all the trivialities already served - up to them so many times in their primitive absurdity. One will not - be astonished that this composer equally takes care to introduce - into his works those grand catastrophes of the soul which so - profoundly stir an audience, for one knows how much those people - who are the victims of boredom seek such emotions. Whoever reflects - upon the reasons which insure success under such circumstances, - will not be surprised to see that this artist succeeds so - completely. - - The faculty of deceiving is so great with this artist, that he - deceives himself. Perhaps, indeed, he wishes it as much for himself - as for the public. We verily believe that he would like to create - works of art, but that he knows he is not able of doing so. In - order to escape from this painful conflict between his wish and his - ability, he composes operas for Paris, and has them produced in - other countries, which in these days is the surest means of - acquiring the reputation of an artist without being one. When we - see him thus overwhelmed by the trouble he gives himself in - practising self-deception, he almost assumes, in our eyes, a - tragical figure, were there not in him too much personal interest - and self at work, the amalgamation of which reduces it to the - comic. Besides the Judaism which reigns generally in art, and which - this composer represents in music, he is distinguished by an - impotence to touch us, and further by the ridiculous which is - inherent in him. - -[Sidenote: _OFFENDING THE CRITICS._] - -This criticism upon Meyerbeer is caustic and unsparing. Yet even now -public opinion has testified to its veracity. It is not making too bold -a statement to say that no musician of taste, no musician--it matters -not of what nationality or school--of to-day will accord Meyerbeer that -exalted position he occupied when Wagner had the temerity to show the -sham and unreal art in the man. At that time, now nearly forty years -ago, Richard Wagner suffered severely for his fearless and outspoken -criticism. Personal jealousy was freely hurled at him as the paltry -incentive of his article. I frankly admit, with an intimate acquaintance -of Wagner's feelings regarding Meyerbeer, that he despised the -"mountebank," hating cordially the thousand commercial incidents -Meyerbeer associated with the production of his works. Schlesinger told -me indeed of well-authenticated instances where Meyerbeer had gone so -far as to conciliate the mistresses of critics to secure a favourable -verdict. It can easily be understood that Wagner could not help feeling -contempt for such a man, for when he himself came to London in 1855, he -absolutely refused to call on any single critic, notwithstanding I -impressed upon him how necessary and habitual such custom was. The -result we know. He offended them all. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -1855. - - -[Sidenote: _THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC._] - -The story of the invitation of Richard Wagner, the then dreaded -iconoclast of music, to London, to conduct the concerts of the -conservative Philharmonic Society, is both curious and interesting, in -the history of the tonal art. Costa, the previous conductor, had -resigned. The pressing question was, who could succeed so popular a man? -The names of many German notabilities were proposed, and as soon -dismissed. In England there was Sterndale Bennett, but he had quarrelled -with the directors; the field was therefore open. It was then that the -appointment of Wagner was suggested and agreed to. The circumstances -were as follows. Prosper Sainton, the eminent violinist, was both leader -of the orchestra of the Philharmonic, and one of the seven directors of -the society. He was and is[8] an intimate friend of mine, and to him I -proposed Richard Wagner. At that time Sainton was living with Charles -Lders, a dear, lovable German musician, with whom he had travelled on -concert tours throughout Europe. From the time the two men met in -Russia, they lived together for twenty-five years, until the marriage of -Sainton with Miss Dolby, since which time Lders was a daily visitor at -his friend's house, Sainton administering always to his comfort, and -tending him on his death-bed, in the summer of 1884. Lders and I were -heart and soul, and catching my enthusiasm he pressed Sainton so warmly, -that the name of Wagner was at once proposed. Richard Wagner was then -but a myth to the average English musician. However, as Sainton was a -general favourite with his colleagues, and was, further, held in high -esteem on account of his artistic perception, I was requested, through -his influence, to appear before the directors. I had then been a -resident in the metropolis for twenty-one years; I attended at a -directors' meeting in Hanover Square, and stated my views. - -Up to the present time, I have never been able to discover how it was -that seven sedate gentlemen could have been so influenced by my red-hot -enthusiasm as to have been led to offer the appointment to Richard -Wagner. I found that they either knew very little of him or nothing at -all, nor did I know him personally; I was but the reflection of August -Roeckel; as a composer, however, I had become so wholly his partisan as -to regard him the genius of the age. The crusade in favour of Richard -Wagner, upon which I then entered with so much fervour, will be best -understood by an article contributed by me at the time to the "New York -Musical Gazette,"[9] parts of which I think it advisable to reproduce -here, even at the expense of repeating an incident or two. The article -was summarized in the London musical papers, and immediately a shower of -virulent abuse fell upon me which, however, at no period affected in the -slightest my ardour for Wagner's cause. - -[Sidenote: _AN EDITOR AGITATED._] - - The musical public of London is in a state of excitement which - cannot be described. Costa, the autocrat of London conductors, is - just now writing an oratorio, and no longer cares for what he would - have sacrificed anything for before he got possession of it, - namely, the conductorship of the Old Philharmonic; and whom to have - in his place, has for some time sorely puzzled the directors of the - said society. No Englishman would do, that is certain, for the - orchestra adores Costa; and besides, it belongs to Covent Garden, - where Costa reigns supreme (and where he really does wonders; being - musical conductor and stage manager; looking after the _mise en - scne_ and everything else with remarkable intelligence). Whom to - seek for, the government knew not. They made overtures to Berlioz, - but he had already signed an engagement with the New Philharmonic, - their presumptuous and hated rival. Things looked serious, - appalling, to the Old Philharmonic; they were in danger of losing - many subscribers, and a strong tide was setting in against them. At - last, seeing themselves on the verge of dissolution, and the New - Philharmonic ready to act as pall-bearers, they resolved upon a - risk-all, life-or-death remedy, and Richard Wagner was engaged! - Yes; this red republican of music is to preside over the Old - Philharmonic of London, the most classical, orthodox, and exclusive - society on this globe. - - Mr. Anderson, the conductor of the queen's private band, and acting - director of the Old Philharmonic, was despatched as minister - plenipotentiary and envoy extraordinary to Zurich, where Wagner is - staying, to open negotiations and conclude arrangements, and - happily succeeded in his mission. Wagner agreed to give up certain - previously made conditions (some correspondence had taken place on - the subject), which required a second conductor for the vocal part - of the concerts, and unlimited rehearsals. In regard to pecuniary - considerations, Wagner rather astonished the entire John Bull; he - coolly told Mr. Anderson that he was too much occupied to give that - point much thought, and only desired to know at what time he - (Wagner) would be wanted in London. The society has requested - Wagner to have some of his works performed here. He, however, has - written nothing for concerts on former occasions; he has arranged a - suite of morceaux from each of his three operas, and these give a - public, unacquainted with his works, some idea of his - peculiarities. - - To see Wagner and Berlioz, the two most ultra red republicans - existing in music, occupying the two most prominent positions in - the musical world of this classical, staid, sober, proper, - exclusive, conservative London, is an unmitigatedly "stunning" - fact. We are now ready for anything, and nothing more can astonish - us. Some of our real old cast-iron conservatives will never recover - from this shock--among others, the editor of the London "Musical - World." This estimable gentleman is in a truly deplorable state, - whereby his friends are caused much concern. The engagement of - Wagner seems to have affected his brain, and from the most amiable - of men and truthful of critics, he has changed to the--well, see - his journal. He lavishes abuse, in language no less violent than - vehement, upon Wagner and all who will not condemn "poor Richard" - without hearing him. Wagner once wrote an article, "Das Judenthum - in der Musik" ("Judaism in Music"), in which he conclusively proves - that a Jew is not a Christian, and neither looks nor "feels," nor - talks nor moves like one, and consequently does not compose like a - Christian; and in that same article, which is written with - exceeding cleverness, Wagner makes a severe onslaught upon - Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, on Judaistic grounds. The editor of the - London "Musical World," considering himself one of Mendelssohn's - heirs, and Mendelssohn having (so it is said) hated Wagner, _ergo_, - must the enraged editor also hate him? He certainly seems to do so, - "con molto gusto." - - * * * * * - - Wagner is at Zurich, quietly industrious, and does not even know or - care about the hue and cry concerning him, which is raised by a set - of idlers, who wish to identify themselves with something new and - great; being nothing themselves, nor likely ever to be anything. - -It having been decided that the directors were to make proposals to -Richard Wagner, I wrote to him detailing the events that had occurred, -and stating that he might expect at any moment to receive a -communication from the society. He did hear almost immediately, and on -the 8th January, 1855, he wrote to me from Zurich. - -[Sidenote: _HE ACCEPTS THE POSITION._] - - I enter into correspondence with you, my dear Praeger, as with an - old friend. My heartiest thanks are due to you, my ardent champion - in a strange land and among a conservative people. Your first - espousal of my cause, ten years ago, when August[10] read to me a - vigorous article, from some English journal,[11] by you on the - "Tannhuser" performance at Dresden, and the several evidences you - have given subsequently of a devotion to my efforts, induce me to - unhesitatingly throw the burden of somewhat wearisome arrangements - upon your shoulders, as papa Roeckel[12] urges me in a letter which - I inclose. - - I must tell you that before concluding arrangements with the - directors of the Philharmonic, I imposed two conditions: first, an - under conductor; secondly, the engagement of the orchestra for - several rehearsals for each concert. You may imagine how enchanted - I am at the promised break of this irritating exile, and with what - joy I look forward to an engagement wherein my views might find - adequate expression; but frankly, I should not care to undertake a - journey all the way to London only to find my freedom of action - restricted, my energies cramped by a directorate that might refuse - what I deem the imperatively necessary number of rehearsals; - therefore, am I willing to agree with what papa Roeckel advises, if - it meets, too, with your support, viz. to forego the engagement of - a second conductor. In such an event, I would beg of you to talk - over, in my name, this affair with Mr. Hogarth,[13] and so far to - arrange that only the question of honorarium be left open for - settlement, for which I would then ask your friendly counsel. - Altogether, what specially decides me to come to London, is the - certainty of your help in the matter, for, being totally incapable - to do that which may be necessary there, I shall be compelled in - many more respects to have recourse to your decision. If you will - venture to burden yourself with me, then tell me in friendship, and - take your chance how you fare with me. My position forces me to - wish again to undertake something desirable, but in how far that is - possible, without lending myself to anything unworthy, I have to - find out. - - Be not angry with me that I have thus bluntly cast myself upon you. - If you receive my entreaty, then act in my name as you consider - good. Heartily shall I be glad of such an opportunity of becoming - more intimate with you. - -With best greeting to you, yours heartily, - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ZURICH, 8th January, 1855. - - P.S. Hogarth's letter I received twelve days ago, and I answered - immediately, but up till to-day I have had no reply, most likely - for the reason which papa Roeckel surmises. - -The inclosure to Wagner's letter was a long epistle from papa Roeckel, -advising him to accept the Philharmonic engagement as a means of -introducing some of Wagner's own works to a London public in a worthy -manner, the orchestra of the Philharmonic having acquired a continental -reputation. Wagner had respect for the opinion of old Mr. Roeckel, -taking counsel with him immediately the Philharmonic conductorship was -proposed to him. - -[Sidenote: _HIS WORKS NOT WELCOMED._] - -The next letter is dated-- - - -ZURICH, 18th January, 1855. - - Hearty thanks, dear Praeger. You show yourself in your letter - exactly as I expected, and that gives me great courage for London. - You no doubt know that I have given my word to Mr. Anderson. He was - anxious to telegraph it at once to London in order to have the - advertisement printed. I received your letter after Mr. Anderson - had left. I was glad to find from you that you had been informed - officially of my having accepted the engagement. What I think of - this engagement I cannot briefly explain to you. I feel positive, - however, that I make a sacrifice. I felt that either I must - renounce the public and all relations with it once and for all, and - turn my back upon it, or else, if but the slightest hope were yet - within me, I must accept the hand which is now held out to me. I - have repeatedly experienced, however, that where I was most - sanguine I have ever been most positively in error; and although I - have again and again felt this, yet I have been induced by this - offer to make a last attempt, and as such I look upon the whole - transaction. That the directors of the Philharmonic have no idea - whom they have engaged, I am perfectly sure; but they will soon - discover. They might have been more generous, for if these - gentlemen intentionally go abroad to find a celebrity, they ought - to have been inclined to spend a little extra. As to the question - of emolument, I answered Mr. Anderson with tolerable indifference. - They seem to attach great importance to the performance of my - works. You no doubt are aware that I have never written anything - for concert performances, and only on special occasions have I - arranged characteristic movements from my three last operas, and - even those which might perhaps give a concerted impression would - occupy a whole concert. By these means I have been enabled to give - to a public unacquainted with the peculiarities of my music an - intelligent first impression. I might have wished to have begun - with such a concert in London, but as this would entail somewhat - heavy expenses at first starting, the concert might be repeated. Do - you think this is practicable, or do you think I, myself, could - undertake it as an enterprise? In which case I would keep back my - compositions from the Philharmonic. I surmise, however, that such a - speculation would encounter insurmountable difficulties in London, - and therefore I shall be obliged after all to give detached - selections in the concerts of the Philharmonic, whereby my meaning - will be considerably weakened. If you think it worth while to give - me an answer on this point, I beg of you to tell me whether I - should have the parts of my compositions copied out here (Zurich), - or whether I should only bring the scores, or, perhaps, should I - previously send them to you so that they might be copied in London. - Of course you can only inform me as to this after an official - interview with the directors of the Philharmonic. In any case the - choral sections would have to be translated. As regards my lodgings - and London diet, Mr. Anderson mumbled something that this could be - arranged to be free for me. I was, however, so preoccupied that I - did not pay much attention to it. Have I, after all, correctly - understood? He spoke, I think, of a pleasant residence near - Regent's Park which could be procured for me. Would you have the - amiability, when opportunity presents itself, to question Mr. - Anderson on this point? If they could provide me such a pretty, - friendly, and quiet lodging, with a good piano, from the 1st - March, it would suit me well, for I would then save you trouble, - and it would free me from all anxiety on that score, especially - about my supposed daintiness. Now I presume I shall soon have - something more to say about this. Meanwhile, I pity you beforehand - on account of my acquaintanceship, and for the trouble I shall be - to you. May heaven help that I shall have something good and noble - to offer you. - -Yours, - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -On reading this letter, admiration for the fearless courage of Wagner -grows upon one. A whole concert devoted to his own works! He little knew -with whom he was dealing. Wagner's temper was quick, and I feared to -irritate him by conveying the certain refusal of the directors, but it -had to be done. It was a difficult and delicate matter to prevent -friction between Richard Wagner, possessed with the exalted notion of -his mission, on the one hand, and the steady-going time-serving -directors on the other. I saw Mr. Anderson. Timorous of the leap in the -dark he and his colleagues had made in engaging Wagner, they feared -hazarding the reputation of their concerts by the devotion of a whole -evening to Wagner's works, but a compromise--that some selections should -be given--was readily effected. The conveyance of this news to Wagner -brought from him the following letter:-- - - My best thanks to you for so amiably taking such trouble. That you - sounded the directors of the Philharmonic as to the question - whether they would fill up a whole evening with selections from - those of my operas which I have arranged specially for concert - performances, although fully authorized to do so, produced a - somewhat disagreeable effect upon me. Heaven knows how strange it - is to me that I should force myself upon any body, and originally, - I only wished your opinion whether I had any chance to have one - concert set apart for my works, for in such case I should have held - back the various selections. I had a similar intimation from - Hogarth, to whom I briefly answered that I would conduct the - classical works only, and that if the directors later on wished to - perform any of my compositions, they might tell me so, when I - should select such as I deemed most appropriate, for which - contingency I should bring the orchestral parts with me, some of - which, no doubt, would require additional copies, the expense of - which, in London, could not be of much account. I am quite - satisfied with this arrangement, and the people will learn to know - me there. On the whole, I have really no special plan for my London - expedition, except to essay what can be done with a celebrated - orchestra, and further, a little change for me is desirable, but - under no circumstances can London even be a home for me. As you - open your hospitable doors to me, I shall avail myself of your - kindness, and if you will let me stay until I have found a suitable - apartment, I shall be grateful to you, and shall heartily beg - pardon of your amiable wife for my intrusion. I shall be in London - in the first days of March. I sincerely repeat to you that I have - no great expectations, for really I do not count any more upon - anything in this world. But I shall be delighted to gain your - closer friendship. The English language I do not know, and I am - totally without gift for modern languages, and at present am averse - to learn any on account of the strain on my memory. I must help - myself through with French. Now for mutual personal acquaintance, - -Yours very faithfully, - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ZURICH, 1st February, 1855. - -[Sidenote: _HE STARTS FOR LONDON._] - -The following incident, as showing the enmity towards Wagner prior to -his landing on these shores, should be noted. It was after receiving the -previous letter that I met James Davison, the editor of the London -"Musical World," and also musical critic of the "Times," at the house of -Leopold de Meyer, the pianist. We had hitherto been on terms of -friendship. The power of this gentleman was enormous. He told me, "I -have read some of Richard Wagner's literary works; in his books he is a -god, but as long as I hold the sceptre of musical criticism, I'll not -let him have any chance here." He did his utmost. With what result is -matter of history. - -The next letter from Wagner is dated Zurich, 12th February. In it he -speaks of "wishing for some quiet room, free from annoying visitors, -where no one but yourself, knowing of my existence, will come to pester -me while scoring part of my tetralogy. Your house I will gladly make as -my own, but as a number of strangers are likely to call, I hope to -escape them in solitude of unknown regions. You must not think this -strange, as I isolate myself at home the whole morning, and do not -permit a soul to come near me when at work, unless it be 'Peps.' You -will remember, too, when I did something similar to this at Dresden, and -left the world to go into retirement with August Roeckel." - -A few days after he left Zurich for London, his next letter being -dated-- - - -PARIS, 2d March, 1855. - - I am on the road to you. I expect to leave here Sunday morning - early, and shall accordingly arrive in London in the evening, - probably somewhat late. If, therefore, without further notice, I - must be so unceremonious with you, the friend, whom, alas, I am not - yet personally acquainted with, as to tumble right into the house, - then must I beg of you to expect me on Sunday night. Trusting that - I shall not ill-use your friendly hospitality, if only for this - night, for I suppose we shall succeed in trying to find on Monday - morning an agreeable lodging, in which I might at once install - myself, for from the many exertions, I fear I shall come very - fatigued to you. I do not doubt that you will have the kindness to - inform Hogarth that, dating from Monday morning early, I shall be - at the disposition of the directors of the Philharmonic. In so - doing I keep my promise to be in London a week before the first - concert. With the entreaty to best excuse me to your wife, and in - hearty joy of your personal acquaintanceship, - -I am yours very faithful, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -Wagner arrived at midnight precisely on Sunday, the fifth of March. - -[Sidenote: _HIS HAT WOULD NOT DO._] - -If I had not already acquired through the graphic letters of August -Roeckel an insight into the peculiarities of Richard Wagner's habits of -thought, power of grasping profound questions of mental speculation, -whilst relieving the severity of serious discourse by the intermingling -of jocular ebulitions of fancy, I was soon to have a fair specimen of -these wondrous qualities. One of the many points in which we found -ourselves at home, was the habit of citing phrases from Schiller or -Goethe, as applicable to our subjects of discussion, as often ironically -as seriously. To these we added an almost interminable dictionary of -quotations from the plays and operas of the early part of the century. -These mental links were, in the course of a long and intimate -friendship, augmented by references to striking qualities, defects, or -oddities, our circle of acquaintances forming a means of communication -between us which might not inaptly be likened to mental shorthand. -Nothing could have exceeded the hilarity, when, upon showing him, at an -advanced hour, to his bedroom, he enthusiastically said, "August was -right; we shall understand each other thoroughly!" I felt in an exalted -position, and dreamed that, like Spontini, I had received a new -decoration from some potentate which delighted me, but the pleasant -dream soon turned to nightmare, when I could find no room on my coat to -place the newly acquired bauble. The next morning I found the -signification of the dream. Exalted positions have their duties as well -as their pleasures, and it became my duty to acquaint Wagner that a -so-called "Necker" hat (_i.e._ a slouched one) was not becoming for the -conductor of so conservative a society as the Philharmonic, and that it -was necessary that he should provide himself with a tall hat, indeed, -such headgear as would efface all remembrance of the social class to -which his soft felt hat was judicially assigned, for, be it known, in -some parts of Germany the soft slouched felt hat had been interdicted by -police order as being the emblem of revolutionary principles. I think it -was on the strength of the accuracy of this last statement that Wagner -gave way, and I at once followed up the success by taking the composer -of "Tannhuser" to the best West End hatter, where, after an onslaught -on the sons of Britannia and their manias, we succeeded in fitting a hat -on that wondrous head of the great thinker. I could not help -sarcastically joking Wagner on his compulsory leave-taking with the -"revolutionary" hat for four months,--the time he was to sojourn amongst -us,--by citing from Schiller's "Fiesco" the passage about the fall of -the hero's cloak into the water, upon which Verina pushes him after it -with the sinister words, "When the purple falls, the duke must follow." -As to Richard Wagner's democratic principles, I observed that the -solitude of exile had considerably modified them. This I noticed to my -surprise and no less pain, for, when I anxiously inquired after our poor -friend, August Roeckel, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Perhaps he -tries to revolutionize the prison warders, for the 'Wuhlers'" -(uprooters, a name of the period) "are never at rest in their -self-elected role of reformers!" I, who knew the unambitious, -self-sacrificing nature of the poor prisoner, felt a pang of -disappointment at Wagner's remark, and had often to suffer the same when -the year 1849 was mentioned. - -[Sidenote: _A DIFFICULT INTERVIEW._] - -We drove from the hatmaker straight to the city to inquire after a box -containing the compositions Wagner had been requested to bring over with -him. The box had arrived, and then we continued our peregrination back -to the West, alighting at Nottingham Place, the residence of Mr. -Anderson. The old gentleman possessed all the suave, gentle manner of -the courtier, and all went well during the preliminary conversation -about the projected programme, until Mr. Anderson mentioned a prize -symphony of Lachner as one of the intended works to be performed. Wagner -sprang from his seat, as if shot from a gun, exclaiming loudly and -angrily, "Have I therefore left my quiet seclusion in Switzerland to -cross the sea to conduct a prize symphony by Lachner? no; never! If that -be a condition of the bargain I at once reject it, and will return. What -brought me away was the eagerness to head a far-famed orchestra and to -perform worthily the works of the great masters, but no Kapellmeister -music; and that of a 'Lachner,' bah!" Mr. Anderson sat aghast in his -chair, looking with bewildered surprise on this unexpected outbreak of -passion, delivered with extraordinary volubility and heat by Wagner, -partly in French and partly in German. I interposed a more -tranquillizing report of the harangue and succeeded in assuring Mr. -Anderson that the matter might be arranged by striking out the "prize" -composition, to which he directly most urbanely acceded. Wagner, who did -not fail to perceive the startling effect his derisive attack on the -proposed work had produced on poor Mr. Anderson, whose knowledge of the -French language was fairly efficient in an Andante movement, but quite -incapable of following such a _presto agitato_ as the Wagner speech had -assumed, begged me to explain the dubious position of prize compositions -in all cases, and certainly no less in the case of the Lachner -composition, and Wagner himself laughingly turned the conversation into -a more general and quiet channel. After thus having tranquillized the -storm, the interview ended more agreeably than the startling episode had -promised. I, however, then clearly foresaw the many difficulties likely -to occur during the conductorship of a man of Wagner's Vesuvius-like -temper, and the sequel amply proved that I had not been unduly -prejudiced in this respect. Yet in all his bursts of excitability, a -sudden veering round was always to be expected, should it chance that -the angry poet-musician perceived any ludicrous feature in the -controversy, when he would turn to that as a means of subduing his -ebullition of temper, and falling into a jocular vein, would plainly -show he was conscious of having exceeded the bounds of moderation. I was -glad that we had passed the Rubicon of our difficulties for the present, -for I was fully aware that whatever difficulties might arise with regard -to Wagner's relation to the other directors, they would be easily -overcome by Mr. Anderson's support, for it was he who unquestionably -ruled the "Camarilla," or secret Spanish council, as Wagner styled the -"seven," when any work proposed by them for performance met with -disapproval. I never could well understand how the Lachner episode -became known, but it is certain that it did, for the German opposition -journals, and there were many, made great capital out of the refusal of -Wagner to conduct a prize symphony. - -[Sidenote: _HIS CHILDLIKE JOLLITY._] - -Our next visit was an unclouded one. We went to call on Sainton, who was -as refined a soloist as he was an intelligent and energetic orchestral -leader. His jovial temperament, Gasconic fun (born at Toulouse), his -good and frank nature, pleased Wagner at once. Charles Lders, a German -musician, "le frre intime" of Sainton, formed the oddest contrast to -his friend's character. Quiet, reflective, and somewhat old-fashioned, -he nevertheless became an ardent admirer of Wagner's music, and proved -that "extremes meet," for in his compositions, and they are many, known -in Germany and in France, the good Lders tenaciously clung to the -traditions of a past period. We soon identified him in gentle fun with -the "contrapuntista." Notwithstanding the marked contrast of the -quartette, Wagner, Sainton, Lders, and myself, we harmonized remarkably -well, and many were our pleasant, convivial meetings during the time of -Wagner's stay in London. As Sainton had always been very intimate with -Costa, and was his recognized deputy in his absence, he accompanied us -on the first visit to the Neapolitan conductor, Wagner expressing a wish -to make Costa's acquaintance. This was the only visit of etiquette -Wagner paid. He sternly refused to pay any more, no matter to whom, and -I gladly desisted from advocating any, though he suffered severely in -consequence from a press which stigmatized him as proud and unsociable. - -We went home to dine. What a pleasant impression did the master give us -of his childlike jollity. Full of fun, he exhibited his remarkable power -of imitation. He was a born actor, and it was impossible not to -recognize immediately who was the individual caricatured, for Wagner's -power of observation led him at all times to notice the most minute -characteristics of all whom he encountered. A repast in his society -might well be described as a "feast of reason and flow of soul," for, -mixed in odd ways, were the most solid remarks of deep, logical -intuition, with the sprightliest, frolicsome humour. Wagner ate very -quickly, and I soon had occasion to notice the fatal consequences of -such unwise procedure, for although a moderate eater, he did not fail to -suffer severely from such a pernicious practice. This first day afforded -a side-light upon the master's peculiarities. Never having been used to -the society of children, he was plainly awkward in his treatment of -them, which we did not fail to perceive whenever my little boy was -brought in to say "good-night." - -As soon as we had discovered a fitting apartment at Portland Place, -Regent's Park, within a few minutes' walk of my house, the first thing -he wanted was an easel for his work, so that he might stand up to score. -No sooner was that desire satisfied than he insisted on an eider-down -quilt for his bed. Both these satisfied desires are illustrative of -Wagner. He knew not self-denial. It was sufficient that he wished, that -his wish should be gratified. When he arrived in London his means were -limited, but nevertheless the satisfaction of the desires was what he -ever adhered to. - -He had not been here a day before his determined character was made -strikingly apparent to me. In the matter of crossing a crowded -thoroughfare his intrepidity bordered close upon the reckless. He would -go straight across a road; safe on the other side, he was almost boyish -in his laugh at the nervousness of others. But this was Wagner. It was -this deliberate attacking everything that made him what he was; -timorousness was not in his character; dauntless fearlessness, perhaps -not under proper control, naturally gave birth to an iconoclast, who -struck with vigour at all opposition, heedless of destroying the penates -worshipped by others. - -[Sidenote: _HIS FIRST LONDON CONCERT._] - -The rehearsal and the introduction of the band of the Philharmonic was a -nervous moment for me. I knew the spirit of opposition had found its way -among a few members of the orchestra; indeed, it numbered one at least, -who felt himself displaced by Wagner's appointment. However, Wagner -came. He addressed the band in a brotherly manner, as co-workers for the -glory of art; made an apt reference to their idol, his predecessor, and -secured the good-will at once of the majority. I say advisedly the -majority only, because they had not long set to work when he was gently -admonished by some that "they had not been in the habit of taking this -movement so slowly, and that, perhaps, the next had been taken a trifle -too fast." Wagner was diplomatic; his words were conciliatory, but, for -all that, he went on his way, and would have the _tempi_ according to -his will. At the end he was applauded heartily, and henceforth the band -apparently followed implicitly his directions. - -The first concert took place on the 12th March; the programme was as -follows:-- - - Symphony Hadyn. - Operatic terzetto (vocal) Mozart. - Violin Concerto Spohr. - Scena ("Ocean, Thou Mighty Monster") Weber. - Overture ("The Isle of Fingal") Mendelssohn. - The "Eroica" Beethoven. - Duet ("O My Father") Marschner. - Overture ("Zauberflte") Mozart. - -The effect of the concert will be best understood by the following -notice, which I contributed at the time for the "New York Musical -Gazette":-- - - The eagerly looked for event has taken place. Costa's bton, so - lately swayed with such majestical and even tyrannical ardour, this - self-same bton was taken on Monday last (12th March) by Richard - Wagner. The audience rose almost _en masse_ to see the man first, - and whispers ran from one to another: "He is a small man, but what - a beautiful and intelligent forehead he has!" Haydn's symphony, No. - 7 (grand) began the concert, and opened the eyes of the audience to - a state of things hitherto unknown, as regards conducting. Wagner - does not beat in the old-fashioned, automato-metronomic manner. He - leaves off beating at times--then resumes again--to lead the - orchestra up to a climax, or to let them soften down to a - _pianissimo_, as if a thousand invisible threads tied them to his - bton. His is the beau ideal of conducting. He treats the orchestra - like the instrument on which he pours forth his soul-inspired - strains. Haydn's well-known symphony seemed a new work through his - inexpressibly intelligent and poetical conception. Beethoven's - "Eroica," the first movement of which used to be taken always with - narcotic slowness by previous conductors, and in return the funeral - march always much too fast, so as to rob it of all the magnificent - _gran'dolore_; the scherzo, which always came out clumsily and - heavily; and the finale, which never was understood.--Beethoven's - "Eroica" may be said to have been heard for the first time here, - and produced a wonderful effect. As if to beat the Mendelssohnian - hypercritics on their own field, Wagner gave a reading of - Mendelssohn's "Isle of Fingal" that would have delighted the - composer himself, and even the overture of "Die Zauberflte" - ("Magic Flute") was invested with something not noticed before. Let - it be well understood that Wagner takes no liberties with the works - of the great masters; but his poetico-musical genius gives him, as - it were, a second sight into their hidden treasures; his worship - for them and his intense study are amply proved by his conducting - them all without the score, and the musicians of the orchestra, so - lately bound to Costa's reign at Covent Garden, and prejudiced to a - degree against the new man, who had been so much abused before he - came, and judged before he was heard (by those who are not capable - of judging him when they do hear him!)--this very orchestra already - adores Wagner, who, notwithstanding his republican politics, is - decidedly a despot with the orchestra. In short, Wagner has - conquered, and an important influence on musical progress may be - predicted for him. The next concert will bring us the "Ninth - Symphony" and a selection of "Lohengrin," which the directors would - insist on, notwithstanding the refusal of the composer. The "Times" - abuses Wagner and revenges the neglected English conductors; mixes - up his music with the Revolution, 1848, and falsely states that he - hates Mozart, Beethoven, etc., etc., and furthermore asserts, just - as falsely, that he wrote his books in defence of his operas; but - is so virulent against the man, and says so little about his - conducting, that it strikes us the article must have been written - some years ago, as an answer to "Judaism in Music." The "Morning - Post" agrees perfectly with us as to Wagner being the conductor of - whom musicians have dreamed, when they sought for perfection, - hitherto unbelieved. - -[Sidenote: _SUPPER AFTER THE CONCERT._] - -After the first concert, we went by arrangement to spend a few hours at -his rooms. Dear me, what an evening of excitement that was! There were -Wagner, Sainton, Lders, Klindworth (whom I had introduced to Wagner as -a pupil of Liszt), myself and wife. Animal spirits ran high. Wagner was -in ecstasies. The concert had been a marked success artistically, and -Richard Wagner's reception flattering. On arriving at his rooms, he -found it necessary to change his dress from "top to toe." He had -perspired so freely from excitement that his collar was as though it had -that moment been dipped into a basin of water. So while he went to -change his attire and don a somewhat handsome dressing-robe made by -Minna, Sainton prepared a mayonnaise for the lobster, and Lders rum -punch made after a Danish method, and one particularly appreciated by -Wagner, who, indeed, loved everything unusual of that description. -Wagner had chosen the lobster salad, I should mention, because crab fish -were either not to be got at all in Germany, or were very expensive. -When he returned he put himself at the piano. His memory was excellent, -and innumerable "bits" or references of the most varied description were -rattled off in a sprightly manner; but more excellent was his running -commentary of observations as to the intention of the composer. These -observations showed the thinker and discerning critic, and in themselves -were of value in helping others to comprehend the meaning of the music. -What he said has mostly found its way into print; indeed, it may be -affirmed that the greater part of his literary productions was only the -transcription of what he uttered incessantly in ordinary conversation. -Then, too, he sang; and what singing it was! It was, as I told him then, -just like the barking of a big Newfoundland dog. He laughed heartily, -but kept on nevertheless. He cared not. Yet though his "singing" was -but howling, he sang with his whole heart, and held you, as it were, -spellbound. There was the real musician. He felt what he was doing. He -was earnest, and that was, and is, the cause of his greatness. Then when -we sat at supper he was in his liveliest mood. Richard Wagner a German? -Why, he behaved then with all that uncontrolled expansion of the -Frenchman. But this is only another instance of those contradictions in -Wagner's life. His volubility at the table knew no bounds. Anecdotes and -reminiscences of his early life poured forth with a freshness, a vigour, -and sparkling vivacity just like some mountain cataract leaping -impetuously forward. He spoke with evident pleasure of his reception by -the audience; praised the orchestra, remarking how faithfully they had -borne in mind and reproduced the impressions he had sought to give them -at the rehearsal. On this point he was only regretful that the -inspiration, the divination, the artistic electricity, as it were, which -is in the air among German or French executants, should be wanting here; -or, as he phrased it, "Ils jouent parfaitement, mais le feu sacr leur -manque." - -[Sidenote: _CONDUCTING WEBER'S MUSIC._] - -Then followed his abuse of fashion. White kid gloves on the hands of a -conductor he scoffed at. "Who can do anything fettered with these -things?" he pettishly insisted; and it was only after considerable -pressure, and pointing out the aristocratic antecedents of the -Philharmonic and the class of its supporters, that he had consented to -wear a pair just to walk up the steps of the orchestra on first -appearing, to be taken off immediately he got to his desk. That evening, -at Wagner's request, we drank with much acclamation eternal -"brotherhood," henceforth to "tutoyer" each other, and broke up our -high-spirited meeting at two in the morning. - -But the second concert, 26th March, 1855, the programme was after -Wagner's own heart. It was, perhaps, the _one_ of the whole eight which -delighted him the most, embracing as it did the overture to "Der -Freischtz," the prelude and a selection from "Lohengrin," and -Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony." It was the first time any of Wagner's -music was to be performed in England, and Wagner was anxious. But the -rehearsal was reassuring. At first the orchestra could not understand -the _pianissimo_ required in the opening of the "Lohengrin" prelude; and -then the crescendos and diminuendos which Wagner insisted upon having -surprised the executants. They turned inquiringly to each other, -seemingly annoyed at his fastidiousness. But the conductor knew what he -wanted and would have it. Then came the overture to "Der Freischtz." -Now this was exceedingly popular in England, and it was thought nothing -could be altered in the mode of rendering it. Traditions, however, of -the "adored idol," Weber, were strong in Wagner, and he took it in the -composer's way; the result was, that at the concert the applause was so -boisterous, and the demands of the audience so emphatic, that a -repetition was at once given. That the overture was repeated will show -how insistent were the audience, for Wagner then, as afterwards, was -decidedly opposed to encores; however, upon this occasion there was no -way of avoiding the repeat. Though, as I have said, the overture was -extremely popular, yet the reading was so new and striking, the phrasing -and _nuances_ marked with such decision, that the people were startled, -and expressed their appreciation heartily. - -The reception of the "Lohengrin" selection, too, was unmistakably -favourable. The delicately fragile orchestration of the sweetly melodic -prelude, followed by the bright and attractive rhythmical phrases of the -bridal chorus, caused a bewildered, pleased surprise among the audience, -who had expected something totally different. The "music of the future -was noise and fury," so said the leading English musical journal, and -this authority counted for something; but the "Lohengrin" prelude was -very inaccurately described, if that had been included, and Wagner felt -pleased and contented at the impression which the first performance of -any of his music had created in this country. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -1855. _Continued._ - - -On the "Ninth Symphony," that colossal work, Richard Wagner expended -commensurate pains. I remember how surprised the vocalists were at the -rehearsal, when he stopped them, inquiring did they understand the -meaning of what they were singing, and then he briefly explained in -emphatic language what he thought about it. The bass solo was especially -odd: the vocalist was taking it as though it were an ordinary ballad, -when Wagner burst in fiery song, natural and falsetto, illustrating how -it should go, singing the whole of the solo of Mr. Weiss (the bass -vocalist) in such a decided, clean cut manner that it was impossible for -the singer to help imitating him, and with marked effect too. As for the -band, that rehearsal was a revelation to them. That symphony was a -stupendous work, yet the conductor knew it by heart and was conducting -without score. They felt they were in the hands of a man whose artistic -soul was fired with enthusiasm; his earnestness infected them; they -caught it quickly and responded with a zealousness that only sympathetic -artists can put forth, ably supported by Sainton, whom the Prince -Consort complimented to Wagner as a splendid "Chef d'attaque." The -concert performance created, too, such a stir that even the most violent -of all the anti-Wagner critics spoke of it as an "intellectual and -elevated conception." This concert placed Wagner permanently in the -heart of his band; they loved to be under the command of such an earnest -art worker and yielded willingly to his inspirations. - -That evening after the concert, at our now established gathering, Wagner -was positively jubilant. He had been able to produce the "Ninth -Symphony" in London as he wished, and he hoped the "traditions" would -remain. He emphasized "traditions" in a slyly sarcastic manner, and well -had he reason to do so. Traditions of Mendelssohn and Spohr were -omnipotent, and omnipotent with the orchestra, and Wagner hoped the -conservative English mind would retain "his" traditions of the "Choral -Symphony," among which would be found how he had sung the long -recitative for the strings,--double-basses,--that ushers in the choral -portion of the work. When Wagner first sang this part to the orchestra, -they all engaged in a good-humoured titter, which speedily gave way to -respect; for Wagner certainly was marvellously successful in explaining -how he wanted a phrase played by first singing it,--a gift it -undoubtedly was. - -[Sidenote: _A VISIT TO ST. PAUL'S._] - -He said he would not do any work next day, and arranged that we should -visit the city. We went first to the Guildhall. It was astonishing how -he absorbed everything to himself, to his purposes, how his fancy freely -exercised itself. Gog and Magog! they were his Fafner and Fasolt; then -his humour leaped in advance of the period, and he laughingly asked me -whether there was a "Gtterdmmerung" in store for the City Fathers, and -whether Guildhall, their Walhalla, supported by the giants Gog and -Magog, would also crumble away through the curse of gold. We next went -to the Mint. There, too, the central figure was Wagner; the main theme -of discussion, Wagner. When the attendant put into his hands, as was the -custom, a roll of cancelled bank notes, amounting to thousands of pounds -sterling, he turned to me and said, "The hundredth part of this would -build my theatre, and posterity would bless me." His speech certainly -savoured of the consciousness of genius. I do not think this is a -euphemistic way of saying he had a good opinion of himself. I say it, -because I feel it to be the truth. It was through this very -consciousness that he triumphed over the many difficulties that beset -him. Without it he could not have achieved what he did. The buoyancy of -hope begotten of conscious strength is a powerful factor in the securing -of success. The theatre he had in his mind then, I thought to be that -which he had urged the Saxon authorities to establish, the scheme for -which I was then well acquainted with, but his latter discourse showed -how, during his exile, that original thought had amplified itself. Of -our visit to St. Paul's Cathedral I can recall but one observation of -Wagner, to the effect that it was as cold and uninspiring as the -Protestant creed--a strange remark from one whose own religious -tendencies were Lutheran, and who could express his religious -convictions so powerfully and poetically in his last work, "Parsifal." - -Richard Wagner's intense attachment to the canine species led him to -make friends with our dog, a large, young, black Norwegian beast, given -me by Hainberger, the companion of Wagner in the forward movement of -1848-9, and sharer of his exile. The dog showed in return a decided -affection for his newly made acquaintance. After a few days, when Wagner -found that the dog was kept in a small back yard, he expostulated -against such "cruelty," and proposed to take the dog's necessary -out-door exercise under his own special care--a task he never shirked -during the whole of his London stay. Whenever he went for his daily -promenade, a habit never relinquished at any period of his life, the dog -was his companion, no matter who else might be of the party. Nor was the -control of the dog an easy task. It was a curious sight to witness -Wagner's patience in following the wild gyrations of the spirited -animal, who, in his exultation of that semi-freedom, tugged at his -chain, dragging the Nibelung composer hither and thither. - -[Sidenote: _ANIMALS ON THE STAGE._] - -Part of Wagner's daily constitutional was to the Regent's Park, entering -by the Hanover Gate. There, at the small bridge over the ornamental -water, would he stand regularly and feed the ducks, having previously -provided himself for the purpose with a number of French rolls--rolls -ordered each day for the occasion. There was a swan, too, that came in -for much of Wagner's affection. It was a regal bird, and fit, as the -master said, to draw the chariot of Lohengrin. The childlike happiness, -full to overflowing, with which this innocent occupation filled Wagner, -was an impressive sight never to be forgotten. It was Wagner you saw -before you, the natural man, affectionate, gentle, and mirthful. His -genuine affection for the brute creation, united to a keen power of -observation, gave birth to numberless anecdotes, and the account of the -Regent's Park peregrinations often formed a most pleasant subject of -after-dinner conversation. I should explain that though Wagner had rooms -in Portland Place, St. John's Chapel, Regent's Park, he only took his -breakfast there, and did such work in the matter of scoring in the -morning, coming directly after to my house for his dog and rolls, -returning for dinner and to spend the rest of the day under my roof, -where also a room was provided for him. - -[Sidenote: _THAT UNHAPPY DRAGON._] - -In our friendly talks upon the animal kingdom, we soon came to a decided -dissension. I casually remarked on the ludicrous effects animals produce -at times, and under all circumstances on the stage; here I found myself -in direct opposition to Wagner's notions on the subject. Had he not the -dragon Fafner, the young bear in "Siegfried," the Grne, the steed of -the Valkyrie, even the fluttering bird in the tetralogy? Was not the -swan in "Lohengrin" another proof of his predilection for realistic -representation of animals on the stage? It was in vain that I cited the -lamentable failure of the serpent in Mozart's "Magic Flute," which, even -at the best theatres in Germany, never produced other than a burst of -hilarity at its wriggling in the pangs of death, when pierced by the -three donnas; or again the two lions in the same opera which are rolled -on to the stage like children's wooden horses; or Weber's mistake of -introducing a serpent in his "Euryanthe," which always mars that scene! -But I found myself obliged to cease quoting examples, and seek a basis -for establishing principles for my argument against the introduction of -animals on the stage. Here more success awaited me on the strength of -Wagner's own exalted notion of the histrionic art; viz. that an actor, -to be worthy of the name, must possess the creative power of a poet, and -become, as it were, inspired into the state impersonated, which might -not inaptly be likened to that of mesmerism. The actor must believe -himself another being, must be unconscious of aught else. One such -artist, he asserted, was Garrick, in the delivery of monologues, when -the great tragedian was said to have isolated himself to such a degree, -that though with his eyes wide open, he became, as it were, visionless. -It was on this ground that I attempted my argument against Wagner's -illogical and intemperate introduction of the brute creation into his -dramas. If, I argued, you will not accept an actor properly so-called, a -reasoning man, unless his poetic creative fancy can enable him to -transport his identity into a character entirely different from his own, -how still less can you expect any animal to impersonate a set rle in -any performance? Whatever actions may be required from it, a dog will -always represent a dog; a horse, a horse. Wagner saw the argument, but -reluctant as at all times to confess himself beaten, he advanced -"training" as a defence. This, however, served only to destroy his case -the more; for he had previously reasoned, and with much force, that all -training for the stage as a profession was useless, and but so much -mis-directed effort and waste of time, unless the student had given -evidence of a genius, which nature, alas! is chary in bestowing. So much -for the introduction of real animals upon the stage; there the case is -bad enough, and the results occasionally disastrous and ludicrous; but -when one has to make shift with imitation, the matter is still worse. -Here, too, however, Wagner was reluctant to forego the semblance as -much as he was the reality. Yet, let the case be tested by oneself. -Recall the bear Siegfried brings with him into the smithy, think of the -ridiculous effect produced by the actor's antics in his vain efforts to -worthily perform his part and seem a real bear. There is no margin left -for the imagination, and the sad attempt at a mistaken realism defeats -its own purpose. It is an extraordinary feature in a poetic brain like -that of Wagner, that he would cling persistently to such a realism. This -subject remained always one on which we dissented, and I never failed to -prognosticate a failure for his pets in the Nibelung tetralogy, which to -my mind was fully proved even under his own supervision, and on the -hallowed ground of Bayreuth at the performances there, which were, in -all other respects, so marvellously perfect. Who is there that was -terribly impressed by the sight of the dragon, or who could divest -himself of the thought that a recital of the combat would have proved -infinitely more impressive than the slaying of the snorting monster, -however well Siegfried bears himself towards the pasteboard pitiful -imitation of a fabulous beast? Who, again, would not sooner have heard a -description of the wild, spirited steed, Grne, than witness the nervous -anxiety of Brnhilde in mounting and dismounting a funeral charger, -which is the cynosure of all eyes while on the stage, to the loss of the -music-dramatic setting? The attention of the dramatis person and -audience is distracted from the action of the drama, and centred on the -probable next movement of an animal unable to grasp the situation. This -question of realism is a debatable point; but if it be not kept within -strictly defined limits, I fear there will be danger of the ludicrous -triumphing over the serious. - -An inquiry into the probable causes of an exaggerated tendency to -realism, in a man like Wagner, cannot but be interesting to those who, -without bias, accept him as a master-mind. After many years of an ardent -study of his character, compelled by his commanding genius, I am forced -to a conclusion, the key to many of his actions, which is equally the -explanation in the present instance, is the lack of self-denial. He -yearned for unlimited means to achieve his purpose, and would have the -most gorgeous and costly trappings, to set off his pictures of the -imagination. It was the same in every-day matters of life. Nor, must I -add, did he ever care from whence the means came. That this was the case -in real life, all who know him will testify. How much more, then, would -such a tendency be fed in realizing the vivid impressions with which his -active poetical fancy so freely provided him. Unlimited means! that was -the dream of his life, and up to a late period, when these means at last -realized themselves by the astounding success of his works and the -enormous sums they produced, his inability to curb his wants down to his -actual means kept him in a state of constant trouble and yearning for -freedom from those shackles. - -[Sidenote: _THE THIRD LONDON CONCERT._] - -He accepted his humble descent, fully convinced from earliest time of -having the patent of nobility in his brain--in his genius! He ever bore -himself with the consciousness of superiority, but as for titles and -decorative distinctions, he disdained them all. Were they not bestowed -on numskulls? therefore, he has loudly proclaimed genius should not -dishonour its lofty intelligence in accepting empty baubles. But riches -and the profuse luxurious splendour that can be purchased thereby would -not have seemed too much for him, had they equalled the fabulous -possessions of a Monte Cristo. The traditional humble state of the great -composers, if not actual poverty, as compared with the fortunes amassed -in other arts, was a continual source of complaint with him. - -The programme of the third concert was as follows:-- - - THIRD CONCERT, 16TH APRIL. - - Symphony in A Mendelssohn. - Aria from "Faust" Spohr. - Concerto, pianoforte Beethoven. - Aria Mozart. - Overture ("Euryanthe") Weber. - Symphony in C minor, No. 5 Beethoven. - Recitative and Aria Spohr. - Overture ("Les deux journes") Cherubini. - -That evening, the 16th April, there was a stir among the Mendelssohnian -supporters. They mustered in force; for it had been rumoured that at the -rehearsal Wagner had not stopped the orchestra once. But however Wagner -may have regarded the works of the composer of "Elijah," he was -straightforward enough to do with all his might what he put his hand to, -as the sequel proved, since the "Daily News" reported that it "never -heard the 'Italian' Symphony go so well." That there were some whose -prejudice was not appeased, is to be accepted as a matter of course, and -Wagner was taunted in the "Times," "with a coarse and rigorously frigid" -performance. - -As for the overture to "Euryanthe," it is not too much to say the -audience was startled out of itself; there was a dead silence for a -moment on the work being brought to a close, and the enthusiasm, -vigorous and hearty, burst forth. It was a new reading. Such was the -surprise with which we witnessed the rapturous applause, that at the -convivial gathering after the concert Wagner set himself at the piano, -and from memory poured forth numerous excerpts from "Euryanthe." Then we -learned that that opera was intensely admired by Wagner. He thought it -"logical" and "philosophical," and throughout showed that Weber was a -reflective musician, and, as he himself forcibly argued, that only works -of reflection could ever be immortal. The plot, its treatment, and the -language employed were, he felt, the causes of the opera's -non-popularity, and that these wretched drawbacks dreadfully changed the -intrinsically beautiful music. - -[Sidenote: _A FONDNESS FOR SNUFF._] - -Reflections upon the habits and customs of a past generation sometimes -introduce us to situations that produce in the mind wonder and perhaps a -feeling of disgust. Who can picture the composer of that colossal work -of intellect, the "Nibelung Ring," sitting at the piano, in an elegant, -loose robe-de-chambre, singing, with full heart, snatches and scenes -from his "adored" idol, Weber's "Euryanthe," and at intervals of every -three or four minutes indulging in large quantities of scented snuff. -The snuff-taking scene of the evening is the deeper graven on my memory, -because Wagner abruptly stopped singing, on finding his snuff-box empty, -and got into a childish, pettish fit of anger. He turned to us in -deepest concern, with "Kein schnupf tabac mehr also Kein gesang mehr" -(no more snuff, no more song); and though we had reached the small hours -of early morn, would have some one start in search of this "necessary -adjunct." When singing, the more impassioned he became, the more -frequent the snuff-taking. Now, this practice of Wagner's, one -cultivated from early manhood, in my opinion pointedly illustrates a -phase in the man's character. He did not care for snuff, and even -allowed the indelicacy of the habit, but it was that insatiable nature -of his that yearned for the enjoyment of all the "supposed" luxuries of -life. It was precisely the same with smoking. He indulged in this, to -me, barbarous acquirement more moderately, but experienced not the -slightest pleasure from it. I have seen him puffing from the mild and -inoffensive cheroot, to the luxurious hookah--the latter, too, as he -confessed, only because it was an Oriental growth, and the luxury of -Eastern people harmonized with his own fondness for unlimited profusion. -"Other people find pleasure in smoking; then why should not I?" This is, -briefly, the only explanation Wagner ever offered in defence of the -practice--a practice which he was fully aware increased the malignity of -his terrible dyspepsia. - -There was in Wagner a nervous excitability which not infrequently led to -outbreaks of passion, which it would be difficult to understand or -explain, were it not that there existed a positive physical cause. -First, he suffered, as I have stated earlier, from occasional attacks of -erysipelas; then his nervous system was delicate, sensitive,--nay, I -should say, irritable. Spasmodic displays of temper were often the -result, I firmly feel, of purely physical suffering. His skin was so -sensitive that he wore silk next to the body, and that at a time when -he was not the favoured of fortune. In London he bought the silk, and -had shirts made for him; so, too, it was with his other garments. We -went together to a fashionable tailor in Regent Street, where he ordered -that his pockets and the back of his vest should be of silk, as also the -lining of his frock-coat sleeves; for Wagner could not endure the touch -of cotton, as it produced a shuddering sensation throughout the body -that distressed him. I remember well the tailor's surprise and -explanation that silk for the back of the vest and lining of the sleeves -was not at all necessary, and that the richest people never had silk -linings; besides, it was not seen. This last observation brought Wagner -up to one of his indignant bursts, "Never seen! yes; that's the tendency -of this century; sham, sham in everything; that which is not seen may be -paltry and mean, provided only that the exterior be richly gilded." - -On the matter of dress he had, as on most things, decided opinions! The -waistcoat he condemned as superfluous, and thought a garment akin to the -medival doublet in every way more suitable and comely, and was strongly -inclined at one time to revert to that style of costume himself. He did -go so far as to wear an uncommon headgear, one sanctioned by antiquity, -the _biretta_, which few people of to-day would have courage to don. -Thus it was that from physical causes Wagner preferred silks and -velvets, and so a constitutional defect produced widespread and -ungenerous charges of affected originality and sumptuous luxuriousness. - -[Sidenote: _TOO MUCH GOOD MUSIC._] - -Wagner was greatly amused at the references to him in the London -Charivari "Punch," wherein his "music of the future" was described as -"Promissory Notes," and on a second occasion when it was asserted that -"Lord John Russell is in treaty with Dr. Wagner to compose some music of -the future for his Reform Bill." - -The fourth concert on the 30th April nearly led to a rupture between -Wagner and the directors. The programme was as follows:-- - - Symphony in B flat Lucas. - Romanza ("Huguenots") Meyerbeer. - Nonetto for string and wind instruments Spohr. - Recitative and Aria Beethoven. - Overture ("Ruler of the Spirits") Weber. - Symphony No. 7 Beethoven. - Duetto ("cosi fan Tutti") Mozart. - Overture ("l'Alcade de la Velga") Onslow. - -Wagner had a decided objection to long programmes. The London public, he -said, "overfeed themselves with music; they cannot healthily digest the -lengthy menu provided for them." This programme was distasteful, and -what a scene did it produce! During the aria from "Les Huguenots," the -tenor, Herr Reichardt, after a few bars' rest, did not retake his part -at the proper moment, upon which Wagner turned to him,--of course -without stopping the band,--whereupon the singer made gestures to the -audience indicating that the error lay with Wagner. At the end of the -vocal piece a slight consternation ensued. Wagner was well aware of the -unfriendliness of a section of the critics, and in all probability -capital would be made out of this. At the end of the first part of the -concert I went to him in the artists' room. His high-pitched excitement -and uncontrolled utterances, it was easy to foresee, boded no good. And -so when we reached home after the concert there ensued a positive storm -of passion. Wagner at his best was impulsive and vehement; suffering -from a miserable insinuation as to his incapacity, he grew furious. On -one point he was emphatic,--he would return to Switzerland the next day. -All entreaties and protestations were unavailing. Sainton, Lders, and -myself actually hung upon him, so ungovernable was his anger. He knew -how I had suffered in the press for championing his cause. -"Chef-de-claque," "madman," and "tutto quanti" were the elegant epithets -bestowed upon me in print; and if Wagner left now, the enemy would have -some show of truth in charging him with admitted incompetence: however, -after two or three hours' talking he engaged to stay and see whether he -could not win success with the "Tannhuser" overture, which was to be -performed at the next concert. - -A distorted report of this event appearing in certain German musical -papers, he wrote an explanatory letter to Dresden, in which he stated, -"I need not tell you that it was only the entreaties of Ferdinand -Praeger and those friends who accompanied me home, that dissuaded me -from my somewhat impulsive determination." - -At the fifth concert, 14th May, the "Tannhuser" overture was performed. -It came at the end of the first part of another of those long programmes -which Wagner disliked so much. In a letter to me to Brighton, where I -had gone for a few days, he writes: "These endless programmes, with -these interminable masses of instrumental and vocal pieces, torture me." -The programme of the fifth concert was:-- - -[Sidenote: _THE "TANNHUSER" OVERTURE._] - - Symphony Mozart. - Aria Paer. - Concerto (pianoforte) Chopin. - Aria Mozart. - Overture ("Tannhuser") Wagner. - Symphony ("Pastorale") Beethoven. - Romance Meyerbeer. - Barcarola (vocal) Ricci. - Overture ("Preciosa") Weber. - -How those violin passages on the fourth string in the "Tannhuser" -overture worried the instrumentalists! But as Lipinski had done at -Dresden, so Sainton did now in London, and fingered the passages for -each individual performer. The concert room was well filled. At the -close of the overture tumultuous applause followed, the audience rising -and waving handkerchiefs; indeed, Mr. Anderson informed me that he had -never known such a display of excitement at a Philharmonic concert where -everything was so staid and decorous. As this overture has become -perhaps one of the most popular of Wagner excerpts, it will be -interesting to read what the two acknowledged leading musical critics in -London, i.e. of the "Musical World" (who was also the critic of the -"Times") and the "Athenum," said with reference to it. The former -wrote: "The instrumentation is always heavy and thick"; and the -"Athenum" said: "Yawning chromatic progressions ... a scramble; ... a -hackneyed eight-bar phrase, the commonplace of which is not disguised by -an accidental sharp; ... the instrumentation is ill-balanced, -ineffective, thin, and noisy." - -On the morning of the 22d May, Wagner came to Milton Street very early. -It was his birthday; he was forty-two, and the good, devoted Minna had -so carefully timed the arrival of her congratulatory letter, that Wagner -had received it that morning. He was informed that her gift was a -dressing-gown of violet velvet, lined with satin of similar colour, -headgear--the _biretta_, so well known--to match,--articles of apparel -which furnished his enemies with so much opportunity for charges of -ostentation, egregious vanity, etc. Minna knew her husband well; the -gift was entirely after his heart. He read us the letter. The only -portion of it which I can remember referred to the animal world,--the -dog, Peps, who had been presented with a new collar; and of his parrot, -who had repeated unceasingly, "Richard Wagner, du bist ein grosser mann" -(Richard Wagner, you are a great man). Wagner's imitation of the parrot -was very amusing. That day the banquet was spread for Richard Wagner. -How he did talk! It was the never-ending fountain leaping from the rock, -sparkling and bright, clear and refreshing. He told us episodes of his -early career at Magdeburg and Riga. How he impressed me then with his -energy! Truly, he was a man whose onward progress no obstacles could -arrest. The indomitable will, and the excision of "impossible" from his -vocabulary, were prominent during the recital of the stirring events of -his early manhood. Certainly it was but a birthday feast, and the talk -was genial and merry; yet there went out from me, unbidden and -unchecked, "Truly, that is a great man." Yes, though it was but -after-dinner conversation, the reflections were those of a man born to -occupy a high position in the world of thought and to compel the -submission of others to his intellectual vigour. - -[Sidenote: "_THE PHILHARMONIC OMNIBUS._"] - -At the sixth concert, 28th May, another of those lengthy programmes was -gone through, and comprised-- - - Symphony in G minor C. Potter. - Aria ("Il Seraglio") Mozart. - Concerto, violin, Mr. Sainton Beethoven. - Sicilienne Pergolesi. - Overture ("Leonora") Beethoven. - Symphony, A minor Mendelssohn. - Aria ("Non mi dir") Mozart. - Song, "O ruddier than the cherry" Handel. - Overture ("Der Berg-geist") Spohr. - -Think of the anger of Wagner! two symphonies and two overtures in the -same evening, besides the vocal music and concerto! This was the fourth -concert at which a double dose of symphony and overture was administered -to an audience incapable of digesting such a surfeit; it was these -"full" programmes, reminding him of the cry of the London omnibus -conductors, "full inside," which led him humorously to speak of himself -as "conductor of the Philharmonic Omnibus." In the subjoined letter -addressed to my wife, anent their daily promenade for the "banquetting," -as he called it, of the ducks in the Regent's Park, he subscribes -himself as above. - - CARISSIMA SORELLA: Croyez-vous le temps assez bon, pour - entreprendre notre promenade? Si vous avez le moindre doute, et - comme l'affaire ne presse pas du tout, je vous prie de vous en - dispenser pour aujourd'hui. Faites-moi une toute petite reponse si - je dois venir vous chercher dans un Hansom, ou non? - - En tous cas je gouterai des 4 heures des delices de votre table! - -Votre cordialement, dvo frre, - -RICHARD WAGNER, -_Conductor d'omnibus de la Socit -Philharmonique, 1855_. - - - - -The letter was sent by hand, as his rooms were but ten minutes from my -house. Perhaps I may here reproduce another short note from Wagner to my -wife, with no other intention than showing the degree of close -friendship that existed between him and us:-- - - MA TRS CHRE SOEUR LONIE: Si vous voulez je viendrai demain - (Samedi) diver avec vous 6 heures le soir. Pour Dimanche il m'a - fallu accepter une invitation pour Camberwell, que je ne pouvais - absolument pas refuser. Serez-vous contente de me voir demain? - -Votre trs oblig frre, - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - VENDREDI SOIR, 1865. - -[Sidenote: _MR. POTTER MADE HAPPY._] - -Reverting to the concert, the universal criticism was that Wagner had -achieved great things with Cipriani Potter's symphony. The music Wagner -thought the exact reflection of the man, antiquated but respectable. -Potter was a charming man in daily intercourse, of short stature, thin, -ample features, huge shaggy eyebrows, stand-up collars behind whose -points the old man could hide half his face, and a coat copied from a -Viennese pattern of last century. Wagner was genuinely drawn to the man; -and as the inimical "Musical World" said, "took great pains with the -symphony" (p. 347). Wagner used to declaim greatly against -Mendelssohnian tradition, in the orchestra,--that no movement should be -taken too slow, for fear of wearying the audience. However, being a man -of strong independent character, he would have his way, and movements -were taken as slow as the spirit appeared to require. The critics abused -him heartily; indeed, to such an extent that when the Mozart symphony in -E flat was to be done, the directors implored Wagner to allow the -orchestra to take the slow movement in the quick _tempo_ taught by -Mendelssohn. Similarly, when Potter's symphony was to be done, Mr. -Potter particularly requested Wagner to take the _andante_ somewhat -fast, otherwise he feared a failure. But Wagner, who, with his -accustomed earnestness had almost the whole by heart, told the composer -that the _andante_ was an extremely pretty, nave movement, and that no -matter the speed, if the expression were omitted or slurred, the whole -would fall flat; but, added Wagner, it should go thus: Then he sang part -to Mr. Potter, who was so touched that he grasped Wagner's hand, saying, -"I never dreamed a conductor could take a new work so much to heart as -you have; and as you sing it, just so I meant it." After the concert Mr. -Potter was very delighted. - -But the work of the evening was the "Leonora" overture. Here again -Wagner had his reading, one which the orchestra fell in with -immediately, for they perceived the truth, the earnestness of what -Wagner taught. - -At the seventh concert, 11th June, the "Tannhuser" overture was -repeated, by royal command. The programme, again "full," included three -overtures and two symphonies. - - Overture ("Chevy Chase") Macfarren. - Air ("Jessonda") Spohr. - Symphony ("Jupiter") Mozart. - Scena ("Oberon") Weber. - Overture ("Tannhuser") Wagner. - Symphony (No. 8) Beethoven. - Song ("Ave Maria") Cherubini. - Duet Paer. - Overture ("Anacreon") Cherubini. - -The press did Wagner the justice to state that he showed himself earnest -in the matter of Macfarren's "Chevy Chase." His own overture, -"Tannhuser," was again a brilliant success. The queen sent for him into -the royal salon, and, congratulating him, said that the Prince Consort -was "a most ardent admirer of his." Richard Wagner was pleased at the -unaffected and "winning" manner of Her Majesty, who spoke German to him, -but as his own account of the interview, written to a friend at Dresden -two days after the concert, is now before me, I will reproduce it. - -...It was therefore the more pleasing to me that the queen (which - very seldom happens, and not every year) had signified her - intention of being present at the seventh concert, and ordered a - repetition of the overture. It was in itself a very pleasant thing - that the queen overlooked my exceedingly compromised political - position (which with great malignity was openly alluded to in the - "Times"), and without fear attended a public performance which I - directed. Her further conduct towards me, moreover, infinitely - compensated for all the disagreeable circumstances and coarse - enmities which hitherto I had encountered. She and Prince Albert, - who sat in front before the orchestra, applauded after "Tannhuser" - overture, which closed the first part, with such hearty warmth that - the public broke forth into lively and sustained applause. During - the interval the queen sent for me into the drawing-room, receiving - me in the presence of her suite with these words: "I am most happy - to make your acquaintance. Your composition has charmed me." She - thereupon made inquiries, during a long conversation, in which - Prince Albert took part, as to my other compositions; and asked if - it were not possible to translate my operas into Italian. I had, of - course, to give the negative to this, and state that my stay here - could only be temporary, as the only position open was that of - director of a concert-institute which was not properly my sphere. - At the end of the concert the queen and the prince again applauded - me.... - -[Sidenote: _BURLESQUE OF HIS OWN SONG._] - -That evening after the concert our usual meeting included Berlioz and -his wife. Berlioz had arrived shortly before this concert. Between him -and Wagner I knew an awkward constraint existed, which I hardly saw how -to bridge over, but I was desirous to bring the two together, and -discussing the matter with Wagner, he agreed that perhaps the convivial -union after the concert afforded the very opportunity. And so Berlioz -came. But his wife was sickly; she lay on the sofa and engrossed the -whole of her husband's attention, causing Berlioz to leave somewhat -early. He came alone to the next gathering. - -After such a triumph as Wagner had had that evening with the overture, -he was unusually excited. Hector Berlioz, too, was of an excitable -temperament, but could repress it. Not so Wagner. He presented a -striking contrast to the polished, refined Frenchman, whose speech was -almost classic, through his careful selection of words. Wagner went to -the piano, and sang the "Star of Eve," with harmonies which Chellard, a -German composer of little note (he had composed "Macbeth" as an opera), -said "must be intended." The effect was extremely mirth-provoking, for -Wagner could ape the ridiculous with irresistible humour. - -That evening Wagner, who was always fond of "tasty" dinners, spoke so -glowingly of the French, and their culinary art powers, that we arranged -a whitebait dinner at Greenwich at the Ship, one such as the ministers -sat down to. Edward Roeckel, the brother of August, came up from Bath -for the occasion, and was the giver of the feast. We went by boat. I -remember well the journey, for poor Wagner had an attack of -_malde-mer_, as though he actually were at sea; the wind was blowing -hard, and the water rough. He appreciated highly the whitebait, -especially the dish of devilled ones, and the much-decried cooking of -the British ascended several degrees in his opinion. - -The attitude of the bulk of the London press towards Wagner I have -spoken of as unfriendly; they condemned him, indeed, before he was -heard. Not content with writing bitterly against him, some persons were -in the habit of sending him every scurrilous article that appeared about -him. Who was the instigator I could not positively say. On one occasion, -a letter was addressed to Wagner by an English composer, whom I will not -do the honour of naming, who had sought by every possible means to -achieve notoriety, stating that it was said Wagner had spoken -disparagingly of his name and music, and desiring an explanation with -complete satisfaction. Wagner was excessively angry. He had never heard -the name of the composer, wanted to write an indignant remonstrance, but -was dissuaded by me, for I saw both in this and the regular receipt of -the anonymously sent papers, an attempt to draw Wagner into a dispute. -Of course the writer was but the tool of others. In these matters Wagner -yielded himself entirely into my hands, though he was often desirous of -wielding a fluent and effective pen against his ungenerous enemies. - -[Sidenote: _HIS FONDNESS FOR LUXURY._] - -At that time I had in London a friend on a visit from Paris, a musical -amateur of gift, named Kraus. He was in the confidence of the emperor of -the French, holding the position of steward to a branch of the Bonaparte -family. I invited him to meet Wagner, of whom he was an admirer. Now -listen to what took place. Wagner did all that was possible by -persuasive language to induce Kraus to move the emperor to do something -for Berlioz. It was to no purpose that we were told the emperor was not -enthusiastic for music, and that so many impossible difficulties were in -the way. Wagner kept to his point; Berlioz was poor, had been compelled -to resort to pledging trinkets, etc., whereby to live, and that it was a -crime to the art which he, Kraus, professed to love, that Berlioz should -be in want. I have thought this incident worthy of notice, as showing -the good-will of Wagner for a brother artist was stronger than the icy -restraint that existed between them when they met. - -Much has been written and said of Wagner's extravagance, his prodigality -of luxury. Well, 'tis true, Wagner knew not self-denial, and that his -taste was ever for the beautiful and costly. With such characteristics, -his indulgence in the choice and elegant can be understood. Should -something pretty attract his attention in the street, say in a shop -window, he would stop suddenly and exclaim aloud what he thought, -heedless of the people standing by. Wagner was not wealthy when in -London, yet he spent freely; silk for shirts for ordinary wear, and -costly Irish laces for Minna. In these shopping expeditions my wife was -his companion, and Wagner showed he possessed that kindly tact born of -natural goodness of heart, in discovering what might be considered -pretty, when it was straightway purchased and presented to her. - -I now come to the last concert, the eighth, which took place on the 25th -June. Again the programme included two symphonies and two overtures:-- - - Symphony (No. 3, C minor) Spohr. - Scena ("Der Freischtz") Weber. - Concerto (pianoforte) Hummel. - Song Haydn. - Overture ("Midsummer Night's Dream") Mendelssohn. - Symphony (No. 4, B flat) Beethoven. - Duet ("Prophte") Meyerbeer. - Overture ("Oberon") Weber. - -At the close of this concert he met with applause, hearty from a -section, but I cannot say it was universal. He had won many friends and -had made many enemies, but on the whole, Wagner was satisfied. That -evening our last festive gathering was very jovial. Wagner expressed -himself with all the enthusiasm his warm, impulsive nature was capable -of; he was deeply sensible of the value of his stay here. He had almost -retired from the world, but now Paris and Germany would again be brought -to hear of him. He regretted much the spiteful criticism that had fallen -upon me, and which I was likely to meet with still more. We remained -with Wagner until about three in the morning, helping him to prepare for -his departure from London that 26th June. - -[Sidenote: "_NOT A MUSICIAN AT ALL._"] - -I have refrained from making any quotations about myself. Those who are -interested enough to know how a pioneer is treated by his contemporaries -will discover many silly, impotent reflections upon me in the musical -journals of the period. I will content myself with reproducing a few -extracts about Richard Wagner and his music. The principal papers in -London, those that directed public opinion in musical matters, were the -"Musical World," "Times," "Athenum," and "Sunday Times." Four days -after Wagner had left, the following sad specimens appeared. The -"Musical World," 30th June, 1855:-- - - We hold that Herr Richard Wagner _is not a musician at all_ ... - this excommunication of pure melody, this utter contempt of time - and rhythmic definition, so notorious in Herr Wagner's compositions - (we were about to say Herr Wagner's music), is also one of the most - important points of his system, as developed at great length in the - book of "Oper und Drama." ... It is clear to us that Herr Wagner - wants to upset both opera and drama. Let him then avow it without - all this mystification of words--this tortuous and sophisticated - systematizing.... He is just now cleansing the Augean stables of - the musical drama, and meanwhile, with a fierce iconoclasm, is - knocking down imaginary images, and levelling temples that are but - the creations of his own brain. When he has done this to his own - satisfaction, he will have to grope disconsolate among the ruins of - his contrivance, like Marius on the crumbled walls of Carthage, and - in a brown study begin to reflect, "What next?" For he, Wagner, can - build up nothing himself. He can destroy, but not reconstruct. He - can kill, but not give life.... What do we find there in the shape - of Wagnerian "Art Drama." So far as music is concerned, nothing - better than chaos--"absolute" chaos. The symmetry of form--ignored - or else abandoned; the consistency of keys and their - relations--overthrown, contemned, demolished; the charm of rhythmic - measure, the whole art of phrase and cadence, the true basis of - harmony and the indispensable government of modulation, cast away - for a reckless, wild, extravagant, and demagogic cacophony, the - symbol of profligate libertinage!... Look at "Lohengrin"--that - "_best_ piece"; hearken to "Lohengrin"--that "_best_ piece." Your - answer is there written and sung. Cast that book upon the waters; - it tastes bitter, as the little volume to the prophet. It is - poison--_rank poison_.... - - This man, this Wagner, this author of "Tannhuser," of "Lohengrin," - and so many other hideous things--and above all, the overture to - "Der Fliegende Hollnder," the most hideous and detestable of the - whole--this preacher of the "future," was born to feed spiders - with flies, not to make happy the heart of man with beautiful - melody and harmony. What is music to him, or he to music?... Who - are the men that go about as his apostles? Men like Liszt--the - apostle of Weimar and Professor Praeger, madmen, enemies of music - to the knife, who, not born for music, and conscious of their - impotence, revenge themselves by endeavouring to annihilate it.... - Wagner's theories are impious. No words can be strong enough to - condemn them; no arraignment before the judgment-seat of truth too - stern and summary; no verdict of condemnation too sweeping and - severe.... Not to compare things earthly with things heavenly, has - Mendelssohn lived among us in vain?... All we can make out of - "Lohengrin," by the flaming torch of truth, is an incoherent mass - of rubbish, with no more real pretension to be called music than - the jangling and clashing of gongs and other uneuphonious - instruments.... Wagner, on the contrary, who, though a mythical - dramatist, is no musician and very little poet.... He cannot write - music himself, and for that reason arraigns it. His contempt for - Mendelssohn is simply ludicrous; and we would grant him forty years - to produce one melodious phrase like any of those so profusely - scattered about in the operas of Rossini, Weber, Auber, and - Meyerbeer.... Wagner is as unable to invent genuine tune as pure - harmony, and he knows it. Hence "the books." ... Richard Wagner and - his followers--sham prophets.... Listen to their wily eloquence, - and you find yourself in the coils of rattle-snakes.... There is as - much difference between "Guillaume Tell" and "Lohengrin" as between - the sun and ashes. - -From the "Sunday Times," May, 1855:-- - -[Sidenote: _GEMS OF CRITICISM._] - - Music is not his special birthgift--is not for him an articulate - language or a beautiful form of expression.... Richard Wagner is a - desperate charlatan, endowed with worldly skill and vigorous - purpose enough to persuade a gaping crowd that the nauseous - compound he manufactures has some precious inner virtue, that they - must live and ponder yet ere they perceive.... Anything more - rambling, incoherent, unmasterly, cannot well be conceived. In - composition it would be a scandal to compare him with the men of - reputation this country possesses. Scarcely the most ordinary - ballad writer but would shame him in the creation of melody, and no - English harmonist of more than one year's growth could be found - sufficiently without ears and education to pen such vile things. - -The "Athenum," upon the fifth concert says:-- - - The overture to "Tannhuser" is one of the most curious pieces of - patchwork ever passed off by self-delusion for a complete and - significant creation. - -The critic, after finding a plagiarism of Mendelssohn and Cherubini, -continues:-- - - The instrumentation is ill-balanced, ineffective, thin and noisy. - -The "Musical World" of 13th October, 1855, says:-- - - TANNHUSER--We never before heard an opera in which the orchestra - made such a fuss; the cacophony, noise, and inartistic - elaborations! We can detect little in "Tannhuser" not positively - commonplace. It is tedious beyond endurance. We are made aware, by - a few bars, that he has never learned how to handle the implements; - and that, if it were given him as a task to compose the overture to - "Tancredi," he would be at straits to accomplish anything so easy, - clear, and natural. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -1855-1856. - - -Richard Wagner left London for Paris, from whence he wrote immediately -the following letter. The humorously descriptive reference to the -Channel passage is characteristic. - - DEAREST FRIENDS: Heartiest thanks for your love, which after all is - the one thing which has made the dull London lastingly dear to me. - I wish you joy and happiness, and, if possible, to be spared the - dreariness of the London pavement. Were it not that I regret to - have left you, I would speak of the delightful feeling which has - taken possession of me since I have returned to the continent. Here - the weather is beautiful, the air balmy and invigorating. The past - night's rest has somewhat recruited my strength after the recent - fatigue. At present I am enjoying peace and quiet, which I hope - will soon enable me to resume work, the only enjoyment in life - still left to me. - - I have not much to tell of adventures, except that when I went on - board I felt rather queer. I lay down in the cabin and had just - succeeded in getting into a comfortable position for sleep, hoping - thereby to keep off the sea-sickness, when the steward shook me, - wanting to look at my ticket. To comply, I had to turn over so as - to get to my pocket. This movement caused me to feel unwell; and - then the unhappy man claiming his steward's fee, I was obliged to - sit up in order to find my money. This new movement brought on the - sea-sickness, so that just as he thankfully received his gratuity, - he also received the whole of my supper. Yet he still seemed quite - content, notwithstanding, whilst I had such a fit of laughter that - drove away both sickness and drowsiness so that I entered Calais in - tolerably good spirits. - - The custom-house visiting only took place in Paris. It was well - for me that the lace I had secreted for Minna was not discovered. - Here I soon found my friend Kietz, to whom I poured out my heart - about you, dear friends. To-morrow I leave with a Zurich friend, - who has waited for me. From Zurich you shall have news. As I write - to you all, I beg you to divide my greetings, and do this from the - depth of your hearts. To my sister Lonie, give her as well a - hearty kiss for me. - - Adieu, good lovable humankind, think with love of thy - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - PARIS, 28th June, 1855. - -From Paris he went direct to Zurich, where Minna was waiting for him. He -had scarcely arrived when he sent me the following. It is noteworthy, as -it illustrates how a great man could interest himself in the small -concerns of home life. His affection for domestic pets is once more -touched upon, and that humour, which but rarely forsook him even in his -pessimistic Schopenhauerian utterances, again playfully laughs -throughout the letter. - -[Sidenote: _GRIEF OVER HIS DOG._] - - Best greetings from Switzerland. - - I hope you have already received tidings of me from Lders. From - you, however, I have not yet heard anything. You might at least - have written to say you were glad to have got rid of me, how sister - Lonie fares, and how Henry is, whether "Gypsy" (the dog) has made - his appearance in society, whether the cat has still its bad cough. - Heaven! how many things there are of which I ought to be informed - in order to be perfectly at ease. As for me, I am still idle. My - wife has made me a new dressing-gown, and what is more, wonderfully - fine silk trousers for home wear, so that all the work I do is to - loll about in this costume, first on one sofa and then on another. - - On Monday next I go with my wife, the dog, and bird, to Seelisberg; - there I think I shall at last get straight! If you could but visit - me there. My address for the present is Kurhaus, Sonnenberg, - Seelisberg, Canton Uri. I do not know how I can sufficiently - express the pleasure which my wife wishes me to convey to you. - Whilst I unpacked I chatted, and kept on chatting and unpacking. - Several times she was deeply moved, particularly when we came to - the carefully marked and neatly folded socks. Again and again she - called out, "What a good woman that Lonie must be!" and then when - the needle-case came out and that beautiful thimble, both she and I - were mightily pleased. We wish your wife the happiest confinement - that woman ever had, and at least six healthy children all at once - with heavenly organized brains, every one to be born with a pocket - containing ten thousand pounds each, and further, that your wife - shall be able on the same evening of the confinement to dance a - polka in the Praeger drawing-room. May it please heaven that this - reverential wish shall be tenfold fulfilled, then your love for - children will be fully satisfied. - - In a few days you will receive a box with three medallions in - plaster of Paris. These were modelled by the daughter of "the - Princess Lichtenstein," and are to be divided thus: one for the - Praeger family, one for the family Sainton and Lders (who I - sincerely trust will never separate, and who are regarded by me as - one family), and the other for the poor fellow of Manchester - Street, Klindworth, the invalid, from whom I am expecting news - about his performance of last Wednesday. I trust he is already at - Richmond enjoying the benefit of hydropathy. I purpose writing to - him as soon as I know his address. For the present greet the poor - fellow heartily for me, and in my name try to console him for me. I - will soon write to Sainton, and for that occasion I will pull - together all the French I learned in London, so that I might be - able to express to him my opinion that he is a splendid fellow. And - what is dear Lders about? I hear that he has headed the riot in - Hyde Park. Is that true?[14] I hope he has not used my letter to - Prince Albert in making lobster salad. I have often been unlucky - with letters of mine. Even yesterday I found reproduced in - Brendel's "Neue Zeitschrift" a letter I had written to my old - friend, Fischer, at Dresden. It has most disagreeably affected me, - for if I had wished to express myself about the London annoyances I - should have done it in a different manner, but I had not the - slightest wish to do anything of the kind. However, I am heartily - glad my time of penance is past, and forgive with my whole heart - Englishmen for being what they are; still I am resolved, even in - thought, never to have anything more whatsoever to do with them. - But you, my dear friends, I will ever cherish in remembrance, and - if all that is agreeable be but a negative of pain, then by the - memory of your love and friendship is the period of my London - tribulation blotted out. - - A thousand hearty thanks for your love! Now you will, I hope, give - me the joy of good news, and say that you love me still. To dear - Edward[15] give my best greetings. It was a great pity I did not - see him again. - - Farewell, my dear Ferdinand; all happiness to yours, and to the - dear wife good wishes. - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ZURICH, 7th July, 1855. - -The next letter, dated eight days later than the preceding, will be -admitted a jewel in Wagner's crown. Picture this great intellect, the -creator of the colossal Nibelung tetralogy (with its Grne, the steed of -the Valkyrie), crying "incessantly" over the grave of a dead dog, -postponing the removal of his household to nurse the dying creature -until its last moments, and then himself burying it in the garden. The -whole of this touching recital bespeaks a tenderness, a wealth of human -love and large-heartedness, which show Wagner, the man! - -[Sidenote: _ILL-HEALTH OF MINNA._] - - DEAREST FRIEND FERDINANDUS: A thousand hearty congratulations to - the newly born. Right gladly I agree to become god-father and, if - you think it will bring fortune, add my surname as well. - - I arrived here in this paradise a few days ago. I read your letter - on the left corner of the balcony of the hotel, the picture of - which heads this letter. Occasionally, while reading, I raised my - eyes and looked beyond upon the magnificent Alps, which you cannot - fail to notice at the side of the hotel. I say that I looked from - the letter occasionally, since its contents afforded me matter for - reflection, and I found solace and comfort in the contemplation of - the sacred and noble surroundings. You have no conception how - beautiful it is here, how pure the air that one breathes, and how - beneficially this wonderful spectacle acts on me. I fancy you would - become delirious with joy at the prospect, so that the return to - London would be a sad event; yet you must undertake this trip next - year with your dear wife. - - But how strange that the same incident should have happened to us - both at about the same moment! You remember that I expected to see - my old and faithful dog, "Peps."[16] Well, shortly before my - arrival he had been taken ill, but nevertheless he received me with - the greatest delight, and soon began to improve somewhat in health. - The day of our departure for Seelisberg was already fixed, where, - as I wrote to you, I was going with my wife, my dog, and bird.[17] - Suddenly dangerous symptoms showed themselves in "Peps," in - consequence of which we put off our journey for two days so as to - nurse the poor dying dog. Up to the last moment "Peps" showed me a - love as touching as to be almost heartrending; kept his eyes fixed - on me, and, though I chanced to move but a few steps from him, - continued to follow me with his eyes. He died in my arms on the - night of the 9th-10th of the month, passing away without a sound, - quietly and peacefully. On the morrow, midday, we buried him in the - garden beside the house. I cried incessantly, and since then have - felt bitter pain and sorrow for the dear friend of the past - thirteen years, who ever worked and walked with me. It has clearly - taught me that the world exists only in our hearts and conception. - That the same fate should befall your young dog at almost the same - moment has deeply affected me. I have often thought of "Gypsy,"[18] - and wished I had taken him with me, and now that fiery creature too - is also suddenly dead!! There is something terrible in all this!!! - And yet there are those who would scoff at our feeling in such a - matter! - - Alas! I am often tired of life, yet life is ever returning in a new - guise, alluring us anew to pain and sorrow. With me now it is - sublime nature which ever impels me to cling to life as a new love, - and thus it is I have begun once more to work. You have again been - presented with a new-born life. I wish you happiness with all my - heart. I feel as though I had some claim to the boy, for it was - during the last four months prior to his entering the world that I - came a new member into your household. The affection I sought was - vouchsafed to me in the highest degree; the mother's mind was no - doubt much occupied with that strange, whimsical individual, whom, - to his great joy, she so heartily welcomed. May it not be, perhaps, - that before he saw the light, this may have influenced the little - stranger! if so, my heartiest wish is that it may bring him - blessings. Now give my best greetings to sister Lonie, and thank - her heartily for all the kindness she showed me. I can but wish her - the happiest motherly joys; remember me to Henry; he is to care for - his little brother as if it were a sister. - - Farewell, and let me soon know how you all are, Keep up, and above - all, see well that you come to visit me next year; kindly remember - me also to my few London friends. Lders and Sainton I thank for - their friendly letter; you will soon hear from me. Farewell, dear - brother, - -Your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - P.S. Liszt will not come until October. Ask Klindworth to write to - me. Thousand kind things from my wife. - - SEELISBERG, CANTON URI, 15th July, 1855. - -In the next letter he speaks sorrowfully of the demon of ill-health -which had settled in his house. Poor Minna suffered with heart-disease, -an illness to which she eventually succumbed, whilst he, too, was -somewhat broken down, and shortly to be laid upon a sick-bed. His only -relief from worry and trouble was work. Indeed, the major portion of his -work was done at times when the horizon was dark for him. - -[Sidenote: _"TANNHUSER" AT MUNICH._] - - Best thanks, dear friend, for your letter, which was, alas, sad - enough to make me sad too. The worst of misfortune in a life like - yours is that in surveying all circumstances, it is positively - unrectifiable: to revolt against it, even at the best, has still - something ridiculous in it. To him, who like you suffers keenly - (and amongst your surroundings must perforce suffer the most), all - I can say is, think, dear friend, no man is happy except he who is - foolish enough to think that he is. You and I are not fit for this - life except to be tired of it; he who becomes so the soonest - finishes his task the quickest. All so-called "fortunate events" - are but deceptive palliations, making the evil worse. I know this - is capable of being understood in a double sense, so that it might - be interpreted either as a trivial commonplace or the deepest - possible reflection. I must leave it to chance how you will - understand it. The only ray of light in the dark night of our life - is that which sympathy affords us. We only lose consciousness of - our own misery when we feel that of others. Entire freedom from - one's own sorrow is only possible if one could live solely for the - sorrows of others, but the evil of it is, that one cannot do this - continually, as one's own troubles always return the stronger to - attack the feelings. I, for my part, must say that since in London - I have never had my mind free from troubles. The demon of sickness - has come to lodge in my house. My wife, particularly, causes me - great anxieties. Her ever-increasing ill-health helps to render me - very sad. Worried and troubled, I resumed work. I struggle at it, - as work is the only power that brings to me oblivion and makes me - free. Only look to it that next year you come to Switzerland; - meanwhile amuse yourself as much as you can in your polemical war - against London music-artists and critics, not on my account, - however, but only as I believe it is a good channel to absorb your - otherwise sad thoughts. - - From New York I have just received an invitation to go over and - conduct there for six months; it would be well paid. It is - fortunate, however, that the emolument is not after all so very - large, or else, perhaps, I might myself be obliged to seriously - consider the matter. But of course I shall not accept the - invitation. I had enough in London. I am somewhat fidgety that you - have not yet acknowledged my three medallions, one for you, one for - Sainton and Lders, and one for Klindworth. I paid freight for them - some time ago, and thought they would have been in your hands long - before this. If you have not yet received them, I beg of you to - make inquiries at the post-office, since I sent the little box from - Basle by the mail, and your address was correctly written. Do not - forget to speedily inform me of its arrival. - - Please send at once to Berlin the box which I left at your house, - containing my manuscripts, and address it to the Royal Music - Director, Julius Stern, Dessauer Strasse No. 2. Do not prepay it. - You may have some expense on my account which I will settle with - you when we meet. Do not forget to mention it. - - Perhaps you have heard already that "Tannhuser" has created a - perfect furore at Munich. I felt constrained to laugh at the sudden - veering round in my favour when I remembered that only two years - ago Lachner contrived that the performance of the overture to - "Tannhuser" should be a complete fiasco. On the whole, I live - almost entirely isolated. Working, walking, and a little reading - constitute my present existence. At present, I am expecting Liszt - at Christmas. How fares my sister Leonie? Well, I hope. You write - so ambiguously about it that I cannot make out the exact thing. How - is the boy? Is he really called Richard Wagner? Are you not right - glad to have him? Greet your dear wife for me with all my heart, - and tell her I often think of her with pleasure, and of the - friendly interest she took in me. My love to the poor - hypochondriacal Lders. How well I ought to have felt myself in - London. When he became excited, he was irresistible. I will write - to Sainton soon. He is happy, and finds himself best where he is. - - Farewell, dear Ferdinand. A thousand thanks for your friendship. - When things go badly with you, laugh at them. - - Adieu, - -Your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ZURICH, 14th September, 1855. - -The next letter shows Wagner in a new light. It is addressed to my wife -in her native language, French. Wagner has freely admitted in his -published writings that he had no gift for languages, still he spoke -French well, truly, not as a born Frenchman, yet, as a thoughtful man, -and moreover as an earnest student he was able to express himself with -clearness and freedom, and to a degree was master of the idiom. -Intellect, combined with earnestness, will forge a path through -difficulties where education alone would halt. Berlioz was an educated -Frenchman, and expressed himself in elegant and polished diction--it was -like music to hear him speak--yet he soon succumbed to Wagner's torrent -of enthusiasm. Of course this in part finds its natural explanation in -Wagner ever having something new to say, and "Wagner eloquent" was -irresistible. But as he ever depreciated his ability in French, I have -inserted the following in the original (with translation) so as to -enable the reader to form his own judgment. - -[Sidenote: _HE WRITES IN FRENCH._] - -This letter is a well-drawn portrait of Wagner by himself. It shows the -boy in the man. Picture this man, after a serious illness of some weeks, -which must have been terribly irksome to a man of his active -temperament, setting himself the task the first day of his convalescence -to write in French and at such length. Instead of grumbling at the -mental miseries such an illness must have caused him, through the -interruption of that work so dear to him, he roused himself, in order to -amuse by his boyish, humorous chat, "his sister Lonie," whom he knew -was all sympathy for him. The boy's affectionate heart is plainly -discernible in the man, tried and battered as he was by the world. It -makes one think of the boy's gentle love for his "little mother," as he -endearingly spoke of his mother. In him there were always glimpses of -sunshine which would burst forth, aye, in the midst of the storms which, -caused by disappointment and ill-usage, raged within himself or round -about him. It was impossible for those who knew Wagner not to love him, -notwithstanding those defects of character which he possessed; they -disappeared entirely in the love one bore him, and the worship his -mighty genius compelled. The sun itself has spots, which, -notwithstanding, do not prevent it from glittering with radiance. Why -should not Wagner be allowed the privilege of the sun? - -[Sidenote: _LIFE IS BURDENSOME._] - - -ANSICHT VOM KURHAUSE SONNENBERG AUF -SEELISBERG, CT. URI. - - MA TRS CHRE SOEUR! Allons donc! Je vais vous crire en - franais. Dieu donne que vous en entendiez quelques mots--ce qui ne - sera pas chose facile. Mais je ne serai pas si absurde de me donner - de la peine, pour faire de bonnes phrases; cela sera l'affaire du - Dr. Wylde, qui s'y entend probablement aussi bien qu' la musique! - Plutt je porterai sur ce papier quelques btises de mon genre, qui - ne toucheront au caractre d'aucune langue, ni vivante, ni morte. - - Enfin, je vous flicit, ma soeur, d'tre doublement mre! - L'vnement que Ferdinand m'a annonc il y a quelque temps, tait - prvu par moi moyennant d'un pressentiment prophtique, qui me - naissait pendant mon sjour Londres; car, pendant que je me - souhaitais au diable--c'est dire: hors du monde--je m'avisais, - que le bon Dieu se preparait remplir la lacune attendue, en - mettant au monde un remplaant pour moi. Mais ce bon Dieu s'est - tromp, comme il lui arriv quelques fois (en toute confiance soit - dit!); le diable ne m'a pas encore accept; je suis rest au monde, - par obstination seulement, comme vous allez voir--et mon remplaant - est arriv pendant que je vis encore, de la sorte qu'il y a - maintenant deux Richard Wagner. Ainsi, je ne suis pas surpris de - cet vnement, que j'ai plutt prpar en quelque sorte (et sans la - moindre offense pour Ferdinand!) seulement par ma rsolution de - quitter la terre, rsolution, dont le changement me procure - maintenant le plaisir passablement rare, de vivre ensemble avec mon - remplaant future, de faire sa connaissance personelle, de - m'entende avec lui sur la direction des concerts de la Socit - Philharmonique, enfin sur mille choses d'une importance extrme, - qui ne s'arrangent pas si bien par une distance si norme que celle - de la mort la vie.--Cette affaire a donc bien russie. Seulement - je plains de vous avoir caus tout de dsagrements et de - souffrances, comme vous les avez d subir pour cela (je le dis vous - savez toujours sans la moindre offense pour Ferdinand!). Jugez donc - de la grande et intime satisfaction, que je viens d'eprouver la - nouvelle de votre rtablissement complt, et croyez la sincrit - bien cordiale des flicitations, que je vous addresse. - - Maintenant je n'ai pas d'autre soin, que de m'entendre aussitt que - possible avec ma doublette sur nos dmarches runies pour conqurir - le monde avant de le quitter de ma part c'est--dire: de la part de - Richard Wagner l'an. Ainsi je vous prie de me donner toujours des - nouvelles bien promptes et exactes sur l'tat du dveloppement de - mon remplaant. J'ai dj trs besoin de ses fonctions auxiliares. - On m'a invit de venir en Amrique, pour faire de la musique New - York et Boston on m'a promis des recettes trs fortes, et mille - autres choses. Mais il m'est impossible d'y aller: cela serait - alors l'affaire de Richard Wagner le jeune; quand pourra-t-il - accepter l'invitation? Expliquez-vous, je vous en prie, trs - clairement sur ce point l. Aussi j'ai une multitude de projets de - sujets d'opras dans ma tte: Ferdinand les crot sous le tot de - ma maison; il se trompe, ma maison c'est moi, et le tot c'est mon - crne. Je n'ai ni le temps, ni la tranquillit ncessaire pour les - ter de leur cage, l, o ils sont encore enferms: ainsi, ce sera - l'affaire de mon remplaant de delivrer ces plans d'opras et d'en - donner ce qui lui plat son petit pre pour qu'il en fasse la - musique. Quand sera-t-il assez dvelopp pour ce travail bien - pressant? Rpondez-moi avec promptitude sur cette demande; demandez - Ferdinand si elle est importante! Ah! mon dieu! il y a encore - tant d'autres choses arranger ensemble qu'une confrence - prochaine me parait indispensable. Connaissez-vous le Dr. Wylde? Eh - bien! j'attends son invitation pour lui donner des leons de - "musique du future." Richard Wagner le jeune ne serait-il pas - encore mieux avanc que moi pour instruire ce genre de musique, - puis qu'il est encore plus du future que moi? Que voulez-vous? Il - n'y a pas de temps perdu. Dpechez-vous du peu d'education qu'il - faudra pour mrir les facults de mon remplaant, et crivez moi - aussitt tlgraphe quand le moment sera venu, ce moment de - dveloppement accompli que j'attends avec impatience. N'est-ce pas, - chre soeur Lonie? N'est-ce pas, ma mre (entendez-bien!!) - n'est-ce pas, vous n'oublierez pas cela par hasard? Et surtout vous - ne manquerez pas d'instruire mon "alter-ego" de gagner de l'argent? - le seul talent (entre autres) que, par une faute incomprehensible - dans mon education, je n'ai pas cultiv dutout ce qui me cause - quelquefois, _i.e._ toujours--des peines horribles, puisque je suis - luxurieux, prodigue et dpensier par nature, beaucoup plus que - Sardanapale et tous les empereurs Romains pris ensemble. J'ai donc - besoin d'un autre moi! ("passez-moi le mot") qui gagne normment - d'argent pour moi. Vous n'oubliez pas cela, et m'enverrez sous peu - de temps quelques millions, vols par mon remplaant aux - admirateurs innombrables que j'ai l'aiss en Angleterre. J'y pense - bien, je trouve que c'est l le point dcisif, de la sorte que je - vous donne le conseil final, de faire apprendre mon remplaant - seulement ce que je n'ai jamais appris-moi; cela veut dire faire de - l'argent--"make money"--mais beaucoup! Beaucoup! Enormment - beaucoup! - - Voil ma bndiction:--que Dieu m'exance!! - - Quant Richard Wagner l'an, je ne puis vous donner que des - nouvelles peu agrables: il se trane travers la vie comme un - fardeau. Sa seule rjouissance est son travail; son plus grand - dplaisir est quand il perd l'envie de travailler; mais la cause de - sa mort sera un jour le sort terrible auquel il lui faut livrer ses - travaux, la mutilation et la destruction parfaite par des - excutants btes ou mrchants; contre lesquels il lui est dfendu - de protger son oeuvre, puisqui'il est exil de l, o il est - excut. (Pensez donc mon remplaant!) Tout autre malheur ne me - touche plus fortement: mais celui-l me touche au coeur et aux - entrailles. Sous de telles influences je perds quelques fois, - l'envie de travailler parfaitement et pour longtemps: ces poques - sont terribles, car alors il ne me resto rien, rien pour me - soulager. Aux derniers mois j'ai regagn heureusement un peu mon - ancien zle, et je travaillais assez bien au second de nos drames - musicals; que je voulais finir Londres (so't que j'tais!) - Malheureusement j'tais forc de passer les dernires sermaines au - lit, en proie d'une maladie, long temps cache en moi, et enfin - clate--j'espre mon salut. Je viens de quitter le lit hier, et - me voil aujourdhui la table pour vous crire. Soyez indulgent, - et pardonnez-moi le tas de btises que je vous envoie avec cette - lettre; mon crit ne sera pas probablement mieux que ma - conversation, qui tait bien triste et bto. Mais nanmoins vous - m'avez vou votre amiti, car vous savez lire entre les lignes de - ma conversation. Soyez bien cordialement remerci pour ce - bien-fait! Maintenant soyez heureuse, ce qu'on est qu'au milieu de - dsagrements et de souffrances de toute sorte--par un coeur plein - de compassion, de cette compassion qui s'gaie aussi - l'apperception d'un sourire de l'autrui, mme si ce n'tait que le - sourire exalt de la mlancolie. Par example:-- - - Vive le punch et la salade de hommard! Vive Lders qui la - prparait! Vive Ferdinand qui devorait les os! Vive Sainton qui - venait tard, mais qui venait! Vive Klindworth, quine mangeait et ne - buvait pas, mais qui assistait! Vive, vive Lonie, qui riait de - compassion de notre hilarit! Cela n'tait pas si mal! Soyons - reconnaissants, et restons amis! Et vous ma chre mre? restez ma - soeur! - -Adieu. -Votre -RICHARD WAGNER l'an. - - P.S. La prochaine lettre sera Sainton. Je ne puis pas dpenser - autant de Franais dans un jour!-- - - 3^{D} Novembre, 1855. - -[Sidenote: _INVITED TO AMERICA._] - - -ANSICHT VON KIRHAUSE SONNENBERG AUF -SEELISBERG, CT. URI. - - MY DEAR SISTER: Now, then, I am going to write to you in French. - May heaven help you to understand something of it, for I fear it - will not be an easy matter. I shall not, however, be foolish enough - to give myself the trouble of making fine phrases. That I leave to - Dr. Wylde,[19] who, no doubt, understands that much better than he - does composing. Rather do I prefer to put down on paper some - stupidities of my own, which will have no relation either to a dead - or living language. - - Now, I congratulate you, my sister, in being doubly mother.[20] - The event, Ferdinand had announced to me some time ago, I had - foreseen, by means of prophetic vision generated during my stay in - London; for whilst I was wishing myself to the devil--that is to - say, out of the world--I perceived that Providence was preparing to - fill the gap, by sending into the world a substitute. But the same - Providence made a mistake, as He occasionally does (this, remember, - is quite confidential!); the devil has not yet wanted me; I have - remained in the world, as you shall see, through sheer obstinacy, - and my other self has arrived whilst I am still living, so that now - there are two Richard Wagners!! - - I am not surprised, then, at the event, which, by my resolve to - quit the world, I had in some measure prepared (this without the - slightest offence to Ferdinand); but fate having ordained - otherwise, I have the rare pleasure of living at the same time with - my future substitute, of making his personal acquaintance, of - coming to some understanding with him about conducting the concerts - of the Philharmonic Society; in short, upon a thousand things of - the greatest importance, which could not conveniently be arranged - at such an enormous distance as that of the other world to this. So - the event has been quite a success. But I must ever regret to have - caused you so much pain and suffering on that account. I say it, - you know, always without any offence to Ferdinand. Think, then, of - the great personal relief I have just experienced at the news of - your convalescence, and believe in the warm-hearted sincerity of my - congratulations. - - I have no other care now but to come to an understanding as quickly - as possible with my other self, respecting our united efforts to - conquer the world before I myself (_i.e._ Richard Wagner the elder) - leave it. I therefore entreat you to keep me well informed of the - exact state of the development of my substitute. Even at this very - moment I very much need his help. - - I have received an invitation from America to conduct at New York - and Boston. In addition to a thousand other things I have been - promised very large receipts. It is, however, quite impossible for - me to accept; that must be the province of Richard Wagner the - younger. When will he be able to accept the invitation? I beg of - you to be very explicit on this point. Further, I have a multitude - of projects and subjects for operas in my head. Ferdinand imagines - them under the roof of my house; he is mistaken, my house is - myself, the roof my skull. But, alas, I have neither the time nor - the requisite tranquillity to release them from the prison-house in - which they are confined: that also, then, must be the work of my - other self; and when he has liberated them he may give what he - likes of them to his father to set to music. When will he be - developed enough for this pressing work? Be prompt in your reply on - this point. Ask Ferdinand if it is not important! Ah! good heavens! - there are such a number of other things which we must arrange - together that an early conference is imperative. - - Do you know Dr. Wylde? Well, I am expecting an invitation from him - to give him lessons in the "music of the future." But will not - Richard Wagner the younger be better fitted than I to teach that - kind of music, since he is still more closely connected with the - future? What think you? There is no time to lose. Make haste with - the little education absolutely necessary for ripening the - faculties of my _alter ego_, and telegraph to me the moment the - time has arrived--that time of complete development so anxiously - waited for by me. Is it not so, dear sister Lonie? Eh! my mother - (you understand!) Now you must not fail to remember this. - - But above all, you must not omit to teach my _alter ego_ to make - money, the one talent of all others which, by some incomprehensible - fault in my education, has never been cultivated. And this causes - me sometimes (_i.e._ always) horrible anxieties, since by nature I - am luxurious, prodigal, and extravagant, much more than - Sardanapalus and all the old Roman emperors put together. In this I - am sadly in want of another self (pardon me for saying so), who - will gain money enormously. Now be sure and do not forget this and - send me as soon as possible a few millions, stolen by my double - from the innumerable admirers I have left behind in England! On - pondering over the situation, I perceive that herein lies the - crucial point, so that my last entreaty is that you instruct my - other self in that which I have never learnt, viz. making - money--make money--but much! Much! Enormously much! - - This is my prayer; may heaven hearken to me! - - [Sidenote: _AFTER A LONG ILLNESS._] - - Of Richard Wagner the elder I can only give you poor news. He drags - himself through life as a burden. His only delight is his work. His - greatest sorrow, the loss of desire to work. The cause of his - death will one day be the terrible fate to which he cannot help - exposing his works, _i.e._ to their mutilation and complete - destruction by stupid or wicked executants, from whom he is - powerless of protecting them, since he is an exile from that land - where they are being performed. (Think, therefore, of my _alter - ego_!) No other misfortune affects me so keenly. This touches me to - the heart, to the very core. It is when under such feelings that I - occasionally lose completely--yes, even for a long time--the desire - to work. These periods are terrible, for then nothing remains, - nothing to comfort me. During the last few months I had happily - regained a little of my old enthusiasm, and I had been working - pretty well at the second of my musical dramas, which I had hoped - to finish in London (fool that I was!). But alas, I have been - confined, during the last few weeks, to my bed, a prey to a long - latent illness, which, having at last broken out, I hope has been - the saving of my life. I only left my sick-bed yesterday, and here - I am to-day at my table, writing to you. Be indulgent, and excuse - the mass of nonsense I am sending you in this letter. My - correspondence will probably be no better than my conversation, - which was very dull and stupid. But nevertheless, you vowed to me - your friendship, for you know how to read between the lines of my - conversation. I thank you very heartily for that kindness! - - Now be happy, although one lives in the midst of annoyances and - sufferings of all kinds--for it is only by a heart full of - compassion which brightens up even at the perception of a smile - from another, though it be but the forced smile of melancholy. - - Three cheers for the punch and lobster salad! Long live Lders, who - prepared it! Long live Ferdinand, who devoured the bones! Long live - Sainton, who came late, but who came! Long live Klindworth, who - neither ate nor drank, but who was present! Long live, long live - Lonie, who laughed sympathetically at our boisterousness! That was - not so bad. Let us be grateful, and let us remain friends. And you, - my dear mother, remain my sister. - -Adieu. -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER THE ELDER. - - NOVEMBER 3d, 1855. - - P.S. The next letter will be to Sainton. I cannot dole out so much - French in one day. - -The next letter, written three months after the preceding, is of -interest in showing that Wagner kept up the practice of his daily -promenade. - - DEAREST FRIEND: Thanks for your beautiful London notice, which I - have just read in Brendel's "Zeitschrift." As I am thoroughly - acquainted with all the circumstances, I pronounce it excellent; in - short, so important, and so always hitting the mark, that were I - not the leading subject I should have much less restraint in - praising it. - - Be assured that the remembrance I seem to have left with you will - always remain one of my most cherished thoughts. That I was so - fortunate to create a good opinion in you, is to me exhilarating - and touching. After all, what a lot of trouble we both had to - endure. Be content with these few words, written immediately after - reading your notice, and just before taking my accustomed stroll, - and be assured that they contain much joy. - - Farewell, dearest Ferdinand, and continue to love me. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - Many, many hearty greetings for sister Lonie and the god-child! - - Adieu. - - ZURICH, 15th January, 1856. - -Again was Wagner laid upon a sick-bed. One anxiety seems to have -possessed his mind--the longing to complete the "Walkre." The following -letter is of importance, since it shows the composer's frame of mind -during the composition of the above work, a state of "pure despair" -which, says Wagner, could alone have created it:-- - -[Sidenote: _THE "WALKRE" POETRY._] - - Best thanks, dearest friend for your letters. You are right; I have - again been laid on a sick-bed, and when at last I became - convalescent I was in a perfect rage to get to the score of my - "Walkre" (in the composition of which I have been hindered for - the last year). So much do I long to finish it that I have entirely - ceased letter-writing. Altogether, the older one grows, that is to - say, in sense and reason, the more the worldly events of every-day - life dwindle away into nothingness. That which one experiences in - the inward heart becomes more and more difficult to explain. I do - not mean to say that the events one has passed through, and which - have touched you most intimately, cease to exist to live on; no, - no; therefore I assure you that you and your family are ever - vividly before me, yet as soon as one commences to write one finds - after all there is nothing of real worth to put down. On the whole, - we can only agree with each other, then there remains nothing but - actual occurrences, views, and intentions to discuss. In these my - life at present is as poor as my art creations are prolific, and - which, indeed, are surging to the surface and becoming richer and - richer. When you come to me, and I play my works to you, you will - agree with me. In so far as the world has a claim upon me I can - point solely to my work. I have nothing else to offer to it. - - If you read the poetry of the "Walkre" again, you will find such a - superlative of sorrow, pain, and despair expressed therein, that - you will understand me when I say the music terribly excites me. I - could not again accomplish a similar work. When it is once - finished, much will then appear quite different (looking at the - work as an art whole), and will afford enjoyment, whereas nothing - but pure despair could have created it. But we shall see! - - Altogether I live so secluded and retired that I feel at a loss - when I am anxious to talk to you about it. I look forward to the - time of Liszt's coming to me as a bracing up of my heart. Alas! on - account of illness, I was compelled last winter to put off the - visit. About the illness in your little family I take a hearty - interest. In your new garden I picture you gambolling with your - children. How I wish that I had a little house with a little garden - attached; alas! an enjoyment hitherto unattainable. - - At first I was tolerably indifferent about the sad - conflagration,[21] but when I thought of Sainton it became painful - to me. Now I hear that Gye has managed to continue his opera - notwithstanding, and therefore Sainton's income, no doubt, will not - be endangered, and the misfortune overcome! That he now plays - under Wylde amuses me much. It was ridiculous that he had to resign - the Old Philharmonic. After all, Costa has succeeded in this! When - I recall my London visit, I find I do not remember much except the - friends I left there; they are all that remind me of it--happily! - - But now try and come to visit me. For my operas wait until you hear - them produced by me. Now you can get a very inadequate impression - of them. If, therefore, you desire more of me, come to me yourself; - in so doing you will give me great pleasure. I remain here during - the summer. If I can arrange it, I intend going in the autumn with - Semper to Rome; at least, such is my present hope. But continue to - give me frequent news of you, and be assured that in so doing you - give the greatest gratification to - -Your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - Greet your dear wife heartily for me; she is to continue to hold me - in good remembrance. Happiness and prosperity to my godchild! - - Kiss poor Lders a thousand times; I shall soon inquire more - precisely after Bumpus. - -Adieu, -R. W. - - ZURICH, 28th March, 1856. - -[Sidenote: _TROUBLED BY SCHOPENHAUER._] - -The next letter is again dated from Zurich:-- - - That's right, dearest Ferdinandus, to determine to leave Richard - Wagner of the future to come to the R. W. of the present. My _alter - ego_ will not regret it. When you are here I will hammer out the - "Walkre" to you, and I hope it will force its way from ear to - heart. Then there is a bit of the "Siegfried," and that, too, must - I sing to you. How my head is full of projects for work! - - Minna is very delighted at the prospect of seeing you, and says she - will treat you as a brother. I have told her how heartily you enter - into the mysteries of household matters, and are of just that - temperament to agree with her, and appreciate that domestic skill - for which I am totally unfitted. To me also your presence will be a - delight, for I can talk to you with open heart, and have much to - say to you. Now see that you do not let anything intervene that - shall prevent your coming. I am just now full of work, and when you - are here I shall work all the same. Some hours during the morning - shall be devoted to work while you shall be sent upstairs to deeply - study Schopenhauer, and then shall we not argue and discuss like - orators in the old Athenian lyceum! Two months, and you will be - with me! ah! that is good! Then bring all your brain-power, all - your keen penetration, for you shall explain to me some obscure - passages in that best of writers, Schopenhauer, which now torment - me exceedingly. He will, perhaps, cause you many researches of the - heart, so you must come fully equipped with all your intellectual - faculties in the full vigorous glow of health, and then I promise - myself some happy hours. And what shall be your reward? Well, the - "Walkre" shall entreat you, and man, the original man, "Siegfried" - shall show you what he is! Now, good, dear friend, come! - - Mind, now, no English restraint and propriety; bother that - invisible old lady, Mrs. Grundy, that hovers over the English - horizon, ruling with a rod of iron what is supposed to be proper - and virtuous! - - Heartiest greetings to dear sister Lonie, and tell her that her - son, Richard Wagner the elder, sends his best affection to the - younger, and inquires whether he has yet been taught how to make - money. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - P.S. Ferdinand, bring me a packet of snuff from that shop in Oxford - Street, you know, where you got it before for me. - -R. W. - - ZURICH, May, 1856. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -ZURICH, 1856. - - -In the summer of 1856 I spent two months under Wagner's roof at Zurich. -As it was holiday time for me, and Wagner had no engagements of any -importance, we passed the whole period in each other's society debating, -in a most earnest, philosophical, logical manner, art matters, most of -our discussions taking place during our rambles upon the mountains. - -One figure I found in that quiet, tastily arranged chalet, who filled a -large portion of Wagner's life; to whom, first, Wagner owed an unpayable -debt, and then that wide world of countless ones which has been enriched -by the artist's creations. But that solitary, heroic Minna is, it -seems--judging from the many writings which have appeared of the -master--likely to be forgotten. Her glory is obscured by the more -brilliant luminary that succeeded her. Still a domestic picture of the -creator of the "Walkyrie," whilst that work was actually in hand, is of -interest, as herein we see the man, the actual man, the human being, -with his irritabilities and good humour, all under the gentle sway of a -soft-hearted, brave woman. - -[Sidenote: _CHARACTER OF MINNA._] - -Nor should the reader think that the worth of Wagner's first wife is -here over-estimated through partiality. There is another witness to her -good qualities, who certainly will not be suspected of friendly -feeling, viz. Count von Beust, the Saxon minister, who vigorously and -unrelentingly persecuted the so-called revolutionist in 1849. Beust knew -Minna in Dresden, and what he then learnt of the chapel master's wife -was not obliterated by forty years active participation in the -diplomatic subtleties of European politics. In his autobiography,[22] -published the latter end of 1886, he speaks of Minna's amiable -character, and describes her as an excellent woman. - -Minna may be spoken of as a comely woman. Gentle and active in her -movements, unobtrusive in speech and bearing, possessing a forethought -akin to divination, she administered to her husband's wants before he -knew them himself. It was this lovable foresight of the woman which -caused such a horrible vacancy in Wagner's life when, later, Minna left -him, a break which he so bitterly bemoaned, and which all the adoration -and wealth of Louis of Bavaria could not atone for. As a housewife she -was most efficient. In their days of distress she cheerfully performed -what are vulgarly termed menial services. In this she is as fitting a -parallel of Mrs. Carlyle, as Wagner is of Carlyle. Both the men were -thinkers, aye, and "original" thinkers (which in Carlyle's estimation -was "the event of all others," a fact of superlative importance). They -both elected hard fare, nay, actual deprivation, to submission to the -unrealities, and both are educators of our teachers: and Minna's efforts -in the house and sustaining Wagner in the dark days is the pendant of -Mrs. Carlyle's scrubbing the floors of the little house at Scotsbrig in -the wilds of Scottish moors. But though Minna was not the intellectual -equal of this cultured Scottish lady, she is not to be confounded with -the German housewife, so often erroneously spoken of as a sort of head -cook. She was eminently practical, and full of remedies for sickness. - -[Sidenote: _NOT A TRUE PESSIMIST._] - -In art, however, Minna could not comprehend the gifts of her husband. He -was an idealist; she, a woman alive to our mundane existence and its -necessities. She worshipped afar off, receiving all he said without -inquiry. In their early years their common youth glossed over -difficulties. Moreover, Wagner was not in the full possession of his -wings. He knew not his own power. For him exile was the turning-point of -his greatness, the crucible wherein was destroyed the dross of his art, -the fire from which he emerged, the teacher of a purified art. Exile was -the period of his literary achievements. There was the test of his -greatness. "A man thinks he has something to say. He indulges in an -abundance of spoken language, but when in the quiet of his study he -seeks to transfix on paper the fleeting theories of his brain, then is -he face to face with himself, with actualities. And in exile Wagner -first sought to set down in writing the theories which hitherto, in a -limited manner only, had governed his work."[23] From this -self-examination Wagner rose up nobler and stronger. And here it was -that Minna failed to keep pace with him. She had been a singer and an -actress, and could, in a manner, interpret his work, but the meaning of -it lay deep, hidden from her. It was not her fault, yet she was to -suffer for it. Still I must point out that all Wagner's works were -created during the period of his first marriage. His union with Cosima -von Blow is dated 25th August, 1870, since which time "Gtterdmmerung" -(a poem written in 1848) and "Parsifal" only, have been given to the -world. - -While I was with Wagner it was his invariable habit to rise at the good -hour of half-past six in the morning. If Minna was not about, he would -go to the piano, and soon would be heard, at first softly, then with odd -harmonies, full orchestral effects, as it were, "Get up, get up, thou -merry Swiss-boy." That was his fun. Early breakfast would be served in -the garden, after which Wagner would hand me "Schopenhauer," with my -allotted task for the morning study. This plan, though Wagner's, was one -which coincided happily with my own inclinations. I was, as it were, -ordered up to my room, there to ponder over the arguments of the -pessimistic philosopher, and so be well prepared for discussion at the -dinner-table, or later, during our regular daily stroll. - -Now to me Schopenhauer was not the original great thinker that Wagner -considered him. Some of his most prominent points I had found enunciated -already by Burke, that eloquent and vigorous writer, in his "Enquiring -into the Origin of our Ideas on the Sublime and Beautiful." The -personally well attested statement that "the ideas of pain are much more -powerful than those which enter on the part of pleasure," was so well -reasoned by Burke, that Wagner induced me to read the whole of that -author's work to him. - -Wagner a pessimist! So he would have had every one believe then, and for -some time later too. But my impression then and now is that, as with a -good many people, pessimism is only pre-eminent when fortune fails to -favour. This feeling is confirmed by an extract recently published from -certain manuscripts found after Wagner's death: "He who does not strive -to find joy in life is unworthy to live." Certainly this was not the -utterance of Wagner in the dark days of his work. While on this subject -I may recall one incident which has remained prominently with me because -of the locality where it occurred. We were on the top of one of the -heights overlooking the Zurich Lake, discussing the much debated -Schopenhauer, when I observed that pessimism, in a well-balanced mind, -could only lead to optimism, on the ground that, "what cannot be cured -must be endured," and jocularly cited from Brant's "Narrenschiff," -written in the quaint language of the fifteenth century:-- - - Wer sorget ob die genss gaut blos, - Und fegen will all goss und stross, - Und eben machen berg und tal - Der hat keyn freyd, raw beral. - - He who shall fret that the geese have no dress, - The sweeper will be of street, road and mess. - He who would level both valley and hill - Shall have of life's gifts no joy, but the ill. - -Wagner stopped, shouted with exultation, and then commenced probing my -knowledge of one of our earliest German poets. He assumed the part, as -it were, of a schoolmaster, and so when we arrived home, in a boyish -manner, he, delighted, called aloud to Minna before the garden gate was -opened, "Ach, Ferdinand knows all about my pet poets." - -[Sidenote: _THE BIRTH OF "TRISTAN."_] - -Every morning after breakfast he would read to Minna her favourite -newspaper, "Das Leipziger Tageblatt," a paper renowned for its prosy -character. Imagination and improvisation played her some woeful tricks. -With a countenance blameless of any indication of the improviser, he -would recite a story, embellishing the incidents until their colouring -became so overcharged with the ludicrous, that Minna would exclaim, "Ah, -Richard, you have again been inventing." - -He had spoken to me of Godfrey von Strassburg, saying, "To-morrow I will -read you something good." He did next day read me "Tristan" in his -study, and we spoke long and earnestly as to its adaptability for -operatic treatment. Events have shown it to have been the ground-work of -the music-drama of the same name. But at the time he spoke, it appeared -to me he had no thought of utilizing it as a libretto. This intention -only presented itself to his mind while we three were at breakfast on -the following day. He was reading the notices in the Leipzic paper with -customary variation, when, without any indication, he dropped the paper -onto his knees, gazed into space, and seemed as though he were in a -trance, nervously moving his lips. What did this portend? Minna had -observed the movement, and was about to break the silence by addressing -Wagner. Happily, she caught my warning glance and the spell remained -unbroken. We waited until Wagner should move. When he did, I said, "I -know what you have been doing." "No," he answered, somewhat abruptly, -"how can you?" "Yes; you have been composing the love-song we were -speaking of yesterday, and the story is going to shape itself into a -drama!" "You are right as to the composition, but--the libretto--I will -reflect." Such is the history of the first promptings of that wondrous -creation, "Tristan and Isolde." - -But how, how did this Titanic genius compose? Did he, like dear old papa -Haydn, perform an elaborate toilet, donning his best coat, and pray to -be inspired before setting himself to his writing-table away from the -piano? or were his surroundings and method akin to those of -Beethoven?--a room given over to muddle and confusion, the Bonn master -writing, erasing, re-writing, and again scratching out, while _at_ the -piano! Well, distinctly, Wagner had nothing in common with Haydn. The -style of Beethoven is far removed from him as regards the state of his -working-room. I am desirous there should be no misunderstanding on -Wagner's method of composing, because I find that my testimony is in -conflict with some published statements on this subject, from those -whose names carry some weight. - -[Sidenote: _WORKING AT THE PIANO._] - -Wagner composed at the piano, in an elegantly well arranged study. With -him composing was a work of excitement and much labour. He did not shake -the notes from his pen as pepper from a caster. How could it be -otherwise than labour with a man holding such views as his? Listen to -what he says: "For a work to live, to go down to future generations, it -must be reflective," and again in "Opera and Drama," written about this -time, "A composer, in planning and working out a great idea, must pass -through a kind of parturition." Mark the word "parturition." Such it was -with him. He laboured excessively. Not to find or make up a phrase; no, -he did not seek his ideas at the piano. He went to the piano with his -idea already composed, and made the piano his sketch-book, wherein he -worked and reworked his subject, steadily modelling his matter until it -assumed the shape he had in his mind. The subject of representative -themes was discussed much by us, and he explained to me that he felt -chained to the piano until he had found precisely that which shaped -itself before his mental vision. I had one morning retired to my room -for the Schopenhauer study, when the piano was pounded--yes, pounded is -the exact word--more vigorously than usual. The incessant repetition of -one theme arrested my attention. Schopenhauer was discarded. I came down -stairs. The theme was being played with another rhythm. I entered the -room. "Ah!" he exclaimed, "you have been listening!" "Who could help -it?" was my answer. "Your vigorous playing fascinated me more than -skilful philosophical dialectics!" And then I inquired as to the reason -of the change of rhythm. The explanation astonished me. Wagner was -engaged on a portion of "Siegfried," the scene where Mime tells -Siegfried of his murderous intentions whilst under the magic influence -of the tarn helm. "But how did you come to change the rhythm?" "Oh," he -said, "I tried and tried, thought and thought, until I got just what I -wanted." And that it was perseverance with him, and not spontaneity, is -borne out by another incident. The Wesendoncks were at the chalet. -Wagner was at the piano, anxious to shine, doubtless, in the presence of -a lady who caused such unpleasantness in his career later on. He was -improvising, when, in the midst of a flowing movement, he suddenly -stopped, unable to finish. I laughed. Wagner became angry, but I -jocularly said, "Ah, you got into a _cul-de-sac_ and finished _en queue -de poisson_." He could not be angry long, and joined in the laugh too, -confessing to me that he was only at his best when reflecting. - -The morning's work over, Wagner's practice was to take a bath -immediately. His old complaint, erysipelas, had induced him to try the -water cure, for which purpose he had been to hydropathic establishments, -and he continued the treatment with as much success as possible in the -chalet. - -[Sidenote: _THE RHINE MAIDENS' MUSIC._] - -The animal spirits and physical activity of Wagner have before been -referred to by me. He really possessed an unusual amount of physical -energy, which, at times, led him to perform reckless actions. One day he -said to Minna, "We must do something to give Praeger some pleasure, to -give him a joyful memento of his visit; let us take him to -Schaffhausen," and though I remonstrated with him on account of his -work, he insisted, and so we went. We stayed there the night. Breakfast -was to be in the garden of the hotel. The hour arrived, but Wagner was -not to be found. Search in all directions, without results. We hear a -shout from a height. Behold! Wagner, the agile, mounted on the back of a -plaster lion, placed on the top of a giddy eminence! And how he came -down! The recklessness of a school-boy was in all his movements. We were -in fear; he laughed heartily, saying he had gone up there to get an -appetite for breakfast. The whole incident was a repetition of Wagner's -climbing the roof of the Dresden school-house when he was a lad. Going -to and returning from Schaffhausen, Wagner took first-class railway -tickets. Now in Switzerland, first-class travelling is confined to a -very few, and those only the wealthiest, so that Minna expostulated with -him. This was typical. As he described himself, he was more luxurious -than Sardanapalus, though he lived then on the generosity of his friends -to enjoy such comfort. Minna was the housewife, and strove to curb the -unlimited desires of a man who had not the wherewithal to purchase his -excess. And Wagner was not to be controlled, for he not only travelled -first-class, but also telegraphed to Zurich to have a carriage in -waiting for us. - -At Zurich Wagner had a sense of his growing power, and he cared not for -references to his early youthful struggles. I remember an old Magdeburg -singer, with her two daughters, calling to see her old comrade. The -mother and her daughters sang the music of the Rhine maidens, Wagner -accompanying, and they acquitted themselves admirably. But when the old -actress familiarly insisted on taking a pinch of snuff from Wagner's -box, and told stories of the Magdeburg days, then did Wagner resent the -familiarity in a marked manner. - -When they finished singing, Minna asked me: "Is it really so beautiful -as you say? It does not seem so to me, and I am afraid it would not -sound so to others." Such observations as these show where Minna was -unable to follow Wagner, and the estrangement arising from -uncongeniality of artistic temperament. - -When I was at Zurich, Wagner showed me two letters from august -personages. First, the Duke of Coburg offered him a thousand dollars and -two months' residence in the palace, if he would score an opera for him. -The offer was refused, for he said, "Look, now, though I want the money -sadly, yet I cannot and will not score the duke's opera." - -The second letter was from a count, favourite of the emperor of Brazil. -The emperor was an unknown admirer of Wagner's, it appears, and was -desirous of commissioning Wagner to compose an opera, which he would -undertake should be performed at the Italian opera house, Rio Janeiro, -under his own special direction. Wagner did not care to expatriate -himself to this extent, but the offer spurred him on to compose an -opera, which he said, "shall be full of melody." He did write his opera, -and it was "Tristan and Isolde." - -How was Wagner as a revolutionist at this time? Well, one of his old -Dresden friends came to see him, Gottfried Semper. We spoke of the sad -May days, and poor August Roeckel. Again did Wagner evade the topic, or -speak slightly of it. The truth is, he was ready to pose as the saviour -of a people, but was not equally ready to suffer exile for patriotic -actions, and so he sought to minimize the part he had played in 1849. It -appears from "The Memoires of Count Beust," to which I have before -alluded, that Wagner also sought to minimize his May doings, by speaking -of them as unfortunate, when he called upon the minister after his exile -had been removed, on which Beust retorted, "How unfortunate! Are you not -aware that the Saxon government possesses a letter wherein you propose -burning the prince's palace?" I am forced to the conclusion that Wagner -would have torn out that page from his life's history had it been -possible. - -[Sidenote: _DOMESTIC TROUBLES GATHERING._] - -During my stay I saw Minna's jealousy of another. She refused to see in -the sympathy of Madame Wesendonck for Wagner as a composer, that for -the artist only. It eventually broke out into a public scandal, and -filled the opposition papers with indignant reproaches about Wagner's -ingratitude toward his friend. On leaving Zurich I went to Paris. There -I wrote to Wagner an expostulatory letter, alluding to a couple of plays -with which we were both familiar, viz. "The Dangerous Neighbourhood" and -"The Public Secret," with a view of warning him privately in such a -manner that Minna should not understand should she chance to read my -letter. The storm burst but too soon. Wagner wrote to me while I was -still in Paris: "The devil is loose. I shall leave Zurich at once and -come to you in Paris. Meet me at the Strassburg station." ... But two -days after, this was cancelled by another letter, an extract from which -I give. - - Matters have been smoothed over, so that I am not compelled to - leave here. I hope we shall be quite free from annoyance in a short - time; but ach, the virulence, the cruel maliciousness of some of my - enemies.... - -I can testify Wagner suffered severely from thoughtlessness. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -1857-1861. - - -[Sidenote: _A STAY IN VENICE._] - -From the time I left Zurich in the autumn of 1856, to the untoward fate -of "Tannhuser," at Paris, in March, 1861, of the several letters which -passed between Richard Wagner and me I reproduce the few following, as -possessing more than a personal interest. - -On the 17th July he writes:-- - - Hard have I toiled at "Siegfried," for work, work, is my only - comfort. Unable to return to the fatherland! Cruel! cruel! and why? - The efforts of the grand duke[24] are fruitless; one hopes for the - best, but that best comes not. Eh! is not Schopenhauer right? Is - not the degree of my torment more intense than that of any joy I - have experienced? Here I am working alone, with no seeming - probability of my compositions ever being performed as I yearn for. - My efforts are in vain, and then when I look round and see what is - being done at the theatres,--the list of their representations - _fills me with rage_,--such unrealities! - - You tell me that Goethe says, "The genius cannot help himself, and - that the demon of fate seizes him by the nape of the neck, and - forces him to work _nolens volens_." And must I work on without a - chance of being heard? _Nous verrons_.... - - But listen, Ferdinandus! I am pondering over the Tristan legend. It - is marvellous how that work constantly leaps from out the darkness - into full life, before my mental vision. Wait until next summer, - and then you shall "hear something"! But now my health is poor, and - I am out of spirits.... - - Keep me in thy love. - -Thine, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -Not long after the above reached me, Wagner's health did begin to give -way, so that his next letter is dated:-- - - -VENICE, October, 1858. - - Yes; I have been long in writing, but you are a second me and - understand the cause. Since I have been here I have been very ill. - I have sought to avoid all correspondence, and have endeavoured to - restore my somewhat shattered self. Thank sister Lonie for her - account of my _alter ego_. Poor little fellow! he is in terribly - wondrous sympathy with me. Perhaps, were he here, we might together - come through our pains triumphantly.... What was good news for me - was that "Lohengrin" was done at Vienna, though I cannot understand - how it can be adequately given without me. Only "hearty love and - good-will could conquer.... - -Your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - [Sidenote: _THE TRIALS OF GENIUS._] - - - -Wagner appears to have stayed at Venice through the winter of 1858-59, -going in the spring of 1859 to Lucerne. It was from this latter place he -wrote to me that he meant to go to Paris. - -Strange the fascination Paris possessed for Wagner! He always spoke -against it, yet when his fortunes were at the lowest, it was towards -Paris that he turned for succour. He has told me that he felt the French -were in a manner gifted in art as no other European people; that they -inherited a perception of the beautiful and sense of the delicate -refinement to a degree beyond that of other nations, though he saw it in -an artificiality which gave it an unsound basis. And thinking of -Meyerbeer, he felt the French to be generous in their treatment of -aliens. So, in the autumn of 1859, again he attempts the conquest of -Paris. He wrote to me, asking for an introduction to certain friends who -would assist him in securing the legal copyright of his compositions. I -took steps to put him into communication with the desired advisers, and -he then did his best to make friends in all directions. He became -popular; gave musical parties, inviting art celebrities, beside -musicians. Minna was with him. They brought some of the furniture and -hangings from their Swiss chalet, and transformed the house of Octave -Feuillet, which Richard Wagner had taken, into the same agreeable and -pleasant abode as at Zurich. Of course there was the usual opposition -party, and they made the most out of the upholstery, charging Wagner in -the press with keeping his house like that of a _lorette_, and behaving -altogether with the vanity and ostentation of an Eastern potentate. - -"Look here," said he to me, when I was with him in Paris, "now you know -this furniture, and how carefully Minna has preserved it, and yet see -how I am treated." He was desirous of replying to the press notices, but -I endeavoured to dissuade him. He went to the Rue Newton, a street -situated on the left hand of the Champs Elyse, beyond the Rondpoint, -because it was quieter than the Rue Martignan, and he had trees near -him. The Rue Martignan was the first he went to on returning to Paris, -and where I visited him. It was in the Rue Newton, however, that his -reunions took place. - -And who were present at these gatherings? Well, occasionally men of -note: Villot, famed as the recipient of that lengthy exposition of -Wagner's views in the shape of a letter; Gasparini, a medical gentleman -from the south of France; Champfleury, an enthusiastic pamphleteer who -wrote then, and published his views of Wagner; and Olivier, the husband -of Cosima Blow's eldest sister. There doubtless were others, but I do -not know. What I do know is that I marvelled much at some of the -visitors who found themselves in Wagner's salon. A very mixed assembly. -At one of his receptions, while Wagner was singing (in his way) and -accompanying himself at the piano, I remember an old lady (a Jewess) who -snored painfully audibly while Wagner was at the piano. Aroused by the -applause of the others, she suddenly burst into grunts of approval, -clapping her hands at the same time. I expostulated with Wagner. How -could he sing and play before such an audience? "How could he help it," -was his reply; to that lady he was under obligations for 200. She -resided in Manchester, and had been introduced to him by a German -friend, a Bayreuth figure, known to all pilgrims to Wahnfried. His -singing was like that of a composer who tries over at the piano all the -parts of his score. What among musicians and composers would be regarded -as a grand boon seemed to me, before the uninitiated, as a profanation. -He hardly liked such references to his performance, but conscious of -their sincerity, he fully explained his position to me. The trials which -a genius is sometimes compelled to undergo are bitter, very. - -I was one day discussing with Wagner, when he was called away by a -visitor. On his return, he told me I should never guess who it was. M. -Badjocki, chamberlain of the Emperor Napoleon III., had been directed -to arrange for a performance of "Tannhuser" at the grand opera. The -story of the "Tannhuser" disaster is now known to almost every one. I -therefore shall touch upon certain points, only particularly those with -which I am acquainted as an eyewitness, and which have not been spoken -of elsewhere. Richard Wagner told me that one day, at a reception, the -emperor had asked the Princess Metternich whether she had seen the last -opera of Prince Poniatowski. She replied, contemptuously, "I do not care -for such music." "But is it not good?" doubtingly observed the emperor. -"No," she said, curtly. "But where is better music to be got, then?" -"Why, Your Majesty, you have at the present moment the greatest German -composer that ever lived in your capital." "Who is he?" "Richard -Wagner." "Then why do they not give his operas?" "Because he is in -earnest, and would require all kinds of concessions and much money." -"Very well; he shall have _carte blanche_." This is the whole story. - -After many fluctuations, as to whether the performance would take place -or no, the translation was begun. On this were engaged at first one -Lindau and Roche, who shaped it in the rough, but so badly that it had -to be redone. This time Nuitre, a well-known poet, did it. Connected -with Roche is an incident which Wagner related to me, and perhaps has an -interest for all. - -[Sidenote: _"TANNHUSER" IN PARIS._] - -On Wagner's return to Paris, in 1859, he had some difficulty with his -luggage at the custom-house. He spoke to an officer who seemed in -command. "What is your name?" the officer inquired. "Richard Wagner." -The French officer threw himself on his knees, and embraced Wagner, -exclaiming, "Are you the Richard Wagner whose 'Tannhuser' I know so -well?" It appears Roche was an amateur, and, alighting upon Wagner's -"Tannhuser," had studied it closely. This was a good beginning in Paris -for Wagner. - -Well, Nuiter was the poet. The translation was in progress while I was -in Paris, and I was a daily witness of the combined efforts of Nuiter -and Wagner at the translation. How Wagner stormed while it was being -done. "Tannhuser" teems with references to "love," and every time such -words or references were to be rendered into French, Nuiter was -compelled to say, "No, master, it cannot be done like that,"--so many -were the possible double interpretations likely to be put upon such by -the public. To all Wagner's anger Nuiter posed a soft answer. "It shall -be all right, master; it shall be done well, if I sit up all night;" and -this was the frequent response of the poor poet. - -The rehearsal began in September, 1860, and ended the first week in -March, 1861. Wagner applied to the authorities for permission to conduct -himself. The answer came: "The general regulations connected with the -performances at the grand opera house cannot be interfered with for the -proposed representation of 'Tannhuser.'" This was communicated -officially to Wagner, and he sent the letter to me. What did happen was -that Dietsch, the composer for whom Wagner's poem, the "Flying -Dutchman," had been purchased, conducted instead. Dietsch received -Wagner's suggestions and hints in a good-natured manner, and worked as -well as he could for the success of the performance. Before the -rehearsals came to an end Wagner had become quite indifferent as to the -possible reception of "Tannhuser." The first public representation was -to take place on the 13th March, 1861. On the 12th February Wagner wrote -me the following:-- - - Come, dear old friend, now is the time when I want all my friends - about me. The opposition is malicious; fair play is no part of the - critic's stock in trade.... I have had pressure put upon me from - high quarters, urging me to give way, and that unless I bend before - the storm my proud self-will will be snapped in twain.... But I - will have none of it. I hear David[25] has been subsidized by the - members of the Jockey Club to purchase tickets of admission for - himself and gang of hirelings, who are going to protest vigorously - against their exclusion. We may, therefore, expect much rough work, - and so I want you and others to be about me. I care not for all the - mercenaries in Paris. The work of my brain, the thought and labour - I have in solitude anxiously bestowed upon it, shall not (by my - will, at any rate) be left to the mercy of a semi-inebriated, - sensual herd. Here are artists working zealously for the success of - my work, men and women really exerting themselves in an astonishing - manner. There are truly some annoyances both on the stage and in - the orchestra; but on the whole, the energy shown is wonderful.... - My indignation was at a boiling-point when Monsieur Royer - insolently observed that if Monsieur Meyerbeer contrived a ballet - for half-past eight he saw no reason why I could not follow so - popular a composer. I!... Meyerbeer! Never! Fail me not then, - Ferdinand. You will find me in the most jubilant spirits, and well - supported, but in the moment of trial it is the old faces one longs - to see about. Bring "ma mre Lonie" to witness the downfall of her - son, and to console him in his anger. If good old Lders could only - come, his quaint humour would be irresistible. Now come. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -[Sidenote: _THE JOCKEY CLUB CABAL._] - -I returned, therefore, to Paris, and went with Wagner to the final -rehearsals. At the last, the dress rehearsal, one of the chief -characters ... walked on the stage in ordinary morning attire, creating -a laugh and some confusion. Wagner might have avoided what was almost -the inevitable reception of the performance, for he told me he had -received a visit from some manager, whose name I now cannot recall, of a -theatre at St. Petersburgh, who had agreed to produce "Tannhuser" -there, provided the Paris representations were foregone. To this he -refused. Thus the Paris performances took place. - -On the 13th March we were all assembled. In a private box sat the -Princess Metternich, whose influence with the emperor had brought about -the performance. Before the princess showed herself in the box, the -noisy hissing, which greeted her from a section of the audience, -indicated the hostility present. The overture was, on the whole, well -received. Indeed, altogether, the opera created a favourable impression -among those who had not come with the avowed intention of making the -performance a failure. When the dog-whistles of the "protectors" of the -_corps-de-ballet_ were first heard, a goodly portion of the audience -rose indignantly, endeavouring to suppress the organized opposition, but -to no purpose, and the work dragged itself on to a torturing -accompaniment of strife among the audience. - -How indignant was Wagner! His excitement and anger were great. Annoyed -with himself for coming to Paris, with having so little perception in -seeking to succeed with an opera opposed to the formality where -tradition was king. But the second performance took place, all the same, -on the 18th March. Then the opposition was but little up to the end of -the first act, but from there it gathered in force. At the third and -last representation, which was on Sunday, the 24th March, the members of -the Claque appeared in force, paid again, it was commonly asserted, by -the Jockey Club. This performance decided the fate of "Tannhuser." At -this last representation I was not present. The scenic artist, Monsieur -Cambon, however, came to London and gave me a description of it. The -whistles and toy flageolets of the enemy destroyed all hope of hearing -any portion comfortably, but as far as he could gather from independent -testimony of those musicians and artists outside the opera house, -"Tannhuser" was regarded as a great work, and but for the persistent -tactics of the Jockey Club would have proved a success. Such was the -enthusiasm the work inspired in some of the artists, that Monsieur -Cambon told me he himself went specially to the Wartburgh, there to -prepare his canvas for the performances. - -There is now one point characteristic of Wagner's earnestness. He went -through the score with me before the performances, I should add, and he -told me, "I have been through it before and found many bald places, -which required filling in, and which my long experience has taught me -how to improve." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -LETTERS FROM 1861-1865. - - -From Paris Wagner went to Carlsruhe, whence he wrote to me the following -letter. The allusion in the opening phrases of his letter is to my -inability to stay for the third performance of "Tannhuser." - - You never heard such a din. It was a pity indeed you were away. I - would it had been possible to prevent it; however, it could not be - otherwise. But we did very well, until one whistle more shrill than - the rest screamed for fully a minute. It seemed an hour. Horrible! - horrible!--and my work was submitted to such an audience! Had I but - the strength--but no, my indignation is now nearly over; the joy of - being on my native soil once again, a free man, has removed a load - from me that really at moments felt insupportable. Aye, those who - have kept me from my fatherland little know how dearly they - punished me for my, perhaps, imprudence in those early Dresden - days. The sight is again reproduced before my vision, but in my joy - at being free to go--except in Saxony--where I choose, poor - August's earnest face appears before me; and he is still the - political prisoner of a power that could crush him in a moment. It - is unkingly. Those days have made me suffer so keenly in what I - love the dearest and tenderest on earth, my art, that in my - happiness at being once more home I could shut out forever that sad - past. Now I may go forward with my work. I shall not rest contented - until Saxony once again is free to me as to the birds of the air; - but how my hopes are built upon the future, and I feel all the - confidence of success. I am sick again in body just now, but I will - be conqueror. Was ever work like mine created for no purpose? Is it - miserable egoism, the stupidest vanity? It matters not what it is, - but of this I feel positive; yes, as positive as that I live, and - that is my "Tristan and Isolde," with which I am now consumed, does - not find its equal in the world's library of music. Oh, how I yearn - to hear it! I am feverish; I feel worn; perhaps that causes me to - be agitated and anxious, but my "Tristan" has been finished now - these three years and has not been heard. When I think of this I - wonder whether it will be with this as with "Lohengrin," which now - is more than thirteen years old, and has been as dead to me. But - the clouds seem breaking--are breaking. The grand duke is good. He - shows himself desirous of befriending me; no doubt intends well, - and has even proposed that I shall return to Paris to engage - singers to perform "Tristan." I am going to Vienna soon. There they - are going to give me a surprise. It is supposed to be kept a secret - from me, but a friend has informed me they are going to bring out - "Lohengrin." You will hear about it. - - Ah! I have so run away with my thoughts that I have nearly failed - to tell you what I began to say; and that is, strong pressure was - brought upon me to consent to a fourth performance of "Tannhuser." - I was officially informed that all the seats had been taken; the - public were strongly desirous of hearing an opera which had caused - such a stir in high circles, that the sale of tickets had been so - brisk that now not one was unsold. But nothing, nothing would - induce me to submit again to such debasing treatment. I would - sooner lose all hope of assistance from imperial and noble - personages, and fight my battle alone, than again appear before - such tribunal. The royalty, 60, I left for Nuiter; it was a poor - recompense.... Now commend me to sister Lonie; tell her that Minna - is grateful for her thoughtful kindness, and bids me send her a - thousand hearty greetings. - -Always thine, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - CARLSRUHE, April, 1861. - -The next letter, August, 1862, is from Biebrich, near Mayence, on the -Rhine. - -[Sidenote: _SCHNORR VON CAROLSFELD._] - - MY DEAR FRIEND: It is a long time since I wrote to you; yes, but I - have had a worrying, anxious time. I do not seem to be able to - forge ahead. Each time I feel now I am within reach of my goal, it - flies from me like a "will o' the wisp." - - No, "Tristan" has not yet been done; but it will, it will soon be - done. I have found such a Tristan as charms my soul, such a one as - will worthily enact my hero. He has been here with me for a few - days studying it. Schnorr! Ah, the alighting upon him was - miraculous! At one time last winter, so saddened and broken down - was I by successive disappointments, that I had a presentiment of - approaching death. I actually had rehearsals of "Tristan" at - Vienna, and then the proposed performance does not take place. But - now it will. Yet I dare not be too positive. If it does, Schnorr - will be grand; then you must come. Why can't you come now to me? I - am going to stay here till the end of the summer; that my poor - second self is so weakly as to compel you to go to the seaside, I - am concerned deeply. May the sea-breezes invigorate him, and soon - give his mother no cause for anxiety. But I intended telling you - how I heard Schnorr first. - - He was going to sing "Lohengrin" at Carlsruhe. I did not want him - or anybody to know I should be present, so I went secretly, for I - feared a disappointment; he is fat, and picture a corpulent Knight - of the Swan! I had not heard him before. I went, and he sang - marvellously. He was inspired, and I was enchanted; he realized my - ideal. So come now and see him; you will be delighted too.... I am - staying here because I want to superintend the printing of my - "Meistersinger." - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - - AH! DEAR FERDINAND: I am faring tolerably well; have made some good - friends, influential ones too, but that is not what I crave. - "Tristan"! that's it! I am ready to go back to Vienna at any - moment, am expecting information from there, but again have - feelings that the performance will not take place. Here, as you - have doubtless seen through the press notices, my music has been - received with an enthusiasm beyond what it ever before achieved in - Germany. Tell Lders that I called on his friends and they behaved - in the kindest manner to me. Give the dear fellow my heartiest - greetings. I would Minna were here with me; we might, in the - excitement that now moves fast around me, grow again the quiescent - pair as of yore. The whole thing is annoying. I am not in good - spirits. I move about freely, and see a number of people, but my - misery is bitter. Can you not arrange to come and be with me in the - summer, wherever I may be? Write to me a long letter of how all is - with you. - -Yours ever, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ST. PETERSBURGH, February, 1863. - -I did not see him that year; matters could not be arranged. But since -that time the storm was gathering in intensity which was to soon break. -Minna had been in correspondence with me. Of her letters I publish -nothing. But the next from Wagner tells its own sad story in plain -language. It is dated-- - - -MARIAFELD, April, 1864. - - And so she has written to you? Whose fault was it? How could she - have expected I was to be shackled and fettered as any ordinary - cold common mortal. My inspirations carried me into a sphere she - could not follow, and then the exuberance of my heated enthusiasm - was met by a cold douche. But still there was no reason for the - extreme step; everything might have been arranged between us, and - it would have been better had it been so. Now there is a dark void, - and my misery is deep. It has struck into my health, though I - carefully attend to what you ever insist is the root of my - ills--diet. Yet I do not sleep, and am altogether in a feverish - state. It is now that I feel I have sounded my lowest note of dark - despair. What is before me? I know not! Unless I can shortly and - quickly rescue myself from this quicksand of gloom, it will engulf - me and all will then be over. Change of scene I must have. If I do - not I fear I shall sink from inanition. I like comfort, luxury--she - fettered me there--How will it end? - - Write to me soon. - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -[Sidenote: _LUDWIG'S PRINCELY HELP._] - -But a startling change was nigh at hand. The curtain was about to rise -upon the "Wahnfried" act of the hitherto stormy drama of Richard -Wagner's life. As far as the wit of man could devise, Wagner was -henceforth to be relieved from all care and anxiety as to the future. -His wants--and be it remembered they were not few, for, on his own -confession, he stands described as "more luxurious than -Sardanapalus"--were all about to be provided for with regal liberality. -But the following extracts from a letter which conveyed to me the news, -will be noted with interest, since they give a vivid picture of the man -and his feelings, in a word, paint the human being in characters so -striking, and lay bare the workings of the heart in a manner which was -impossible for his most intimate friend to hope to achieve. It was not -wealth he wanted. Luxury when he possessed it in abundance did not -comfort him: the worship and close intimacy of a king solaced him not: -the void was sympathy, such as only a loving woman could give. The -gloomy picture he draws of desolation amidst plenty invokes our -heartiest compassion. - - DEAREST FERDINAND: I owe it to you that you should be informed of - what my joy--clouded though it is by certain thoughts--has been - during the last few weeks. Such a state of intoxication have I been - cast into, that it has been as though I were another being than - myself, and I but a dazed reflection of the real mortal. It is a - state of living in another atmosphere, like that induced by the - drinking of hasheesh. A message from the sun-god has come to me; - the young king of Bavaria, a young man not yet twenty years of age, - has sent for me, and resolves to give me all I require in this - life, I in return to do nothing but compose and advise him. He - urges me strongly to be near him; sends for me sometimes two and - even three times in one day; talks with me for hours, and is, as - far as I can see, devoted heart and soul to me. There is but one - name for him--a god-like youth. But though I have now at my - command a profusion of unlimited means, my feeling of isolation is - torturing. With no one to realize and enjoy with me this limitless - comfort, a feeling of weariness and desolation is induced which - keeps me in a constant state of dejection terrible to bear. The - commonest domestic details now must be done by me; the purchasing - of kitchen utensils and such kindred matters am I driven to--Ah! - poor Beethoven! Now is it forcibly brought home to me what his - discomforts were with his washing-book, and engaging of - housekeepers, etc., etc. I who have praised woman more than - Frauenlob, have not one for my companion. The truth is, I have - spoilt Minna: too much did I indulge her, too much did I yield to - her; but it were better not to talk upon a subject which never - ceases to vex me. The king strives his utmost to gratify me, and if - I do not seem happy when with him and show my appreciation of his - wondrous goodness, I should deserve to be branded as "ingrate." - - There is one good being who brightens my household--the wife of - Blow; she has been with her children. If you can come to see me I - shall be happy. My god-child, Richard Wagner, is now eight years - old, you tell me; bring him; the talk of a dear innocent child will - do me good; to have him near me will, perhaps, comfort me. - -Your unhappy -RICHARD WAGNER. - - STARNBERG, June, 1864. - -The preceding letter is to me a landmark in Wagner's life. The facts -have only to be recited for it to be clearly perceived what a striking -climax had been reached. Upon them I make no comment. They speak for -themselves--the sudden transformation from a state of hardship into one -of security; the powerful patronage and friendship of the king of -Bavaria; the absence of Minna; the presence of Madame von Blow. - -[Sidenote: _THE LOVE OF A KING._] - -New influences were now beginning to work upon Wagner; and--they were -not weak. I did not see Wagner until the next year, when the change was -pronounced. During the winter the attachment of the king grew in -warmth, until in a manner Wagner may be said to have dominated the -youthful monarch completely. In the early spring of 1865, Wagner wrote -me the following short note. It was in reply to one from me, urging him -to find some occupation for August Roeckel, who had been released since -the January of 1862. When Roeckel was at Dresden, in 1849, with Richard -Wagner, he had effaced himself entirely for his friend. Then Wagner was -appreciative of sacrifices upon the altar of friendship, and regarded -them as done on his behalf entirely; but he later grew so absorbed with -his mission that no sacrifice did he regard as done to himself, but for -the glory of his art, and in this no sacrifice could be too great. The -short note after a private reference to Roeckel runs as follows:-- - -...At present I cannot. Time may be when the good August shall feel - that his old friend lives--now, all I can say is that the king - loves me with a love beyond description. I feel as sure of his love - for me till the end, as I am conscious of his unbounded goodness to - me now. It is a trial, though, of the heaviest; the formation of - his mind I feel it a duty to undertake. He is so strikingly - handsome that he might pose as the King of the Jews (and--this in - confidence--I am seriously reflecting on the Christian tragedy; - possibly something may come of it). But you must forgive me any - more correspondence just now, I am busy. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - MUNICH (London post-mark), 8th April, 1865. - -It appeared later that he was deeply engrossed in preparations for -"Tristan's" performance, his next letter--but a short -invitation--bearing on the subject. - - DEAR PRAEGER: 15, 18, 22 May: Wonderfully fine representations of - "Tristan" at Munich. Come, if you can, and write first. I should be - heartily glad to know you present at them. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - MUNICH, 7th May, 1865. - -I found it impossible to be present at the "Tristan" performances, and -was compelled to postpone my visit to the summer of the same year. On -the 27th July, Madame von Blow wrote to me for "her friend," explaining -that he was so much touched by the death of poor Schnorr (the Tristan of -the recent performances), that he was unable to write any letters, but -that Wagner would be at Munich up to the 8th August--though she "had -advised Richard very strongly to retire to the mountains there to -strengthen his nerves." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -1865-1883. - - -I went to Munich and found Wagner considerably depressed. "Tristan," the -work he evidently loved with no ordinary affection, had, after seven -years of hoping against hope, but just been performed to his intense -satisfaction, when the ideal impersonator dies. The happiness he had -recently felt at the three "Tristan" performances, coupled with the -publication of the piano scores of the "Walkre" and "Tristan" had, to -an extent, kept his mind free. These events passed, and his friends -departed, he fell into a desponding mood. Minna, his wife, was not -there. This was a constant irritation to him. He affected to care -nothing about it, but his references to her absence showed how it -annoyed and preyed upon him. Then was he placed in delicate relations -with the young king of Bavaria. Louis constituted Wagner his -adviser--his Mentor. Questions of state were submitted to him. The -king's personal advisers were aware of this, and resented it. Wagner -knew of the intrigues against him. He sincerely yearned for quietude; -all the more because he instinctively felt the coming storm. He showed -me all the letters that his royal devotee had written to him, and this I -can testify, that breathing as they did the fervid adoration of a -cultured, highly gifted youth for a genius, Wagner on his side felt no -less intense admiration and affection for the "god-like" king. So great -was the influence it was assumed Wagner possessed over the monarch, that -his good-will was sought by all classes of petitioners for the royal -favour. - -The house inhabited by Richard Wagner was detached, an uncommon thing -for houses in Germany. It had been built, he told me, by an Englishman, -and now that he could command practically "unlimited means," he did not -restrict his wants. I may say he positively revelled in his grandeur -like a boy. His taste in arranging his house once again provoked the -hostile comments of an ever-ready opposition press. As I have before -remarked, this charge of Oriental luxury was a stock one with some -people. Even now, his velvet coat and biretta are made the subject of -puerile attacks; but I cannot refrain from stating that Richard Wagner's -house and decorations are far surpassed by the luxuriously appointed -palaces of certain English painters, musicians, and dramatic poetasters. -Wagner was fond of velvets and satins, and he knew how best to display -them. The arrangements in the house, too, showed the unmistakable -guiding of a woman. Madame von Blow acted as a sort of secretary to -Wagner. Wagner was a prolific correspondent, but during the early -portion of the summer, he had, it seems, been busy finishing the score -of the second act of "Siegfried." - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER A BORN ACTOR._] - -Wagner laid bare his hopes and wishes to me. He merits eulogy for his -fearlessness. With that trait I was particularly struck. In relating the -subject of a certain interview with the king, I was of opinion he had -been too blunt of speech, too outspoken in his criticism, and I asked -what would he do were he to lose the royal favour, remembering how dark -and mournful had been his days at the moment the king sought him out. -His reply startled me. "I have lived before without the king, and I can -do so again." Honour to Wagner! He was fearless here as he was in his -music--no concessions to false art. - -A born actor Wagner? Certainly. Out together one day he related to me -the story of his climbing the Urirothstock in company with a young -friend. Some distance up the mountain, his companion, who was following, -exclaimed he was giddy and falling, upon which Wagner turned round on -the ledge of rock, caught his friend, and passed him between the rock -and himself to the front. The scene was reproduced very graphically. His -presence of mind never left him. Truly, Wagner was born to teach actors. - -I found that the same boyish love of fun remained with Wagner. He dearly -loved a joke, a good story, a witty anecdote. Many did he tell me. Even -when I was leaving Munich, his stories came out, so that on saying -good-bye, he added, "Well, we have had some discomforts, but a good many -jokes." - -Towards the end of the year the intrigues of his opponents proved too -strong for him. He left Bavaria; but I will give some few extracts from -his next letter, which will tell the history in his own way. It is -dated-- - - -CAMPAGNE AUX ARTICHAUX. - -...The stories you read in the papers of my flying the country are - wholly untrue. The king did nothing of the kind. He _implored_ me - to leave; said my life was in danger; that the director of the - police had represented to him the positive necessity for my - quitting Munich, or he could not guarantee my safety. Think, so - greatly did he fear the populace! The populace opposed to me? No; - not if they knew me. My return, I am told, is only a question of - time; until the king is able to change his advisers. May he come - out of his troubles well.... - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - GENEVA, 1866. - -The next letter of interest is dated nearly six months later. It shows -that Wagner and the king did not then always get on well together. - - -MUNICH, June, 1867. - - MY GOOD FERDINAND: I will keep my promise about August. He is here. - I will see to it, but there are so many obstacles. The king is - influenced by innumerable enemies, who are jealous of me, and - angered at my influence with him. I have, indeed, almost broken off - our relations, only the scandal would be too great! - - "Lohengrin" and "Tannhuser" were to be produced with the best - artists and dresses. I was anxious to have Tichatschek as - Lohengrin. He had, however, been singing elsewhere, in - "Masaniello," so that he was hoarse. The _entourage_ of the king - seemed to have conceived a thorough dislike of Tichatschek. But - what is more true, they were, I am convinced, desirous of - preventing my appearing with the king at the performance, because - they feared a demonstration. - - After the last rehearsal, a few days ago, the king, who was - present, sent for me. Tichatschek had displeased him, and he - asserted he would never again attend a performance or rehearsal in - which that singer took part. As this dislike referred only to the - stiff acting of Tichatschek (for he had sung splendidly), I felt - that the king's enthusiasm inclined to the spectacular, and where - this was defective, he could not elsewhere find compensation. But - now comes the outrage. Without consulting me, he ordered - Tichatschek and the "Ortrud" to be sent away. I was, and am, - furious, and forthwith mean to quit Munich. Now you know the - situation, you will understand the impossibility of doing anything - at present. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -[Sidenote: _THE MARRIAGE WITH COSIMA._] - -Nothing came of the promise to help Roeckel, though Wagner and the king -were soon reconciled. Roeckel became editor of a democratic newspaper, -ceasing all active participation in the musical world. The friendship of -Louis grew stronger, if that were possible, and Wagner shows by his -letters that he was quite "the guide, philosopher, and friend" of the -young monarch. Of his communications to me during the next year, I -select the following short note, as possessing a wider interest than a -merely personal communication. - - DEAR OLD FRIEND: The 21st June first performance of the - "Meistersinger" (model). On the 25th the second, and repetition of - it up to about the 20th July. Now see whether you can catch - something of it. It will be worth while, and will give me great joy - when you come. Many hearty greetings. - -From yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - MUNICH, at Blows, 11 Arcos Strasse, 11th June, 1868. - -As the above note shows, Wagner was living in Blow's house. I purposely -pass over the next two years. Events were coming to a climax. He and I -did not agree; but still his friendship never waned or abated one jot. -Meanwhile his wife, Minna, had died at Dresden. The two following notes -tell their own tale. The first is but a very short communication of what -the world had foreseen; the second was the printed card announcing his -second marriage, which I presume was sent to all his friends. - -CENTER -(1) - - MY DEAR FERDINAND: You will be no doubt angry with me when you hear - that I am soon to marry Blow's wife, who has become a convert in - order to be divorced. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - JULY, 1870. - -CENTER -(2) - - We have the honour to announce our marriage, which took place on - the 25th August of this year, at the Protestant Church of Lucerne. - -RICHARD WAGNER, -COSIMA WAGNER, _ne_ LISZT. - - 25TH AUGUST, 1870. - -In the following November Wagner wrote to me again. It was the first of -a series of letters relative to the purchase of a costly edition of -Shakespeare, in English, as a birthday present to Madame Wagner. I -publish six of these. They show Wagner by the fireside, at home with -wife and children. Nearly sixty, with the close of his life almost in -sight, he first bathes in that unspeakable happiness--the presence of -children constantly about him, ready to receive the pent-up affection of -half a century. It seems to me that his state of mind will be best -understood by a few words, taken from the closing paragraph of his -letter of the 25th November, 1870: "God make every one happy. Amen!" - - (1) - -[Sidenote: "_A SPLENDID SON._"] - - DEAR OLD ONE: If you are still alive, and not angry with me for - various reasons, you could do me a right good service. I should - like to make a present to my wife (you know the deep, serious - happiness that has been mine) on her birthday, which falls just on - Christmas Eve,--a present of one of the most beautiful editions of - Shakespeare in English. I do not so much want one of those editions - with a voluminous appendix of critical notes as a really luxurious - edition of the text. If such an edition de luxe is only published - with notes, and so forth, well, then I will have that. I know that - in this respect the English have achieved something extraordinary, - and it is just one of their grand editions I should like to - possess. Further, it must be encased in a truly magnificent - binding, and of the greatest beauty. All this, I feel sure, can - only be obtained for certain in London. Now be so good as to occupy - yourself in the most friendly manner for me. Deem me worthy of a - response and a note of the price, that we may arrange everything, - and I will forthwith send you the necessary funds. - - How are you all at home? I hear that the English are making - colossal profits by the war. I hope something of the good may fall - to you. Your last letter coming after such a long time was a - delightful surprise, and has given me much joy, for I perceive in - it that you still are actively employed. Often do I now think of - you because of your love for children. My house, too, is full of - children, the children of my wife, but beside there blooms for me a - splendid son, strong and beautiful, whom I dare call _Siegfried - Richard Wagner_. Now think what I must feel, that this at last has - fallen to my share. I am fifty-seven years old. - -Be most fondly greeted. -From your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, 11 November, 1870. - -(In pencil on the last page of the letter.) - - Perhaps the director of the theatre might make me a present of a - copy of Shakespeare. - - - (2) - - - When Ferdinand in pious rage, - The Moors afar did chase! - - Therefore, thou most excellent good one, quick to business! - - Your recommendation seems to point to the Cambridge edition of - Dyce. You say that the cost will be about three guineas (_i.e._ 3. - 3_s._) therefore--let us stop at Dyce's--this Cambridge edition. - But you do not tell me, however, whether it is one volume or in - several. Further, how am I to decide about the binding? I know that - in London bookbinding is treated as an art, and I would much like - to have a good specimen of London art work for my wife (for I - cannot present her with anything else). Acting upon the hypothesis - that it is in one volume only, I have forwarded to you six pounds - for disposal upon the work, and therefore three pounds less three - shillings will be available for the binding. Should there be two - volumes, then you must consider whether for the money you can still - obtain something remarkably good. If not--then order unhesitatingly - what is good, and write to me at once and I will send you a few - pounds more immediately. The chief point to be kept in view is that - you arrange with the bookbinder so as to have the work finished in - time to enable me to present it here on Christmas Eve. - - But now, above all, be not angry with me for thus earnestly - importuning you. If you but think of Milton Street and Portland - Terrace, lobster salad, punch, and Lders, then shall I be - pardoned. And lastly will come your good wife to the rescue, who, - notwithstanding that she, as I see, has still little children, may - yet have some kind remembrance for me. - - I am glad that you write to me about yourself in full; one cannot - do anything better than write about one's self to one's friends, - for the more one reflects the less one seems to know of others. - According to this, I ought to write a great deal about myself, but - that I must defer for an ocular inspection by you; therefore, come - and see me. My son is Helferich Siegfried Richard. My son! Oh, what - that says to me! - - _You_ have plenty of children's prattle, are used to it like the - English to hanging, but with me the hanging is only just beginning. - Now I must prepare to live to a good old age, for then will others - profit by it. Outside my home life, one thing only do I propose to - accomplish, and that, the performance of my "Nibelungen" drama as I - have conceived it. It appears to me that the whole German Empire is - only created to aid me in attaining my object. Carlyle's letter in - the "Times" has caused me intense satisfaction. The Messieurs - Englishmen I have already learned to know through you. I need but - refer to divers data I have from you to be at once clear about the - character of this strangely ragged nation. - - God make every one happy. Amen! Now greet mamma and children, and - tell them of Milton Street. Come next summer into Switzerland and - keep me in your heart as I do you. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, 25th November, 1870. - -[Sidenote: _HIS IDEA OF SHAKESPEARE._] - - (3) - - MY GOOD FERDINAND: Is it not too bad that I am still to give you so - much trouble? I thought there must be, especially in London, a - central depot where one could quickly be informed about the most - complicated matters of all kinds. Does there not exist, _i.e._ in - Regent Street, or in some other main thoroughfare, a bookseller who - keeps on hand a stock of editions de luxe of celebrated authors, in - elegant and costly bindings, ready for sale for certain festive - occasions? Certainly it would have been better could you have - alighted upon such an edition of "Shakespeare" already bound. That - a bookbinder would now undertake such a task, I myself feel it is - somewhat venturesome to hope. But as you are such a good fellow I - leave the whole business entirely in your hands. Do not let the - price frighten you, for when it is a question of a birthday gift - for such a noble, dear woman, then, in honour of Shakespeare, one - may afford to be liberal. Yet on this occasion, I insist that the - external must be the pre-eminent consideration, the thing to be - first thought of, viz. beautiful, correct print on beautiful paper, - artistic binding, and--the internal Shakespeare supplies himself; - but do not trouble at all about the critical notes of English - editors. - - As the time is now very close upon us, it would be best if you - could still discover, all ready and complete, a luxurious book, in - a luxurious shop, in a luxurious binding; for the rest--go on! I am - not sending you any further money to-day, as I want to leave the - matter entirely in your hands. How much more I am to send you we - will arrange later on. - - Adieu for to-day! - - Good old fellow! - - Make sure that we see you next summer here! - - Don't be melancholy, and keep me in your love. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, 9th December, 1870. - - (Herewith the addresses of the London banker: nice fellows those!!) - - (4) - - DEAR GOOD PRAEGER: Ah, now all is right, and the trouble at an end. - You will have seen by my last letter that it seemed to me our only - hope lay in finding an edition de luxe ready bound. That this - should have been in nine volumes, though not precisely an edition - de luxe, is satisfactory; therefore, have you acted most - blamelessly and correctly. Instead of having to transmit to you - further subsidies, you tell me there is even a balance at my - disposition. Now I have cudgelled my brains as to what can be - purchased with the remaining twelve shillings. In this matter it - will depend on the patience and perseverance of your wife, should - she see some pretty trifling _article-de-mode_ to put on the - Christmas table, where it might look well, perhaps. My wife has - spoken to me about, and would like, if possible, an East India, or - even Chinese, foulard dress, rich, highly-coloured patterns on - satin ground, brilliant and luxurious, _i.e._ Orientally fantastic, - such as is sure to be found in London. Now if your good wife would - be kind enough to look to this, and should it not go into the - abnormal in cost, of which, naturally, there is no intention, since - the proposed costume is not to serve for ostentation, but for the - gratification of a fantastic taste, I would beg of you to make bold - and send me about twenty metres of such a material, and to send it - off at once. The settlement of the transaction on my side would - follow immediately. I do not restrict the price, as that might - hamper you; but on the other hand, I beg you to understand that, in - case it is really something beautiful and original, Oriental, do - not stop at the price. Only in respect of the design, I remember - there must be no figures, nothing but flowers--that much do I - remember. God knows to what new trouble I am putting you again. - Don't take it too seriously, but remain good to me, for this is the - most important of your business. - -Heart greetings to all of you, from yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, 11th December, 1870. - - (5) - -[Sidenote: _PREPARING FOR "DER RING."_] - - DEAR OLD FRIEND: Yes, yes! so it is, and I have neglected to inform - you that "Shakespeare" rightly and well came into my hands. It - arrived somewhat late, but for the efforts on your part to fully - gratify me I give you my thanks. Altogether I am sorry I did not - pay more thought to the gigantic proportions of London business, - as I feel by that I have unknowingly thrown upon you a lot of - trouble in this affair. But now that everything has turned out - well, I thank you once more, and promise not to trouble you again - with such commissions. I write to you in haste, as I am preparing - for a journey; to-morrow I go with my wife into Germany, where I - propose to try and discover how matters stand. Several things are - in preparation, but all tend to one good, that is, the performance - of the "Nibelung" _after my own way_. Leipzic, Dresden, and above - all, Berlin, will be visited by me. In Berlin, where they have made - me a member of the Academy, I shall deliver a discourse on the - mission of the opera, etc. - - I will send to you the "Kaisermarsch," and all else that comes out. - - Now look to it that you pay me a visit next summer in our beautiful - retreat. By the middle of May we shall have returned. - - And now, farewell! - - Be not angry with me! - - Greet wife and children, and keep loving - -Your faithful friend, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, April, 1871. - - (6) - - -LEIPZIG, 12th May, 1871. - - This I have carried about with me on a long journey, for, when I - wanted to send it from Lucerne, I found I had mislaid your address. - It is fortunate that in your last letter, sent after me from - Lucerne, and which has just reached me, I have once again your - address. - - I am fatigued, and I return to-morrow. - - As regards the proposals and offer of the English music-sellers, I - would beg you to request them to address in the matter, Tausig, - Dessauer Strasse 35, Berlin. He has urged me to let him manage many - things in which I am always worsted. He will arrange with the - publishers, O. F. Peters, music bureau, in a manner that I shall - derive all possible advantage. Else, dearest, I am well, and my - undertaking bodes well for a success. - - Best greetings to wife and children. - -Love me, and forever yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -Then came the following:-- - - DEAREST: Come when you will! Alas, everybody comes in the few weeks - of the summer, and it is possible that you will find visitors - already when you come. In the quiet time not even a cock crows - after you, but you will find your place prepared for you; only, - therefore, to our next meeting. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, TRIBSCHEN, 6th June, 1871. - -[Sidenote: _STANDING ON HIS HEAD._] - -In the summer I went to stay with Wagner. How changed! Fifty-eight years -old, and yet but one year in the possession of what is called home. His -had been a roving life. Not through choice, but necessity. Energetic and -persevering, never leaving a stone unturned or failing in an effort to -preach his creed. And so through the long years of early manhood and -middle age had he struggled with adversity, never finding an abiding -resting-place. But the sunset of his life was setting in rich, warm -colours. A feeling of serenity, born of the conscious security from -worldly anxieties, had taken possession of him. His work had been -acknowledged throughout Europe. He was ambitious, and his soul was -satisfied. Now was he for the first time living in that warm-hearted, -self-denying atmosphere of "home," where dwelt a remarkably cultured, -intellectual wife and children. _There_ "bloomed for him a splendid son, -strong and beautiful." Yes; he was happy. His naturally buoyant -temperament had not lessened with years. I remember full well, one day -when we were sitting together in the drawing-room at Tribschen, on a -sort of ottoman, talking over the events of the years gone by, when he -suddenly rose and stood on his head upon the ottoman. At the very -moment he was in that inverted position the door opened and Madame -Wagner entered. Her surprise and alarm were great, and she hastened -forward, exclaiming, "Ah! lieber Richard! Richard!" Quickly recovering -himself, he reassured her of his sanity, explaining that he was only -showing Ferdinand he could stand on his head at sixty, which was more -than the said Ferdinand could do. This was a ridiculous incident, but -strikingly illustrative of the "Wagner as I knew him." I suppose there -are few thinking people who will deny the seriousness and profundity of -Wagner's mind, and that perhaps in earnestness of purpose and power of -reflection, he may be said to have been the equal of Carlyle; yet who -can picture the "sage of Chelsea" standing on his head at sixty, or -indeed at any period of his life? - -Wagner's tranquillity of mind was delightful to contemplate. He longed -for "peace on earth and good will to all men." The desire of his heart, -the dream of those early Dresden days, was about to be realized. A -theatre constructed after his own theory was soon to be erected. The -architect and engineer, Neumann and Brandt, came to Lucerne during my -visit. I was privileged to be present at their discussions. It was -another illustration of "to have a clear notion of what you want is -half-way to get it." "The theatre must be so built that it can be -emptied in the space of one or two minutes"; upon this Wagner insisted. -Did the experts explain some detail to him it was marvellous to see how -quickly he grasped the point and debated it with them. His heart was in -his work, in this as in all he did, and there lay the secret of his -success, for of this I am convinced, that without his indomitable will, -that untiring perseverance which would not be conquered, the genius of -Wagner would have availed him but little. - -In writing of "Wagner as I knew him" I have touched upon certain -subjects and criticised him in a manner which I am aware many of his -worshippers might perhaps shrink from. But in this I have in no way -offended Wagner. He wished to be known as he was. Indeed, he has written -his own life, which, should it please the Wagner heirs, may one day be -given to the world to its great gain. I became aware of the existence of -this autobiography in the following manner. Wagner and his wife were -going out, leaving me alone at Tribschen. Before going, Wagner placed in -my hands a volume for my perusal during his absence. "It is my -autobiography," he said. "Only Liszt has a copy; none other has seen it, -and it shall not be published until my Siegfried has reached his -majority." I read it carefully, and I may state, without touching upon -any of the matter contained therein, that in my treatment of Wagner I -have not uttered one word to which he himself would not have subscribed. - -To see Wagner surrounded by children was a pleasant sight. He was as -frolicsome as they. He would have the children sing the "Kaisermarsch" -at the piano, and reward them with coins. As regards their discipline -and training, he effaced himself completely before Madame Wagner. To his -wife he showed the tenderest affection. It might almost be said of him -that he was the most uxorious of husbands. - -[Sidenote: _LISZT "BEGAN TOO LATE."_] - -No matter the mood in which I found Wagner, it was always the old -Wagner. Did we set out for a stroll, he would take me into some wayside -inn, there to eat sausages and drink beer. I must add that his drinking -was of the most moderate description. It was during one of these rambles -that we spoke of Liszt, and in the talking, he told me that Liszt had -been more pained at his daughter Cosima's change of religion from Roman -Catholic to Protestant, than at her divorce from von Blow. Among other -things, too, he said, speaking of Liszt as a composer, that "he [Liszt] -had begun too late in life." - -To me Wagner was all affection. He played to me, showed me everything -received from the king (among the many presents were two handsome vases, -the equivalent of which in money Wagner said he would have preferred), -and did all that he could to make my stay agreeable. I did not stay the -whole time I had purposed; I left somewhat unexpectedly. My departure -brought the following letter from Wagner:-- - - Thou strangest of all men, why do you not give a sign of life? Is - it right or just? After having lived among us, as one of us, to - have left us so suddenly, and not without causing us some anxiety, - too, on your behalf. How wrong if you were in a dissatisfied mood - with us; but that cannot be; rather be convinced that we take the - most hearty interest in you, and that this is the sole reason which - induces me to make this inquiry. - - Let me hear from you, and be heartily greeted. - -From yours ever, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -From now to the day of his death I have but little to tell. He had -arrived at a time when the world accepted him as one of its great men. -His movements were chronicled in the press as though he were some -minister of state. I saw him repeatedly since 1872, notably at the -opening of the Bayreuth theatre in 1874, and at the succeeding -representations there, and naturally on his coming to London for the -Albert Hall Wagner Festival in 1877, when at the banquet given at the -Cannon Street Hotel in his honour, he toasted me as the friend, "the -first in this country to nobly support him," at a time when he was a -stranger in the land and the target of hostile criticism. Later on, I -saw him again at the "Parsifal" performances at Bayreuth, which proved -to be for the last time. - -My task is done. - -Wagner's labours ceased at Venice on the 13th February, 1883. What he -has accomplished is beyond the power of any man to destroy. Were Wagner -himself to return to us, _he_ could not undo what he has done. In future -years, aye, in future centuries, men will come from all parts of the -civilized globe to worship at Bayreuth; that is the Mecca of musicians. -There is the shrine of the founder of a new religion in art, pure and -ennobling to all who have ears to hear and human hearts that can be -touched. To use an old metaphor, but accurate and appropriate when -applied to Wagner, his work is as the boundless ocean; many will sail -their craft upon it, from the majestic ship of tragedy to the winsome -bark of comic opera, and then shall they not have navigated all the -seas. - -[Sidenote: _HIS EARNESTNESS OF PURPOSE._] - -The key of Wagner's success is his truth. Look at his work from -whichever side we may, that is it which ever finds its way into all -hearts. While the musicians were, and some still are, engaged in the -dissecting-room, with a bar here and bar there, with the people, the -laymen, he is universally popular. And what is the cause? His truth, his -earnestness. At bottom, it is this sincerity which has made him great. -Speaking of the laymen, I am forcibly reminded of perhaps the most -musically gifted and most devoted of all, one Julius Cyriax, a German -merchant of the city of London, whose friendship Wagner contracted here -in 1877, and with whom Wagner was in intimate correspondence down to the -last. - -And if this be the judgment passed upon his work, what shall be said of -the character of the man? Without fear, I say earnestness of purpose -guided him here too; that he was impatient of incompetence when it -sought to pose as the true in art was, and is, natural in a great -genius. Autocratic in bearing, and the intimate of a king, though -democratic in music and a professed lover of the _demos_ in his earlier -career, this is but a seeming contradiction. Democratic describes his -music; no domineering there of one voice; and democratic, too, in the -last days, when he refused imperial distinctions, preferring to remain -one of the people. An opponent in art, he was to be dreaded. Why? -Because he fought for his cause with such a whole-heartedness that he -drove, as Napoleon used to say, "fear into the enemy's camp." His -memory, like that of all great men, was extremely retentive. He was a -hard worker, as his eleven published volumes of literary matter and -fourteen music-dramas abundantly testify. To accomplish such work was -only possible to a man of method, and he _was_ methodical and careful -withal in what he did. Look at his handwriting and music notation, small -but clear, neat and clean. He was not free from blemish or -prejudice,--who is?--but - - Take him all in all, - We ne'er shall look upon his like again. - -Typography by J. S. Cushing & Co., Boston. - - * * * * * - -THE STORY OF MUSIC. - -BY W. J. HENDERSON. - -_12mo, Ornamental Cloth Cover, $1.25._ - -"Mr. Henderson tells in a clear, comprehensive, and logical way the -story of the growth of modern music. The work is prefixed by a -newly-prepared chronological table, which will be found invaluable by -musical students, and which contains many dates and notes of important -events that are not further mentioned in the text.... Few contemporary -writers on music have a more agreeable style, and few, even among the -renowned and profound Germans, a firmer grasp of the subject. The book, -moreover, will be valuable to the student for its references, which form -a guide to the best literature of music in all languages. The story of -the development of religious music, a subject that is too often made -forbidding and uninteresting to the general reader, is here related so -simply as to interest and instruct any reader, whether or not he has a -thorough knowledge of harmonics and an intimate acquaintance with the -estimable dominant and the deplorable consecutive fifths. The chapter on -instruments and instrumental forms is valuable for exactly the same -reasons."--NEW YORK TIMES. - -"It is a pleasure to open a new book and discover on its first page that -the clearness and simple beauty of its typography has a harmony in the -clearness, directness, and restful finish of the writer's style.... Mr. -Henderson has accomplished, with rare judgment and skill, the task of -telling the story of the growth of the art of music without encumbering -his pages with excess of biographical material. He has aimed at a -connected recital, and, for its sake, has treated of creative epochs and -epoch-making works, rather than groups of composers segregated by the -accidents of time and space.... Admirable for its succinctness, -clearness, and gracefulness of statement."--NEW YORK TRIBUNE. - -"The work is both statistical and narrative, and its special design is -to give a detailed and comprehensive history of the various steps in the -development of music as an art. There is a very valuable chronological -table, which presents important dates that could not otherwise be well -introduced into the book. The choice style in which this book is written -lends its added charms to a work most important on the literary as well -as on the artistic side of music."--BOSTON TRAVELLER. - -LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 15 East 16th Street, New York. - - * * * * * - -PRELUDES AND STUDIES. - -_MUSICAL THEMES OF THE DAY._ - -BY W. J. HENDERSON, - -Author of "The Story of Music." - -_12mo, Cloth, Extra, Guilt Top, $1.25._ - -"The questions which he handles are all living. Even the purely -historical lectures which he has grouped together under the general head -of "The Evolution of Piano Music," are informed with freshness and -contemporaneous interest by the manner which he has chosen for their -treatment.... The concluding chapter of the book is an essay designed to -win appreciation for Schumann, ... and is the gem of the book both in -thought and expression."--NEW YORK TRIBUNE. - -"Leaving Wagner, of whom the book treats in a most interesting way, the -evolution of piano music is taken up and treated in such a way as to -convince one that the writer is a master of his subject. Mr. Henderson -dwells on the performances of some living players, their methods, -manner, etc., and closes his work with a number on Schumann and the -programme symphony."--DETROIT SUNDAY NEWS. - -"The book is written by one who knows his subject thoroughly and is made -interesting to the general public as well as to those who are learned in -music."--BOSTON POST. - -"All lovers and students of music will find much to appreciate.... Mr. -Henderson writes charmingly of his various subjects--sympathetically, -critically, and keenly. He shows a sincere love for his themes, and -study of them; yet he is never pedantic, a virtue to be appreciated in a -writer of essays upon any department of art."--BOSTON TIMES. - -"Mr. Henderson's clear style is well known to readers of the musical -criticism of the New York Times, and his catholicity of sentiment, and -freedom from prejudice, ... though this volume will be especially -valuable to the student of music, it will be helpful to the amateur, and -can be read with satisfaction by one ignorant of music, which, -altogether, is surely high praise."--PROVIDENCE SUNDAY JOURNAL. - -"It is a volume of extremely suggestive musical studies.... They are all -full of appreciative comment, and show considerable clear insight into -the origin and nature of musical works. The author has a style which is -adapted to exposition. The book is an attractive one for the lover of -music."--PUBLIC OPINION. - -"Mr. Henderson studies carefully and intelligently the evolution of -piano music and Schumann's relation to the development of the programme -symphony. This is a suggestive, original, and well-equipped group of -essays upon themes which interest musicians."--LITERARY WORLD. - - -LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 15 East 16th Street, New York. - - * * * * * - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Letter to F. Villot. - -[2] The original in the possession of Edward Roeckel, Bath. - -[3] Neighbouring mountains. - -[4] A daughter of August Roeckel. - -[5] August's wife. - -[6] The Work and Mission of my Life, chap. ix. - -[7] Sunday Times, 6th May, 1855. - -[8] Written before his death in 1890. - -[9] 24th February, 1855. - -[10] Roeckel. - -[11] English Gentleman. - -[12] August's father. - -[13] Secretary of the Philharmonic Society. - -[14] This is Wagner's characteristic jocularity, Lders being a man of -short and slight stature and most mild in temper. - -[15] Edward Roeckel of Bath. - -[16] "Peps" was the dog which helped to compose "Tannhuser." - -[17] The parrot. - -[18] Wagner used to take "Gypsy" out for a walk daily. - -[19] Then conductor of the New Philharmonic concerts, at present -director of the London Academy of Music. - -[20] Meaning of two Richard Wagners. - -[21] Burning of the opera house, Covent Garden. - -[22] An English translation of these memoirs by Baron de Worms was -published in 1887. - -[23] Letter to Mr. Villot, page 35. - -[24] Alluding to the action taken by Frederick of Baden (whose wife was -a lover of Wagner's music) to secure the reinstalment of Wagner as a -citizen of Germany. - -[25] Then "Chef de claque." - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -Seigfried=> Siegfried {pg 18} - -Kapelmeister=> Kapellmeister {pg 26} - -misletoe=> misletoe {pg 32} - -orchestra after Hadyn=> orchestra after Haydn {pg 42} - -the gift of Shroeder-Devrient.=> the gift of Schroeder-Devrient. {pg 74} - -Niebulungen=> Nibelungen {pg 97} - -as Tannhauser emerging from=> as Tannhuser emerging from {pg 116} - -"Rienzi" rehersal in the overture=> "Rienzi" rehearsal in the overture -{pg 125} - -order came from Luttichon=> order came from Luttichorn {pg 133} - -Liepzic dialect=> Leipzic dialect {pg 135} - -his easily understoood=> his easily understood {pg 191} - -Gtterdamerung=> Gtterdmmerung {pg 242} - -Aria ("Non mi du")=> Aria ("Non mi dir") {pg 257} - -cequi ne sera pas chose facile=> ce qui ne sera pas chose facile {pg -277} - -absolutely nesessary=> absolutely necessary {pg 282} - -Gtterdammerung=> Gtterdmmerung {pg 291} - -Nuitre posed a soft answer=> Nuiter posed a soft answer {pg 305} - -If it does=> It it does {pg 311} - -run as follows=> runs as follows {pg 315} - -Freischutz=> Freischtz {x3} - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Wagner as I Knew Him, by -Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM *** - -***** This file should be named 42875-8.txt or 42875-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/8/7/42875/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Thus, we do not necessarily -keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. - - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search facility: - - http://www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. diff --git a/42875-8.zip b/42875-8.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index ecbe6fa..0000000 --- a/42875-8.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/42875-h.zip b/42875-h.zip Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index 4e4b530..0000000 --- a/42875-h.zip +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/42875-0.txt b/old/42875-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 1cb4431..0000000 --- a/old/42875-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,11262 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Wagner as I Knew Him, by -Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Wagner as I Knew Him - -Author: Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger - -Release Date: June 4, 2013 [EBook #42875] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - -Transcriber’s note: The etext attempts to replicate the printed book as -closely as possible. Obvious errors in spelling and punctuation have -been corrected. Only a few of the spellings of names, places and German -or French words used by the author have been corrected by the etext -transcriber. A list follows the etext. Footnotes have been moved to the -end of the text body. - - - -WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM - - - - -WAGNER -AS I KNEW HIM - -BY -FERDINAND PRAEGER - -NEW YORK -LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. -15 EAST SIXTEENTH STREET -1892 - -COPYRIGHT, 1892, -BY CHARLES J. MILLS. - - -TO - -THE RIGHT HONOURABLE - -THE EARL OF DYSART, - -PRESIDENT OF THE LONDON BRANCH OF THE UNITED RICHARD WAGNER SOCIETY. - -[Sidenote: _THE EARL OF DYSART._] - - -MY LORD:-- - -If an intimacy, an uninterrupted friendship, of close upon half a -century during which early associations, ambitions, failures, successes, -and their results were frankly discussed, entitles one to speak with -authority on Richard Wagner, the man, the artist, his mental workings, -and the doctrine he strove to preach, then am I fully entitled so to -speak of my late friend. - -To vindicate Wagner in all things is not my intention. He was but -mortal, and no ordinary mortal, and had his failings, which will be -fearlessly dealt with. My sole purpose is to set Richard Wagner before -the world as I knew him; to help to an honest understanding of the man -and his motives as he so often laid them bare to me; and I -unhesitatingly affirm that, when seen in his true character, many a -hostile, plausible, and unsparing criticism, begotten of inadequate -knowledge or malice, will shrivel and crumble away when exposed to the -sunlight of truth. - -The daring originality of Wagner’s work could not help provoking violent -opposition. Revolution in art as in aught else has ever been wedded to -storm and tumult. - -Of all things, Wagner was a thinker. The plot, construction, and logical -development of his dramas, the employment of those wondrous -character-descriptive tone-themes, their marvellous combination, his ten -volumes of serious matter, especially “The Work and Mission of my Life,” -emphatically testify to his deliberate studied thinking, and friend and -foe alike readily acknowledge the _originality_ of his thought. - -Here then entered the art world, in the person of Richard Wagner, a -quite natural subject for discussion. Here was a thinker, an original -thinker, and Carlyle says that “the great event, parent of all others, -in every epoch of the world, is the arrival of a thinker, an _original_ -thinker.” No matter for marvel, then, that the air thickened with -criticism as soon as the Thinker proclaimed himself. - -The persistency and vigour with which Wagner pursued the end,--an end to -which, primarily, he was unconsciously impelled by instinctive -genius,--the emphatic enforcement of the Gospel it was the sole purpose -of his thinking manhood to inculcate, led him to reject worldly -advancement, to endure painful privation, to utter fierce denunciation -against pseudo-prophets, and to be the victim of malignant insult and -scornful vituperation. And why? Because his mission was to preach -_Truth_. - -Wagner was “terribly in earnest.” His earnestness forces itself home to -us through all his works; and in his strenuous striving to accomplish -his task, he involuntarily said and did things seemingly opposed to the -very principles he had so dogmatically enunciated. But on investigating -the why of such apparent contradictions, it will be found that they are -but paradoxical after all, and that never has Wagner swerved from the -direct pursuit of his ideal. Thus he says, “I had a dislike, nay, a -positive contempt, for the stage, its rouge and tawdry tinsel,” and yet -within its precincts he was spell-bound. He was chained to it by -indissoluble links. It was the pulpit from which he was to expound his -gospel. Again, he accepted from friends the most reckless sacrifices -without the simplest acknowledgment or gratitude, yet it was not -ingratitude as is commonly understood; he accepted the service not as -done to himself, but for the glorification of true art, and in that -consummation he felt they were richly recompensed. He, when he felt it -his duty to speak plainly, spared the feelings of none by an incisive -criticism which cut to the core, and yet an over-sensitiveness made him -writhe under the slightest censure. - -Towards Jews and Judaism he had a most pronounced antipathy, and yet -this did not prevent him from numbering many Hebrews among his most -devoted friends. Pursued with the wildest ambition, he steadfastly -refused all proffered titles and decorations. He formulated most -positive rules for the music-drama, and then referring to “Tristan and -Isolde,” states: “There I entirely forgot all theory, and became -conscious how far I had gone beyond my own system.”[1] With Meyerbeer in -view, he emphatically insisted that after sixty no composer should -write, as being incapacitated by age and consequent failure of brain -power, and then when long past this period he not only writes one of his -greatest works, but when seventy and within the shadow of death, was -engaged upon another of engrossing interest, viz. on the Hindoo -religion. Lastly, whilst vehemently protesting the inseparability of his -music from its related stage representation and scenic accessories, -compelled by fate, he traversed Europe from London to St. Petersburg to -produce in the concert room orchestral excerpts from the very works upon -whose inviolability he had in such unequivocal terms insisted,--selections -too, though arranged by himself, which give but the most incomplete -conception of the dramas themselves. - -This seeming jarring between theory and practice in so powerful a -thinker requires explanation, and in due course I shall exhaustively -treat the same. - -Wagner and I were born in the same town, Leipzic, and within two years -of each other. This was a bond of friendship between us never severed, -Wagner ever fondly delighting to talk about his early surroundings and -associations. His references to Leipzic and prominent local characters -were coloured with strong affection, and to discuss with one who could -reciprocate his deep love for the charmed city of his birth, was for him -a certain source of happiness. - -Wagner’s first music-master, properly so called, was Cantor Weinlig of -Leipzic. From him he received his first serious theoretical instruction. -Weinlig, too, was well known to me. He was an intimate friend of my -father, Henry Aloysius Praeger, director of the Stadttheater and -conductor of the famous Gewandhaus concerts, the latter post being -subsequently filled by Mendelssohn among other celebrities. Between -Weinlig and my father, whom the history of music has celebrated as a -violinist of exceptional skill and as a sound contrapuntist, constant -communications passed, and I was very often the bearer of such. - -Common points of interest like this--striking Leipzic individualities, -the house at Gohlis, a suburb of Leipzic where poor Schiller spent part -of his time, the masters of St. Nicolas’ School, where we both attended, -though at different periods--I could multiply without end, each topic of -absorbing interest to us both, and productive of much mutual expansion -of the heart, but I will here refer to one only--that connected with -Carl Maria von Weber. - -“Der Freischütz” was first performed at Dresden, the composer -conducting, on the 22d January, 1822. Wagner, then in his ninth year, -was living at Dresden with his family. In his letter to Frederick -Villot, he says of Weber: “His melodies filled me with an earnestness, -which came to me as a bright vision from above. His personality -attracted me with enthusiastic fascination; from him I received my first -musical baptism. His death in a distant land filled my childish heart -with sorrowful awe.” “Der Freischütz” was almost immediately produced at -Leipzic, and Weber came to Leipzic personally to supervise the -rehearsals and to acquaint my father, then the conductor of the theatre, -as to the special reading of certain parts. The work excited the utmost -enthusiasm in Leipzic, and was performed there innumerable times. I, the -son of the conductor, having free entry to the theatre, went nightly, -and acquired thus early a thoroughly intimate acquaintance with the -work, such as Wagner also had gained by his frequent visits to the -Dresden theatre through his family’s connection with the stage. In -after-life we found that Weber and his works had exercised over both of -us the same fascination. In 1844, the remains of the loved idol, Weber, -were removed from Moorfields Chapel, London, to Dresden. At that time I -was residing in London, and, in conjunction with Max von Weber, the -composer’s eldest son, and others, obtained the necessary authority and -carried out the removal. Wagner was in Germany. There he received the -body, and on its final interment pronounced the funeral oration over the -adored artist. - -In this country, where I have now lived for an unbroken period of -fifty-one years, I was Wagner’s first and sole champion, and, -notwithstanding all the calumny with which he was persistently assailed -(which even now has not entirely ceased), stood firmly by him. - -It was through my sole exertions that the Philharmonic Society in 1855 -offered Wagner the post of conductor. His acceptance and retention of -the post for one season are now matters of history. - -Wagner returned to London in 1877 to conduct the “Wagner Festival” -concerts at the Albert Hall. As his sixty-fourth birthday fell during -these concerts, some ardent friends promoted a banquet in his honour at -the Cannon Street Hotel on the 23d May. To that banquet I was invited, -and great was my amazement when Wagner, the applauded of all, -spontaneously and without the least hint to me, warmly and -affectionately said:-- - -“It is now twenty-two years ago since I came to this country, -unacknowledged as a composer and attacked on all sides by a hostile -press. Then I had but one friend, one support, one who acknowledged and -boldly defended me, one who has clung to me ever since with unchanging -affection; this is my friend Ferdinand Praeger.” - -My Lord, I have felt it desirable to address these preliminary remarks -to you as indicative of the manner in which I propose to treat my -friend’s life and work. Wagner was extremely voluble, and, with his -intimate friends, most unreserved. He was a man of strong affections and -strong memory, and to those he loved he freely spoke of those whom he -loved, and thus I believe I am the sole recipient of many of his early -impressions and reminiscences, of his thoughts and ambitions in -after-life. Therefore shall I tell the story of his life and work, as he -made me see it and as I knew him, keeping back nothing, believing as I -do that the world has a right to know how its great men live: their -lives are its lawful inheritance. - -It is with deep affection that I undertake a work prompted by your -Lordship’s love for the true in art, and it is to you that I dedicate -the result of my labour. - -FERDINAND PRAEGER. - -LONDON, 15th June, 1885. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -CHAPTER I. - -1813-1821 - -.....PAGE - -“The child is father to the man”--Musician, poet, and dramatist--Stage -reformer--His grandfather a customs officer--His father, Frederick -Wagner, an officer of police, student, and amateur actor--Death of -Frederick, 1813--His mother--Eldest brother, Albert, a tenor -singer--Sisters Rosalie, Louisa, and Clara, actresses of repute--Ludwig -Geyer, a Leipzic actor--Marries Widow Wagner--Family removes to -Dresden--Affection of his step-father and mother for him--The girls -receive piano-forte lessons--Richard receives a few lessons in drawing -from Geyer--Beyond this, up to his ninth year, no regular education is -attempted with him--Geyer not of a robust constitution--Wagner plays the -bridal chorus from “Der Freischütz” by ear--Geyer’s prediction and -death.....1 - - -CHAPTER II. - -1822-1827. - -His visit to an uncle Geyer at Eisleben--The Kreuzschule, Dresden--His -facility for languages--His modesty--Wagner a small man--Personal -appearance described--Wonder of school professors at unusual mental -activity of the delicate small boy--A prey to erysipelas--Love of -practical joking--Incident of the Kreuzschule roof--An adept in all -bodily exercises--His acrobatic feats--Love for his mother--Affection -for animals.....10 - - -CHAPTER III. - -1822-1827. _Continued._ - -Richard Wagner enters the Kreuzschule, Dresden, December, -1822--Translation of part of the “Odyssey” by private work--Begins to -learn English to read Shakespeare--Writes prize elegy in Germany at -eleven years of age--Theodore Körner, pupil of the Kreuzschule and poet -of freedom--Metrical translation of Romeo’s monologue--His first lessons -on the piano--Hatred of finger exercises--Berlioz--Up to fourteen his -aspirations distinctly musical.....20 - - -CHAPTER IV. - -LEIPZIC, 1827-1831. - -Return to Leipzic--The Stadttheater; Rosalie and Louise--Jews, their -treatment by Leipzic townspeople--Wagner’s attitude towards them--His -first love a Jewess--At the St. Nicolas school three years, St. Thomas -school and the University a few months each--Describes himself during -his Leipzic school-days as “wild, negligent, and idle”--Reprehensible -gambling of his mother’s pension--Crisis of his life--Haydn’s symphonies -at the theatres and Beethoven’s symphonies in the concert-room--Beethoven -a pessimist--Haydn and Mozart optimists--Resolve to become a -musician--Private study of theory--His first overture, 1830, laughed -at--His marvellously neat penmanship--Takes lessons from Cantor -Weinlig--Writes a sonata without one original idea or one phrase of more -than common interest--Beethoven his daily study--Weber and Beethoven his -models--Combines in himself the special gifts of both, the idealism of -the former and the reasoned working of the latter.....26 - - -CHAPTER V. - -1832-1836. - -Revolution and romanticism at the beginning of the nineteenth -century--Its effect on Wagner--First grand symphony for -orchestra--Mendelssohn and Wagner--Wondrous dual gift of music and -poesy--Portion of an opera, “The Wedding,” engaged at Würzburg--Albert -Wagner--Life at Würzburg--First opera, “The Fairies”--Schroeder-Devrient -and “The Novice of Palermo”--Stage manager at Magdeburg, 1834--Views -upon German National drama and national life.....44 - - -CHAPTER VI. - -1836-1839. - -Life and troubles at Magdeburg--Wagner marries--Minna Planer: the woman, -her home, her trustful love--Reflections on his life at Magdeburg--His -ability as a conductor of the orchestra and singers--Popularity of Auber -and Rossini--Renewed trials at Königsberg, 1837--Success of -Meyerbeer--Paris the ruler of German taste--Wagner’s ambition of going -to Paris--Sends sketch of new libretto to Scribe--No answer--Writes an -overture on “Rule Britannia,” and sends it to Sir George Smart--Not -noticed--Wagner’s impressions of stage life after his experience at -Würzburg, Magdeburg, and Königsberg--Visit to Dresden and -“Rienzi”--Conductor at Riga, 1839--His difficulties increase--Paris the -sole hope of relief--Resolves to go to Paris--Sets sail for London--“The -Champagne Mill”--Arrival in London.....55 - - -CHAPTER VII. - -EIGHT DAYS IN LONDON, 1839. - -First impression--Puts up at cheap hotel in Old Compton Street, -Soho--Loss and return of the dog--Visit to a house in Great Portland -Street where Weber died--Thoughts on English character and London -sights--Visit to Greenwich Hospital--Leaves by boat for Boulogne.....69 - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -BOULOGNE, 1839. - -Passage to Boulogne--The Mansons, friends of Meyerbeer--Wagner’s visit -to Meyerbeer--Character of Meyerbeer--Interests himself in the youthful -Wagner--The reading of “Rienzi” libretto--Eulogium of Meyerbeer and -promises of help--Meyerbeer feels his way to the purchase of the -“Rienzi” book--Wishes Scribe to write one for him similarly -spectacular--Wagner and his wife at a restaurant; champagne the -“perfection of terrestrial enjoyment”--The Mansons advise him to stay in -Boulogne--The “Rienzi” music pleases Meyerbeer, who also, to Wagner’s -annoyance, praises his neat writing--The “Das Liebesverbot” draws -further laudation from Meyerbeer, and the success of Wagner is -prophesied--“Le petit homme avec le grand chien” leaves Boulogne for -Paris.....78 - - -CHAPTER IX. - -PARIS, 1839-1842. - -The sanguine Wagner boldly invades Paris--Later reflections of the -bitter sufferings he underwent there--Why he went to Paris--Germany -offers no encouragement to native talent--Wagner has but a slight -acquaintance with the French tongue--Seeks out Monsieur Louis, who -becomes and remains his most devoted friend--With assistance of Louis, -engages modest apartments--Endeavours to deliver his letters of -introduction--Unsuccessful--Without occupation--His poverty--Help from -Germany for a short time--Their sadly straitened circumstances--In -absolute want--Writes for the press; Schlesinger--“A pilgrimage to -Beethoven,” imaginary--He composes three romances, imaginary--Still in -want, forced to the uncongenial task of “arranging” popular Italian -operas for all kinds of instruments--Minna Wagner: her golden qualities -and admiration of Wagner--Minna performs all the menial household -duties--Bright and cheerful temperament soothes the disappointed, -passionate Wagner--His birthday tribute--His subsequent acknowledgment -of her womanly devotion--The artists he met in Paris--Heinrich Laube, an -old Leipzic friend, introduces him to Heine--Meeting of the trio--Laube -and Heine as workers--Schlesinger, music-publisher, becomes his -friend--Schlesinger upon Meyerbeer--Wagner and Berlioz in Paris and -London--The two compared--Wagner’s opinion of Berlioz and his agreement -with Heine--Halévy--Vieuxtemps--Scribe--Kietz.....83 - - -CHAPTER X. - -PARIS, 1839-1842. _Continued._ - -The Paris sojourn the crucial epoch of Wagner’s career--The grand opera -the hothouse of spurious art--Concessions to anti-artistic -influences--Realism of the historic opera irreconcilable with his own -poetic idealism: why?--Is infected with the revolutionary spirit of the -age--From now we date the wondrous change in his art work--Protests -through the “Gazette Musicale” against Italian composers dominating the -French stage to the exclusion of native worth--Rebuked by -Schlesinger--The Conservatoire de Musique; its performances solid food -to Wagner--“Music a blessed reality”--Probability that the unrealities -of the French stage brought Richard Wagner to a quicker knowledge of -himself--Wagner’s estimate of French character--Their poesy--His -tact--Feeling of aversion towards the military and police--His -compositions--A year of non-productivity--Assertion of the -poet--Proposal by Schlesinger that he should write a light work for a -boulevard theatre--Refuses--Is put to bed with an attack of erysipelas -which lasts a week--“Overture to Faust”: “the subjects not music, but -the soul’s sorrows transformed into sounds”--Minna and his dog--Wagner’s -lugubrious forebodings and short novel, “End of a German Musician in -Paris”--Completes “Rienzi,” which is sent to Germany--The “Flying -Dutchman”--How the subject came to be adopted--Heine’s treatment of -Fitzball’s version--The original story as told by Fitzball--Libretto -completed, delivered to the director of the grand opera, who bargains -for it--Superiority of legend over history for musical treatment--Wagner -and his meaning of the “Dutchman” anecdote related at Munich, 1866--The -one of his music-dramas that occupied the shortest time in -composition--It is sent to Meyerbeer--News from Dresden--“Rienzi” -accepted, leaves for Germany.....99 - - -CHAPTER XI. - -DRESDEN, 1842-1843. - -New and hopeful prospect--Feels assured of “Rienzi” proving -successful--Ignored by Paris, received with open arms by Dresden, the -hallowed scene of Weber’s labours--Joy at returning home a conqueror--A -new life for Minna--Reissiger, chief conductor of the Royal -Opera--Fischer, the manager and chorus director, his friend--His -“Rienzi” and “Adriano”--First performance of “Rienzi”--Unmistakable -success--Wagner appointed co-chief conductor with Reissiger--My own -first acquaintance with Richard Wagner--August Roeckel, the man, friend, -and musician--His letter describing Wagner--Intimacy and political sway -over Wagner--Visit of Berlioz to Dresden--His opinion of the “Dutchman” -and “Rienzi”--The father of Roeckel tutored by Beethoven in the part of -Florestan--Meetings of Richard Wagner and Hector Berlioz--Cold bearing -of the latter.....114 - - -CHAPTER XII. - -1843-1844. - -Hostility of the Dresden press--Wagner’s energy and good humour when at -the conductor’s desk--A born disciplinarian--Unflagging efforts to -improve the spiritless performances of master works--Interest evinced by -Spohr, who stigmatizes Beethoven’s third period as barbarous -music--Wagner affects to ignore and despise criticism--In reality is -abnormally affected by it--Attacks on his personal attire, home -comforts, and manner of living--Wagner in seclusion--His tribute to the -constancy and devotion of August Roeckel--Wagner’s opinion of Marschner -and Mendelssohn’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream”--The “Faust” overture -unsuccessful--Spontini and the “Vestal”--Visit of Wagner and Roeckel to -Spontini--Weber obsequies--Max von Weber with me in London--Reception of -the body in Germany--Funeral oration delivered by Richard -Wagner--Comparison between Wagner’s public and private manner of -utterance.....124 - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -1845. - -“Tannhäuser”: story of its composition, poem and music--Its performance, -1845--First mention of Richard Wagner’s name in the London press--The -criticisms (?) of 1845--An instance of the thoroughness of Richard -Wagner--Dawn of the 1848 revolution and Wagner’s relation thereto--The -follower of August Roeckel expresses regret at his heated -language--Performance of the Choral Symphony under Wagner--Unusual -activity displayed in the preparations--The way he set to work--Part -explanation why I came to induce the London Philharmonic to invite him -to this country--His grasp of detail--Forethought displayed in writing -an analytical programme to acquaint audience with the meaning of the -work--Successful performance--Characteristics of Richard Wagner--His -opinion of Italian opera and dictum that an art work to endure must be -founded in reason and reflection--“Lohengrin”: its popularity--“Music is -love”--The network of connection between Wagner’s operas--Thoughts about -“Lohengrin” remaining on earth--Wagner never able to control his -finances--His position becomes embarrassed--At enmity with the -world--Composition of “Lohengrin”--Letter to his mother--Passionate -nature of Wagner--Complete identification of himself with his art--The -manner of his accepting services--His courage inspires our -admiration--The publication by himself of “Rienzi,” “Dutchman,” and -“Tannhäuser”--A failure--“Tannhäuser” offered to the firm of Cramer, -Beale, & Co. by me for nothing--Refused.....136 - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -1848. - -Wagner significantly silent as to his participation in the Saxon -Revolution, 1848-49--Wagner an active worker--Conclusive proof--A member -of the “Fatherland Union”--Paper read by Wagner before the Union--His -character--Charge of ingratitude towards his king absurd--Deputation to -king of Saxony--The four demands of the people--Refused--Leipzic -determines to march _en masse_ on Dresden--Reforms promised--Founding of -the “Fatherland Union”--Political leaflets printed and -distributed--Wagner reads his paper June 16, 1848: “What is the relation -that our republican efforts bear to the monarchy?”--Printed by the -Union--Copy forwarded to me at the time--Reproduced here--It is omitted -from Wagner’s “Collected Writings”--An important document, since it -forms part of the official indictment against Wagner--The paper treats -of (1) relation of republic to monarchy; (2) nobility appealed to and -urged to join in the commonwealth; (3) abolition of first chamber; (4) -manhood suffrage advocated; (5) creation of national armies; (6) -communism a senseless theory and its reign impossible; (7) appeal to -improve the impoverished condition of the masses by timely concessions; -(8) founding of colonies; (9) the greatest and most far-reaching reforms -only possible under a republic of which the monarch is the head; (10) -the king logically the first republican; (11) “subjects” converted -into “free citizens”; (12) war against the office of king and not -against the person; (13) laudation of the Saxon potentate; (14) Wagner’s -fidelity to the king; (15) advocates the abolition of the -monarchy--National armies--Roeckel, Wagner’s assistant conductor, -dismissed, autumn, 1848--Founds a political paper; Wagner -contributes--Roeckel imprisoned for three days--The elections--Triumph -of the democratic party--Roeckel elected a deputy--Revision of taxation -and civil list--Subsidy to the theatre: Wagner defends it in paper -delivered to minister; Roeckel to defend it in the chamber--Details of -the paper.....151 - - -CHAPTER XV. - -1849-1851. - -The new Chamber of Deputies--The king of Saxony refuses to accept the -constitution formulated by the federated German parliament--The chambers -dissolved by the king--Wagner urges Roeckel to leave Dresden for fear of -arrest--Roeckel leaves for Prague--Hainberger, Bakunin, and Semper--The -outbreak--Wagner’s incriminating note to Roeckel--Return of -Roeckel--Wagner in charge of convoys--Characteristic incident--Roeckel -taken prisoner--Origin of the revolt--Its character--Source of the -government charge against Wagner--Heubner, Bakunin, and Roeckel -imprisoned--Sentenced to death--Commuted--Actual part played by -Wagner--He carries a musket; heads a barricade--Wagner not personally -brave--His flight to Weimar--Liszt and the police official--Wagner in -Paris--Naturalized at Zurich--Proclamation by Saxon government, June, -1853, directing the arrest of Wagner--The government indictment -summarized--Richard Wagner amnestied, March, 1862--Important letter from -Wagner, March 15, 1851, to Edward Roeckel of Bath, detailing his own -share in the Revolution--Attempts of biographers to gloss over Wagner’s -participation in Revolution--Wagner to blame--Conflicting extracts from -Wagner’s early and later writings as to his precise share--The case -summarized.....170 - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -1850-1854. - -Wagner seeks an asylum in Paris--His reception disappointing--Leaves for -Switzerland--A second time within the year he returns to Paris--Again -vexed at the little recognition he meets with--Finally settles in Zurich -and becomes a naturalized subject--Reflections on the French and their -attitude towards art--His abruptness of speech, impatience of -incapacity, and vehement declamation wear the air of rudeness--Episode -at Bordeaux--He possesses the very failings of amorousness, Hebraic -shrewdness, and Gallic love of enjoyment denounced by him in others--At -Zurich unable to settle to work for some time--His exile the grandest -part of his life as regards art--Period of repose--For five years not -one single bar of music did he compose--Describes his Zurich life as -spent in “walking, reading, and literary work”--His literary -activity--Writes “Art and Revolution,” “The Art Work of the Future,” -“Art and Climate,” “Judaism in Music,” and “Opera and Drama”--The period -of his banishment the cradle of nearly all his great music-dramas: the -“Nibelung’s Ring,” “Tristan and Isolde,” the “Mastersingers,” and a -fragment of “Parsifal”--His pretty chalet, “The Retreat,” at Zurich. The -Wesendoncks--Compares himself to the philosopher Hegel--The first -printing of the Nibelung poem, 1853--Resents allusion to it as a work of -literary merit--Recites portions of the lied--At Zurich conducts the -opera house--Hans von Bülow his pupil--Wagner’s festival week at -Zurich--Chapelmaster Lachner’s prize symphony--His health always bad: -dyspepsia and erysipelas--At hydropathic establishments--His love for -the animal kingdom--Anecdote of “Peps,” the Tannhäuser dog.....194 - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -“JUDAISM IN MUSIC.” - -The importance attached to the question--The paper said to have been -prompted by personal jealousy--Absurdity of the accusation--The London -press hostile because of his Jewish criticisms upon Mendelssohn and -Meyerbeer--The “Sunday Times” asserts that “the most ordinary English -ballad writer would shame him in the creation of melody, and no English -harmonist would pen such vile things”--The words he uttered in 1852 in -the Judaism paper lay deep in his heart, and he adhered to them in 1855 -and 1869--Wagner of opinion that his ostracism and suppression for many -years were due alone to the power of the Jews--Publication of the -article--Attempt to dismiss Brendel from his professional office at the -Leipzic conservatoire--Wagner asserts an involuntary revulsion of -feeling towards the Jews--The Jew always a foreigner--Wagner’s Semitic -antipathy partly inherited--Cannot understand the natural humane -treatment of the Jews by the English--Admits the glorious history of the -Jews compared with the annals of the German barbarians--A Jew actor as a -hero or lover “ridiculous”--This assertion contradicted by -instances--The Jew offensive to Wagner in his speech, as regards -intonation and manner--Their absence of passion--Incapable of artistic -speech, the Jew is more incapable of artistic song--His unreasoned -attack on the lack of Jewish plastic artists--Further indulges in the -vulgar charge of usury--Attacks the cultivated Jew--The Jew incapable of -fathoming the heart of our civilized life--Cannot compose for those -whose feelings he does not understand--The synagogue the legitimate -sphere for the Hebraic composer--Outside this the Jewish musician can -only imitate Gentile composers--Criticism upon Mendelssohn--Criticism -upon Meyerbeer severe and unsparing--Meyerbeer’s attitude towards the -critics--Cordially hated by Wagner--Wagner’s own attitude towards the -London critics.....205 - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -1855. - -How Wagner came to be invited to London--I appear before the directors -of the Old Philharmonic--I find that they either know very little of him -or nothing at all--Richard Wagner visited at Zurich by a director--The -New York “Musical Gazette”--The London press upon Wagner--Condemned -before he is heard--The cause, “Judaism in Music”--Wagner’s agreement -with the Philharmonic directors--Imposes two conditions: (1) a second -conductor; (2) several rehearsals--Gives way as to the first, but -insists on the second--Will not lend himself to anything -unworthy--Letter of 18th January--In accepting the Philharmonic -engagement Wagner “makes a sacrifice,” but feels he must do this or -renounce forever all relations with the public--Projects a whole concert -of his works--The directors refuse--Irritation of Wagner--Letter of the -1st February--No special plan for his London expedition except what can -be done with a celebrated orchestra--States he does not know English and -is entirely without gift for modern languages--Enmity of the editor of -the “Musical World” (London), who confesses that Wagner is a “God in his -books, but he shall have no chance here”--Richard Wagner’s arrival, -midnight, Sunday, 5th March, 1855--His head-gear--Objects to change his -felt hat--His democratic principles of 1849 now modified--Visit to Mr. -Anderson--The Lachner symphony proposed--Volcanic explosion of -Wagner--Would cancel his engagement rather than conduct Kapellmeister -music--Wagner’s objection acceded to--Visit to Sainton and Costa--Wagner -refuses to call on any critics or pay any other visits of etiquette--At -dinner--Wagner dainty--Quick though moderate eater--His -workroom--Self-denial not his characteristic--His intrepidity borders -close upon the reckless--Introduction to the Philharmonic -orchestra--Briefly addresses them--Diplomatic, but his will law--The -concert--Programme--His conducting--The “Times” abuses him--After the -concert, at Wagner’s rooms--His playing the piano--His singing like the -barking or howling of a Newfoundland dog--Well pleased with his first -introduction to an English audience--His volubility--Abuse of fashion -and white kid gloves for a conductor--The second concert--“Lohengrin” -prelude, overture to “Der Freischütz,” “Ninth Symphony”--Overture -encored--Wagner objects to encores, but enthusiasm of audience demands -the repetition--“Lohengrin” prelude a surprise, as Wagner’s music had -been described “noise and fury”.....218 - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -1855. _Continued._ - -The “Ninth Symphony” rehearsed--Surprise of the orchestra--Guildhall, -Fafner, and Falsolt--The mint and his projected theatre--Daily promenade -of Richard Wagner with dog to Regent’s Park to feed the ducks--Wagner -and the introduction of the animal kingdom upon the stage--Unlimited -means the key to his passion for realism--Unlimited means the dream of -his life--The third concert; “Euryanthe”--Wagner’s habit of snuff-taking -while at the piano--His smoking--His irritability--Love for silks and -velvets partly due to physical causes--Anger at shams--“Punch” on -Wagner--Fourth concert; Wagner insists on leaving England next morning -and breaking his engagement--Dissuaded--Fifth concert; success of the -“Tannhäuser” overture--Wagner’s forty-second birthday; violet velvet -dressing-gown--Signs himself “Conductor of the Philharmonic omnibus,” in -allusion to the “full” programmes--Cyprian Potter--The Queen, Prince -Consort, and Richard Wagner--Repetition of “Tannhäuser” -overture--Berlioz and Wagner--The press and anonymous articles--Anxiety -of Wagner to serve Berlioz--The last concert and departure from London, -26th June--A few quotations from the contemporary press.....241 - - -CHAPTER XX. - -1855-1856. - -Letters of Wagner--In Paris--Home at Zurich--Domestic pets--“Cries -constantly” at the death of “Peps”--Buries the dog--Minna ill--Wagner on -a sick-bed--His acquaintance with the French language--The French of -Berlioz and Wagner compared--Letter in French from Wagner--He is “more -luxurious than Sardanapalus and all the old Roman emperors”--His frame -of mind during the composition of the Walküre--Study of Schopenhauer and -request for London snuff.....268 - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -ZURICH, 1856. - -A picture of Minna--Wagner an early riser--His acquaintance with -Schopenhauer--Wagner a pessimist?--The first promptings of “Tristan and -Isolde”--How did Richard Wagner compose?--The manner of Beethoven, -Haydn, and Wagner compared--Wagner’s thumping--Admits he is not at his -best when improvising--Schaffhausen--The lions--Wagner’s -extravagance--Duke of Coburg’s offer--The Wesendoncks.....288 - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -1857-1861. - -His health “shattered”--Goes to Venice--Returns to Paris--Resides in -Octave Feuillet’s house--The strong opposition of the press--The origin -of the performance of “Tannhäuser”--The story of the cabal and -disaster.....300 - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -LETTERS FROM 1861-1865. - -Letters from Wagner.....309 - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -1865-1883. - -Munich--Wagner in low spirits--His relations with the young king of -Bavaria--His house--Fearlessness of speech--Presence of mind--Intrigues -against him--Leaves for Geneva--Return to Munich--Treatment of the -king--Approaching change in Wagner’s life--Madame von Bülow--Wagner’s -second marriage--Letters from him--Under a new light--His love for -home--“Siegfried”--Lucerne--Wagner at home--Peace--His -autobiography--His opinion of Liszt--The end--Wagner’s work and -character.....317 - - - - -WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -1813-1821. - - -Seldom has the proverb “The child is father to the man” been more -completely verified in the life of any prominent brain-worker than in -that of Richard Wagner. The serious thinker of threescore, with his soul -deep in his work, is the developed school-boy of thirteen lauded by his -masters for unusual application and earnestness. All his defects and -virtues, his affections and antipathies, can be traced to their original -sources in his childhood. No great individuality was ever less -influenced by misfortune or success in after-life than Wagner. The -mission he felt within him and which he resolutely set himself to -accomplish, he unswervingly pursued throughout the varied phases of his -eventful career. Beyond contention, Richard Wagner is, I think, the -greatest art personality of this century,--unequalled as a musician, -great as a poet as regards the matter, moral, and mode of expression, -whilst in dramatic construction a very Shakespeare. With an ardent -desire to reform the stage, he has succeeded beyond his hopes; and well -was he fitted to undertake such a gigantic task. His family--father, -step-father, eldest brother, and three sisters--and early surroundings -were all connected with the stage. Cradled in a theatrical atmosphere, -nurtured on theatrical traditions, with free access to the best theatres -from the first days his intellect permitted him to enjoy stage -representations, himself a born actor, and with earnestness as the rule -of his life, it is no matter for surprise that he stands foremost among -the great stage reformers of modern times. - -By birth he belonged to the middle class. A son of the people he always -felt himself; and throughout his career he strove to soften the hard -toil of their lot by inspiring in them a love for art, the power to -enjoy which he considered the goal of all education and civilization. To -him the people represented the true and natural, untainted by the -artificiality that characterized the wealthy classes. - -[Sidenote: _HIS FATHER, FREDERICK WAGNER._] - -Painstaking, energy, and ability seem to have been the attributes of -Wagner’s ancestors. His paternal grandfather held an appointment under -the customs at Leipzic as “thorschreiber,” _i.e._ an officer who levied -toll upon all supplies that entered the town. Family tradition describes -him as a man of attainments in advance of his station, a characteristic -which also distinguished his son Frederick (Richard’s father). Frederick -Wagner, born in 1770, also held an appointment under the Saxon -government. A sort of superintendent of the Leipzic police, he spent his -leisure time in studying French. Although unaided, he must have attained -some degree of proficiency; as subsequently he was called upon to make -use of it, and it proved of great service to him. He was a man of -literary tastes, and was famed in Leipzic for his great reading and -knowledge. Goethe and Schiller were then the beacon-lights of young -German poetry. Their pregnant philosophical reasoning, clothed in so -attractive, new, and beautiful a garb, fascinated Frederick Wagner, and -he made them his serious study--a love which was inherited by his son -Richard, who oft in his literary works refers to Goethe and Schiller as -the two greatest German poets. - -Like all natives of Leipzic he was passionately fond of the stage. The -enthusiasm of all classes of society in Leipzic for matters theatrical -is historic. Frederick Wagner attached himself to a company of amateur -actors, and threw himself with such zest into the study of the -histrionic art as to achieve considerable distinction and court -patronage. The performances of this company were not unfrequently open -to the public; indeed, at one time, when the town theatre was -temporarily closed, the amateurs replaced the regular professionals, the -Elector of Saxony evincing enough interest in the troupe to pay the hire -of the building specially engaged for their performances. - -When the peace of Europe was disturbed by the wild, ambitious plottings -of Napoleon, a body of French troops were quartered at Leipzic under -Marshal Davoust. It was now that Frederick Wagner’s self-taught French -was turned to account, as he was appointed to carry on communications -between the German and the French soldiers. The Saxon Elector submitting -to the French conqueror, the government of the town passed into French -hands. Davoust, with the shrewd perspicacity of an officer of Napoleon’s -army, saw the solid qualities of Frederick, and directed him to -reorganize the town police, at the same time nominating him -superintendent-in-chief. He did not retain this appointment many months, -as he died of typhoid fever, caught from the French soldiers, on the 22d -of November, 1813. - -Of his “dear little mother” Wagner often spoke to me, and always in -terms of the fondest affection. He described her as a woman of small -stature, active frame, self-possessed, with a large amount of common -sense, thrifty and of a very affectionate nature. - -The Wagner family consisted of nine children, four boys and five girls. -Richard, the youngest of all, was born on the 22d May, 1813, at Leipzic. -At the time of his father’s death he was therefore but six months old. -The eldest of the children, Albert, was born in 1799. He went on the -stage as a singer at an early age, having a somewhat high tenor voice. -In 1833 we find him stage manager and singer at Wurtzburg, engaging his -brother Richard as chorus director. He afterwards became stage manager -at Dresden and Berlin, dying in 1874. - -[Sidenote: _LUDWIG GEYER._] - -Three of Wagner’s sisters, Rosalie, born 1803, Louisa, born 1805, and -Clara, born 1807, were also induced to choose the stage as a profession, -each being endowed with unmistakable histrionic talent. Although not -great they were actresses of decided merit. Laube, an eminent German art -critic and writer, has given it as his opinion that Rosalie was to be -preferred to Wilhelmina Schroeder, afterwards the celebrated -Schroeder-Devrient, but this praise Wagner considered excessive, -attributing it to the critic’s friendly relations with the family. - -The unexpected death of Frederick Wagner threw the family into great -tribulation. A small pension was allowed the widow by government, but -with eight young children (one, Karl, born some time before, had died), -the eldest but fourteen years of age, the struggle was severe and likely -to have terminated disastrously, notwithstanding the watchful thrift of -Frau Wagner, had not Ludwig Geyer, a friend of the dead Frederick, -generously helped the widow. Geyer was a favourite actor at Leipzic. A -man of versatile gifts, he was poet, portrait-painter, and successful -playwright. For two years he continuously identified himself with the -Wagner household, after which, in 1815, he assumed the whole -responsibility by marrying his friend’s widow. Shortly after his -marriage Geyer was offered an engagement at the Royal Theatre, Dresden, -which would confer on him the highly coveted title of “Hofschauspieler,” -or court actor. He accepted the appointment, and the whole family -removed with him to the Saxon capital. At this time Richard was two -years old. Frederick Wagner, as a thorough Leipzic citizen, had already -interested his family in theatrical matters; now by Geyer becoming the -head of the household, the stage and its doings became the every-day -topic, and therefore the next consequence was its adoption by the eldest -children, Albert, Rosalie, Louisa, and Clara. What wonder then that -Richard was influenced by the theatrical atmosphere in which he was -trained. - -From the first Geyer displayed the tenderest affection towards the small -and delicately fragile baby. Throughout his life Wagner was a spoilt -child, and the spoiling dates from his infancy. Both step-father and -mother took every means of petting him. His mother particularly idolized -him, and seems, so Wagner told me, to have often built castles in the -air as to his future. They were drawn towards the boy, first, because of -his sickly, frail constitution; and secondly, owing to his bright powers -of observation, which made his childish remarks peculiarly winning. As -the boy grew up he remained delicate. He was affected with an irritating -form of erysipelas, which constantly troubled him up to the time of his -death. - -[Sidenote: _BOYHOOD AT DRESDEN._] - -Ludwig Geyer’s income from all sources,--acting, portrait-painting, and -play-writing--did not amount to a sum sufficient to admit of luxuries. -Poor Madame Geyer, with her large, growing family, had still to keep a -watchful eye over household expenditure. Portrait-painting was not a -lucrative occupation, and play-writing less so, yet she contrived that -the girls should receive pianoforte lessons. It was customary for needy -students of the public schools to eke out their existence by giving -lessons in music, languages, or sciences; indeed, it was not uncommon to -find some students wholly dependent on such gains for the payment of -their own school fees. The fees usually paid in such instances were -sadly small, and not unfrequently did the remuneration take the form of -a “free table.” At that time there was scarcely a family in Germany that -had not its piano. A piano was then obtainable at a cost incredibly -small compared with the sums paid to-day. True, the cases were but -coloured deal or some common stained wood, whilst the mechanism was of -the least expensive kind. In shape they were square, with the plainest -unturned legs. Upright instruments had not then been introduced. - -The Wagner family went to Dresden in 1815, and from that time, up to the -date of his entering the town school at the end of 1822, Richard -received either at school or at home no regular tuition. The boy was -sickly and his mother was content to let him live and develop without -forcing him to any systematic school work. It would seem that he -received irregular lessons in drawing from his step-father, as Wagner -told me that Geyer had hoped to discover some talent in him for the -pencil, and on finding he had not the slightest gift, he was very much -disappointed. As a boy, he continued to be a pet with Geyer, -accompanying his step-father in his rambles during the day or attending -with him the rehearsals at the theatre. Such home education as he did -receive was of the most fragmentary kind, a little help here and there -from his sisters or attention from Geyer or his mother. Music lessons he -had none. All he remembered in after-life was having listened to his -sisters’ playing, and only by degrees taking interest in their work. His -own reminiscences of his boyhood were plain in one point--he certainly -was not a musical prodigy. He fingered and thumbed the keyboard like a -boy, but such scraps as he played were always by ear. - -Anxieties for a second time now began to thicken round the Wagner -family. The court actor Geyer was laid on a sick-bed. He was not of a -robust constitution, and conscious of failing health and apprehensive of -death, sought anxiously to find some indication in young Richard of any -decided talent which might help him to suggest as to the boy’s future -career. He had tried, as I have said, to find whether his step-son -possessed any skill with the pencil, and sorrowfully perceived he had -none. In other directions, of course, it was difficult for Geyer to -determine as to any particular gift, if we remember the tender years of -the boy. As to music, it would have been nothing short of divination to -have predicted that there lay his future, since up to that time Richard -had not even been taught his notes. But the court actor was an artist, -and with unerring instinct detected in a simple melody played by Richard -from memory that in music “he might become something.” - -[Sidenote: _THE WAGNER HOUSEHOLD._] - -Richard had been fascinated by a snatch of melody which was constantly -played by his sisters. He caught it by ear, and was one day strumming it -softly on the piano when alone. His mother overheard him. Surprised and -pleased at the boy’s unsuspected accomplishment, Geyer was told, and the -melody was repeated in a louder tone for the benefit of the invalid in -the next room. It was the bridal chorus from “Der Freischütz.” Although -a very simple melody and of easy execution, it must have been played -with unusual feeling for a child to prompt Geyer almost to the prophetic -utterance, “Has he perhaps talent for music?” Wagner heard this, and -told me how deeply he was impressed by it. On the next day Geyer died, -13th September, 1821. Richard was then eight years and four months old, -and preserved the most vivid remembrance of his mother coming from the -death chamber weeping, but calm, and walking straight to him, saying, -“He wished to make something of you, Richard.” These words, Wagner -said, remained with him ever after, and he boyishly resolved “to be -something.” But he had not then the faintest notion in what direction -that something was going to be. Certainly music was not forecast as the -arena of his future triumphs, since in his letter to F. Villot, dated -September, 1860, he tells us that it was not until after his efforts in -the poetical art, and subsequent to the death of Beethoven, 1827, _i.e_. -six years after Geyer’s death, that he seriously began to study music. - -For a second time was the family thrown into comparative adversity. But -the embarrassment was less serious than in 1813, since the three eldest -children were now at an age to contribute materially to the general -support. A trifling annuity was again awarded to the widow, and with -careful thrift she resumed her sway of the household. The family at this -time consisted of the widow; Albert, twenty-two years; Rosalie, -eighteen; Julius, seventeen, apprenticed to a goldsmith; Louisa, -sixteen; Clara, fourteen; Ottilie, ten; Richard, eight and four months; -and Cecilia Geyer, six, the only child of Frau Wagner’s second marriage. -The two eldest girls and Albert had already embraced the theatrical -profession. Family circumstances were therefore not so pinched as at the -death of Frederick Wagner. - -No plan having yet been devised as to the future of Richard, he was sent -on a visit to an uncle Geyer at Eisleben, between which place and his -mother’s home at Dresden, he spent the next fifteen months, when it was -decided to enter him at the Kreuzschule (the Cross School), Dresden. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -1822-1827. - - -His first visit to Eisleben--the going among strange people, new -scenery, and for the first time sleeping away from his mother’s -home--was the first great event of his life, and left an indelible -impression on him. The details he remembered in connection with this -early visit, at a time when he was not nine years old, point to the -vividness of the picture of the whole journey in his mind and his strong -retentive memory. - -The story I had from Wagner in one of our rambles at Zurich in 1856. - -[Sidenote: _HIS VISIT TO EISLEBEN._] - -“My first journey to Eisleben,” said Wagner to me, “was in the beginning -of 1822. Can one ever forget a first impression? And my first long -journey was such an event! Why, I seem even to remember the physiognomy -of the poor lean horses that drew the jolting ‘postkarre.’ They were -being changed at some intermediate station, the name of which I have now -forgotten, when all the passengers had to alight. I stood outside the -inn eating the ‘butterbrod,’ with which my dear little mother (‘mein -liebes Mütterchen’ was the term of endearment invariably used by Wagner, -when referring to his mother) had provided me, and as the horses were -about to be led away, I caressed them affectionately for having brought -me so far. How every cloud seemed to me different from those of the -Dresden sky! How I scrutinized every tree to find some new -characteristic! How I looked around in all directions to discover -something I had not yet seen in my short life! How grand I felt when the -heavy car rolled into the town of Eisleben! Even then Eisleben had a -halo of something great for my boyish imagination, since I knew it to be -the birthplace of Luther, one of the heroes of my youth, and one that -has not grown less with my increasing years. Nor was it without a reason -that, at so early a period, religion should occupy the attention of a -boy of my age. It was forced upon my family when we came to Dresden. The -court was Roman Catholic, and in consequence, no inconsiderable pressure -was brought to bear upon all families who were connected in any manner -with the government to compel them to embrace the court-religion. My -family had been among the staunchest of Lutherans for generations. What -attracted me most in the great reformer’s character, was his dauntless -energy and fearlessness. Since then I have often ruminated on the true -instinct of children, for I, had I not also to preach a new Gospel of -Art? Have I not also had to bear every insult in its defence, and have I -not too said, ‘Here I stand, God help me, I cannot be otherwise!’ - -“My good uncle tried his best to put me through some regular educational -training. It was intended that he should prepare me as far as he could -for school, as the famous Kreuzschule was talked of for me. Yet, I must -confess I did not profit much by his instruction. I preferred rambling -about the little country town and its environs to learning the rules of -grammar. That I profited little was, I fear, my own fault. Legends and -fables then had an immense fascination over me, and I often beguiled my -uncle into reading me a story that I might avoid working. But what -always drew me towards him was his strong affection for my own loved -step-father. Whenever he spoke of him, and he did so very often, he -always referred to his loving good-nature, his amiability, and his gifts -as an artist, and then would murmur with a tearful sigh ‘that he had to -die so young!’ - -“It was arranged that I should enter the Dresden school in December, -1822, just at a time when my sisters were busy with the exciting -preparations for the family Christmas-tree. How good it was of my mother -then to let us have a tree, poor as we were! I was not pleased to go to -school just three days before Christmas Day, and probably would have -revolted had not my mother talked me over and made me see the advantages -of entering so celebrated an academy as the Kreuzschule, pacifying my -disappointment by allowing me to rise at early dawn to do my part to the -tree. Now I cannot see a lighted Christmas-tree without thinking of the -kind woman, nor prevent the tears starting to my eyes, when I think of -the unceasing activity of that little creature for the comfort and -welfare of her children.” - -[Sidenote: _MENTAL ACTIVITY.--STATURE._] - -Wagner was deeply moved when, on Christmas Day, he found amongst the -usual gifts, such as “Pfefferkuchen” (ginger-bread) and “Stolle” (butter -cake), a new suit of clothes for himself, a present from his thoughtful -mother for him to go to school with. Throughout his life Wagner was -always remarkably prim and neatly dressed, caring much for his personal -appearance. The low state of the widow’s exchequer was well known to -Richard, and he could appreciate the effort made for him. He was no -sooner at school than he attracted to himself a few of the cleverest -boys by his early developed gift of ready speech and sarcasm. “Die -Dummer haben mich immer gehasst” (the stupid have ever hated me) was a -favourite saying of his in after-life. The study of the dead languages, -his principal subject, was a delight to him. He had a facility for -languages. It was one of his gifts. History and geography also attracted -him. He was an omnivorous reader, and his precise knowledge on any -subject was always a matter of surprise to the most intimate. It could -never be said what he had read or what he had not read, and here perhaps -is the place to note a remarkable feature in Wagner’s disposition, viz. -his modesty. Did he require information on any subject, his manner of -asking was childlike in its simplicity. He was patient in learning and -in mastering the point. But it should be observed that nothing short of -the most complete and satisfactory explanation would satisfy him. And -then would the thinking-power of the man declare itself. The information -he had newly acquired would be thoroughly assimilated and then given -forth under a new light with a force truly remarkable. - -In stature Wagner was below the middle size, and like most undersized -men always held himself strictly erect. He had an unusually wiry, -muscular frame, small feet, an aristocratic feature which did not extend -to his hands. It was his head, however, that could not fail to strike -even the least inquiring that there he had to do with no ordinary -mortal. The development of the frontal part, which a phrenologist would -class at a glance amongst those belonging only to the master-minds, -impressed every one. His eyes had a piercing power, but were kindly -withal, and were ready to smile at a witty remark. Richard Wagner lacked -eyebrows, but nature, as if to make up for this deficiency, bestowed on -him a most abundant crop of bushy hair, which he carefully kept brushed -back, thereby exposing the whole of his really Jupiter-like brow. His -mouth was very small. He had thin lips and small teeth, signs of a -determined character. The nose was large and in after-life somewhat -disfigured by the early-acquired habit of snuff-taking. The back of his -head was fully developed. These were according to phrenological -principles power and energy. Its shape was very similar to that of -Luther, with whom, indeed, he had more than one point of character in -common. - -In answer to my inquiries about his school period at Dresden, he told me -that he was remarkably small, a circumstance not unattended with good -fortune, since it served to increase the favour of his school -professors, who looked upon his unusual mental energy in comparison with -his pigmy frame as nothing short of wonderful. - -As a boy he was passionate and strong-headed. His violent temper and -obstinate determination were not to be thwarted in anything he had set -his mind to. Among boys such wilfulness of character was the cause of -frequent dissensions. He rarely, however, came to blows, for he had a -shrewd wit and was winningly entreating in speech, and with much -adroitness would bend them to his whims. - -[Sidenote: _HIS YOUTHFUL ESCAPADES._] - -Erysipelas sorely tried the boy during his school life. Every change in -the weather was a trouble to him. As regards the loss of his eyebrows, -an affliction which ever caused him some regret, Wagner attributed it to -a violent attack of St. Anthony’s fire, as this painful malady is also -called. An attack would be preceded by depression of spirits and -irritability of temper. Conscious of his growing peevishness, he sought -refuge in solitude. As soon as the attack was subdued, his bright animal -spirits returned and none would recognize in the daring little fellow -the previous taciturn misanthrope. - -Practical joking was a favourite sport with him, but only indulged in -when harm could befall no one, and incident offered some funny -situation. To hurt one willingly was, I think, impossible in Wagner. He -was ever kind and would never have attempted anything that might result -in real pain. - -His superabundance of animal spirits, well-seconded by his active frame, -led him often into hairbrained escapades which threatened to terminate -fatally. But his fearless intrepidity was tempered and dominated by a -strong self-reliance, which always came to the rescue at the critical -moment. - -On one occasion when the boys of the Kreuzschule were assembled in class -for daily work, an unexpected holiday was announced for that day. A -chance like that was a rare thing at schools on the continent. The boys, -wild with excitement, rushed pell mell from the building, and showed -their delight in the usual tumultuous manner of school-boys freed from -restraint. Caps were thrown in the air, when Wagner, seizing that of one -of his companions, threw it with an unusual effort on to the roof of -the school-house, a feat loudly applauded by the rest of the scholars. -But there was one dissentient, the unlucky boy whose cap had been thus -ruthlessly snatched. He burst into tears. Wagner could never bear to see -any one cry, and with that prompt decision so characteristic of him at -all periods of his life, decided at once to mount the roof for the cap. -He re-entered the school-house, rushed up the stairs to the cock-loft, -climbed out on the roof through a ventilator, and gazed down on the -applauding boys. He then set himself to crawl along the steep incline -towards the cap. The boys ceased cheering at the sight and drew back in -fear and terror. Some hurriedly ran to the “custodes.” A ladder was -brought and carried up stairs to the loft, the boys eagerly crowding -behind. Meanwhile Wagner had secured the cap, safely returned to the -opening, and slid back into the dark loft just in time to hear excited -talking on the stairs. He hid himself in a corner behind some boxes, -waited for the placing of the ladder, and “custodes” ascending it, when -he came from his hiding-place, and in an innocent tone inquired what -they were looking for, a bird, perhaps? “Ja, ein Galenvogel” (yes, a -gallows bird), was the angry answer of the infuriated “custodes,” who, -after all, were glad to see the boy safe, their general favourite. He -did not go unrebuked by the masters this time, and was threatened with -severe chastisement the next time he ventured on such a foolhardy -expedition. - -[Sidenote: _HIS ACROBATIC FEATS._] - -Wagner told me that whilst on the roof, which, like all roofs of old -houses in Germany, was extremely steep, he felt giddy, and was seized -with a dread of falling. Bathed in a fever of perspiration, he uttered -aloud, “liebe mütterchen,” upon which he felt transformed. It acted on -his frame with the power of magic, and helped him to retrace his steps -from a position which would appall a practised gymnast. Many years after -this, Wagner’s eldest brother, Albert, when referring to Richard having -taken part in the rising of the people of Saxony in 1849, which he -personally strongly deprecated, told me the above story in illustration -of Richard’s extreme foolhardiness. The episode was fully confirmed by -Wagner, who then told me of his fears on the roof. - -It was not in climbing only that Richard excelled. He was known as the -best tumbler and somersault-turner of the large Dresden school. Indeed, -he was an adept in every form of bodily exercise; and as his animal -spirits never left him, he still performed boyish tricks even when -nearing threescore and ten. The roof of the Kreuzschule was not -infrequently referred to by me, and when Wagner proposed some -venturesome undertaking, I would say, “You are on the roof again.” - -“Ah, but I shall get safely down again, too,” was the answer, -accompanied with his pleasant boyish laugh. - -Richard early began to exhibit his love of acrobatic feats. When as -young as seven, he would frighten his mother by sliding down the -banisters with daring rapidity and jumping down stairs. As he always -succeeded in his feats, his mother and the other children took it for -granted that he would not come to grief, and sometimes he would be asked -to exhibit his unwonted skill to visitors. This no doubt increased the -boy’s confidence in himself--a self-reliance which never left him to the -time of his death. - -Wagner’s affection for his mother was of the tenderest. It was the love -of a poet infused with all his noblest ideality. The dear name, whenever -uttered by Richard Wagner, was spoken in tones so soft and tender as to -bespeak at once the sympathy and affection existing between the two. A -halo of glory ever encircled “mein leibe mütterchen.” Nothing can give a -better idea of this gentle love than the passages in “Seigfried,” the -child of the forest, where the hero demands of the ugly dwarf, Mime, who -had brought him up, “Who was my mother?” an inquiry he repeated after he -had killed the hideous dragon, Fafner, and thereby became able to -understand the song of the birds. If ever music could give an idea of -love, here in these passages we have it. In what touching accents comes, -“How may my mother have looked? Surely her eyes must have shone with the -radiant sparkle of the hind, but much more beautiful!” Every allusion to -his mother in this scene is expressed in the orchestra with an ethereal -refinement and originality of conception to which one finds no parallel -in the whole range of music of the past. I verily believe that Richard -Wagner never loved any one so deeply as his “liebe mütterchen.” All his -references to her of his childhood period were of affection, amounting -almost to idolatry. With that instinctive power of unreasoned yet -unerring perception possessed by women, she from his childhood felt the -gigantic brain-power of the boy, and his love for her was not unmixed -with gratitude for her tacit acknowledgment of his genius. - -[Sidenote: _HIS LOVE FOR ANIMALS._] - -One of his early developed affections was a strong love for animals. On -this point, and what I know of its strong sway with him in his dramas, -I shall have something to say hereafter. Now I shall confine myself to -the recital of an incident of his boyhood. To see a helpless beast -ill-treated was to rouse all the strong passion within him. Anger would -overcome all reason, and he would as a child fly at the offender. - -One of his first impressions was a chance visit he paid with some of his -school-fellows to a slaughter yard. An ox was about to be killed. The -butcher, stripped, stood with uplifted axe. The horrible implement -descended on the head of the stately animal, who gave a low, deep moan. -The blows and moans were repeated. The boy grew wild, and would have -rushed at the butcher had not his companions forcibly held him back and -taken him away from the scene. For some time after he could not touch -meat, and it was only when other impressions effaced this scene that he -became reconciled by his mother reasoning that animals must be killed, -and that it was perhaps preferable to dying slowly by sickness and old -age. When a man, he could not refer to this incident without a shudder. - -In after-life he rarely missed an opportunity of pleading for better -treatment of animals, drawing the attention of the municipal authorities -to the prevention of wanton cruelty, and arguing that animals, to be -killed for human food, should be despatched with the minimum of pain. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -1822-1827. _Continued._ - - -From the record of the Kreuzschule it appears that Wagner entered that -famous training college on the 22d December, 1822, as Richard Wilhelm -Geyer, son of the late court actor of that name. He would then be nearly -ten years old. - -[Sidenote: _AT THE KREUZSCHULE, DRESDEN._] - -He told me that he well remembered the eager delight with which he -looked forward to the prospect of enjoying systematic instruction. He -hoped to be placed high in the school, yet dreaded the entrance -examination, conscious how very patched was _then_ his store of -information. During his first seven years’ residence in Dresden, from -1815-1822, the Kreuzschule, had been an every-day object to him, and yet -on entering the building for the first time as an intending student, a -feeling of awe took possession of him. The unsuspected majesty of the -building, the echo of his footfall on the stone steps, made his young -heart beat with expectant wonder. The result of the examination was to -place him in the first form, his bright, quick, intelligent replies -proving more valuable than his disconnected knowledge. For the masters -of the Kreuzschule he ever retained an affection, their genial bearing -and friendly tuition comparing favourably with the pedantic overbearing -demeanour of the masters of the St. Nicholas school in Leipzic, where -he went later on, men who represented a past and effete dogmatic German -pedantry. - -The direction of his school studies was almost entirely classic. For -Greek he evinced a strong affection. Many a time has he told me that he -was drawn towards the history of the Greeks by their refined sense of -beauty, and the didactic nature of their drama, embodying as it did -their religion, politics, and social existence. - -Wagner never lost an opportunity of dilating upon, by speech and pen, -what might accurately be described as the basis of all his art work. The -drama of a nation, he persistently contended, was a faithful mirror of -its people. Where the tone of the drama was base the people would be -found degraded either through their own acts or the superior force of -others. Where the mission of the national drama was the inculcation of -high moral lessons, patriotism, and love, there the people were thrice -blessed. This idea of a national drama for his fatherland possessed him. -He longed to lift the German drama from its “miserable” condition, and -his model was “the noble, perfect, grand, and heroic tragedy of the -Hellenes.” These words I have quoted from a pamphlet, “The Work and -Mission of my Life,” written less than ten years ago by Wagner. Their -meaning is so clear and they summarize so accurately what Wagner in his -younger days oft discussed with me that I am glad to add my testimony to -what I know was the ambition of his life. - -In his ardent struggles to found a national drama we clearly trace the -young Dresden student. Here, indeed, is a plain incontestable instance -of the boy as the father of the man. His school studies were -pre-eminently Greek language and literature, and it was this which -dominated almost the whole of his future career. Hellenic history -permeated his entire being, and he gave it forth in the form and model -of his immortal music-dramas, in the mode of their development, and in -their close union between the stage story and the life of the people. - -At school, translations of Æschylus by Apel, a German writer of -mediocrity, constituted his chief textbooks. The tragedies suited so -well the boy’s nature that he soon became possessed with a longing to -read them in the original. So real and fruitful was his earnestness, -that by the time he was thirteen he had translated at home, and entirely -for his own gratification, several books of the “Odyssey.” This private -home work was, he remembered, greatly encouraged by his mother, who, -although untutored herself, revered, with a divination characteristic of -women of the people, his efforts after a knowledge which she felt would -surely be productive of future greatness. This piece of diligent extra -school work is another of the many examples of the boy Wagner, “father -to the man.” Hard worker he always was. Persistency of application -characterized him throughout his life, and when it is stated that during -this very period of the “Odyssey” translation, he was also privately -studying English to read Shakespeare, who is not amazed at the -extraordinary energy of the boy? No wonder that the school professors -spoke flatteringly of him, and looked for great things from him, and no -wonder that the fond mother felt confirmed in her belief that Richard -“would become something,” and that Geyer’s dying utterance would not be -falsified. - -[Sidenote: _EARLY POETICAL EFFORTS._] - -Wagner’s nature was that of a poet. The metrical skill of the Hellenes -fascinated him and fostered his strongly marked sense of rhythm. - -As regards mathematics, I never remember him in all our discussions to -have uttered anything which might lead me to suppose he had ever any -special liking for that branch of education, but at the same time I -should add that his power of reasoning was at all times strong and -lucid, as if based upon the precision acquired by close mathematical -study. In all he did he was eminently logical. - -His effort as a poet dates from a very early period. The incident, the -death of a fellow-scholar, was just that which would touch a sensitive -nature like Richard’s. A school prize was offered for an elegy, and -Wagner, eleven years old, competed. The presence of death to him was at -all times terrible in its awful annihilation of all consciousness. -Whether in man or beast, it was sure to set him pondering on the -“whither?” a question to which at a later period of his life he devoted -much labour to satisfactorily answer. Although not twelve years old, -death had robbed him of his father and step-father, and their dark -shadows flitted before him, reviving sad memories which time had paled. -It was under this spell that the elegy was written, and it is not -astonishing that the prize was adjudged to him. The poem was printed, -but, unhappily, not preserved. In telling me of this early creative -effort, and in reply to a naturally expressed desire to hear his own -opinion about it, he said that beyond the incident he had not the -faintest remembrance of the style or wording of the poem, jocularly -adding that he would himself much like to see his “Opus I.” - -There was a halo of poetry about the Dresden school. Theodore Körner, -the poet of freedom, was a pupil at the Kreuzschule up to 1808. His -inspiriting songs were sung by old and young. Loved by all, his death, -at the early age of twenty-two on the battle-field fighting for German -freedom, made him the idol of his countrymen. The boys of his own school -were intensely proud of him. To emulate Körner was the eager wish of -every one of them, and into Wagner’s poetic nature the poetry of the man -and the cause he sung sank deeper than with the rest. The battle-songs -of the fiery young patriot received an immortal setting by Wagner’s -idol, Weber. - -[Sidenote: _FIRST LESSONS ON THE PIANO._] - -The admiration of the future poet of “Tristan” for the genius of -Shakespeare impelled him, as soon as he had sufficiently mastered -English, to produce a metrical translation of Romeo’s famous soliloquy. -This was done when he had hardly completed his fourteenth year. Up to -this period, poetry unquestionably dominated him. All his essays had -been literary. Nothing had been done in music. It was now, however, that -his latent music forced itself out of him. Up to the time that he -entered the Dresden school, in his ninth year, he had received -absolutely no instruction in music, and during his five years of school -life a few desultory piano lessons from a young tutor, who used to help -him at home with his school exercises, embraced the whole of his musical -tuition up to the age of fourteen. For the technical part of his music -lessons he had a decided dislike. The dry study of fingering he greatly -objected to, and to the last never acquired any rational finger method. -When joked about his ridiculous clumsy fingering, he would reply with -characteristic waggishness, “I play a great deal better than Berlioz,” -who, it should be stated, could not play at all. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -LEIPZIC, 1827-1831. - - -For some time Rosalie and Louisa, Richard’s two sisters, had been -engaged at the Leipzic theatre, where they were very popular. Madame -Geyer, desirous of being near her daughters and within easy reach of -assistance, returned to Leipzic with the younger children and Richard -with them. For ten years, from about 1818 to 1828, my father held the -post of Kapellmeister at the Stadttheater, under the management of -Küstner, a celebrated director. The period of Küstner’s management is -famous in the annals of the German stage for the high intellectual tone -that pervaded the performances under his direction. The names of some of -the artists who appeared there are now historic. So high was the -standard of excellence reached in these truly model performances, that -the whole character of German stage representations was influenced and -elevated by it. This was the theatre at which Rosalie and Louisa were -engaged. These were the high artistic performances which the youthful -poet Richard witnessed, and which deeply affected the impressionable -embryo dramatist. - -[Sidenote: _ROSALIE AND LOUISA WAGNER._] - -Of this period, actors, plays, and incidents, I had the most vivid -remembrance from the close connection of my father with the theatre and -the friendly intercourse of my family with the actors. Wagner would -take great delight in discussing the performances and actors. He was -fond, too, of hearing what I, in my boyhood, thought of the acting of -his sisters, and from our frequent and intimate conversations, bearing -on his youthful impressions of the stage, he uttered many striking and -original remarks which will appear later on. A popular piece then was -Weber’s “Sylvana,” in which Louisa performed the part of the forest -child. This part apparently won the youthful admiration of both of us. -Wagner’s remembrance of certain incidents connected with it was -marvellous to me. - -On his return to Leipzic, his first impulse drove him to visit the house -in the Brühl in which he was born. Is it not possible that even at that -early stage of his life his extraordinary ambition of “becoming -something great” might have foreshadowed to him that the humble -habitation of his childhood would later on bear the proud inscription, -“Richard Wagner was born here”? What struck him at once as very strange -was the foreign aspect of that part of the town where the Jews -congregated. It was continually recruited by an increasing immigration -of the nomadic Polish Jews, who seemed to have consecrated the Brühl -their “Jerusalem,” as Wagner christened it and ever referred to it when -speaking to me. The Polish Jews of that quarter traded principally in -furs, from the cheapest fur-lined “Schlafrock” to the finest and most -costly furs used by royalty. Their strange appearance with their -all-covering gabardine, high boots, and large fur caps, worn over long -curls, their enormous beards, struck Wagner as it did every one, and -does still, as something very unpleasant and disagreeable. Their -peculiarly strange pronunciation of the German language, their -extravagantly wild gesticulations when speaking, seemed to his aesthetic -mind like the repulsive movements of a galvanized corpse. - -[Sidenote: _HIS FIRST ATTACHMENT._] - -I was sorry to find that Wagner, although generally averse to acts of -violence and oppression, was but little shocked at the unreasoned hatred -and contempt of the Leipzic populace (especially the lower classes) for -the Jews. Their innate thrift, frugality, and skill in trading, were -regarded as avarice and dishonesty. Tales of unmitigated cruelty and -horror perpetrated by the Jews floated in the brains of the lower -Christian (?) populace. The murder of Christian infants for the sake of -their blood, to be used in sacrifice of Jewish rites, was a commonplace -rejoinder in justification of the suspicion and hatred against this -unfortunate race. Crying babes were speedily silenced by the threat, -“The Polish Jew is coming.” What wonder, then, to see what was almost a -daily occurrence,--a number of Christian boys rush upon an unprotected, -inoffensive Jew boy and mercilessly beat him to revenge the imaginary -wrongs which the Jews were said to have done to Christian infants. Nor, -I am sorry to add, did the fully grown Christian burgher interfere in -such brutal scenes; the poor wretched victim, beaten by overwhelming -numbers and rolled howling in the mud, was but a Jew boy! Strange to -say, Wagner had imbibed some intuitive dislike to the Egyptian type of -Hebrew, and never entirely overcame that feeling. No amount of reasoning -could obliterate it at any period of his life, although he counted among -his most devoted friends and admirers a great many of the oppressed -race. Still considerably more odd is it that Wagner’s first attachment -was for one of the black-eyed daughters of Judah. When passing in review -our earliest impressions of school life, we naturally came to that -never-to-be-forgotten period of the earliest blossoms of first love, -which then revealed to me this remarkably strange episode. Events of -everyday occurrence, which in the lives of ordinary mortals scarcely -deserve mentioning, are invested with a significance in the lives of men -whose destiny points to immortality. When Wagner came to this curious -incident of his school life, amazed, I ejaculated, “a Jewess?” in a tone -of “impossible!” - -It was after a discussion of Jew-hating, and my pointing to the many -friends and adherents he had among the Jews, he with his joyous outbreak -of humor said, “After all, it was the dog’s fault,” referring to -“Faust,” where Mephisto, as a large dog, lies “unter dem Ofen.” Then -followed the story. - -He had called at his sister Louisa’s house (by the way, he had an -affection for this sister which, in our intimate converse, he likened to -that which Goethe in his case speaks of as having for its basis the -frontier where love of kin ends and love of sex commences), went to her -room, where he found an enormous dog which attracted his attention. Any -one acquainted with Wagner knew of his devoted attachment to dogs, of -which I shall have more to say hereafter. Not many could understand an -affection which included every dog in creation. Wagner would engage in -long conversations with dogs, and in supplying their answers would -infuse into them much of that caustic wit which philosophers of all ages -and countries have so often and powerfully put into the mouth of -animals. Richard Wagner delighted to make dumb pets speak scornfully of -the boasted superiority of man, thinking that after all the animal’s -quiet obedience to the prescribed laws of instinct was a surer guide -than man’s vaunted free will and reasoning power. He was fond, too, of -quoting Weber on such occasions, who, when _his_ dog became disobedient, -used to remark, “If you go on like that, you will at last become as -silly and bad as a human being.” - -The dog so wholly engrossed Richard’s attention that he failed to notice -a visitor, Fräulein Leah David, who had come to fetch her dog, left at -her friend’s house whilst paying visits in the neighbourhood. The young -Jewess was of the same age as Richard, tall, and possessed that superior -type of Oriental beauty more frequently found among the Portuguese Jews. -She was on intimate terms with Louisa Wagner, who shortly after married -one of the celebrated book publishers of Germany. Leah David made an -immediate conquest of Richard. “I had never before been so close to so -richly attired and beautiful a girl, nor addressed with such an animated -eastern profusion of polite verbiage. It took me by surprise, and for -the first time in my life I felt that indescribable bursting forth of -first love.” - -[Sidenote: _FRÄULEIN LEAH DAVID._] - -Wagner was invited to the house of her father, who, like most wealthy -Jews, surrounded himself with artists of every kind. Indeed, it was -there that Richard made many acquaintances which subsequently proved -useful to him. There was an extravagant luxury in the ostentatious house -of Herr David, which made the ambitious young student poignantly feel -the frugal economy practised in his own home. Wagner’s imaginative -brain always made him yearn for all the enjoyments that life could -supply. Unlimited means was the roseate cloud that incessantly hovered -before his longing fancy. In this respect he differs largely from most -other creative great minds, who, by force of inventive genius, have -conjured up worlds of power and riches, and yet have lived contentedly -on the most modest fare and in the lowliest of habitations. - -Richard’s new-found friend was an only daughter, and having lost her -mother, she was free to do as she willed; the enthusiastic young -musician was allowed to visit the house and proved a very genial -companion, fond of her dog, and adoring art. Wagner did not declare his -passion, feeling that in the sympathetic, friendly treatment he received -it was divined and accepted. But he was regarded more in the light of a -boy than as a lover, small and slight in stature, dreamy and absorbed as -he was then. If the young lady chanced to be out when he called, he -either went to the piano or occupied himself with the dog, Iago, if at -home. The visits becoming frequent, the attachment ripened into an -intimacy. At such a house, with a daughter fond of music, _soirées -musicales_ were constantly occurring. At one of them a young Dutchman, -nephew of Herr David, was present. He was a pianist, and had just that -gift which Wagner lacked, dexterity of fingering. Flatteringly -applauded, the jealous Wagner intemperately and injudiciously launched -out about absence of soul and similar expressions. Taunted into playing, -his clumsy, defective manipulation provoked a sneer from the Dutchman -and a titter from the assembly. Wagner lost his temper. Stung in his -tenderest feelings before the Hebrew maiden, with the headlong -impetuosity of an unthinking youth he replied in such violent, rude -language that a dead silence fell upon the guests. Then Wagner rushed -out of the room, sought his cap, took leave of Iago, and vowed revenge. -He waited two days, upon which, having received no communication, he -returned to the scene of the quarrel. To his indignation he was refused -admittance. The next morning he received a note in the handwriting of -the young Jewess. He opened it feverishly. It was as a death-blow. -Fräulein Leah was shortly going to be married to the hated young -Dutchman, Herr Meyers, and henceforth she and Richard were to be as -strangers. - -“It was my first love-sorrow, and I thought I should never forget it, -but after all,” said Wagner, with his wonted audacity, “I think I cared -more for the dog than for the Jewess. Whilst under the love-spell I had -paid little heed to much that soon after, in pondering over the episode, -revolted me. The strange characteristics of the Jews were unpleasant to -me. Then it was that I first perceived that impassable barrier which -must always rise up between Jews and Christians in their dealings with -the world. One cannot help an instinctive feeling of repulsion against -this strange element, which has been gradually creeping into our midst, -growing like mistletoe upon the oak tree, a parasite taking root -wherever it can fasten but the smallest fibre, and clinging with a -tenacity entirely its own, drawing in all nutriment within reach, and -yet remaining, notwithstanding, a parasite. Such is the Jew in the midst -of Christian civilization.” - -[Sidenote: _AT SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY._] - -His entrance to the St. Nicolas school in 1827, where he remained three -years, was as the passing through a dark cloud. The whole training here -differed vitally from that at the Kreuzschule. The masters and their -mode of tuition was unsympathetic to him. I did not wonder at this when -he told me. I had been at the school, too, and experienced similar -feelings of resentment. The Martinet system of discipline was irksome to -high-spirited boys. No attempt was made to develop individuality of -character. This was unfortunate for Wagner. He was just then at an age -when personal interest and sympathetic guidance would have been -invaluable. Filled with wild dreams of a glorious future that was to -follow his self-dedication to the drama, he threw himself with ardour -into the completion of a play he had begun to work at. Ambition had -prompted him to base it on the model of Shakespeare’s tragedies. The -plot was as wild and impossible as the unrestricted exuberance of so -extravagant a fancy might suggest. It occupied him for upwards of two -years, and greatly interfered with his legitimate school work. When in -later life he surveyed this period he describes himself as “wild, -negligent, and idle,” absorbed with one thought, his great drama. - -[Sidenote: _HIS ARTISTIC CRISIS._] - -From the St. Nicolas school he passed to St. Thomas’s school, where he -stayed but a few months, leaving it for the University. At the -University he attended occasional lectures only, showing none of that -assiduity which distinguished him at the Kreuzschule. His University -days were marked by a profligacy to which he afterwards referred with -regret and even disgust. He was young and wild, and had determined with -his insatiable nature to drain to the dregs the cup of dissoluted -frivolity. I should not be performing the duty of an honest biographer -were I to omit an incident which occurred at this period, regrettable as -it might seem. His mother still received her modest pension. On one -occasion Richard was commissioned to receive it for her. Returning home -with the money in his pocket he chanced to pass a public gambling house. -_There_ was one sensation he had not yet experienced. At that moment he -felt that in the throw of the fascinating dice lay the fateful omen of -his future. The money was not his, yet he entered and risked the hazard -of the dice. He was unfortunate; lost all but a small sum he had kept -back. Yet he could not resist the alluring excitement. He staked this -too. Fortune, happily for the wide world of art, befriended him, and he -left the debasing den with more than he had entered, “But,” inquired I, -“what would you have done had you lost all?” “Lord!” he replied, “before -going into the house I had firmly resolved that should I lose I would -accept the omen and seek my end in the river.” A man in years calmly -telling me this so long after the incident had occurred urged me again -to ask, “Would you really have done that?” “I would,” was the short -determined answer. He was unable to keep the story back from his mother, -and at once on his return told her all. “Instead of upbraiding me,” -Wagner said, “she fell with passionate love around my neck, exclaiming, -‘You are saved. Your free confession tells me that never again will you -commit so wicked a wrong.’” This Wagner related to me when I was staying -with him at Zurich in 1856. This hazardous throw of the dice was not the -only occasion on which he had boldly defied fate. He was ever buoyed up -with an implicit faith in his destiny, which sustained him through many -trials, though at the same time it urged him to act in a manner where -more thoughtful minds would have hesitated. - -I now come to what was undoubtedly the crisis of Wagner’s artistic -career. It was the practice at German theatres, between the acts, for -the orchestra to play movements of Haydn’s symphonies or similar -excerpts by other masters. The rule was to hurry through them in the -most indifferent manner. Not the slightest attention was paid to -expression, and if it happened that the manager’s bell rang while the -“playing” was going on, the performance would terminate with a jerk, -each artist seemingly anxious not to play a note more, and heedless of -finishing the “phrase” together. - -At Leipzic, the entire music was particularly slovenly, played under the -cynical Matthey. And yet the very men who played so reprehensibly in the -stage orchestra, when performing at the famous Gewandhaus concerts -seemed to be moved by feelings of reverence for their work, unknown to -them in the theatre. It would be an interesting investigation to -discover why this was. The symphonies of Beethoven in the concert-room -compelled their whole worship; the symphonies of Haydn in the theatre -were treated like “dinner” music. Perhaps the explanation is, that the -symphonic movements played in the theatre bore no relation to the drama -enacted, whereas music played for itself went with a verve and spirit, -and attention to its meaning quite unknown to thestop-gap-music-scrambling -of the theatre. - -[Sidenote: _RESOLVE TO BECOME A MUSICIAN._] - -From the unsatisfying scrambling performances of the theatre, Wagner, -fifteen years old, went to the Gewandhaus concerts. There he heard -Beethoven’s symphonies. What a revelation were they to him, played with -the artistic perfection for which that orchestra was so justly -celebrated, although there was room for improvement. They forced open in -him the floodgates of a torrent of emotion. A new world dawned upon him. -Music that had hitherto lain dormant, suddenly awakened into a vigorous -existence truly electrifying. His future career was decided. Henceforth -he, too, would be a musician. And what was there in Beethoven that -should so startle him into new life? He had heard Haydn, Mozart, and -earlier masters without being so completely awed and fascinated. What -was there in these symphonies that should exercise such a determining -influence over him? It was the overpowering earnestness of the unhappy -composer. Beethoven dealt with life problems according to the spirit of -his age--the demand for freedom of thought and liberty of the person. -Beethoven had been baptized in that mighty wave, the struggle for -freedom, which rolled over Germany at the beginning of this century. He -could not help being eloquently earnest. He was the creature of his -time, and when called upon to declare himself, was not found wanting in -rugged, bold earnestness. Yet although Haydn and Mozart, I too, were -earnest, their utterances were of a subjective character. The world to -them presented none of the doubts and philosophic speculations which -convulsed Beethoven’s period. Their view of life was pure optimism. A -vein of bright joyousness runs through all their works, aye, even their -most serious. But Beethoven was a pessimist, and his works betray him. -When he has a sunshiny moment it serves only to show how deep is his -prevailing gloom. Wagner at fifteen was a poet, and the energetic, -suggestive music of Beethoven was mentally transformed into living -personalities. He has said that he felt as if Beethoven addressed him -“personally.” Every movement formed itself into a story, glowed with -life, and assumed a clear, distinct shape. I do not forget the earlier -influence of Weber over him, but then that was more due to emotion than -to reason. The novelty of “Der Freischütz,” the freshness of its melodic -stream, and the wild imaginative treatment of the romantic story -captivated his first affection and enchained it to the last. The whole -of his impressions of Beethoven (whom, by the way, Wagner never saw) -were embodied by him in a sketch written for a periodical and entitled, -“A Pilgrimage to Beethoven.” Although the incidents painted there are -not to be taken as having happened to the pilgrim, Wagner, yet the story -is clear on one point--the unbounded spell Beethoven exercised over him. - -As he was now determined to become a musician, and seeing the necessity -of acquiring some theoretical knowledge of his new art, with his usual -perseverance he began studying alone. His progress was so disappointing -that he made arrangements with a local organist, with whom, too, he -advanced but little. However, he was resolved. Music he wanted for his -own play; without music he felt it was incomplete, and although he -worked assiduously, theory seemed a long, dreary road which, instead of -helping him to the goal he yearned to reach, presented innumerable -obstacles in the path. He wanted to compose, yet all the grammarian’s -rules were so many caution-boards, warning him against doing this or -that, impediments that prevented him accomplishing what he strove to -perform. It was always what should _not_ be done instead of what should -be done. With youthful impetuosity he then revolted against all -grammarianism, and to the end of his life maintained an attitude of -derisive defiance towards all who fought behind the shield inscribed -fugue, canon and counterpoint. - -Although conscious of how unsatisfactory his theoretical progress had -been, ambition prompted him to write an overture for the orchestra. The -young composer was seventeen. The overture is characterized by Wagner’s -besetting sin--extravagance of means. Through his sister’s connection -with the stage he became acquainted with the music director of the -Leipzic theatre, a young man, Heinrich Dorn, a few years older than -Wagner. I knew Dorn as a friendly, easy-going, good-tempered fellow. -Impressed with the unusual enthusiasm of the youth, Dorn kindly offered -to perform his overture at the theatre. It was performed. The audience -laughed at it, and Wagner was not slow to admit the justice of its -reception. - -[Sidenote: _A PUPIL OF CANTOR WEINLIG._] - -Of the caligraphy displayed in this work I must say a few words. The -score was written in different-coloured inks, the groups of strings, -wood, and brass, being distinguished by special colours. His extreme -neatness and care at all times of his life, when using the pen, was -wonderful. Before putting word or note to paper every thought had been -so fully digested that there was never any need of erasure or -correction. In strange contrast with Richard Wagner’s clean, neat, -distinct writing, stand Beethoven’s hieroglyphics, whole lines of which -were sometimes smudged out with the finger. - -Wagner accepted the judgment upon his overture, though not without a -painful feeling of disappointment. But as he was determined to be a -musician, his family now encouraged him, and for that purpose placed him -under Cantor Weinlig of Leipzic. The Cantor was on intimate terms with -my father, and therefore was well known to me. He had a great name as a -skilled contrapuntist. Gentle and persuasive in demeanour, he soon won -the affection of his pupil, and although his tuition lasted for about -six months only, it was sufficient to cause Wagner to refer with -affection to this, his only real master. - -The immediate result of Weinlig’s tuition was the production of a sonata -for the pianoforte. It is in strict form, but Wagner’s conscientious -adherence to the dogmatic principles he had learned seem to have dried -up all sources of inspiration. He was evidently in a straight jacket, -for the sonata does not contain one original idea, not one phrase of -more than common interest. It is just the kind of music that any average -pupil without gift might have written. Time was wanting before the -careful, orthodox training of Weinlig could thoroughly assimilate itself -to the peculiarity of Wagner’s genius. - -It is curious that he should have produced such a very inferior work as -regards ideas and development while he was at the same time a most -ardent student of Beethoven. It can only be explained by regarding the -period as one of transition and receptivity. He was not full grown nor -strong enough to wing himself to independent flight. - -Beethoven was his daily study. He was carefully storing up all the grand -thoughts of the great master, but his fiery enthusiasm had not yet come -to that burning-point when it should ignite his own latent powers. His -acquaintance with the scores of Beethoven has never been equalled. It -was extraordinary. He had them so much by heart that he could play on -the piano, with his own awkward fingering, whole movements. Indeed, -beyond Weber, the idol of his boyhood, and Beethoven, there was no -master whose works interested him at that period. His family considered -him Beethoven-mad. His eldest brother, Albert, then engaged actively in -the profession, and more of a practical business man, particularly -condemned the exclusive hero-worship of a master not then understood or -acknowledged by the general public. But Richard persevered with his -study, and as a testimony of his affection for Beethoven it may be -mentioned that, at eighteen, he produced a pianoforte arrangement of the -whole of the “Ninth Symphony.” - -[Sidenote: _WEBER AND BEETHOVEN HIS MODELS._] - -In the school of Weber and Beethoven did Wagner form himself. The -musical utterances of both his models were in harmony with their time. -Weber was romantic, Beethoven pessimistic. The cry for liberty which ran -throughout Europe at the end of the eighteenth century affected the -republic of letters sooner than the world of music. It was Wagner’s -“idol,” his “adored” master, who first musically portrayed the -revolutionary spirit of the dawn of this century. It was he who founded -the romantic school of musicians. His ideality, his “romantic” genius, -taking that word in its highest and noblest sense, place him in an -entirely separate niche of the temple of art. His inventive faculty, the -irresistible charm of his melody, his entirely new delineation and -orchestral colouring of character, are immeasurably superior to anything -of the kind which preceded him. He was the basis, the starting-point of -a new phase in the art of music. And yet, with it all, the great Weber -fell short in one important feature of his art--the consequential -development of his themes. All his chamber music testifies to this. Even -in his three great overtures, “Der Freischütz,” “Euryanthe,” and -“Oberon,” the “working-out” of the subjects is feeble and unskilful, and -only compensated for by the ever gushing forth of new and potent ideas. -Weber had not passed through the crucible of a serious study of the -classical school. In his early period he had treated music more as an -amateur than as an earnest-thinking musician. Nor was he gifted with the -brain power of Beethoven. It was the latter master’s causal strength of -brain, combined with his deep, serious studies and his incessant -striving to express exactly what he felt, which have secured for him -that exceptional position in modern tonal art. - -[Sidenote: _STUDY OF INSTRUMENTATION._] - -Coming now to Wagner, we find him possessing, to a truly remarkable -degree, the special powers of both. His wondrous inventive genius was -controlled by a brain power as solid as rare. It enabled him to fuse in -his own work the gifts of the idealist, Weber, and of the thinker, -Beethoven. The latter’s mastery of workmanship, his reasoned sequence of -ideas, are vastly surpassed in Wagner’s dialectic treatment. As an -instrumental colourist Weber was superior to Beethoven. The deafness of -the latter sometimes led him to mark the wrong instrument in his scores. -He could not hear, and therefore was not fully able to comprehend the -qualities of every instrument, like Weber. The greatness of his power as -an orchestral writer is undeniable, yet many instances could be quoted -where he has misapplied a particular instrument of whose character, -through his deafness, he had lost the exact knowledge. Wagner based his -instrumentation on that of Weber. In spite of an almost unlimited -admiration of Beethoven, Wagner has not refrained from pointing to -certain defects of scoring in him. He shows that whilst Beethoven -modelled his orchestra after Haydn and Mozart, his conceptions went -immeasurably beyond them and clashed with the somewhat inadequate means -of their orchestra. Beethoven had neither the modern keyed brass -instruments to support the wood-wind against the doubled and trebled -strings, nor did he dare to venture beyond the then supposed range of -the wood, brass, and string instruments. Often when reaching what was -thought to be the topmost note on either, he suddenly jumps in an almost -childishly anxious manner to an octave below, interrupting the melody -and producing an irritating effect. Wagner has asserted that had -Beethoven heard the tonal effect of portions of his marking, he would -unquestionably have rewritten them or altered the instruments. But -whilst deploring his great predecessor’s deafness as the cause of -certain defective instrumentation he renders unstinted homage to the -general orchestration of the symphonies. The enormous amplification of -deeply reasoned detail in those nine grand works demands from each -individual of the orchestra an attention and refinement of expression -to be expected only from an orchestra composed of virtuosi. - -It was shortly after his return to Leipzic that Wagner began to study -instrumentation. The Gewandhaus concerts and Beethoven’s symphonies had -stirred him. He thumped the piano, was conscious of his lack of skill, -but nevertheless bought the scores of the symphonies and studied them -with heart and soul. The magnificent colouring charmed him. To work the -score at the piano, and see where the secret lay, was his careful study, -and then, when he found it, he saw how necessary was individual -excellence of performance. Even the Gewandhaus performances failed to -completely satisfy him. The members of the orchestra were familiar with -the works, yet was the performance far from conveying that lasting -impression which the delineation of the intensely grand ideas were -capable of, and which from his piano-reading he expected. The -dissatisfaction he experienced induced him to seek further for the -explanation, and after careful thought he fixed the blame on the -shortcomings of the conductor. The head of an orchestra, he asserted, -should study the work to be played under him until every phrase, its -meaning, and bearing to the whole composition were thoroughly -assimilated by him. He should, further, have a perfect acquaintance with -the capabilities of every instrument, and an excellent memory. Works -performed under conductors not possessing these qualifications never -produce their legitimate effect. “It was only when I had conducted -Mozart’s works myself,” says Wagner, “and had made the orchestra execute -every detail as I felt it, that I took real pleasure in their -performance.” - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -1832-1836. - - -[Sidenote: _THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD._] - -Had Wagner’s youthful enthusiasm been fired at the Dresden Kreuzschule -with love for Germany and hatred of the French oppressor, a feeling -which flew through the land like lightning, had the songs of Körner’s -“Lyre and Sword,” set to vigorous music by Weber, inspired him, his -patriotism was intensified tenfold when, returning to his native city, -he came into the midst of a population that had suffered all the horrors -and privations of actual war. His study of modern literature, -assimilated with surprising facility in a brain where all was order and -consecutiveness, gave him an insight into the deplorable state of his -beloved country, whilst indicating the direction in which future efforts -should be directed. He found that the revolutionary spasm of the end of -the eighteenth century had shattered time-honoured traditions, roughly -shaken the creeds of the past, and indeed had left nothing untouched, -infiltrating itself into every great and small item of human existence. -The impetus of the time was “revolution!” To throw down the trammels of -moral and physical slavery, to free man and raise him to the throne of -humanity, was the desire of all European peoples. All worked towards one -common goal; there was not one movement of importance then that was not -influenced by the revolution. In literature the tendency was to make -letters a concrete part of the national mind, just as the great French -revolution called into existence the first notion of national life by -investing the people with the controlling power of their country’s -interests. All the master-minds of the time of Louis the Fourteenth were -an some measure connected with the king; but with the nineteenth century -revolution a third state was developed, which enriched national life, -and, acting upon literature, drove the hitherto secluded savants and -their works into the vortex of popular life. Before this upheaval, -literature had been the exclusive property of the professional savant -and his high-born protector. The tendency of modern social life was to -enthrone mind and genius. The third state was actually breaking down -social barriers, the line of demarcation between them and so-called -“good society,” the monarch and aristocracy. That such a violent change -at the beginning of the century should have unsettled and bewildered -some otherwise remarkably gifted men is not surprising. The turbulent -state of society, and the confused investigation and awkward handling of -important moral questions, led to doubt and despair. Men like the -brothers Schlegel became Roman Catholics, hoping by so doing to cast the -responsibility of their life on a religion which closes every aperture -to the reasoning powers. Ludwig Tieck, another German savant, followed -their example, whilst men like Zacharias Werner, after having given -proofs of the highest capability, destroyed their mental being by -pursuing a most dissolute and reprehensible course; or, like Hoffman, by -an over-indulgence in wine, helped to create an unæsthetic phase in -German literature which, alas, serves only to show how sadly distorted -gifted brains can become. Kleist was driven to commit suicide. I could -cite more unhappy victims of that troublous epoch, existences blighted -by the powerful wave of romanticism and freedom that swept over the -land. The only man who remained unaffected by the movement was Goethe. -In his striving for plastic beauty and classicism, he never became -enthusiastic for the romantic school. He even stood somewhat aloof from -Shakespeare; nor would he, in his cold simplicity and placid grandeur, -see in all the romantic movement aught but a remnant of revolution -against his “legitimate” supremacy. - -Those early years of Wagner were passed in a scene of unusual activity -and excitement. His native city a great battle-field the year of his -birth, people hardly recovered from the shock of the 1793 revolution, -when again they are startled by its reverberation in July, 1830. Then -Wagner was seventeen, of an age and thoughtful enough to be impressed by -the struggle carried on around him, or, to quote his own words, “all -that acted more and more on my mind, on my imagination and reason.” This -was the spirit which he brought to bear on his study of -orchestration,--ideality controlled by strong reasoning power. He had -studied under the first professor of Leipzic, had had an overture -performed in public, and now, in 1832, he essayed a grand symphony for -orchestra, which ever remained a pleasing work to him, and to which he -would refer with evident satisfaction. Its history is a curious one. - -[Sidenote: _HIS ONLY SYMPHONY._] - -Though not twenty, he, with his usual self-reliance, boldly took the -score and parts to Vienna. He wanted his work to be heard. His daring -ambition was not satisfied with a lesser centre than the Austrian -capital. Vienna was then, as it is now, the city of pleasure and light -Italian music. As Beethoven himself could command but a small section of -adherents among the pleasure-seeking Viennese, it is not surprising that -the untried and unknown young composer was ignored. But undaunted, he -took his treasure to Prague, where Dionys Weber, conductor of the -Conservatorium, performed it to Wagner’s unbounded delight. Returning -home, he had the proud satisfaction of hearing it played at the -classical Gewandhaus concerts and also at its rival but lesser -institution, the “Euterpe.” This was a promising augury, and to Wagner -amply sufficient for assuming that later his work would be repeated. -Therefore, when in 1834 Mendelssohn was appointed conductor at the -Gewandhaus, Wagner unhesitatingly took the symphony to him. For a long -time nothing was heard of it. Wagner became anxious, and applied to -Mendelssohn, when to his indignation he was informed that the score had -unfortunately been lost. Wagner never alluded to this incident without -indulging in one of those bitter ironical attacks upon Mendelssohn in -which he was such an adept. The incident rankled in the memory of the -over-sensitive composer, and no amount of external amiability at a later -period from Mendelssohn was ever able to efface it. This symphony was -Wagner’s first acknowledged work and acknowledged, too, by men of -weight, whose commendation had, not unnaturally, elated him. “My first -symphony!” How often have I heard that phrase? and spoken with such -satisfaction that on several occasions I tried to induce Wagner to play -some reminiscences of it to me. He could not; he had lost all -remembrance of it. Accident or fate willed it that shortly before his -death the orchestral parts were discovered at Dresden. A score was -arranged and the fifty-year-old work performed _en famille_ in 1882, -under the revered old man’s bâton at Venice. - -[Sidenote: _DIRECTOR OF A CHORUS._] - -Though proud of his success as a musician, the poetic side of his nature -was not repressed. He was a poet as well as musician. Suddenly the poesy -within him leaped forth and impelled him to write words already wedded -in his own heart to sounds. Its appearance was as a revelation -disclosing an allied power which was to exalt him to a pinnacle to which -no other composer in the whole history of art could possibly lay claim. -He wrote a libretto to “The Wedding.” This was to be his first opera, -and the same year, 1833, in which he wrote the words he also began the -music. However, he composed but three numbers, still in existence, the -introduction, a chorus, a sextet, and then was dissuaded by his sister -from proceeding further with it. The story and its treatment were both -pronounced ill-adapted for stage representation. The book was the -veriest hyper-romantic scum, a mixture of the gloomy fatalist Werner and -the wildly extravagant Hoffman. The opera was abandoned with regret, and -a living was sought in any form of musical drudgery. He was willing to -“arrange,” to “correct proofs,” or do anything but teaching, to which he -always had the strongest antipathy. To my knowledge, he never gave a -lesson in his life. When, therefore, the post of chorus master at the -Würzburg theatre was offered to him, he readily accepted it. His eldest -brother, Albert, was then engaged at Würzburg as singer, actor, and -stage manager. It was the practice of Albert all through life to assume -the rôle of mentor to his younger brother, but against this Richard -strongly rebelled, though at the same time readily admitting his -brother’s abilities as a manager and singer. Possessed of a remarkably -high tenor voice, Albert was unfortunately subject to intermittent -attacks of total loss of vocal power. But the singer’s loss was the -actor’s gain, for to compensate for this defect he exerted himself and -succeeded in shining as an actor. - -This Würzburg engagement was Richard Wagner’s first real active -participation in stage life. He had entered upon his new duties but a -short time when an opportunity presented itself wherein he could exhibit -his practical skill as a musician. Albert was cast for the tenor part in -Marschner’s “Vampyre.” According to his notion, his chief solo finished -unsatisfactorily. Richard’s aid was invoked, and the result was -additional words, some forty lines and music, too, which enabled Albert -to display his unusually fine high tones. - -The life to Wagner was novel, attractive, and full of bright promise. -The friendly relations that existed between the chorus and their -director, the habitual banter of the players, their studied posing, -their concealing home miseries beneath a simulated gaiety, attracted and -charmed the inexperienced neophyte. He was yet blind to all the wiles, -trickeries, and petty infamies that seem inseparable from stage life. In -the theatre the meannesses and jealousies that clog human existence -under all forms are focused and exposed to the glare of publicity, -whereas in the wide world they are lost among the crowd. It was not -long before Wagner began to hate the shams and petty meannesses of the -stage with ten-fold the intensity he had at first been bewitched by it. - -During his stay at Würzburg, urged by his brother he again thought of -composing an opera. Casting about for a fitting subject, he alighted -upon a volume of legends by Gozzi. One, “La Donna Serpente,” attracted -him, and seemed to invite operatic treatment. He resolved to write his -own text, and within the year produced what was his first complete -opera, which he called “The Fairies.” The musical treatment was entirely -in the romantic style of Weber and Marschner, but Wagner frankly -confesses it did not realize his expectations. He had thought himself -capable of greater things than his powers were yet equal to. -Nevertheless, he strove to obtain a hearing for it, but without success. -French and Italian opera ruled the German stage, and native productions -were not encouraged. However, an ardent aspirant for fame like Wagner -was not to be discouraged by the cold slights offered to his first stage -work. He returned to Leipzic, 1834, again energetically endeavouring to -get it accepted, but only to be disappointed once more. - -[Sidenote: “_DAS LIEBESVERBOT._”] - -It was during this visit to Leipzic that an event occurred which was -destined to strongly influence his future career. He heard that great -dramatic artist, Schroeder-Devrient. The effect of her performance upon -him was startling, although the operas in which she appeared, “Romeo” -and “Norma” of Bellini, were of the weakest. He saw what a striking -impression could be produced by careful attention to dramatic detail. -The poorest work was elevated into the realms of high art by the grand -style of the inspired artist. For the first time he realized the immense -value of perfection of “style.” The lesson was not lost, and the high -point to which Wagner artists have subsequently carried it by the -master’s imperative insistence upon the most thorough and exhaustive -attention to every detail of art, has formed the undying Wagner school. - -Fired by enthusiasm, he began the composition of a new opera, in which -he ambitiously hoped the great actress would perform the principal rôle. -This was his second music-dramatic work, “Das Liebesverbot” (“The Novice -of Palermo”), founded upon Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure.” It took -him about two years to write it. To Wagner this period was one of -transition, alternately dominated by the serious Beethoven, the -“romantic” Weber, Auber, and even the popular Italian school. He was as -a tree through whose branches the winds rushed from all quarters, only -the more firmly to consolidate the roots. He, too, was young, and a not -unnatural desire to acquire some of the world’s riches induced him to -write his new work in a “popular” vein. The “Novice of Palermo” has but -very faint indications of the Wagner of after-life, and in the -composer’s own judgment was but an indifferent work, although comparing -favourably with the operas of its day. - -[Sidenote: _ART AND NATIONALITY._] - -After the termination of his Würzburg engagement Wagner went to -Magdeburg, 1834, where he was appointed music director, a post he held -for nearly two years, steadily working, meanwhile, at the “Novice of -Palermo.” The Magdeburg company was above the usual level of provincial -troupes. The conductor was young and energetic, and soon secured the -good will of his subordinates. But the Magdeburghers were apathetic in -musical matters, and in the spring of 1836 the theatre announced its -final performances. The “Novice of Palermo” was not then completed. -After some discussion it was decided to perform it. Wagner hurried on -his work, battling with innumerable difficulties which presented -themselves thick and fast. First the theatre was threatened with -bankruptcy. To escape this it was arranged to close the building a month -earlier than the time originally announced. It left Wagner ten days for -rehearsals. His book had not been submitted to the censor, and as it was -now the Lenten season, there was a dread that the title might subject -the libretto to vexatious pruning. The opera was given out as founded on -one of the serious plays of Shakespeare, and by this means escaped all -maltreatment. But what could be done in ten days? Little even where -friendly will was engaged. However, after rehearsal upon rehearsal, the -work was performed. Its reception was moderate. The tenor singer had -been unable to learn his part in the short time and resorted to -unlimited “gag.” Perhaps hardly one was perfect in his rôle, and the -whole work went badly enough. In after-life Wagner could afford to laugh -at this makeshift performance, but at that time it was terribly real. He -once gave me a representation of the tenor singer and other -impersonators in a manner so ludicrous and mirth-provoking that he said, -“You laugh now, but listen! A second performance was promised for my -benefit. We were assembled and about to begin, when suddenly a -hand-to-hand fight sprung up between two of the characters, and the -performance had to be given up.” This put him in sad straits. He had -hoped to receive such a sum of money from this “benefit” as would free -him from all monetary difficulties, but no performance taking place he -was worried in a most uncomfortable manner. - -I suppose that if there be any feature in Wagner’s character about which -there is no difference of opinion it is his love for his native land. At -critical junctures, he has not hesitated, by speech or action, to -declare his pronounced feelings. At present, however, my purpose is not -to illustrate this point, but to emphasize a phase of thought in -Wagner’s early manhood, which, boldly proclaimed at the time, gathered -strength with increasing years, and forms one of the most important -factors in his art-workings. He contended that the national life of a -people was intimately entwined with their art productions. “The stage,” -said Wagner, “is the noblest arena of a nation’s mind.” This was a very -favourite theme of his. He would descant on it unceasingly. The stage -was the mirror of a people. Shakespeare he worshipped, and gloried that -such an intellect was counted in the republic of letters. England should -be proud of her great man. He thought Carlyle right when he said -Shakespeare was worth more to a nation than ten Indias. But poor -Germany! What could she show? Where was her race of literary giants? The -war of liberation had fired every German heart with the intensest -patriotism. Young Germany had fought with unexampled ardour, and the -hateful Napoleonic yoke was victoriously cast off. Liberty, patriotism, -and fraternity were the watchwords of every German, and they found -their art expression in the inspiriting strains of the soldier-poet, -Körner, and the vigorous melodies of the patriotic Weber. And German -potentates looked on bewildered. Where would this torrent of enthusiasm -end? Were they themselves secure on their thrones? Would it not sap the -foundations of their own rule? And, as history too sadly shows, fear -developed into despotism. The princes turned, and with the iron heel -trampled upon the very men who had valiantly defended them against the -ruthless invader. They were fearful of the German mind awakening to a -sense of its political and social shortcomings. They argued that this -uncontrolled enthusiasm for liberty of speech and person was a menace to -their thrones; therefore they strove to crush it out. Their conduct -Wagner later stigmatized as “replete with the blackest ingratitude,” and -their treatment of national art as dictated by “cold, calculating -cruelty.” For the stage, alien productions were imported. French -frivolity reigned supreme. Rossini’s operas, licentious ballets, were -patronized to the exclusion of Beethoven’s works, and now, though half a -century has elapsed, the baneful influence is still discernible. Such -feelings greatly agitated Wagner’s early manhood. By 1840 they had -assumed definite shape, and we find him through the public journals -deploring the want of a German national drama. It was his effort to -supply this want. He went to work with a fixed purpose. How far he has -succeeded posterity will judge. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -1836-1839. - - -For nine months, from the Easter of 1836 to the opening of the new year, -1837, Wagner was without engagement. It was a period of hardship and -suffering. In a most miserable plight he went to Leipzic and Berlin, -energetically exerting himself to get his opera, “The Novice of Palermo” -accepted. He met with plenty of promises but no performances. His needs -became more pressing. Debts had been incurred and the prospect of paying -them was of the gloomiest. An ordinary mortal would have sunk under such -overwhelming trouble, but Wagner was made of sterner stuff. His -indomitable self-reliance and pluck, based upon an abnormal self-esteem, -ever kept alight the lamp of hope within him, and sustained him through -sadder times than this. True, he had not proved to the world that he was -a genius, but he, himself, was fully convinced of it. He had written two -operas, a symphony, and other works, and though they did not surpass or -even equal what had been accomplished by other artists, yet for all that -he was strongly imbued with a consciousness of the greatness of his own -power in the tonal and poetic arts. He was convinced that he had a -mission to fulfil, a new art gospel to preach, and, too, that he would -succeed. The death-bed prediction of his step-father that he would be -“something” would be fulfilled. - -As far as his art creations show, this was a period of non-productivity. -But it is impossible to suppose that Wagner was idle. Genius is never -inactive. If not visibly at work the reflective faculties are certain to -be actively employed. Though beset with every conceivable worldly -trouble, depending for daily wants on what he could borrow, he, with -alarming temerity, married. - -It was on the 24th November, 1836; the bride, Fräulein Wilhelmina -Planer, leading actress of the Magdeburg company. She was the daughter -of a working spindle-maker. It was not the known possession of any -histrionic gift that caused her to become a professional actress, but a -very natural desire, as the eldest of the family, to increase the -resources of the household. Spindle-making was not a profitable calling, -and with a family, other help was gladly welcomed. But, as necessity has -oft discovered and forced to the front many a talent that would have -lain hidden from the world, so now was Magdeburg astonished by the -presence of an unquestionably gifted artist. Minna Planer played the -leading characters in tragedy and comedy. When off the stage her bearing -was quiet and unobtrusive. No theatrical trick or display indicated the -actress. And, after she had finally quitted stage life, it had been -impossible to suppose that the soft-spoken, retiring, shy little woman -had ever successfully impersonated important tragic rôles. - -[Sidenote: _MINNA A HOUSE-WIFE._] - -Minna was handsome, but not strikingly so. Of medium height, slim -figure, she had a pair of soft gazelle-like eyes which were a faithful -index of a tender heart. Her look seemed to bespeak your clemency, and -her gentle speech secured at once your good-will. Her movements in the -house were devoid of everything approaching bustle. Quick to anticipate -your thoughts, your wish was complied with before it had been expressed. -Her bearing was that of the gentle nurse in the sick-chamber. It was joy -to be tended by her. She was full of heart’s affection, and Wagner let -himself be loved. Her nature was the opposite of his. He was passionate, -strong-willed, and ambitious: she was gentle, docile, and contented. He -yearned for conquest, to have the world at his feet: she was happy in -her German home, and desired no more than permission to minister to him. -From the first she followed him with bowed head. To his exuberant -speech, his constant discourses on art, and his position in the future, -she lent a willing, attentive ear. She could not follow him, she was not -able to reason his incipient revolutionary art notions, to combat his -seemingly extravagant theories; but to all she was sympathetic, -sanguine, and consoling,--“a perfect woman, nobly planned,” as -Wordsworth sweetly sings. As years rolled by and the genius of Wagner -assumed more definite shape and grew in strength, she was less able to -comprehend the might of his intellect. To have written “The Novice of -Palermo” at twenty-three, and to have been received so cordially was to -her unambitious heart the zenith of success. More than that she could -not understand, nor did she ever realize the extent of the wondrous -gifts of her husband. After twenty years of wedded life it was much the -same. We were sitting at lunch in the trimly kept Swiss chalet at Zurich -in the summer of 1856, waiting for the composer of the then completed -“Rienzi,” “Dutchman,” “Tannhäuser,” and “Lohengrin” to come down from -his scoring of the “Nibelungen,” when in full innocence she asked me, -“Now, honestly, is Richard such a great genius?” On another occasion, -when he was bitterly animadverting on his treatment by the public, she -said, “Well, Richard, why don’t you write something for the gallery?” -And yet, notwithstanding her inaptitude, Wagner was ever considerate, -tender, and affectionate towards her. He was not long in discovering her -inability to understand him, but her many good qualities and domestic -virtues endeared her greatly to him. She had one quality of surpassing -value in any household presided over by a man of Wagner’s thoughtless -extravagance. She was thrifty and economical. At all periods of his life -Wagner could not control his expenditure. He was heedless, relying -always upon good fortune. But Minna was a skilled financier, and he knew -this. For years their lot was uphill, sometimes a hard struggle for bare -existence, and through all the devotion and homely love of the woman -soothed and cheered the nervous, irritable Wagner. When their means -enabled them to enjoy the comforts of life without first anxiously -counting the cost, Minna was possessed of one thought, her husband and -his happiness. And Wagner knew it and gratefully appreciated the heart’s -devotion of the worshipping woman. Home was her paradise, her husband -the king. Love, simple, trusting love, was her religion, and no greater -testimony to the noble work of a genuine woman could be offered than -that of the poet Milton in his “Paradise Lost”:-- - - Nothing lovelier can be found - In woman, than to study household good. - -[Sidenote: _DIRECTOR AT KÖNIGSBERG._] - -Throughout his career Wagner shook off the troubles of daily life with -an elasticity truly remarkable. But now he must do something. He had -incurred the most sacred of all obligations, to provide for his wife, -and employment of some description was a pressing necessity. Viewed from -an artistic point, his lost appointment had been a success. He had -acquired all the skill of an efficient conductor and had familiarized -himself with a large number of opera scores. But what had he done with -his own gifts? The miserable finale of the Magdeburg episode, and his -increased responsibilities, made him seriously reflect on this past year -and a half. True he had composed an entire opera. But of what material -was it made? He had regretfully to acknowledge that it was not as he -would wish it. He had thrown over his household gods to worship Baal. He -had rejected Weber and Beethoven, “his adored idols,” to dress his -thoughts in attractive, showy, French attire. He had forsaken heartfelt -truth for a graceful exterior. And what had he gained by imitating Auber -and Rossini? Not even the satisfaction of public success. And why? His -models spoke as they felt, whilst he clothed his thoughts in a borrowed -garb. He was now conscious that he had but to express himself in his own -language to convince others of the truth of his art gospel. - -Some such similar post as at Magdeburg was what he now desired. There he -would be Wagner himself. But in these early years smiling fortune was -not always his happy companion. Nearly a year elapses before he again -finds himself directing an operatic company. This time it is at -Königsberg. - -[Sidenote: _CONDUCTS ORCHESTRAL CONCERTS._] - -But before accompanying the weary artist to his new home some mature -reflections of Wagner on his Magdeburg period are worthy of notice. His -elevation to the post of music director of the Magdeburg theatre was a -joyful moment. For the first time he would be sole controller of -operatic performances. When a youth he had been revolted by the -slatternly manner in which theatre conductors had led the performances. -Even the Gewandhaus concerts had not been altogether satisfactory. -Something then was lacking in the ensemble. Now was his opportunity. The -mechanical time-beating prevalent among conductors of opera houses would -find no place with the ardent youthful composer. He first secured the -affection of the singers by evincing a personal interest in their public -success. His born actor’s skill enabled him to illustrate how such a -character should move, whilst with the orchestra he would sing passages -and rehearse one phrase incessantly until he was satisfied. He was -indefatigable. The secret of his success was his earnestness. He knew -what he wanted, which was half-way to securing it. The company seems to -have been fairly intelligent and to have responded freely to his wishes, -but the audiences were phlegmatic. Magdeburg was a garrison city, and -the audiences were domineered by the cold reserve observed by the -military. Wagner thought of all publics the worst was a military one. -Effusive exhibitions of joy they regard as indecorous and unseemly, and -the absence of spontaneous enthusiasm exercises a depressing effect on -artists. Among the operas he conducted were Auber’s “Masaniello” and -Rossini’s “William Tell.” Both of them were favourites of his. At that -period, 1836, they stood out in bold relief from modern and ancient -operas. Their melodies were fresh and graceful, and a dramatic -truthfulness pervaded them which to the embryo imitator of the Greek -tragedy was a strong recommendation. Further, the revolutionary subjects -were congenial to the outlaw of 1848. But Auber and Rossini were soon to -be eclipsed by the clever Hebrew, Meyerbeer, and it is this last writer -who in a couple of years impels Wagner to leave his fatherland for -Paris. It is Meyerbeer’s works that he is now about to conduct at -Königsberg, where we shall at once follow him. - -The time he spent in Königsberg was a prolongation of the miserable -existence which had followed the breaking up of the Magdeburg company, -intensified now, alas, by anxiety for his young wife. It was unenlivened -by any gleam of even passing sunlight. The time dragged heavily, and was -never referred to without a shudder. In later years, in the presence of -his first wife, he has compassionately remarked, “Yes, poor Minna had a -hard time of it then, and after the first few months of drudgery no -doubt repented of her bargain.” To which the gentle Minna would reply by -a look full of tender affection. Wagner’s references to the devotion and -untiring energy of his wife during the Königsberg year of distress -always affected him. - -He began his public life at Königsberg by conducting orchestral concerts -in the town theatre. This led to his appointment as music director of -the theatre. The operatic stage was then governed almost entirely by -Meyerbeer, “Robert le Diable” and “Le Prophète,” both recent novelties, -being the great attraction. They met with an enormous success -everywhere. Meyerbeer was in Paris, the idol of the populace. A man -possessed of undeniable genuine merit, he bartered it away for gold. -The real merit was over-laden with a thick coat of meretricious glitter. -Attractive and dazzling show was what he set before the light-hearted -public of the French capital, and they mistook the tinsel for pure gold. -But, for all that, Meyerbeer was the hero of the hour, and what was -fashionable in Paris was immediately reproduced in the fatherland towns -and cities. In matters of art Paris was the acknowledged leader of -Germany. From afar, the young ambitious music director of Königsberg -heard of the fabulous sums which Meyerbeer received for his works. He -was in the direst distress. The troubles of Magdeburg had followed him -to his new home, and he looked with longing eyes towards Paris, the El -Dorado of his dreams. He became haunted with visions of luxurious -independence, startling in their contrast to his present penurious -position. He looked about him and bestirred himself. With his accustomed -boldness, not to say audacity, he promptly wrote to Scribe, hoping by -one effort to emerge from all his trouble. What he sent to the famous -French librettist was a plan he had sketched of a grand five-act opera -based on a novel by König, “Die Hohe Braut” (“The Noble Bride”). He was -anxious for the collaboration of Scribe, since in that he saw the _open -sesame_ of the Grand Opera House, Paris. The French writer did not -reply. Wagner felt the slight. This was the second time the assistance -of an acknowledged litterateur had been solicited, and it was the last. -Laube did not satisfy him. Scribe did not notice him. Henceforth he -would rely on himself. - -[Sidenote: _THE LOST OVERTURE._] - -His stay at Königsberg is marked by an event of peculiar interest to -Englishmen. Wagner had heard “Rule Britannia.” He gave me his -impressions of it. He thought the whole song wonderfully descriptive of -the resolute, self-reliant character of the English people. The opening, -ascending passage, which he vigorously shouted in illustration, was, he -thought, unequalled for fearless assertiveness. The dauntless -expressiveness of its themes seemed admirably adapted for orchestral -treatment, and he therefore wrote an overture upon it. This he sent to -Sir George Smart, one of the most prominent of English musicians, justly -appreciated, among other things, for having introduced Mendelssohn’s -“Elijah” to England at the Liverpool festival of 1836. When Wagner -related this incident to me in 1855, on his visit to London, he said -that, having received no reply, he inquired and ascertained that the -score seemed to have been insufficiently prepaid for transmission, and -that Sir George Smart had refused to pay the balance, “and for all I -know,” continued Wagner, “it must still be lying in the dead-letter -office.” - -A digest of Wagner’s impressions of the world beyond the footlights, -after his intimate connection with the provincial theatres of Würzburg, -Magdeburg, and Königsberg, will explain how so serious a thinker could -adapt himself to the slipshod existence of thoughtless, light-hearted -play-actors. Among modern stage reformers Richard Wagner stands in the -front rank. He was earnest. He was practical. He had experienced all -evils arising from the shortcomings of the theatre, and he knew where to -place his finger on the plague spot. His drawings and prescriptions were -those of the practical worker; and he was enabled to make them so -through the knowledge acquired during his early life behind the scenes. - -What a curious medley stage life introduces one to! “My first contact -with the theatre seems like the fantastic recollection of a masked -ball,” was Wagner’s vivid description of his early stage experiences. -The stage in Germany has too frequently, for the advance of dramatic -art, been the last resort for gaining a livelihood. People of all ranks, -highly educated, or with no more than the thinnest smattering of -education, as soon as they find themselves without the means of -existence, fly to the stage. To one individual endowed by nature for the -histrionic vocation who thus adopts the profession, there are ten with -absolutely no gifts and whose appearance is due to failure in other -walks of life, or to want. All this motley group is, by the restricted -stage precincts, brought _nolens volens_ into daily contact and cannot -avoid constantly elbowing each other. Their private affairs, their -friendships, are an open secret. A special jargon is current coin among -them. Cant phrases abound and their very occupation familiarizes them -with sententious quotations on almost every subject. In no profession is -there such an ardent catering for momentary praise. It is the food, the -absolute nourishment of the actor; hence jealousy and envy exist -stronger here than anywhere else, and Byron does not exaggerate when he -speaks of “hate found only on the stage!” - -[Sidenote: _READS BULWER’S “RIENZI.”_] - -To Wagner’s impressionable and pageant-loving nature, the stage -possessed fascinating attractions. The free and easy intercourse that -existed between all the members of the company, actors, singers, and -orchestral performers, the existence of a sort of masonic equality, and -the general light-hearted exterior, was in accordance with the jocular -temperament of the chorus master. He was familiarly joking and laughing -with all his surroundings, a habit he retained to the day of his death. -His self-esteem would at all times insist on a certain deference to his -opinion, nor would he brook with equanimity any infraction of his ruling -as music director. From the age of twenty, when he first ruled the -chorus girls at Würzburg, down to the Bayreuth rehearsals for -“Parsifal,” at which he would illustrate his intention by gesture, -speech, and song, he was eminently the commander of his company. His -lively temperament, his love of fun, and remarkable mimetic gifts made -him a general favourite. In the supervision of operas, musically -distasteful to him, he was earnest and energetic, attending to detail -and appropriate gesture in a manner that demanded the respectful -admiration of all under his bâton. Respect and submission to his rule he -exacted as due to his office, and he rarely had difficulty in securing -it. - -From Königsberg he paid a flying visit to Dresden, the city of his -school-boy days. With his accustomed omnivorous reading, scanning every -book within reach, he fell upon Bulwer Lytton’s “Rienzi.” Here was a -subject inviting treatment on a large scale. Here was a hero of the -style of William Tell and Masaniello. The spirit was revolution and -moral regeneration of the people. It was a happy chance which led him to -this story, the sentiment of which harmonized so perfectly with his own -aspirations. Visions of Paris and its grand opera house had never left -him. “Rienzi” offered the very situations calculated to impress an -audience accustomed to the gorgeous splendour of the grand opera. -Although his eyes were turned towards the French capital, and his -immediate hope the conquest of the Parisians, it was not his sole nor -ultimate desire. Paris was a means only. He saw that Paris governed -German art, and he felt that only through Paris lay his hope of success -in his fatherland. It was while under such influences that he began to -formulate “Rienzi.” - -His stay in Königsberg was cut short owing to the company becoming -bankrupt. This was the second experience of the kind he had met with in -the provinces, and it helped to intensify his contempt for stage life. -He was again in money troubles. Fortunately, his old friend Dorn was -well placed at Riga and able to secure for him the post of conductor of -the opera there. The company was a good one, and its director, Hotter, -an intelligent and well-known playwright, who understood Wagner’s -artistic ambition. The young conductor was very exacting in his demands -at rehearsals. To appeal to him was useless. He was earnest and -inflexible. And yet, notwithstanding his earnestness and the trouble he -took in producing uncongenial operas, he became weary of their flimsy -material. Within him the sap of the future music-drama was beginning to -rise. His own genius and artistic tendencies were in conflict with what -was enacted before him. It was the difference between simulated and real -feeling. What he was forced to conduct was stage sentiment, what he -yearned for was life-blood. And this latter he strove to infuse into his -“Rienzi,” which was now assuming definite shape, words and part of the -music being written. - -[Sidenote: _STARTS FOR PARIS._] - -When two acts were finished to his satisfaction, there was no longer any -peace for him. Paris was the only fitting place where it could be -adequately represented. But how to get to Paris? At Riga, as elsewhere, -he lived beyond his means. I have before remarked on his incapability of -controlling his expenses and living within a fixed income. Minna was -thrifty and anxious, but her will was not strong enough to restrain her -self-willed husband. She was in a constant state of nervous worry, but -her devotion to Wagner prevented her making serious resistance. Now -funds were wanting for the projected Paris trip, he had none. However, -such a trivial item was not likely to thwart his ambition and to stand -in his way. He borrowed again. He was without any letters of -recommendation to Paris, spoke but very little French, and yet was full -of buoyancy and hope of the success that awaited him when there. It was -a bold, not to say reckless, venture. But it is characteristic of -Wagner. At all great junctures of his life he risked the whole of his -stakes on one card. His determination to leave Riga, and to turn his -back on the irritating miseries of a provincial theatre, led him to -embark with his wife and an enormous dog, in a small merchant vessel -_Pillau_ for London. Totally unprovided with any convenience for -passengers, badly provisioned and undermanned, the frail trading-craft -took the surprisingly long period of three weeks and a half to reach -London. It encountered severe weather and on two occasions narrowly -escaped foundering. The three passengers, Richard Wagner, his wife, and -dog, were miserably ill. On one occasion the bark was driven into a -Norwegian fiord; the crew and its passengers--there were no others on -board beside the Wagner trio--landed at a point where an old mill stood. -The poor wretches, snatched from the jaws of death, were hospitably -received by the owner, a poor man. He produced his only bottle of rum -and struck joy into all their hearts by brewing a bowl of punch. It was -evidently appreciated by the hapless ship’s company, as Wagner was -hilarious when he spoke of what he humorously called his “Adventures at -the Champagne Mill.” When the weather had cleared sufficiently the ship -set sail for London and arrived without any further mishap. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -EIGHT DAYS IN LONDON. - -1839. - - -[Sidenote: _LONDON IS TOO LARGE._] - -His first impression of London was not a pleasant one. The day was -wretched, raining heavily, and the streets were thick with mud. At the -Custom House Wagner was helped through the vexatious passport annoyance -by a German Jew--one of those odd men always to be found about the -stations and docks ready to perform any service for a trifling -consideration. He recommended Wagner to a small, uninviting hotel in Old -Compton Street, Soho, much resorted to by needy travellers from the -continent. The hotel, considerably improved, still exists. It is -situated a dozen doors or so from Wardour Street, and is opposite to a -public house known then, as now, as the “King’s Arms.” Wagner would have -gone straight away to a first-class hotel, but this time, feeling how -very uncertain the immediate future was, he asked to be recommended to a -cheap inn. He hired a cab, one of those curious old two-wheeled -vehicles, where the driver was perilously perched at the side, and with -his big dog, carefully sheltered from the weather under the large apron -which protected the forepart of the vehicle, they started for Old -Compton Street. Arrived there without incident, such of their luggage -as they had been able to bring with them at once was carried upstairs, -and Wagner and his wife sat down gloomily regarding each other. The room -was dingy and poorly furnished, and not of a kind to brighten weary, -seasick travellers. Wagner called his dog. No response. He opened the -door, rushed down the narrow, dark staircase to the street. Alas! -Neither dog nor cab were to be seen. He inquired of every one in broken -English, but could learn nothing hopeful or certain about his dumb -friend, the companion of his journey, and silent receiver of much of his -exuberant talk. Returning to Minna, they came to the conclusion that the -dog had leaped down from underneath the covering while the luggage was -being transported upstairs. But where was he now? They had not the -faintest clue, and knew not in which direction to seek for him. That -evening, their first in London, was one of sorrow and discomfort. The -next morning Wagner went back to the docks and gleaned tidings -sufficient only to dishearten him the more. The dog had been seen the -previous evening. Back to Old Compton Street, disconsolate; he had -scarcely ascended the first flight of stairs when, his step recognised, -loud barks of welcome greeted him from above. The dog was there. It had -found its way into the room where his wife had remained during his -absence. The poor beast was bespattered with mud, but this did not -prevent Wagner affectionately fondling him. To Wagner the return of the -dog was wonderful. How a dumb brute, that had seen absolutely nothing -during the journey from the docks to Old Compton Street, could find its -way back to the old starting-place, and then retrace its steps was a -marvellous instance of canine instinct, and one which endeared the race -to him deeper than ever, a love that endured to the last. - -Wagner remained in London about eight days, time to look round and to -arrange for passage to Boulogne, where Meyerbeer was staying, and from -whom he hoped to receive introductions to Paris. Although Wagner could -read English he was not sufficient master of it to understand it when -spoken. This in some degree accounts for the slight interest he felt in -his London visit. But he made the best use of his time. He was living -within a quarter of an hour’s walk of the house in Great Portland Street -where his “adored idol,” Weber, had died. To that shrine he made his -first pilgrimage, to reverently gaze upon the hallowed house. He -traversed all London, determining to see everything. The vastness of the -metropolis with its boundless sea of houses oppressed him. He had -strong, decided opinions as to what the dimensions of a town should be, -attributing much of the poverty and misery of large towns to their -overgrowth, and felt that when a township exceeded certain limits it was -beyond the control of a governing body, and that neglect in some form or -another would soon make itself felt. No city, he used to argue, should -be larger than Dresden then was. - -[Sidenote: _FASCINATED BY SHIPS._] - -He was amazed and most disagreeably surprised with the bustle of the -city. It bewildered him, and, as he expressed it, “fretted his artistic -soul out of him.” The great extremes of poverty and riches, dwelling in -close proximity to each other, were a sad, unsolvable enigma. His -lodgings were perhaps in one of the worst neighbourhoods of London. Old -Compton Street abutted on the Seven Dials. There he saw misery under -some of its saddest aspects, and then, but a few minutes’ walk and he -found himself amidst the luxury of Oxford Street and Regent Street. The -feelings engendered by this glaring inequality in his radical spirit -were never effaced. He thought that the English in their character, -their institutions, and habits were strangely contradictory, and the -impressions of 1839 were confirmed on his subsequent visits to this -country. The grand, extensive parks, open to all, delighted him. In -Germany he had seen no parks, and where public walks or gardens had been -laid out, walking on the grass was prohibited, whilst here no officious -guardian attempted to interfere with the free perambulation of the -visitor. The bearing of the police, too, equally surprised him. Here -they were ready with information, acting as protectors of the public, -whereas in Germany at that period they were aggressive and bureaucratic. -It is curious, but at no time do I remember Wagner speaking of having -visited any of the London theatres in 1839, whilst in 1855, when he was -here for the second time, he went to almost every place of amusement -then open, even those of third-rate order. But if in London he fell upon -“sunny places,” compared with his German home, he also was sorely tried. -As I have remarked, his rooms were in a very unaristocratic quarter. The -bane of all studious Englishmen, especially musicians--the imported -organ-grinder, unknown in Germany--worried the excitable composer out of -all patience. The Seven Dials was a favourite haunt of the wandering -minstrel, and the man who retired at night, full of wild imaginings as -to his “Rienzi,” was worked into a state of frenzy by two rival organ -men grinding away, one at each end of the street. - -The immensity of the shipping below London Bridge was a wonderful sight -to him. He had come into dock in a tiny, frail sailing craft, the cradle -of “The Flying Dutchman,” after a hazardous passage across the North -Sea. The size and number of the trading vessels appealed direct to his -largely developed imaginative faculty. He pictured the mysterious -Vanderdecken in this and that vessel, and was full of strange fancies of -the spectral crew. The sea of sail so fascinated him that he took a -special river trip to Greenwich, the closer to inspect the shipping, and -with the further intent to visit the Naval Pensioners’ hospital. - -When it was known at the hotel in Old Compton Street that he was about -starting for Greenwich, he was advised to go over the _Dreadnought_ -hospital-ship, then lying in the river just above Greenwich. He seized -at the suggestion. The _Dreadnought_ was one of the vessels of Nelson’s -conquering fleet in the famous battle of Trafalgar, in the year 1805. -Wagner was a devoted worshipper of great men. An opportunity now -presented itself to inspect one of the wooden walls of England. It is a -widely known fact that hero-worship was a salient feature of Wagner’s -character. He always referred to Weber as his “adored idol” or “adored -master,” and for Beethoven he was equally enthusiastic. The “Dutchman,” -that weird story of the sea, had taken possession of him, and a visit to -so celebrated a ship as the _Dreadnought_ was an occasion of some -importance. In his maturer age, when closer acquaintance with the -English people had given him the right to express an opinion as to -their nature, he said that in his judgment they were the most poetic of -European nations. Poetry, with them, lay not on the surface as with the -impetuous Gauls, nor was it sought after and cultivated as with the -Germans; but with the English it was deep in their hearts and associated -with their national institutions in a manner unknown among any other -modern people. No nation has produced such a galaxy of poetic -luminaries. The employment of the disabled battle-ship as a refuge for -worn-out seamen, men who had fought their country’s battles, was, he -thought, an incontestable proof of a poetic sentiment founded in the -heart of a nation and fostered by natural love. I am aware how much this -is in opposition to the judgment of the English by a man who enjoyed a -high social standing and intimate acquaintance with the best of Albion’s -intellect, viz. Lord Beaconsfield, whose famous dictum it was that the -“English people care for nothing but religion, politics, and commerce,” -but the thoughtful opinion of a poet of acknowledged celebrity, Wagner -himself, I have deemed it advisable to set forth. - -[Sidenote: _IN POETS’ CORNER._] - -The visit to the _Dreadnought_ left an indelible impression upon Wagner. -Arrived at the ship, he was in the act of ascending the pilot ladder put -over the side of the vessel, by which passengers came on board, when his -snuff-box fell out of his pocket into the water. The snuff-box was the -gift of Schroeder-Devrient. He prized it highly and attempted to clutch -it in its fall. In so doing, it seems he lost his hold of the ladder and -was himself only saved from immersion by his presence of mind and -gymnastic ability. The precious snuff-box was lost, but the composer of -“Parsifal” was saved. From the _Dreadnought_ he went with the nervous -Minna to the Greenwich hospital. Wagner had the habit of talking loudly -in public, and while walking about the building, seeing a pensioner -taking snuff, he said to Minna, “Could I speak English, I would ask him -for a pinch.” Wagner was an inveterate snuff-taker from early manhood. -Imagine Wagner’s surprise and delight when the Greenwich snuff-taker -accosted him with, “Here you are, my friend,” in good German. The -pensioner proved to be a Saxon by birth, and, delighted to hear his -native tongue, was soon at home with his interlocutor. He told him that -he was perfectly contented with his lot, but that his companions, the -English, were dissatisfied and were “a grumbling lot.” - -Wagner was filled with admiration at the generosity and beneficence -displayed in the bounteous provision for the comfort of the pensioners. -He told me his thoughts sped back to the German sailors on the East -Prussian coast, their miserably poor and scanty food, their ill-clothed -forms, and the general poverty of their position, when he saw the -apparently unlimited supplies of good, wholesome provisions and -substantial clothing; and yet, he said, the poor Germans are contented, -while the Greenwich pensioners complain. - -Wagner had been but two days in London in 1855, when he took me off to -Westminster. This was not his first visit to the national mausoleum; he -had been there in 1839, and recollections of that occasion induced him -at once to revisit the Abbey. We went specially to pay homage to the -great men in Poets’ Corner, Shakespeare’s monument being the main -attraction. It will be remembered that his first effort in English had -been a translation from Shakespeare, and I found that with increasing -years such an enthusiasm for the great dramatist had been developed as -was only possible in the ardent brain of an earnest poet. While -contemplating the Shakespeare monument on his first visit, it seems he -was led to a train of thought, the substance of which he related to me -in our 1855 visit. At the time I considered it noteworthy as an -important psychological feature and now relate it here. In reflecting -over the work done by the British genius, and its far-reaching influence -in creating a new form, he was carried back to the classic school of -ancient Greece and its Roman imitator. - -The ancient classic and the modern romantic schools were opposed to each -other. The English founder of the modern school had cast aside all the -rigid rules of the classical writers, which even the powerful efforts of -the three Frenchmen, Corneille, Racine, and Voltaire, had been unable to -revivify. In these reflections, referring to an antecedent period of -sixteen years, I have often thought I could discern the germ of his -daring revolution in musical form. Turning from the serious to the gay, -as was his wont at all times, he added that his reverie had a -commonplace ending. Minna plucked his sleeve, saying, “Komm, Lieber -Richard, du standst hier zwanzig minuten wie eine Bildsaule, ohne ein -Wort zusprechen” (Come, dear Richard, you have been standing here for -twenty minutes like one of these statues, and not uttered a word), and -when he repeated to her the substance of his meditations, he found as -usual she understood but little the serious import of his speech. - -[Sidenote: _MINNA LIKES LONDON._] - -Wagner’s anxiety to reach the goal of his ambition left him no peace, -and on the eighth day after his arrival in London he left by steamer for -Boulogne. - -The London visit charmed Minna. The quiet, unobtrusive manner of the -English pleased her, but annoyed Wagner. He was irritated by their -stolidity, and complained always of a want of expansiveness in them. -Their stiff politeness he thought angular, and the impression did not -wear off during his second visit. These first eight days were not wholly -pleasant to him. He was anxious to get to Paris, and all his thoughts -were turned towards the city of the grand opera. Minna carried away -pleasant recollections, but Wagner thought his dog was the happiest of -all, for in London he had been provided daily with special dog’s fare, -an institution unknown in Germany. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -BOULOGNE, 1839. - - -[Sidenote: _MEETING WITH MEYERBEER._] - -The passage to Boulogne began pleasantly, but a bad sailor at all times, -he did not escape the invariable discomforts of a channel journey. His -large Newfoundland dog, for whom he had an affection almost parental, -was on board, and excited general interest. Two Jewish ladies, named -Manson, mother and daughter, hearing Wagner speak German to his wife and -dog, soon entered into conversation with him through the medium of the -dog. Speaking a vitiated German with a facility which seems to be the -heirloom of the tribe of Judah, they discussed music, and with a -familiarity also characteristic of the race they told Wagner they were -going to spend a few days in Boulogne before proceeding to Paris. -Interested in music, they at once blundered into the delusion, common to -all the race, that every great composer was a Jew, supporting their -assertion by naming Mendelssohn, Halévy, Rossini, and their personal -intimate, Meyerbeer, including also Haydn, Mozart, and Weber. Wagner -seized with such eagerness at the name of Meyerbeer that he did not stop -to disprove the supposed Israelitic descent of Haydn, Mozart, and Weber. -As the ladies were going to call on Meyerbeer, they promised to apprise -him of Wagner’s intended visit. In this opportune meeting, Wagner -thought fate seemed to be stretching out a helping hand to the young -German, he who had abandoned in disgust his post of conductor at Riga, -to compel the admiration of Paris for his genius. With Meyerbeer at -Boulogne and a friendly introduction to the ruler of the Paris Grand -Opera, the future seemed promising. Notwithstanding his wife’s -misgivings he did not hesitate to accompany his travelling companions to -their hotel. The expenses were so great, and out of all proportion to -his scanty funds, that in a few days he sought a more humble abode. - -He saw Meyerbeer, and though he was received amicably enough, yet were -his first impressions not altogether agreeable. The ever-present smile -of the composer of the “Huguenots” seemed studied and insincere, as -though it was rather the outcome of simulated affability than of natural -good feeling. Meyerbeer was a polished courtier, his manners bland and -his speech unctuous. Diplomatic, committing himself to nothing, he -seemingly promised everything. The impassioned language of the young -idealist, his fervid outpourings on art, surprised and startled the -worldly-wise Meyerbeer. The earnest expression of honest conviction -rarely fails to excite interest even in the shrewd business man of the -world. Meyerbeer listened attentively to Wagner’s story of his early -struggles, and of his hopes for the future, ending by fixing a meeting -for the next day, when the “Rienzi” poem might be read. The subject and -treatment pleased Meyerbeer greatly. From all that is known of him, it -is clear that his great and only gift lay in the treatment of spectacle. -The stage effects which “Rienzi” offered were many, and the situations -powerful. Both features were then adjudged imperative for a successful -grand opera in Paris, and in proportion as the “Rienzi” book promised -spectacular display, so Meyerbeer grew eulogistic and generous in his -promises of help. Wagner was strongly of opinion that Meyerbeer’s first -friendly feeling was won entirely by the striking tableaux of the story. -Meyerbeer discussed with Wagner kindred scenes and situations in “Les -Huguenots,” and such comparison was made between the two books, that -Wagner was forced to the conclusion that effect was the chief aim of -Meyerbeer, and truth a subordinate consideration. - -[Sidenote: _MEYERBEER HEARS “RIENZI.”_] - -But to have won the unstinted praise of the enormously popular opera -composer seemed to promise immediate and certain success. It unduly -elated him, so that when he experienced the difficulties of getting his -work accepted at the Paris Grand Opera House, the shock was more severe -and harder to bear. But in Boulogne everything augured well. Indeed, -Meyerbeer expressed himself so strongly on the libretto as to request -Scribe to write one for him in imitation of it. When talking over this -incident with me, Wagner said that he believed Meyerbeer’s lavish praise -of the book was uttered partly with a view to its purchase, but that -Wagner’s enthusiasm for his own work prevented Meyerbeer making a direct -offer. However this may have been, from Wagner’s plain language to me -there is no doubt at all in my mind that Meyerbeer did feel his way to -purchase the “Rienzi” text for his own purpose. Another meeting was -arranged for trying the music. On leaving Meyerbeer, he went direct to -relate all to the expectant Minna. As was his wont at all times after an -event of unusual import, he made this a cause of festivity. With Minna -he went to dine at a restaurant, and with juvenile exultation ordered -his favourite beverage, a half bottle of champagne. To Wagner champagne -represented the perfection of “terrestrial enjoyment,” as he often -phrased it. While sipping their wine they met their newly made -acquaintances, the Mansons. Flushed with his recent success, he -recounted the whole of the morning episode. The Mansons advised him to -stay in Boulogne as long as he could whilst Meyerbeer was there, arguing -that he was such an amiable man, and since his good-will had been won -was sure to do all he could to promote Wagner’s success; and they added -significantly, “He has the power to do all.” - -The trying over of the “Rienzi” music with Meyerbeer was as successful -as the reading of the book. Two acts only were then completed, but with -these Meyerbeer expressed himself perfectly satisfied. It was just the -music to be successful in Paris, and he prognosticated for Wagner a -triumph with the Parisians. In discussing the incident with me, Wagner -said he believed Meyerbeer’s laudation of the music was perfectly -sincere, “for,” he cynically added, “the first two acts are just the -very part of the opera which please me least, and which I should like to -disown.” It means that Meyerbeer committed the unpardonable fault in -Wagner’s eyes of praising the careful and neat writing of the composer -when the score was opened. On all occasions Wagner would become -irritated if his really remarkably neat writing were praised. He would -say it was like praising the frame at the expense of the picture, and a -slight on the intelligence of the composer. - -Wagner took his place at the piano without being asked, and impetuously -attacked the score in his own rough-and-ready manner. Meyerbeer was -astonished at the rough handling of his piano. He was himself a highly -finished performer on the instrument, having begun his public artistic -career as a pianist. Wagner supplied as well as he could the vocal parts -(with as little technical perfection as his piano-playing), whilst -Meyerbeer carefully studied the score over the performer’s shoulder. The -opinion of Meyerbeer was most flattering, his admiration for Wagner -intensifying greatly when at a subsequent meeting he went through the -only complete work Wagner had brought with him to conquer Paris--“Das -Liebesverbot.” Before such lavish and warm praise Wagner’s first -distrust of Meyerbeer melted as snow before the sun’s rays. Meyerbeer -pointed to what he considered many admirable stage effects in the “Das -Liebesverbot” libretto, and thought that a man so young who could write -that and the “Rienzi” text was sure of future celebrity as a dramatist. - -Meyerbeer was profuse in his promises of help, and proposed at once to -recommend him to the director of a small Paris theatre and opera house, -though he pointed out to Wagner that letters of recommendation were of -little avail compared to personal introduction. But buoyed with such -testimonials and a letter from the Mansons, he left Boulogne, where he -was known as “le petit homme avec le grand chien,” for Paris, again -accompanied by his wife and dumb friend. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -PARIS, 1839-1842. - - -That a young artist but six and twenty years of age, with a wife -dependent on him for existence, unknown to fame, almost penniless, and -even without art works that he could show in evidence of his ability, -should boldly assault the stronghold of European musical criticism, -confident of success, often flitted before Wagner’s mind in after-life -as an act of temerity closely allied to insanity. “And ah!” he has added -in tones of bitter pain, “I had to pay for it dearly: my privations and -sufferings were as the tortures in Dante’s ‘Purgatorio.’” “But why did -you undertake such a seemingly Quixotic expedition?” I asked. “Because -at that time Paris was the resort of almost every artist of note, -whether painter, sculptor, poet, or musician, and even statesmen, when -all Europe clothed itself with the livery of Paris fashion.” He felt -within him a power which urged him forward without fear of failure, and -so he came to Paris. - -Germany offered no encouragement to native talent. Paris was the gate to -the fatherland. First achieve success in Paris, and then his German -countrymen would receive him with open arms. It is true, that even a -short residence in Paris invested an artist with a certain superiority -over his confrères. - -As Wagner had but a very imperfect acquaintance with the French -language, he at once sought out the relative of the Mansons to whom he -had been recommended. I have been unable to recall the surname of -Wagner’s new friend, but do remember well that he was spoken of as -Louis. This Monsieur Louis was a Jew and a German. He proved an -exceedingly faithful and constant companion of Wagner’s during his stay -in Paris, indeed played the part of factotum to the Wagner household. He -must have been quite an exceptional friend, for on one occasion, when -Wagner and I were discussing Judaism _per se_, he turned to me and with -unusual warmth even for him, said, “How can I feel any prejudice against -the Jews as men, when I sincerely believe that it was excess of -friendship of poor Louis for me that killed him,--running about in all -weathers, exerting himself everywhere, undertaking most unpleasant -missions to find me work, and all whilst suffering from consumption. He -did it too from pure love of me without any thought of self.” Through -the aid of Louis he found a modest lodging in a dingy house. The future -was so much an uncertainty that with the remembrance of the first days -of the Boulogne expensive hotel before him, he yielded to Minna’s -persuasiveness and reconciled himself to the new abode. He was told that -Molière was born there; indeed, a bust of the great Frenchman did, I -believe, adorn the front of the house, and this helped to make him -accept his new quarters with a little more contentment than his own -ambitious notions would have admitted. - -[Sidenote: _TROUBLES IN PARIS._] - -Settled in his scantily furnished rooms, with ready business habits, so -unusual in a genius, he made it his first duty to call wherever he had -been recommended. Difficult as it may be in any European city to gain -access to the houses of prominent men, in Paris the troubles are -greater, if only on account of that terrible Cerberus, the concierge, -who instinctively divines an applicant for favours, and as skilfully -throws obstacles in the way while angling for pourboires. - -Disappointment upon disappointment met Wagner. Nowhere was he -successful. In speech at all times he uttered himself _en prince_, and -for a man seeking the favour and patronage of others this feature -militated against him. Meyerbeer had told him in Boulogne that letters -of introduction would avail him little or nothing, and that only by -personal introduction could he hope to make headway. But though -unsuccessful in every direction, he was not the man to give up without -desperate efforts. In a few months his funds were entirely exhausted. -Where to turn for the necessary money to provide the daily sustenance -was the exciting trouble of the moment. His family in Germany had helped -him at first, but material help soon gave place to sage advice. Barren -criticism on his “mad” Parisian visit, and admonition on his present -mode of existence, Wagner would not brook, and so communications soon -ceased between him and Germany. But how to live was the harrowing -question. It is with feelings of acute pain that I am forced to recall -the deep distress that overwhelmed this mighty genius, and the -humiliating acts to which cruel necessity drove him. After one more -wretched day than the last he suggested to Minna the raising of -temporary loans upon her trinkets. Let the reader try and realize the -proud Wagner’s misery and anguish, when Minna confessed that such as she -had were already so disposed of, Louis having performed the wretched -office. - -[Sidenote: _ARRANGING POPULAR MUSIC._] - -This state of sad absolute poverty lasted for months. He could gain no -access to theatres or opera house. He offered himself as chorus master, -he would have taken the meanest appointment, but everything failed him. -With no prospect of succeeding as a musician, he turned to the press. As -he possessed a facile pen and a wide acquaintance with current -literature, he sought for existence as a newspaper hack. Here he -succeeded, and deemed himself fortunate to obtain even that thankless -work. The one man to whom he owed the chief means of existence during -this wretched Paris sojourn was a Jew, Maurice Schlesinger, the great -music publisher and proprietor of the “Gazette Musicale,” a weekly -periodical. It is curious to note how again he finds a kind friend in a -Jew. For Schlesinger he wrote critical notices and feuilletons upon art -topics, one, now famous in Wagner’s collected writings as “A Pilgrimage -to Beethoven.” The pilgrimage is wholly imaginary for as I have already -stated Wagner never saw Beethoven. The paper itself contains some -remarkable foreshadowings of the matured, thinking Wagner and his -revolutionary art principles. He also wrote for other papers, Schumann’s -“Die Neue Zeitschrift,” for a Dresden journal, and the “Europa,” a -fashionable art publication which occasionally printed original tonal -compositions. For this last paper he wrote three romances, “Dors mon -enfant,” “Attente,” and “Mignonne.” He hoped by these to gain some entry -into the Paris fashionable world, but, though he tried to assimilate his -style to the popular drawing-room ballad of the day, his songs were -pronounced “too serious,” and met with no success. - -But alas! his literary work was not financially productive enough, and -dire necessity drove him to very uncongenial musical drudgery. For the -same music-seller, Schlesinger, he made “arrangements” from popular -Italian operas, for every kind of instrument. He told me that “La -Favorita” had been arranged by him from the first note to the last. The -whole of this occupation, to a man as intimate with the orchestra as he, -was an easy task, yet very uninteresting and to him humiliating. But -though suffering actual privation, he would not give lessons in music. -Teaching was an occupation which, even in the darkest days, he would not -entertain for a moment. - -Such were the means by which Richard Wagner gained an existence during -his Paris sojourn. But they were not productive enough. Often he was in -absolute want. It was then in this hour of tribulation that the golden -qualities of Minna were proved. Sorrow, the touch-stone of man’s worth, -tried her and she was not found wanting. The hitherto quiet and gentle -housewife was transformed into a heroine. Her placid disposition was -healing comfort to the disappointed, wearied musician. The whole of the -Paris period is “a gem of purest ray serene” in the diadem of Minna -Wagner. Thoughts of what the self-denying, devoted little woman did then -has many a time brought tears to Wagner’s eyes. The most menial house -duties were performed by her with willing cheerfulness. She cleaned the -house, stood at the wash-tub, did the mending and the cooking. She hid -from the husband as much of the discomforts attaching to their poor -home as was possible. She never complained, and always strove to present -a bright, cheerful face, consoling and upholding him at all times. In -the evening she and his dog, the same that was temporarily lost in -London, were his regular companions on the boulevards. The bustle of -life and the Parisians diverted him from more anxious thoughts, whilst -supplying him with constant food for his ever-ready wit. - -In dress Wagner was at all times scrupulously neat. After nearly a -year’s residence in Paris, the clothes he had brought with him from -Germany were showing sad signs of wear. The year had been fruitless from -a money point, and his wardrobe had not been replenished. His -sensitiveness on this topic was of course well known to Minna. To give -him pleasure she hunted Paris to find, if possible, some German tailor -in a small way of business who, swayed by the blandishments of Minna, -provided her with a suit of clothes for her husband for his birthday, -22d May, 1840, agreeing to wait for payment until more favourable times. -This delicate and thoughtful attention on the part of Minna deeply -touched Wagner, and he related the incident to me in illustration of the -loving affection she bore him. He said that during those three years of -pinching poverty and bitter disappointments his temperament was variable -and trying. It was hard to bear with him. Vexed and worn with fruitless -trials to secure a hearing for his “Rienzi,” angered at witnessing the -lavish expenditure at the opera house upon works inferior to his own, he -has admitted that his already passionate nature was intensified, and yet -all his outbursts were met by Minna in an uncomplaining, soothing -spirit, which, the first fury over, he was not slow to acknowledge. Her -sacrifices for him and all she did became only known years after, when -their worldly position had changed vastly for the better. He never -forgot her devotion, nor did he ever hide his indebtedness and gratitude -to her from his friends. - -[Sidenote: _FRIENDSHIP WITH JEWS._] - -During the three years that Wagner was in Paris, he was brought into -communication with several prominent men in the world of art, men -eminent in literature, in music, both as composers and as executants, in -painting, and other phases of art. Of the dozen or so of men with whom -he thus became more intimately acquainted, the greater portion were his -own countrymen and about half were Jews. This constant close intimacy of -Wagner with the descendants of Judah is a curious feature in his life, -and shows that when he wrote as strongly as he did of Jews and their art -work, his judgments were based upon close personal knowledge of the -question. As may be supposed, the acquaintance of a young man between -twenty-six and thirty years of age with these several thinkers and -writers, could not fail to influence, more or less, an impressionable -and receptive nature. - -It was an odd freak of fortune that almost immediately after Wagner had -settled in Paris, he should, by accident, meet in the streets an old -friend from Leipzic, Heinrich Laube. It was in a paper edited by Laube -that Richard Wagner’s first printed article on the non-existence of -German opera had appeared. That was when Wagner was about one and -twenty. Laube was a political revolutionist who underwent several terms -of imprisonment for daring to utter his thoughts about Germany and its -government through his paper. But prison confinement never controlled -the dauntless courage of the patriot. He was a man of considerable and -varied gifts. It is not only as a political demagogue that he will be -known in future times, but as a philosopher, novelist, and playwright. -In Leipzic he had shown himself very friendly to Wagner, whose sound, -vigorous judgment attracted him, and now after hearing of Wagner’s -precarious situation, offered to introduce him to Heine. Such an -opportunity could not be lost, and so the cultured Hebrew poet and -Richard Wagner met. - -[Sidenote: _MEETS HEINRICH HEINE._] - -A curious trio this: Laube, hard-featured and unpleasant to look upon, -with a weirdness begotten possibly of frequent incarcerations,--a -strange contrast to the handsome, regular-featured, soft-spoken Heine; -and then the pale, slim, young Wagner, short in stature, but with -piercing eyes and voluble speech which surprised and amazed the cynical -Heine. When Heinrich Heine heard that Meyerbeer had given Wagner -introductions, he doubted the abilities of the newcomer. Heine was -strongly biassed against Meyerbeer and distrusted his sincerity. -Although the meeting with Laube was a delight to Wagner, as it brought -back to him all his youthful enthusiasm and hope, yet his appreciation -of the accomplished writer, which in Leipzic amounted almost to -reverence, had been by time and events considerably lessened. Wagner’s -greatest majesty, earnestness, was wanting in Laube. The litterateur in -Wagner’s estimation had no fixed purpose, no ideal. He frittered away -considerable gifts in innumerable directions. Incongruities the most -glaring not unfrequently appeared in his writings. A paragraph of sound -philosophical reasoning would be followed by a page of the merest -bombastic phraseology. In his dramatic efforts tragedy and farce were -placed in amazing juxtaposition. He wrote a large number of novels, but -not one proved entirely satisfactory. “Reisenovellen” was an imitation -of Heine, but it fell immeasurably below the standard attained by his -model. His best literary production was, without doubt, the history of -his life in prison, which interests and touches us by its simplicity. -However, Wagner could not resist the attraction which Laube’s -peculiarities possessed for him. The litterateur’s unprepossessing -pedantic exterior contrasted strangely with his voluptuous and -imaginative mind. Possessed of a brain specially fitted for the -conception of the noblest schemes for the freedom of human thought, he -often childishly indulged in a roguish _plaisanterie_. From a thoughtful -disquisition on the philosophy of Hegel he glides into the description -of such unworthy topics as a ball-room, love behind the scenes, -coffee-room conversation, etc. But, curiously, his revolutionary -tendencies in all other matters were in strange contrast to his -tenacious clinging to the then existing opera form, and Wagner’s -outspoken notions about the regeneration of the opera into that of the -musical drama were vehemently opposed by him. - -In Heinrich Heine Wagner found a more congenial listener to his advanced -theories. Although Heine’s appreciation of music was not based on any -more solid ground than that of a general acquaintance with the operas -then in vogue, he was far more affected, and was a greater critic on the -tonal art than his contemporary, Laube. Heine had resided in Paris since -1830, and was thoroughly acclimatized to Parisian taste. He was accepted -as the representative of modern German poetry, and his works, -particularly “Les deux Grenadiers,” “Les Polonais de la vraie Pologne,” -were popular amongst all classes. Heine was pre-eminently spiritual, a -quality exceedingly appreciated by the French; hence his popularity. -However serious or painful the topic, Heine could enliven it by his -clever Jewish antithetic wit. Heine received Wagner with a certain -amount of reserve. His respect for musicians was not great. He had found -many who, with the exception of their musical knowledge, were -uncultured. Wagner’s thorough acquaintance with literature, especially -that of the earlier writers, agreeably surprised him, and the composer’s -elevated idea of the sacred mission of music touched the nobler chords -of the poet’s nature. His opinion on Wagner, as quoted by Laube, -presents an interesting example of Heine’s perspicacity. As a specimen -of unaffected appreciation from a critic like Heine, who rarely sat in -judgment without giving vent to a vitiated vein of sarcasm, it is most -interesting. - -“I cannot help feeling a lively interest in Wagner. He is endowed with -an inexhaustible, productive mind, kept almost uninterruptedly in -activity by a vivacious temperament. From an individuality so replete -with modern culture, it is possible to expect the development of a solid -and powerful modern music.” Heine could never refrain from employing a -degenerated imitation of irony, called persiflage, as a weapon for the -purpose of mockery, and for the production of effect. Heine’s -imagination is bold, and his language idiosyncratic, though not -affected. His sentiment is deep, but his fault is the want of an ideal -outside the circle of his own ideas. In his poems, effeminate tenderness -is contrasted by a vigorous boldness, the purest sentiment by sensual -frivolity, noble thought by the meanest vulgarity, and lofty aspirations -by painful indifference. Whilst overturning all existing theories and -institutions, he failed to establish any one salutary doctrine. - -[Sidenote: _SCHLESINGER’S ADMIRATION._] - -It was a happy chance for Wagner that a man in the prominent position of -Schlesinger should have interested himself in a young musician, whose -nature was the opposite of his own. A shrewd music-seller, with an eye -always to the main chance, and an art enthusiast in close intimacy, was -a strange spectacle, only to be accounted for by the fact that opposite -natures attract, whereas similar characters repel each other. -Schlesinger admired in Wagner the very qualities of earnestness and -enthusiasm which were lacking in his own being. Meyerbeer was his deity. -It was one day in a mail coach that I found myself the travelling-companion -of Schlesinger. He talked the whole day, of Meyerbeer principally. He -said that Meyerbeer showed a commercial sagacity in composing his works -which was remarkable. Behind the stage he was as painstaking with -artists and the _mise-en scène_ as he was careful in the comfortable -seating of critics. Not the smallest journalist, nor even their -relations, failed to be seated well. Meyerbeer was the embodiment of the -art of _savoir faire_. It seemed to me, then, a curious contradiction in -my companion’s character, that he could regard such phases in a man’s -character as wonderful, and at the same time have listened to the -intemperate outpourings of the earnest Wagner. But it was so. - -At the back of Schlesinger’s music shop was a room where artists -casually met for conversation. Wagner, owing to the “musical -arrangements” for the firm and being writer for Schlesinger’s “Gazette -Musicale,” was a frequent visitor. He met many known men and noted their -speech. It all tended one way. The French were light-hearted, persiflage -was a principal subject of their composition, and for such a public only -light dainties were to be provided. They wanted the semblance and not -the reality. Amusement first and truth after. His own romances, penned, -as he hoped, in a fittingly light manner, were not light enough and as a -consequence were not pleasing enough. - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER AND BERLIOZ._] - -With Berlioz his relations were less happy. The two men met often, but -were mutually antagonistic. They admired each other always. Both were -serious and earnest, but their friendship was never intimate. In -after-life the same strained bearing towards each other was maintained. -From close observation of the two men under my roof, at the same table, -and under circumstances when they were open heart with each other, I -should say however that the constraint arose purely from their -antagonistic individualities. Berlioz was reserved, self-possessed, and -dignified. His clear, transparent delivery was as the rhythmic cadence -of a fountain. Wagner was boisterous, effusive, and his words leaped -forth as the rushing of a mountain torrent. Wagner undoubtedly in Paris -learned much from Berlioz. The new and refined orchestration taught, or -perhaps I should rather say indicated, to Wagner what could be done with -the orchestra. Indeed, Wagner has said that the instrumentation of -Berlioz influenced him, but disagrees with the use to which the -orchestra was put. To Berlioz it was the end: to Wagner, a means. -Berlioz expended his ideas in special colouristic effects, whilst -Wagner’s pre-eminent desire was truthfulness of situation, the orchestra -serving as the medium for the delineation of his ideas. Wagner paid -Berlioz a tribute in Paris by declaring that he was distinguished from -his Parisian colleagues, that he did not compose for money, and then in -the same breath sarcastically asserts that “he lacks all sense of -beauty.” This I think unfair, nor do I consider it as representing what -Wagner really wished to convey. Berlioz was undoubtedly possessed of -ideality, his intentions were noble and earnest, but in their execution -he fell short of his conceptions. However, he towers above all French -composers for earnestness of purpose and strength of intellect. - -Although Wagner often and strongly disagreed with Heine’s judgment in -matters of art, yet with one, the poet’s racy notice dated April, 1840, -published in “Lutèce,” a miscellaneous collection of letters upon -artistic and social life in Paris, he felt that the pungent criticism -was not altogether wide of the truth. Wagner kept the notice, and when -he and Berlioz were in this country together in 1855, he gave it to me, -remarking that though grotesque it was in the main faithful. As it is -very interesting I reproduce it:-- - - We will begin to-day by Berlioz, whose first concert has served as - the début of the musical season, as the overture, so to speak. His - productions, more or less new, which have been performed, found a - just tribute of applause, and even the most indolent present were - aroused by the force of his genius, which revels in creations of - the “grand master.” There is a flapping of wings, but it is not of - an ordinary bird, it is a colossal nightingale, a skylark of the - grandeur of the eagle, as it existed, it is said, in the primitive - world. Yes, the music of Berlioz, in general, has for me something - primitive, if not antediluvian, and it makes me think of extinct - gigantic beasts, of mammoths, of fabulous worlds, and of fabulous - sins; indeed, of impossibilities piled one upon another. His magic - accents recall to us Babylon, the suspended gardens of Semiramis, - the marvels of Nineveh, the bold edifices of Mizraim, such as are - seen in the pictures of the Englishman, Martin. Indeed, if we seek - for analogous productions in the realms of the painter’s art, we - find a perfect resemblance with the elective Berlioz and the - eccentric Englishman. The same outrageous sentiment of the - prodigious, of the excessive, of material immensity. With one - brilliant effect of light and darkness, with the other thundery - instrumentation: with one little melody, with the other little - colour, in both a perfect absence of beauty and of naïveté. Their - works are neither antique nor romantic, they recall to us neither - the Greek pagan, nor the mediæval catholic, but seem to lift us to - the highest point of Assyrico-Babylonio-Egyptian architecture, and - bear us back to those poems in stone which trace in the pyramids - the passion of humanity, the eternal mystery of the world. - -[Sidenote: _A NATIONAL DRAMA._] - -Of the other notabilities in the art world with whom Richard Wagner came -into contact in Paris, the chief were Halévy, Vieuxtemps, Scribe, and -Kietz. For Halévy he had great admiration. His music was honest. It had -a national flavour in it. It was of the French, French. There was a -visible effort to reflect in tones the mind and sentiment of a people -which was highly meritorious. He was the legitimate descendant of Auber, -the founder of a really national French opera. If conventionality proved -too strong for Auber, Halévy made less effort to throw off the thraldom. -The latter was wholly in the hands of opera directors, singers, ballet -masters, etc. Had he been a strong man, an artist of determination, -governed more with the noble desire to elevate his glorious art than of -pleasing popular favourites, he might have done great things. Opera -comique represented truly the national taste of the Gauls. Auber and -Halévy were the men who, assisted by Boildieu, could have laid a sure -foundation, but conventionality proved too powerful for all three. - -It is not difficult to understand why Wagner so constantly made a -“national music-drama” the subject of discourse. In his judgment a drama -reflecting the culture and life of a people was the noblest teacher of -men. It appeals direct to the heart and understanding. It is the mirror -of themselves, purified, idealized, and as such cannot fail to be the -most powerful and effective moral instructor. “National drama” was an -undying subject with Wagner. His constant effort was the founding of a -national art for his own compatriots. It was the ambition of his life, -so that after the first and so grandly successful festival performance -of the “Nibelungen” in the Bayreuth theatre, 1876, his address to the -spectators began, “My children, you have here a really German art.” No -wonder, then, that he spoke in Paris with such earnestness of the -absence of a true national opera, and of the destruction of such as -there promised to be through the attention lavished on Rossini and -Donizetti. Halévy’s “La Juive,” a grand opera, Wagner considered a -particularly praiseworthy work, and thought it promised great things. So -much did he consider it worthy of notice, that when later on he became -conductor of the Dresden Opera House, he devoted great attention to its -production and adequate rendering. - -Vieuxtemps, Wagner met occasionally, but was on less intimate terms with -him. He admired him as a virtuoso on the violin; he had a grand style, -but in his conversation and writings he was without any distinguishing -or attractive ability, adhering so steadfastly to the rigid classical -form that there was little sympathy between them. In Scribe he admired -the skill and esprit of his stage works. He saw that the Frenchman most -accurately gauged the taste of his public and was dexterous in the -manipulation of his matter. Scribe was not then at anything like the -zenith of his power, yet was possessed of a finish and delicacy in -writing that Wagner admired. Lastly, Kietz, a painter from Germany, of a -certain merit, was perhaps one of his most intimate friends. He painted -a portrait of Richard Wagner which is now regarded as very excellent. -Full of fun, his jocularity harmonized completely with Wagner’s own -humour, and, united with Louis, the three were ever at their most -comfortable and happy ease. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -PARIS, 1839-1842. _Continued._ - - -Viewed from an art standpoint, those dreary years of misery, spent in -the centre of European gaity, were the crucial epoch of Richard Wagner’s -career. Then, for the first time, was he filled with the consciousness -of the complete impossibility of the French operatic stage and its -kindred institutions outside France, ever becoming the platform from -which he could preach his doctrine of earnestness and truth. The Paris -grand opera was the hothouse of spurious art. The master who would -succeed there must abandon his inspiration and make concessions to -artists and to managers. He found the so-called grand opera tainted, an -unreal thing which dealt not with verities, but was the handmaid of -fashion. It had no heart, no living, free-flowing blood, but was a -patchwork of false sentiment rendered attractive by its gorgeous -spectacular frame. - -But it was not at one bound that Wagner arrived at this conclusion. The -turning-point was not reached until after he had himself essayed a grand -opera success, and found how inadequate and imperfect fettered -utterances were to free thoughts. Indeed, by degrees he discovered that -realism, the prime element of the grand historic opera, was completely -antagonistic to the tenderness of his own poetic instinct, idealism. He -looked too, to the grand opera for expression of the feelings of a -people, and found works manacled by a rigid conventionality. - -He had come to Paris with the “Das Liebesverbot” (the manuscript of -which, by the by, I believe passed into the possession of King Ludwig of -Bavaria: it would be interesting to see the score of this early work -written in 1834) and a portion of “Rienzi.” His aspirations were to -complete this latter in a manner worthy of the Paris stage. He attended -much the productions of the opera house. He heard Auber, Halévy, -Meyerbeer, Rossini, and Donizetti, and, as the months rolled by he grew -sick in heart at seeing the sumptuous settings devoted to works that -were paltry, mean, and artificial compared with his own. - -[Sidenote: _A CHAMPION OF AUBER._] - -Wagner was now a young man rapidly nearing thirty winters of life. He -was in a foreign land, earning a bare existence, but withal full of -earnest enthusiasm and vigorous work. A thinker always, he set himself -the problem in the midst of pinching poverty, why was it that an -unmistakable and growing aversion for the grand opera had been awakened -in him? He pondered over it. For months it exercised his mind and then, -suddenly, the revolutionary spirit of the age took possession of him, -and he threw over once for all preconceived operatic notions, and -resolved to be no longer the slave of a form walled in by -conventionality, nor the puppet of an institution like the grand opera -house, controlled by innumerable anti-artistic influences. It is from -this time that we date that glorious change in his art work which has -made music an articulate language understood by all, whereas hitherto it -had been but a lisping speech, with occasional beautiful moments -undoubtedly, but for all that, an imperfect art. - -Poor Wagner, what sorrows did he not pass through in 1840 and 1841! Now -he has stolen into the opera house to listen to the sensuous melodies of -Rossini and Meyerbeer, and afterwards wended his way home dejected and -disconsolate, with his heart a prey to the bitterest pangs. He could -vent a little of his imprisoned indignation in the “Gazette Musicale,” -and availed himself of this channel of publicity. He fell upon Rossini -and Donizetti. Why should they, aliens, dominate the French stage to the -exclusion of superior native worth and pure national sentiment? In his -opinion Auber was badly treated by the Parisians, “La Muette de -Porticci” (Masaniello), contained germs of a real national French opera. -It was a work of excellence and merited a better reception at the hands -of the composer’s countrymen. “Poor Wagner!” I feel myself again and -again unconsciously uttering, when I remember that his championship of -Auber nearly cost him the little emolument his newspaper articles -brought him, for Schlesinger administered a sharp rebuke, and told him -that if he wished to enter the political arena he must write for a -political and not a musical journal. That Wagner’s attitude toward Auber -was based on purely artistic grounds will be admitted, I think, when it -is known that during these three years of Paris life the two men never -met. - -But if the grand opera procured him no pleasure he was compensated by -the orchestral performances at the Conservatoire de Musique. Wagner has -often related an incident connected with one of his visits to the -miserable rooms of the Conservatoire in the Rue Bergère, that will never -fail to make affection’s chords vibrate with compassionate sympathy for -the beloved master. I remember well Wagner telling the story to me. It -was during his worst hours of poverty. Disappointments had fallen thick -around him. For two whole days his food had been almost nothing. -Hungered and wearied, he silently and unobtrusively entered the -Conservatoire. The orchestra were playing the “Ninth Symphony.” What -thoughts did it not recall! It was more than ten years since he had -heard the symphonies of Beethoven. Then he was in his Leipzic home. How -changed were all things now! But the music was the same! The old -enchantment overcame him. The genius of Beethoven again dazzled his -senses, and he left the concert-room broken down with grief, but more -determined and with a fixity of purpose more resolute than he had had at -any time during the Paris period. “It was,” he says, “as a blessed -reality in the midst of a maze of shifting, gloomy dreams.” He went home -invigorated with the healthy, refreshing draughts of the “Ninth -Symphony,” bent upon pouring out the feelings of his early manhood, but -falling sick, his original intentions were abandoned. - -[Sidenote: _HIS OPINION OF THE FRENCH._] - -The concerts at the Conservatoire afforded him genuine pleasure. The -director, Habeneck, seems to have been a zealous, painstaking artist, -all works conducted evidencing the very careful study they had received -at his hands. It was at the Conservatoire that Wagner’s soul of music -was fed, his heart and mind satisfied, the eye was gratified by the -magnificent mise-en-scene of the grand opera. These two institutions -exercised a vast and wholesome influence over him, though he rebelled -wholly against the dicta of the grand opera. Perhaps had it not been for -the violent antagonism the Paris opera excited within him, and the deep -feeling of revulsion that it engendered, Richard Wagner would not so -soon have come to that invaluable knowledge of himself, nor the art-fire -within have glowed with such clearness and intensity. - -To Wagner the Gallic character was at once the source of attraction and -repulsion. He admired the light-hearted gaiety, the racy wit, and -agreeable tact which seems to be the birthright of even the lowest and -least educated. Such qualities were akin to his own being. At all times -he sparkled with witty remarks, and as for tact, the times are without -number when I have seen him display a discretion and dexterity of tact -which belong only to the born diplomat. It was not tact in the common -understanding of the term, but a keen sense of perceiving when to -conciliate, when to hit hard, and when to stop. I have been present on -occasions when his language has been so intemperate and severely -sarcastic that I have expected as the only possible consequence an -unpleasant dénouement; but his fine discernment, aided by undoubted -skill and adroitness of speech, have produced a marvellous change, and I -am convinced that the happy termination was only arrived at because of -the tone of conviction in which he expressed himself. His words bore so -plainly the stamp of unadulterated truth, that those who could not agree -with him were captivated by his enthusiasm and earnestness. On the other -hand, he was repelled by the frivolous tone with which the Parisians -characteristically treated serious topics. There was a want of causality -in them. His conception of the world with its duties and obligations was -in complete contrast to theirs. Moreover, he felt they lacked true -poetic sentiment. Their poesy was superficial. It was replete with grace -and charm, nor was beauty occasionally wanting. But it did not well up -from their hearts. They associated it closely with every action of life -but it was more often the veneer than the thing itself that shone. And -again, their proclivities were in favour of realism, whereas his own -sentiments were entwined round a poetic ideal. It was during this Paris -period that the aspiration for the ideal burst forth with an intensity -that never afterwards dimmed. The longing for the ideal was no new -sensation. Flashes had been observed earlier at Leipzic when under the -fascination of Beethoven’s symphonies, but, ambition, love of fame, and -a not unnatural youthful desire to acquire wealth had diverted him from -the ideal to the real, and it was not till saddened with disappointments -and sorely tried in the crucible of misfortune that he emerged purified, -with a vision of his ideal beautified and enthroned on high, resolved -henceforth never to tire in his efforts to achieve his purpose. - -[Sidenote: _THE REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT._] - -I should not omit to refer to certain observations Wagner made upon the -military and police element in these early Paris years. He was a keen -scrutinizer of men and manners, and failed not to observe the power -wielded by the army. The French were a pageant-loving people, but were -heavily burdened to maintain their large military force. Poverty was a -natural result, and bitter feelings were engendered towards a -government which employed the army as an awe-inspiring power towards -peaceful citizens. Though the soldier was drawn from the people, yet as -the unit of an army he came to be regarded as an enemy of his class. Nor -was Wagner more satisfied with the police. He said he never could be -brought to regard them as custodians of the peace and protectors of the -rights of citizens. Instead of being well-disposed, they assumed a -hostile attitude towards civilians. Perhaps these may seem items of no -great importance, but to me the shrewd, perceptive Wagner of 1840-41, -with his revolt against an overbearing military and police is the father -of the revolutionist of 1848. It is but a short space of seven years. - -With all its attendant suffering and weariness Wagner was accustomed to -regard his first sojourn in Paris as the most eventful period of his -life in the cause of art. There he burnt the ships of the youthful -aspirant for public renown. Worldly tribulation tried and proved him, -and the art genius emerged from the conflict purified and strengthened. -As he says in his short autobiographical sketch, “The spirit of -revolution took possession of me once forever.” As it is not an uncommon -fact in history that great events have often been brought about by most -trifling incidents, so now did the first step in this wondrous -development arise out of an apparently unimportant conversation to which -I shall shortly refer. He had come to Paris sustained by an -over-sanguine conviction of compelling French admiration by a rich -display of its own art proclivities. Omitting for the moment his “Faust” -overture, he first completed “Rienzi,” in the all-spectacular spirit -suited to the grand opera house. Then, as far as actual production went, -ensued nearly a year of sterility, only to be followed by the advent of -the poetic ideal which, when once cherished, was never afterwards cast -aside. It was the poet who was now asserting his power. Poesy was -claiming its birthright with the tonal art, and as the holy union of the -twin arts manifested itself before his seer-like vision, so the artist, -Wagner, the creator of a music whose every phase glows with the blood of -life, so the poet-musician clearly perceiving his ideal, strove towards -its attainment and never abated his efforts to realize his object, nor -turned aside from its pursuit. - -It is a matter of vast interest to learn how he was led in this -direction. Some months after he had been in Paris, with little prospect -of obtaining a hearing at the grand opera house, and suffering the -keenest pangs of poverty, he heard the “Ninth Symphony” at the -Conservatoire. He had heard it years ago, but now its story, its -“programme,” was clear before him. He too would write a symphony. He -would speak the feelings within him, and music should be a “reality” and -not the language of mysticism. - -[Sidenote: _“EINE FAUST” OVERTURE._] - -Overburdened with such feelings as these, a few days later he entered -the music shop of Schlesinger. There was news for him. The publisher had -a proposition which he thought promised well for Wagner. Deeply -interested in his penniless, enthusiastic compatriot, he had almost -brought to a successful conclusion an arrangement by which Wagner was to -write a piece for a boulevard theatre. The conditions were that the -trifle should be light and showy, nothing serious, but attractive. Such -an offer at any other period prior to this, Wagner said he would have -gladly welcomed. The time, however, was inopportune. Unfortunately for -him, but to the incalculable gain of the art, just now he was under the -magnetic influence of the “Ninth Symphony.” He seems to have burst into -an uncontrollable onslaught upon the trivialities that ruled the French -stage. He would have none of them. Music now for him was a “blessed -reality,” and the hollow fictions of the boulevard theatres were -unworthy of a true artist. Schlesinger reasoned with him, urged the -wisdom of accepting the offer, though at the same time uncompromising in -his demand that the proposed piece must not be serious, and must be -written to suit the tastes of the uneducated public. But Wagner was not -to be won over, quoting the dictum of Schiller, a great favourite with -him, that “the artist should not be the bantling of his period, but its -teacher.” No arrangement come to, Wagner went home. It was raining -heavily. Excited and wet through, he talked wildly to Minna, the result -being that he was put to bed with a severe attack of erysipelas. -Brooding over his position, angered with the world and himself, caring -not for life, his thoughts reverted to the “Ninth Symphony,” and he, -with the energy of a sick, strong-willed man, resolved to write -forthwith that which should be the expression of his pent-up rage with -the world, and, as by magic, he fell upon the story of Faust. To Wagner, -then, as to the aged student, “Life was a burden, and death a desired -consummation.” And so he plunged with his woes thick upon him into the -composition, superscribing his work with the words of Faust:-- - - Thou God, who reigns within my heart, - Alone can touch my soul. - -[Sidenote: _HEINE’S “FLYING DUTCHMAN.”_] - -While writing this, Wagner told me, that then for the first time did -music speak to him in plain language. The subjects poured hot out of his -heart as molten metal from a furnace. It was not music he wrote, but the -sorrows of his soul that transformed themselves into sounds. His illness -lasted for about a week, the erysipelas attacking his face and head. The -forced reflection upon the past that his confinement induced was bitter, -but his floating ideas about the poetic drama were cemented. That -sick-chamber was the hothouse of the “romantic” Wagner. There the -revolutionary views first gathered strength and the germs of the “art of -the future” consolidated themselves. All his thoughts and feelings upon -the future he communicated to his gentle nurse, Minna, who was always a -ready listener to his seemingly random talk. This quality of “a good -listener,” of always lending a sympathetic ear, was perhaps more -soothing and valuable than a criticising, discerning companion might -have been to him, especially during his days of sickness. He had also -another ever-ready and attentive auditor, his dog, the companion of his -voyage from Riga to London and thence to Paris. How fond he was of that -dumb brute! The innumerable times he addressed it as if it were a human -being! And Wagner was not forgetful of its memory. During the worst -hours of want he wrote for a newspaper a short story entitled, “The end -of a German Musician in Paris”; in that one sees with what affection he -regarded his devoted friend. The principal character in this realistic -romance is himself, whom he causes to die through starvation. In that -the sorrow and suffering endured by Wagner are set forth in a manner -that touches one to the quick. As soon as he was sufficiently -recovered, he did not, as the majority of natures would have done, rest -from all active mental work, but at once vigorously attacked his -unfinished “Rienzi,” the remaining acts of which were completed by the -end of the year 1840. A curious fate Wagner’s. He had embarked upon a -hazardous voyage to the French capital with the view of producing -“Rienzi” there, and yet no sooner was the work quite finished than he -despatched it to Germany, hoping to get it performed at Dresden. A -glance at the music reveals the gulf that separates the Wagner of the -first two acts--composed before he came to Paris--from the writer of the -remaining three. Yet another composition, a complete opera, was given to -the world in Paris in the end of 1841. It has the unique distinction of -being the work of Wagner that occupied the shortest time in writing. -From the time of its inception--I am now speaking only of the music--to -its completion, about seven weeks sufficed for the work. The poem had -been completed some months earlier. He had submitted “Rienzi” to the -director of the grand opera, who gave him no tangible hope of its being -accepted, but promised to do his best in producing a shorter opera by -him. This engagement on the part of the director, though not couched in -unequivocal terms, was not to be allowed to drop. Wagner went to Heine -and discussed the situation. Among the subjects proposed for an opera -was Heine’s own treatment of the romantic legend of “The Flying -Dutchman” and his spectral crew. The story was not new to Wagner. He had -heard it for the first time from the lips of the sailors on his voyage -to London. Then it had impressed him. Now it took hold of him. - -How this legend of the ill-fated mariner came to form the basis of an -opera text is curious and interesting. There are few, perhaps, who have -any notions from what crude material the significant “Dutchman,” as we -know it, was fashioned. - -There existed in England, and a copy can still be obtained from French, -the Strand theatrical publisher, a melodramatic burlesque by Fitzball, a -prolific writer for the English stage, entitled “Vanderdecken, or The -Phantom Ship.” To mention the names of three of the original dramatis -personae, Captain Peppersal, the father of the Senta, Von Swiggs, a -drunken Dutchman in love with Senta, and Smutta, a black servant, the -character and mode of treatment of the story will be at once perceived. -Vanderdecken retains much of the legendary lore with which we are -accustomed to surround him, except that Fitzball causes him occasionally -to appear and disappear in blue and red fire. Vanderdecken too is under -a spell; the utterance of a single word though it be joy at his -acceptance by Senta, will consign him again to his terrible fate for -another thousand years. - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER’S “FLYING DUTCHMAN.”_] - -It was a perusal of this medley, of the spectral and burlesque, which -led Heine to treat the story after his own heart, and it was the -discussion with the poet that determined Wagner in his choice of -subject. The libretto was finished and delivered to the director, who, -whilst expressing entire satisfaction at the work, only asked its price -so that he might deliver it to a composer to whom a text had been -promised, and whose opera had the next right of being accepted. The poem -was not sold, and Wagner turned again to his “arranging” drudgery. -Later, however, he retook his text. The subject-legend was in the -highest manner adapted for musical treatment. Whilst writing the poem he -had felt in a very different mood than when writing the “Rienzi” text. -In the latter, his object was a story so arranged as would admit of the -then orthodox operatic treatment with its set forms of solos, choruses, -ensembles, etc., etc. Wagner was a man of thought. He did not perform -things in a haphazard manner. He saw his mark and flew to it. The -historic opera, he reasoned, demanded a precise and careful treatment of -detail incidents. This was not the province of music. The tonal art was -a medium for the expression of feelings, to illustrate the workings of -the heart. Now with legend the conditions are entirely opposite to those -demanded by the historic opera. It is of no consequence among what -people a particular legend originated. Place and period are equally -unimportant. Romantic legends possess this superlative advantage over -historical subjects; no matter when the period, or where the place, or -who the people, the legends are invested with none of the trammelling -conditions of nationality or epoch, but treat exclusively of that which -is human. This is an immense gain to both poet and musician. By this -process of reasoning, Wagner gradually came to exclude word-repetition. -In the “Dutchman” much verbal reiteration is still indulged in; but the -story and treatment show us the real Wagner of the future. - -As to the composition of the music, I have heard so much from Wagner on -this particular opera, to convince me that, though it occupied but a few -weeks, it was not done without much careful thought. The scaffolding -upon which it was constructed is very clear. Indeed, the “make” of the -whole work is most transparent. There are three chief subjects. (1) -Senta’s song, (2) Sailor’s and (3) Spinning chorus, and those have been -woven into an organic whole by thoughtful work. - -In the summer of 1866, I was sitting with Wagner at dinner in his house -at Munich. It chanced that the conversation turned upon the weary -mariner, his yearning for land and love, and Wagner’s own longing for -his fatherland at the time he composed the “Dutchman,” when going to a -piano that stood near him, he said, “The pent-up anguish, the -homesickness that then held complete possession of me, were poured out -in this phrase,”--playing the short cadence of two bars thrice repeated -that preludes Vanderdecken’s recital to Daland of his woeful wanderings. -“At the end of the phrase, on the diminished seventh, in my mind I -paused and brooded over the past, the repetitions, each higher, -interpreting the increased intensity of my sufferings,” and, Wagner went -on, that with each note he originally intended that Vanderdecken should -move but one step, and move only in time with the music. Now this -careful premeditated tonal working in the young man of twenty-eight is -indicative, as much as any portion of Wagner is, of his _style_, a word -of pregnant meaning when used in relation to Wagner’s works. - -[Sidenote: _HE LEAVES PARIS._] - -The “Dutchman” was written at Mendon, a village about five miles from -Paris. It was composed at the piano. This incident is of importance, -since for several months he had not written a note, and knew not whether -he still possessed the power of composing. He had left Paris because of -the noise and bustle, and to his horror discovered that his new landlord -was a collector of musical instruments, so there was little likelihood -of securing the quietude he so much desired. When the work was finished, -conscious that realistic France was not the place where he could produce -his poetic ideal, he despatched it to Meyerbeer, then in Germany, whose -aid he solicited in getting it performed. Replies were not encouraging. -Meanwhile, sorely harassed how to provide life’s necessities, he sold, -under pressure, his manuscript of the poem for £20. - -The sole ray of hope, the one chance of rescue from this sad plight, lay -in “Rienzi.” It had been accepted at Dresden and in the spring of 1842 -he was informed that it was about to be put into preparation and his -presence would be desirable. He therefore left Paris for Germany after -nearly three years of absence. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -DRESDEN, 1842-1843. - - -From now begins a new epoch in Wagner’s life. The call he had received -from Dresden filled him with delirious joy. The world was not large -enough to hold him. He trod on air. That Dresden, the hallowed scene of -Weber’s labours, possessing the then first theatre in Germany, famed -alike for its productions, style, and artists, should accept his work, -and request his presence to supervise the rehearsals, was an -acknowledgment which transformed, as by magic, a sombre, cruel outlook -into a gloriously bright and warm future. - -He was very sanguine of succeeding with “Rienzi.” It was completely in -the style of the foreign operas then in vogue among his countrymen. -Germany had no opera of her own. Mozart and Gluck both composed in the -French and Italian style, and Meyerbeer, the then ruler of the German -operatic stage, fashioned his popular works on the spectacular style of -the grand French opera. “Rienzi” was spectacular, with plenty of the -same description of material as “Les Huguenots.” So Wagner’s hopes ran -high, and a vista of happiness spread itself before him as an enchanted -fairy-land. - -[Sidenote: _THE CHOSEN OF DRESDEN._] - -With joy he took leave of Schlesinger and his few Parisian intimates, -and set out for Germany, his fatherland. His fatherland! what a sea of -tumultuous feelings did that thought of returning home produce in him. -He was going back a conqueror. The creative artist was at last -recognized; he was rescued from desperate distress at the very moment it -seemed as if he were going to succumb to the conflict. It is difficult -to at all thoroughly understand what Wagner went through after he had -been summoned to Germany. The transformation scene in his life’s drama -was taking place. Again and again has he expatiated upon it with an -honesty characteristic of him, and with a volubility that laid bare all -his heart’s hopes and emotions at the time. - -Paris had not accepted him. He came, he saw, but had not conquered. His -soul had swelled with artistic ambition; he was enthusiastic, desiring a -platform from which to expound his cherished tenets; and Paris ignored -him, treated his projects and himself as nought, and for all it cared, -he might have perished unheeded, with none but his dog to mourn his -loss. And now, from an unacknowledged artist, he was the chosen of -celebrated Dresden, still warm with the inspired accents of his -“beloved” Weber. Well might he become delirious with joy. - -His homeward journey was full of happy incident and profit. He heard his -native language again as the common tongue. Of German as a language -Wagner was always enamoured. He possessed a large vocabulary himself, -was a poet of no mean rank, and had always a wealth of illustration -ready at command. Now to hear German spoken about him was delight. He -was in a happy frame, ready to be touched with whatever he saw. The -Rhine unusually excited him. In later years, when writing of the period, -he tells us that at sight of the Rhine he vowed eternal fidelity to his -country. He remarked to me, in his poetic language, that its eddying -wavelets seemed to be telling him its legends, and dolefully inquiring, -Why did you leave us? He was happy to come home. His escape from -feverish, sensuous Paris, to his healthy, honest fatherland, was, to use -his own graphic analogy, as Tannhäuser emerging from the Venus grotto to -breathe the invigorating, bracing atmosphere of the German mountains. It -was the awakening from an oppressive nightmare. The unvarnished -straightforwardness of the German character welcomed him with the -affection of fond parents. With all its rude plainness and stolidity, he -loved the German mind. It was sincere, true, and made the French -courteous polish, which he had just quitted, seem as a thing unreal, a -lacquer, an affection that became offensive. - -The return of Wagner and his wife to Dresden was particularly agreeable -to the latter. In Dresden, she had a reputation as an actress, though -not in the first rank, yet she was somebody, and would be so recognized. -Besides, there she could have the respect paid to her due to the wife of -the composer of “Rienzi.” Poor Minna! what a patient and gentle woman -she was. To hear her unaffected talk of the change in her own position, -on their coming to live in Dresden, was touching, indeed. In Paris she -had been a drudge, and no one knew but Wagner the half of her heroism, -self-denial, and suffering. Now for her, too, the horizon was clearing, -and it was with difficulty that she endeavoured to restrain the -overflowing hopefulness of Richard. But he would not be repressed, and -on nearing Dresden the two who had suffered together consoled and -encouraged each other with visions of prospective prosperity. - -[Sidenote: _A VISIT TO REISSIGER._] - -A change of scene was always conducive to happiness in Wagner. For the -first few days he visited well-remembered spots. He had a veritable -passion for at once setting off to see familiar places. The joy of -Dresden homely life contrasted with the Paris mode of living, acted like -a charm on him. His spirits were at their best, his health good, and the -kindly greetings he met everywhere worked together to make him -thoroughly enjoy life. His sister Rosalie, the actress, was dead, so -that all that was really known of him when he came to Dresden was that -he was born at Leipzic, had been educated at the Dresden Schule, and had -wholly written and composed two operas, and was the brother of the late -Rosalie Wagner. - -One of his first visits was to Reissiger, chief conductor at the Royal -Opera (where Wagner’s “Rienzi” was to be performed), and of the Royal -Chapel. Reissiger was some fifteen years older than Richard Wagner. He -had been trained in the school of strict fugue and counterpoint at -Leipzic, and as a musician was prolific and clever, but lacked poetical -inspiration and intellectual power. He was eminently a professor. He -received Wagner politely, praised the “Rienzi,” the score of which he -knew, but with it all maintained an attitude of reserve. Wagner, who was -on the best terms with himself and the world, ready to embrace -everybody, was cooled by his reception, and felt that he could never be -intimate with Reissiger, who occupied the greater part of their first -interview with complaints about his own non-success on the operatic -stage, all of which he peevishly attributed to the shortcomings of the -_libretti_. - -If, however, Wagner was disappointed with his probable standing with -Reissiger, he was amply compensated by the warmth and spontaneity of -Fischer’s greeting. Fischer was stage manager and chorus director. He -was a musician of superior attainments, a man of sound reflection, and -felt that theirs was to be a friendship for life. He was enthusiastic -about “Rienzi,” foretold a certain success, and showed his earnestness -by untiring activity in training the chorus, so important in the new -work. He proved of invaluable service to Wagner by describing the -character and temperament of the many individuals connected with the -theatre with whom he would come into contact. - -There was yet another friend who affectionately greeted Wagner. -Tichatschek, the “Rienzi” of the forthcoming performance. Tichatschek -was of heroic stature, finely proportioned, and dignified in bearing. He -was enraptured with his part. He saw in it one which fitted him to -perfection, both as to physical appearance and vocal powers, which, in -his case, were strong and enduring. - -A passing cloud was the absence of the “Adriano,” his womanly ideal, -Schroeder-Devrient. But she soon came to Dresden and was present at the -“Rienzi” rehearsals. Wagner related to her the episode of the -_Dreadnought_, and the fate of her precious gift, the snuff-box, when -she pleasantly rejoined that “Rienzi” would produce him a shower of -golden snuff-boxes from all the potentates of Germany, so convinced was -she of its success. - -[Sidenote: _PRODUCTION OF “RIENZI.”_] - -“Rienzi” was performed at the end of 1842. An unquestioned success, -everybody enthusiastic, the orchestra played with an energy that went -quite beyond the phlegmatic Reissiger who conducted. Apart from the -effective situations, the well-treated story and verve with which the -chief characters worked, there is no doubt that a great portion of the -success was due to the splendid appearance of Tichatschek. Commanding in -stature and clad in glittering armour, possessing a powerful voice which -he used to advantage, the audience were enraptured with the hero and -cheered him lustily. The processions, the conflagrations, and all those -stage effects so skilfully calculated by Wagner and intended for the -grand opera house, Paris, appealed to the spectacle-loving portion of -the playgoers. The plot, the revolt of an oppressed people, was -unquestionably in harmony with the spirit of the period, for revolution -was in the air; all over Germany there were disquieting signs. It has -often been suggested that “Rienzi” was a confession of faith of Wagner’s -political, so-called revolutionary, principles, and was a forecast of -the democratic storm of 1848, but it need scarcely be said that it was -mere coincidence. - -I have now arrived at the time when my own acquaintance with Richard -Wagner began. It was in the beginning of the spring of 1843. Wagner had -been appointed in January of that year co-chief conductor at the opera -with Reissiger, but the superiority of his intellectual and artistic -abilities over the homespun plebeian Reissiger soon gave him the first -position in Dresden. Their second in command was August Roeckel. Roeckel -was my most intimate friend. We were of the same age, and had but one -judgment upon music. He was the nephew of Nepomuck Hummel and possessed -much of the talent of that celebrated pianist. He was also a composer of -merit; indeed, it was by reason of the sound musicianly skill displayed -in his opera “Farinelli” that he was appointed second music director at -Dresden, similarly as Wagner had been appointed chief director through -the success of “Rienzi.” The director of the opera had accepted -“Farinelli” and announced a performance, but so dazzled was Roeckel by -the brilliancy of Wagner’s genius that he withdrew “Farinelli” and would -under no circumstances permit its production. This act of -self-effacement accurately paints the character of the over-modest man. -Between Wagner and Roeckel the closest intimacy sprang up. Through all -that stormy period of the revolution, Wagner thought and spoke of none -other as he did of Roeckel. They were twin souls. For range of -knowledge, active intelligence, and similarity of thought, Wagner had -met with no one more congenial to him, and, I must add, none worshipped -Wagner as August Roeckel did. He had resided in London and Paris, and -the literature of both countries was as familiar to him as that of his -native land. The first description I had of Richard Wagner was from -August Roeckel. I had such complete confidence in his perception and -judgment that I was at once won over to Wagner’s side by the tone of -hero-worship that pervaded the letter. Happily it has been preserved and -I now reproduce it:-- - -[Sidenote: _INFLUENCE OF ROECKEL._] - - At last fortune smiles on me. Think, I have been appointed - Sachsischer music director, at the head of the most celebrated - orchestra of Germany, no longer doomed to give lessons, my horror - and abomination. “Farinelli,” after all, was the right thing, but - what chiefly reminds me of your perspicacity was the encouragement - in regard to my pianoforte playing. Now that is of the greatest - importance in helping me to establishing a name here. It was but - natural that I doubted my gift as a pianist, when Edward (his - brother) was the favourite of uncle “Hummel,” but when at Vienna, - I remembered your prophecy, and worked at the piano harder than - ever, and now it stands me in good stead. Henceforth, I drop myself - into a well, because I am going to speak of the man whose greatness - overshadows that of all other men I have met, either in France or - England,--our new friend, Richard Wagner. I say advisedly, our - friend, for he knows you from my description as well as I do. You - cannot imagine how the daily intercourse with him develops my - admiration for his genius. His earnestness in art is religious; he - looks upon the drama as the pulpit from which the people should be - taught, and his views on a combination of the different arts for - that purpose opens up an exciting theory, as new as it is ideal. - You would love him, aye, worship him as I do, for to gigantic - powers of intellect he unites the sportive playfulness of a child. - I have a great advantage over him in piano-playing. It seems - strange, but his playing is ludicrously defective; so much so, that - when anything is to be tried I take the piano and my sight-reading - seems to please him vastly. - - DRESDEN, March, 1843. - -My correspondence with August Roeckel was at this period a large one. He -had a religious reverence for the gift, intellectual attainments, and -eloquence of his new friend, topics which constitute the main theme of -his letters. That Roeckel had an equal sway over Wagner in another -direction, viz. politics, arose, too, from that same earnest enthusiasm, -the parent of Wagner’s own successful art efforts. It is necessary that -I should explain that Roeckel was Wagner’s shadow. They were -inseparable, visiting each other during the day and at the theatre -together at night. They had, so Wagner told me afterwards, a life in -common. He was as much fired by Roeckel’s wealth of literary lore, his -heroic notions of life and duty, and the claim of a people to be well -governed, as Roeckel was sympathetic and appreciative of those art -theories which, according to Wagner, formed the upper stratum of man’s -existence. Roeckel’s view is therefore the judgment of Wagner’s other -self, and as such has a right of existence here. It is full of warm -interest about Wagner, who, in later years, greatly enjoyed the perusal -of the correspondence. The absolute worship of Roeckel for his chief -shows itself in the following letter written under the influence of -early relations:-- - - I have the most affectionate letter from Bamberg. They want me back - there, offer me greater advantages, urging that I was the first and - only conductor there, whilst at Dresden I am but second. But can - they understand to whom I am second? Such a man as Richard Wagner I - never yet met, and you know I am not inclined to Caesar’s maxim, - that it were better to be the first in a village than the second in - Rome. I have begun to rescore my opera under Wagner’s supervision; - his frank criticism has opened my eyes to some very important - instrumental defects. His notions of scoring are most novel, most - daring, and altogether marvellous; but not more so than his - elevated notions about the high purpose of the dramatic art; - indeed, they foreshadow a new era in the history of art. - - DRESDEN. - -[Sidenote: _BERLIOZ AND WAGNER._] - -An incident of interest in the first part of 1843 was a visit of Hector -Berlioz to Wagner. The great Frenchman came to hear “Rienzi.” Satisfied -he was not; about the only number that he thought meritorious was the -prayer. With the “Dutchman,” which he also heard, he was even still less -contented. He complained of the excess of instrumentation. This is -curious, to put it gently, that a composer who employs four orchestras -with twelve kettledrums in one work, whose own scoring is noted for -excessive employment of means, should make such a charge. It is -inexplicable. The truth is, Berlioz was jealous of Wagner. Roeckel had -been intimate with Berlioz in Paris. The father of Roeckel was the -impressario who introduced the first complete German opera troupe to -Paris and London. He had been an intimate friend of Beethoven, had -impersonated “Florestan” in “Fidelio,” and, indeed, had been tutored by -the composer for the tenor part. The elder Roeckel’s company included -Schroeder-Devrient when he went to Paris. August Roeckel was therefore -well known to Berlioz, and Schroeder-Devrient, having travelled with -Roeckel’s father, and being known intimately by August, was also a link -between Wagner and himself. When, therefore, Berlioz came to Dresden, -August was delighted, and was always present at the friendly meetings of -the two composers. He wrote to me that their meetings were embarrassed. -Wagner was first attracted, but the cold, austere, though always -polished demeanour of Berlioz checked Wagner’s enthusiasm. He had the -air of patronizing Wagner; his speech was bitter, freezing the -boisterous expansiveness of Wagner. At times the conversation was so -strained that Roeckel was of opinion that Berlioz intentionally slighted -Wagner. The more they were together, the less they appeared to -understand each other; and yet, notwithstanding the fastidious -criticism, the constant fault-finding of Berlioz, he took pains to -arrange meetings with Wagner, naturally fascinated by the vigour with -which Wagner discussed art. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -1843-1844. - - -[Sidenote: _A TOUCH OF HIS HUMOUR._] - -However inclined the Dresden musical press may have been to be captious -and antagonistic towards Wagner, there were certain decided evidences of -gifts whose existence they could not deny, and which they were -reluctantly compelled to acknowledge, in spite of their openly -pronounced hostility. The rehearsing and conducting of “Rienzi” and the -“Dutchman” had established Wagner’s reputation as a conductor of unusual -ability. “But,” said his censorious critics, “that proves nothing, for -he worked with heart and soul to secure success, just because the operas -were his own. Wait until he is called upon to produce a classic; then we -shall see.” They had not to wait long. Within a month, Gluck’s “Armide” -and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” were performed under his bâton. His reading -of both was original. He had, first, his individual conception of the -opera as an organic art work, and then very pronounced views as to the -manner in which each should be studied and performed. He spared not the -orchestra. This not unnaturally created among the less intelligent some -amount of irritation. Custom had sanctioned a certain slovenly -rendering, and they revolted at the revolutionary spirit of the new -conductor. But the openly expressed appreciation of the unquestioned -abilities of the conductor by the leading members of the orchestra, was -not without effect upon the malcontents. The friction did not last long; -a marked improvement was felt by all, and Wagner’s irrepressible animal -spirits and jocularity won over even the drudges. I have it from August -Roeckel, his colleague at the desk, that the intelligent members of the -orchestra idolized Wagner, and never wearied under his bâton. - -Wagner was possessed of a keen sense of euphonic balance. The -predominance of one section of the orchestra over another, except where -specially required to produce certain effects, he would not tolerate, be -the defaulting instrument ever so difficult to control. On one occasion -the trombones were excessively noisy at a “Rienzi” rehearsal in the -overture, where they should accompany the violins _piano_. Their braying -aroused Wagner’s anger; however, with ready wit, instead of a reproof, a -joke, and turning good-humouredly to the culprits, he laughingly said, -“Gentlemen, if I mistake not, we are in Dresden, and not marching round -Jericho, where your ancestors, strong of lung, blew down the city -walls.” The humour of the admonition was not lost, and after a moment’s -general hilarity Wagner obtained the desired effect. - -[Sidenote: _SPOHR’S KINDLY DEED._] - -Wagner was a born disciplinarian. He held the orchestra completely in -the palm of his hand. The members were so many pawns which he moved at -will, responding to his slightest expressed wish. The rigid enforcement -of his will upon the players became talked of outside the doors of the -theatre. The critics could not understand why he should wish to change -the order of things, have a greater number and longer rehearsals than -any one else, and have the works performed in his heterodox way; and so, -they first ridiculed him, and then uncompromisingly attacked him, -attacks which, it is regrettable to add, lasted all the years he -remained in Dresden. But for all this, he was not to be deterred from -his purpose. He knew what he wanted, and meant to have it, and in this -Wagner has again and again acknowledged to me his indebtedness to August -Roeckel, who so ably seconded his chief. According to Wagner’s notions -the masterpieces of German musicians could never be properly understood -by the music-loving public, owing to their imperfect and faulty -rendering under conductors who were so many automaton time-beaters. -Great works of all descriptions were produced in a styleless manner, no -regard, indeed, but very little effort, being made to discover the -intention of the composer. All were rendered in the same pointless -manner. This was revolting to his sense of artistic probity, therefore -when he held the office of conductor he altered this almost dishonest -state of things, for it was dishonest not to seek to reproduce a -composer’s intention. Thus the works of all masters suffered. Therefore -Wagner made it a rule that whatever he conducted should be, when -possible, entirely committed to memory. His earnestness became -infectious, until players and singers became animated by one feeling. -They felt that he, at the desk, was as much a worker as any of them, and -the result was a performance hitherto unknown for perfection. It -happened, therefore, that when “Don Giovanni” was given, according to -his feelings and as he willed it, the critics fell upon him fiercely, -going so far even as to declare he did not understand Mozart, so -unexpectedly new did they find his conception. The contest waged hotly. -A large and important body of directors of art opinion selected the -phlegmatic Reissiger as their idol, and lauded him indiscriminately. It -is, to say the least, strange that there should have been found any one -to prefer a man of the diminutive talents of Reissiger to Richard -Wagner. The former was a pure mechanic, respectable in his way, but -completely overshadowed by the mighty genius of Wagner. This study of -conductors and conducting was a phase of his art to which Wagner devoted -much careful thought, embodying at a later period his views in a -pamphlet on the subject, which will be found invaluable by orchestral -conductors of every degree. - -An incident of this year, 1843, his first at Dresden, to which Wagner -referred with pleasure, was the performance of the “Dutchman” at Cassel -by Spohr. It was done entirely on its merits, without any solicitation -from Wagner, the pleasure being intensified by reason of the ripe age of -the conductor and his well-known reverence for the orthodox. Spohr was -sixty-nine, and Richard Wagner thirty. Wagner felt and expressed himself -as deeply touched at the interest a musician of such opposite tendencies -should take in his work, particularly, too, on receiving later a letter -from Spohr expressing the delight he experienced on making the -acquaintance of a young artist who showed in all he did such earnestness -and striving after truth. When Wagner related this to me, wondering at -the curious contradiction in Spohr’s character, I remarked that the -solution seemed to lie in the gentle, almost effeminate nature of Spohr, -which found its completion in the robust, manly vigour of Wagner’s own -conceptions. - -How Spohr could have been attracted by Wagner, and repulsed by the “last -period” of Beethoven, is a contradiction difficult to account for; but -that it existed is beyond doubt, for the last time he was in London, -about 1850-51, I put the question direct to him whether it was true, as -asserted, that he had stigmatized the third period of Beethoven as -“barbarous music,” to which he promptly and emphatically replied, “Yes, -I do think it barbarous music.” After the performance at Cassel, Wagner -endeavoured to get the “Dutchman” accepted elsewhere, but signally -failed; from Munich, where a quarter of a century later he was to be the -ruling spirit, came the discouraging response that “it was not German -enough,” though the composer thought this its distinguishing merit. - -[Sidenote: _HIS PECULIAR DRESS._] - -The acrimoniously bitter attacks that were made upon Wagner, during his -first year at Dresden, increased in poignancy, as he showed himself -uncontrolled by custom’s laws. He affected a careless, defiant attitude -towards all criticism, whereas he was abnormally sensitive to -journalistic opinion. He could scoff, play the cynic, treat his opponent -with derisive scorn, but it was all simulated; the iron entered into his -soul, and he chafed and grew irritable under it. It was as though he -suffered a bodily castigation. He brooded over the attacks, and there -can be no doubt that they caused him moments of acute pain. It is true -that in combat he could parry and thrust with as much vigour as his -opponents; that the sting of his reproof was as torturing as any he -suffered; perhaps even that his assaults were more annihilating than -the occasion demanded; yet with it all, though he emerged from the -contest victorious, he suffered deeply, acutely. There can be no doubt -that the genesis of this hostile criticism was directed more against the -man than his art work, and that wounded personality played an important -part in it. Richard Wagner was seen to be a man of artistic taste, with -proclivities which were exhibited in his domestic surroundings, novel, -perhaps, to the somewhat heavy Dresdenites. First, Wagner’s attire was -different from that of the ordinary individual. He persisted in wearing -in the house a velvet dressing-gown and a biretta, truly an uncommon -head-gear. His apartments were asserted to be upholstered luxuriously. -And in these things the art critics (?) saw a target for ridicule and -sarcasm. Now that his apartments were furnished in a costly manner is -absolutely untrue. Wagner had a keen appreciation of the beautiful, and -loved tasty decoration, but it was secured at the minimum of cost. The -thrifty Minna contrived and invented, to gratify Wagner’s fancies, at an -outlay which does credit to German thrift. And yet there were found -Dresden journals that went so far as to discuss his mode of living, -attributing all the apparent extravagance to gratification of an -over-rated self-esteem, the appeasing of an inordinate vanity. - -A year of vexation! a year of consolidation was 1844! From Wagner I have -often heard it: “My failures were the stepping-stones to success”; and -this year, when the hot blood of ambition coursed violently through his -youthful veins, when he aimed as high as the heavens, and met with -failures everywhere, when directors of German opera houses returned his -scores “unopened” or pronounced them unripe and lacking in melody, -truly, it was an epoch of bitter disappointment. Attacked relentlessly -by journalistic hacks, imbued with the bitter feeling that he was the -rejected of his countrymen; that for him there was not a glimmer of hope -of success on the German stage, and yet convinced of his own exceptional -gifts, and the living truth of the mission he was destined to -accomplish, he, broken down in spirit, angered with the world, and -fractious with himself, retired from all intercourse with his -fellow-men, shunned society as the plague, appeared at the Dresden -theatre only when absolutely necessary, and went into seclusion, -accessible to none except August Roeckel. Of this gloomy period, and the -devotion of his friend, Wagner has left it on record. “I left the world, -retired from public life, and lived in the closest communion with one -intimate companion only, one friend, who was so full of sympathy for me, -so wholly engrossed in my artistic development, that he ignored his own -unquestioned talents, artistic instinct, and inventive powers, and cast -to the winds his own chances of worldly success. This companion of my -gloom was Roeckel.” In referring to his friend’s self-abnegation, Wagner -evidently alludes to Roeckel’s opera, “Farinelli,” which the composer -had withdrawn from the Dresden repertoire through excess of modesty, -over-awed, as he was, by his conception of Richard Wagner’s genius. - -[Sidenote: _HE PRODUCES “ARMIDE.”_] - -This tribute to the constancy and humble workship of August Roeckel is -not a whit too much. Roeckel idolized Wagner. The two men were the -complement of each other; whilst the vivacious imagination of Wagner -inspired admiration in Roeckel, the latter’s placid, closely-reasoned -logic soothed the excitable poet-musician. All Roeckel’s letters to me -of this period--and he was an excellent correspondent--might be summed -up in the word “Wagner.” The minutest incidents of work and details of -their conversations are related. This poor Roeckel suffered thirteen -years imprisonment, from May, 1849, when his friend Wagner escaped. At -the termination of his confinement, the two friends met with a warmth of -affection difficult to describe. Seeing, then, the intimacy of the men -during this year of retirement, it is the letters of August Roeckel -which will supply the faithfullest record of Wagner’s life and work. - -He tells me that Wagner spoke of himself as “one crying in the desert.” -But few sympathized with him, his breaking away from the “Rienzi” period -being frowned upon, but that through all disappointment Wagner’s -inexhaustible animal spirits never left him. The following letter is -dated March, 1844:-- - - Wagner has returned from Berlin, very morose in temper; the “Flying - Dutchman” did not touch the scoffing Berliners, who certainly have - less poetical feeling than most Germans; they only saw in - Schroeder-Devrient a star, and in the touching drama an opera like - other operas; yet they pose as profound art critics. Bah! they are - simply stupid! - - Since then we have had “Hans Heiling” and “Vampyr.” Wagner thinks - much of Marschner’s natural gifts, but finds that his general - intelligence is not on a level with his musical gifts, and that - this is often painfully evident in his recourse to commonplace - padding.... I wish you could have witnessed the work of the old - Gluck “Armide,” most tenderly cared for by Wagner. I doubt that it - ever was rendered with such reverence,--nay, not even in Paris. We - have also had what Wagner considers the masterwork of Mendelssohn, - “Midsummer Night’s Dream,” with which he also took considerable - pains, although fully aware of the composer’s unfriendly feeling - towards himself. - -Later I find the following:-- - - You cannot conceive what a system of espionage has grown up about - Wagner, how keenly all his actions are criticised. He deemed it - advisable to rearrange the seating of the band (I send you a plan); - but oh! the hubbub it has produced is dreadful. “What! change that - which satisfied Morlacchi and Reissiger?” They charge Wagner with - want of reverence for tradition and with taking delight in - upsetting the established order of things. - -In the middle of the year it seems the “Faust” overture was performed; -the reception was disheartening. It was another disappointment, and -showed Wagner how little the public was in sympathy with his art ideal. -Although performed twice, it produced no effect. - -[Sidenote: _SPONTINI AND “LA VESTALE.”_] - - This is not to be wondered at [writes Roeckel]; for in the judgment - of some here it compares favourably with the grandest efforts of - Beethoven. Such a work ought to be heard several times before its - beauties can be fully perceived. - - Wagner day by day becomes to me the beacon-light of the future; his - depth of thought, his daring philosophical investigations, his - unrestrained criticism, startle one out of the every-day optimism - of the Dresden surroundings. The only ready ear besides myself is - Semper, who, however, agrees with Wagner’s outbursts only so far as - they are applicable to his own art, architecture, as in music he is - but a dilettante. Much of Wagner’s earnestness in his demands for - improvement in art matters is attributed by the opposition to - self-glorification. At the head of it stands Reissiger, who can not - and will not accept the success of “Rienzi” as _bona fide_. He is - forever hinting at some nefarious means, and cannot understand why - his own operas should fail with the same public, unless, indeed, - he stupidly adds, it is because he neglected to surround himself - with a “life-guard of claqueurs”; but he was a true German, and - against such malpractices. You can imagine how such things annoy - Wagner; and although he eventually laughs, it is not until they - have left a scar somewhere. For myself, I wonder how he can mind - such stuff. I keep it always from him, but nevertheless it always - seems to reach him; and Minna is not capable of withholding either - praise or blame from him, although I have tried hard to prove to - her that it affects her husband deeply, whose health is none of the - strongest. Another annoyance is the Leipzic clique, with - Mendelssohn at the head, or, to put the matter into the right - light, as the ruling spirit. He gives the watchword to the clique, - and then sneaks out of sight, as if he lived in regions too refined - and sublime to bother himself about terrestrial affairs. But the - worst sore is that coming from our intendant. He has not the shadow - of an idea upon music; takes all his initiative from current - phrases learnt by heart; he is the veriest type of a courtier, and - hates nothing so much as “revolutionary” suggestions from a - subordinate, for as such he rates the conductors, nor has he a - glimpse of discernment as to their relative merits, and finding - Reissiger always ready to bow to his aristocratic acumen, he - evidently thinks him the more gifted. The matter is not made better - by the bitter tone of the press, which, arrogating to itself the - office of defenders of true art, smites heavily the “iconoclast - Wagner.” Schladebach leads them, and unfortunately, his prominent - position inspires courage in scribblers. - - * * * * * - - We have had a very interesting event here. Spontini came to conduct - his “Vestal.” It was done twice. He is a composer who has said what - he had to say in his own manner. He commands respect, is full of - dignity and amiability. Wagner had trained the orchestra well; his - respectful bearing to the veteran composer incited them to exert - themselves heart and soul. The result was a very satisfactory - rendering. But after the second performance, a peremptory order - came from Luttichorn, that the “Vestal” was not to be repeated, and - Wagner was to convey the decision to Spontini. Wagner prayed me to - accompany him; first, because he does not speak French so fluently - as I do; and secondly, since Spontini had shown himself very - friendly towards me, and it was hoped my presence might calm the - composer’s expected anger, for Spontini is known for his - irritability on such occasions. We went. The time was most - opportune, for as a new dignity had just been conferred upon him by - the Pope, his vanity was so flattered that he listened with - unruffled temper to what was, for him, unpleasant news. - - DECEMBER, 1844. - -Perhaps the event of the year was the removal of the remains of Weber -from London to Dresden. An earnest committee had been working some time -towards this end; concerts and operatic performances had been given in -Germany and subscription lists opened to provide the necessary funds. -Wagner was truly enthusiastic in the matter, but August Roeckel merits -equal tribute. It was arranged that the deceased musician’s eldest son, -Max von Weber, should come to London to carry out the necessary -arrangements. He came in June, 1844, and was the guest of Edward -Roeckel. We met daily. Max von Weber was a bright, intelligent man. -Enthusiastic for the cause, I accompanied him everywhere, soliciting -subscriptions from compatriots in this country and interviewing the -authorities to facilitate the removal. - -August Roeckel writes:-- - -[Sidenote: _AT THE GRAVE OF WEBER._] - - All Dresden was in excitement; the event produced a profound - sensation. The body was received by us all. We had been rehearsing - for some time a funeral march arranged by Wagner from themes in - “Euryanthe.” The loving care bestowed by Wagner on the rehearsals - touched every one. It was clear that his whole heart was in the - work. His own opinion is that he never succeeded in anything as in - this. The soft, appealing tones of the wood-wind were wonderfully - pathetic, and when the march was performed in the open air, - accompanying the body, not a member of the cortège or bystander but - was moved. And then the scene at the grave! Schulz delivered an - oration, and Richard Wagner too. Wagner had composed and written - his out. Think of the care! He wished to avoid being led away at - the sight of the mourners’ grief, and the great concourse which was - sure to be present, and so he learned his speech by heart. The - impression produced upon me was such a one as I never before - experienced. Deep sympathy reigned everywhere; all the musicians - adored Weber; and the towns-people, members of whom had known that - lovable man personally, did honour to Germany’s great son, for - national sentiment played an important part in the matter. You know - that in ordinary conversation, the strong accent of the Leipzic - dialect is the common speech of Richard Wagner, but when delivering - his oration, his utterance was pure German, his measured periods - were declaimed in slow, clear, ringing tones, showing unmistakable - evidence of histrionic power. As an effort of will it was - remarkable, and surprised all his intimate friends. - -This curious and interesting feature of dropping the somewhat harsh -Leipzic accent and delivering himself in the purest German remained with -Wagner to the last. On all what might be termed state occasions, when -addressing an assembly his speech was clear, measured, and dignified; -not a trace of his Leipzic accent was observable. It should be explained -that the Leipzic accent is a sort of sing-song, almost whining -utterance, with as strongly marked a pronunciation compared to pure -German as that of a broad Somerset dialect to pure English. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -1845. - - -The story of the composition of “Tannhäuser,” poem and music, is a -forcible illustration of the proverb, that the life of a man is -reflected in his works. Of the music and the performance of “Tannhäuser” -in October, 1845, at Dresden, I wrote a notice for a London periodical, -called the “English Gentleman.” This was the first time, I believe, that -Wagner’s name was mentioned in England. They were exciting times, and it -is of exceptional interest at this epoch to reflect upon the judgment of -the composer at the birth of “Tannhäuser.” - -When the legend first engaged Wagner’s attention, with a view to its -composition, he was not thirty years old. It will be remembered that the -transformation from Paris poverty to a comparative Dresden luxury -infused new life into him. He tells me, “I resolved to throw myself into -a world of excitement, to enjoy life, and taste fully its pleasures.” -And he did. It was in this mood of feverish excitation that the Venus -love invaded him. His state was one of intense nervous tension. The poem -was worked out, but not in the shape we now have it. The end was -subsequently changed. The poetry and music simmered in his brain for -three years. He began elated, filled with sensations of ecstasy. He -ended dejected, fearing that death would intervene before the last notes -were written. - -[Sidenote: _THE WRITING OF “TANNHÄUSER.”_] - -Now wherein lies the explanation of this? Let me recount briefly his -life during these three years, and the reason will at once be perceived. -He had opened his Dresden career with brilliancy. “Rienzi” had proved a -great success; he had been appointed conductor to the court, a -competence of 1500 thalers or £ 225 yearly was guaranteed him, and his -horizon seemed brighter;--but the reverse soon began to show itself. The -“Dutchman,” by which he had hoped to increase his reputation, proved a -failure; even “Rienzi” was refused outside Dresden, and the press was -violently inimical. His excited sanguine temperament had received a -grievous shock. At Berlin, the “Dutchman” proved so abortive, that he -took counsel with himself, and resolved that this “Tannhäuser” should -not be written for the world, but for those who had shown themselves in -sympathy with him. As “Tannhäuser” neared its completion, his state grew -more morbid and desponding. His only solace, outside Roeckel, was his -dog. It was a common saying with Wagner that his dog helped him to -compose “Tannhäuser.” It seems that when at the piano, at which he -always composed, singing with his accustomed boisterousness, the dog, -whose constant place was at his master’s feet, would occasionally leap -to the table, peer into his face, and howl piteously. Then Wagner would -address his “eloquent critic” with, “What? it does not suit you?” and -shaking the animal’s paw, would say, quoting Puck, “Well, I will do thy -bidding gently.” - -[Sidenote: _THE REVOLUTION OF 1849._] - -During the composition Tichatschek, who was to impersonate the hero, -practised such portions as were already written. His enthusiasm was -unbounded, and with Roeckel, he urged the Dresden management to provide -special scenery. The appeal was responded to, and painters were even -brought from Paris. On the 19th October, 1845, the opera was performed, -Johanna Wagner, aged nineteen, the daughter of his brother Albert, -singing the part of Elizabeth. As an illustration of Richard Wagner’s -thoroughness and attention to detail, I would mention that for this -performance he wrote a prefatory notice to the book of words, in which -he explained the purport of the story, with the object of ensuring a -better understanding of the drama by the public. The performance, alas, -was only a partial success, nor was a second representation, given -within a fortnight, any more successful. The music was unlike anything -heard before. It was noised abroad that passages had been written for -the first violins which were unplayable, and the audience listened -expectantly for the “scramble.” No doubt there were violin passages as -difficult as original, but the heart of the leader, Lipenski, was in his -work, and he set himself so earnestly to teach individually each -violinist difficult phrases, even carefully noting the fingering, that -the performance was anything but a “scramble.” Then the critics -ridiculed the hundred and forty-two bars of repetition in the overture -for the violins. This confession of superficial intellect was not -confined to Dresden critics; a dozen years later, that sound musician, -Lindpaintner, expressed the opinion to me that the first eight bars of -the overture were “sublime,” but that the remainder was all “erratic -fiddling.” Such were the criticisms (?) passed upon the work. Wagner saw -there was no hope of its acceptation elsewhere, and thinking to bring it -prominently before Germany, wrote in the following year for permission -to dedicate the work to the king of Prussia. The reply was to the effect -that if he would arrange portions of it for military performance, it -might in that manner be brought to the notice of the king, and perhaps -his request complied with. It is needless to say Wagner did nothing of -the kind, and “Tannhäuser” sank temporarily into oblivion. - -As the part which Richard Wagner played in the Revolution of 1848-49 is -of absorbing interest, the incidents which led up to it are of -importance to be carefully noted. The first sign of the coming -opposition to the government appeared in 1845. In itself it was slight, -when we think of the terrible struggle that was shortly to be carried on -with such desperation, but it shows the embers of revolt in Wagner, -which were later fanned into a glowing flame by the patriot, August -Roeckel. Wagner’s heart, as that of all men, revolted at the cause, but -had it not been for the “companion of my solitude,” as Wagner calls -Roeckel, he would never have taken so active a part in the struggle for -liberty. Upon this part, I cannot lay too much stress. - -Throughout Saxony, a feeling had been growing against the restraint of -the Roman Catholic ritual. One Wronger, a Roman Catholic priest, -proposed certain revisions and modifications. To this the Dresden court, -steadfastly ultramontane, offered violent opposition, and Duke Johann, -brother of the king, showed himself a prominent defender of the faith. - -The struggle was precipitated by the following incident. In his capacity -as general commandant of the Communal guard, the Duke entered Leipzic -one day in August, to review the troops. He and his staff were -received, on the parade ground, by a large concourse of spectators with -such chilling silence that, losing command of himself, the Duke at once -broke off the projected review. Later in the day, while at an hotel on -the city boulevard, some street urchins marched up and down singing, -“Long live Wronger.” In a moment a tumult arose, upon which the royal -guard stationed outside the hotel, by whose order is not known, fired -upon the citizens promenading in the town. “The street,” writes Roeckel, -“was bathed in blood.” This caused a tremendous stir throughout Saxony. -This wanton act of butchery was openly denounced by Roeckel and Wagner, -in terms so emphatic that they were called upon to offer some sort of -apology to the court. The two friends arranged a meeting with Reissiger, -Fisher, and Semper, when the subject was discussed, with the result that -it was deemed advisable, while holding service under the court, to -express regret at the exuberance of the language, and the matter was -allowed to drop. But it rankled in Wagner. His position of a servitor -was irksome; he became restive in his royal harness, and vented his -annoyance in anonymous letters to the papers. From this time his -interest in the political situation increased; continually stimulated by -Roeckel, his sympathies were always with the people, his pen ready to -support his feelings. And so the time wore on till the outbreak of 1848. - -[Sidenote: _BEETHOVEN’S “NINTH SYMPHONY.”_] - -In the spring of 1846 an event occurred which had a great deal to do -with my subsequent introduction of Wagner to the London public. It was -his conducting of the “Ninth Symphony.” A custom existed in Dresden, of -giving annual performances on Palm Sunday for the benefit of the -pension fund of the musicians of the royal opera. Two works were usually -produced, one a symphony, the two conductors dividing the office of -conductor. This year the symphony fell to Wagner, and he elected to -perform the “Choral.” When a youth he had copied it entirely at Leipzic, -knew it almost by heart, and regarded it as the greatest of Beethoven’s -works, the one in which the great master had felt the inadequacy of -instrumental music to express what he wished to convey, and that the -accents of the human voice were imperatively necessary for its full and -complete realization. When it became known what symphony had been -selected the orchestra revolted. They implored Wagner to produce -another. The ninth had been done under Reissiger and proved a failure, -in which verdict Reissiger had agreed, himself going so far as to -describe that sublime work as “pure nonsense.” But Wagner was -inexorable. The band, fearing poor receipts, sought the aid of Intendant -Luttichorn: to no purpose, however. Wagner’s mind was made up, and he -set to work with his usual thoroughness and earnestness. To avoid -expense he borrowed the orchestral parts from Leipzic, learned the -symphony by heart, and went through all the band parts himself, marking -the nuances and tempi. As to rehearsals, he was unrelenting. For the -double basses he had special meetings, would sing and scream the parts -at them. He increased the chorus by choir-boys from neighbouring -churches, and worked for the success of the performance with an energy -hitherto unknown. To Roeckel he detailed the practice of the best -portion of the band, whilst he persisted with the less skilful. The -result was a performance as successful financially as artistically. -More money was taken than at any previous concert, and the fame of -Richard Wagner increased mightily. This performance brings out -prominently certain features in Wagner’s character which enable us to -see how, through subsequent reverses, he was able to achieve success. -First, witness his courage and indomitable will in overcoming the -obstacles of Luttichorn’s opposition and the ill-will of the orchestra, -the want of funds; then his earnestness and care in committing the score -to memory, his energy at rehearsals, his forethought and wondrous grasp -of detail evident in the programme he wrote explaining the symphony, and -his untiring efforts to succeed. Such points of character show of what -material the man was made, how in all he did he was thorough, and how -firmly impressed with the conviction that he must succeed. - -[Sidenote: _THE FASHIONABLE OPERA._] - -The analytical remarks he appended to the symphony were not those that -the musical world now know as Richard Wagner’s programme, but a shorter -and more discursive exposition. The year was 1846, but two from the -revolution. The spirit of the brotherhood of nations was in the air, and -the references of Schiller to this world’s bond of union were seized by -Wagner as presenting the means of contemplating Beethoven’s work from a -more exalted elevation than that of an ordinary symphony. It was -currently known that the poet had originally addressed his “Ode to -Liberty! the beautiful spark of heaven,” but that the censor of the -press had struck out “Freiheit” (liberty), and Schiller had substituted -“Freude” (joy). The sentiment, then, was one shared by all, and there -can be no question that the success of the final chorus was as much -owing to the inspiriting language as to the tonal interpretation. - -Of recent years much has been said of Wagner’s attitude towards the -opinions upon Italian opera. The years he served at the conductor’s desk -at Dresden, at the period when the sap of his art ambition was rising -rapidly, truly brought him into intimate acquaintance enough with the -fashionable works of French and Italian masters, but his resentment, I -can vouch, was not directed against the composer. He often and often -pointed out to me what, in his opinion, were passages which seemed to -betoken the presence of real gift. What he did regret was that their -faithful adherence to an illogical structure should have crippled their -natural spontaneity. That the talent of the orchestra, too, should be -thrown away on puerile productions annoyed him. But Wagner was nothing -if not practical, and after a season of light opera, the conducting of -which was shared by Reissiger and Roeckel, he writes, “After all, the -management are wise in providing just that commodity for which there is -demand.” When his own “Tannhäuser” was produced with its new ending, he -was charged in the press with being governed too much by reflection, -that his work lacked natural flow, that he was domineered by reasoning -at the expense of feeling. To this Wagner replied in very weighty words, -significant of the thought which always governed the earnest artist, -“The period of an unconscious productivity has long passed: an art work -to endure the process of time, and to satisfy the high culture which is -around us, must be solidly rooted in reason and reflection.” Such -utterances are clearly traceable to his elevated appreciation of poetry -and keen reasoning faculties. - -“Lohengrin,” beyond contradiction the most popular of all Wagner’s -operas, or music-dramas, for it should be well remembered that Wagner in -all his literary works up to the last persistently applies the term -“opera” to “Lohengrin,” and its two immediate predecessors, whilst -music-drama was not employed until 1851, and then only for compositions -subsequent to that period. The popularity of “Lohengrin” is not confined -to its native soil, Germany, but all Europe, England, Russia, Italy, -Spain, Portugal, and Denmark (shameful to add, France alone excepted), -and America and Australia, have received it with acclamations. And why? -The secret of it? For learned musicians too, anti-Wagnerians though they -be, accepted it. From notes in my possession, I think the explanation -becomes clear. Wagner writes at that time, “Music is love, and in my -projected opera melody shall stream from one end to the other.” The -form, too, does not break from traditions. It is the border between the -old and new. When “Lohengrin” was composed, not one of his theoretical -works had been penned. He was untrammelled then. The principles upon -which his subsequent works were based can only be applied, he says, to -the first three operas “with very extensive limitations.” Hence he -satisfies the orthodox in their two fundamental principles, “form and -melody.” “Lohengrin” is a love-poem; to Wagner, then, music was love, -and he was intent on writing melody as then understood throughout the -new work. - -[Sidenote: _AT WORK ON “LOHENGRIN.”_] - -The network of connection that exists between Wagner’s opera texts, is -but one of the many examples which might be adduced of the sequential -thought characteristic of the composer. Each was suggested by its -predecessor. The contest of the Minnesingers’ “Tannhäuser” was naturally -followed by the story of the Mastersingers, first sketched in 1845, the -year of the “Tannhäuser” performance, and then Elsa the love-pendant of -innocence and purity to the material, voluptuous Venus. - -In this story of “Lohengrin,” Wagner wavered for a time whether the hero -should not remain on earth with Elsa. This ending he was going to adopt, -Roeckel informs me, out of deference to friends and critics, but Wagner -told me that Roeckel argued so eloquently for the return of Lohengrin to -his state of semi-divinity, that to permit the hero to lead the life of -a citizen would clash harshly with the poetic aspect, and so Wagner, -strengthened in his original intention, reverted to his first -conception. Allusion is made to this by Wagner in “A Commutation to my -Friends,” written in Switzerland, 1851; the friend there referred to is -August Roeckel. - -During the composition of “Lohengrin” Wagner was at deadly strife with -the world. He flattered where he despised. He borrowed money where he -could. Just then the world was all black to Wagner. Of no period of his -life can it be said that Wagner managed his finances with even ordinary -care. He always lived beyond his means. Though he was in receipt of £225 -a year from the Dresden theatre, a respectable income for that period be -it remembered, he did not restrict his expenses. And so his naturally -irritable temperament was intensified and he resolutely threw himself -into the “Lohengrin” work, determined not to write for a public whose -taste was vitiated by “theatres having no other purpose but amusement,” -but to pour his soul out in the love-strains with which his heart was -bursting. The original score shows that the order of composition was Act -III, I, II, and the prelude last, the whole covering a period of eleven -months, from September, 1846, to August, 1847. It was unusual for Wagner -to compose in this manner; indeed, as far as I am aware, it was the only -work so written. - -At the time Wagner was meditating upon the “Lohengrin” music, when it -was beginning to assume a definite shape in his mind, weighed down with -the feeling of being “rejected” by his countrymen and depressed in -general circumstances, the following letter, written to his mother, -throws a charming sidelight upon Wagner, the man. The deep filial -tenderness and poetic sentiment that breathe throughout it, touch and -enchant us. - -[Sidenote: _A LETTER TO HIS MOTHER._] - - MY DARLING MOTHER: It is so long since I have congratulated you on - your birthday, that I feel quite happy to remember it once at the - right time, which I have, alas, in the pressure of circumstances, - so often overlooked. To tell you how intensely it delights me to - know you body and soul among us; to press your hand from time to - time; and to recall the memory of my own youth so lovingly tended - by you. It is the consciousness that you are with us that makes - your children feel one family. Thrown hither and thither by fate, - forming new ties, they think of you, dearest mother, who have no - other ties in this world than those which bind you to your - children. And so we are all united in you: we are all your - children. May God grant thee this happiness for years yet to come, - and keep you in health and strength to see your children prosper - until the end of your time. - - When I feel myself oppressed and hindered by the world, always - striving, rarely enjoying complete success, oft a prey to - annoyances through failure, and wounded by the rough contact with - the outer world, which, alas, so rarely responds to my inner wish, - nothing remains to me but the enjoyment of nature. I throw myself - weeping into her arms. She consoles me, and elevates me, whilst - showing how imaginary are all those sufferings that trouble us. If - we strive too high, Nature shows us that we belong to her, are her - outgrowth, like the trees and plants, which, developing themselves - from her, grow and warm themselves in the sun of heaven, enjoy the - strengthening freshness, and do not fade or die till they have - thrown out the seed which again produces germs and plants, so that - the once created lives an eternity of youth. - - When I feel how wholly I belong also to nature, then vanishes every - selfish thought, and I long to shake every brother-man by the hand. - How can I then help yearning for that mother from whose womb I came - forth, and who grows weaker while I increase in strength? How do I - smile at those societies which seek to discover why the loving ties - of nature are so often bruised and torn asunder. - - My darling mother, whatever dissonances may have sounded between - us, how quickly and completely have they disappeared. It is like - leaving the mist of the city to enter into the calm retreat of the - wooded valley, where, throwing myself upon mossy earth, with eyes - turned towards heaven, listening to the songsters of the air, with - heart full, the tear unchecked starts forth, and I involuntarily - stretch my hand towards you, exclaiming, “God protect thee, my - darling mother; and when He takes thee to Himself, may it be done - mildly and gently.” But death is not here: you live on through us; - and a richer and more eventful life perhaps awaits you through us - than yours ever could have been. Therefore, thank God who has so - plentifully blessed you. - - Farewell, my darling mother, - -Your son, - -RICHARD. - - DRESDEN, 19th September, 1846. - -It was well for Wagner that his mind was occupied with the composition -of “Lohengrin” during 1846-47, for by the summer of the latter year the -pressure of circumstances had become so acute that notwithstanding his -exceptional elasticity of spirits the mental worry must have resulted in -a more distressing depression than that which we know did take hold of -him. This exuberance of youthful frolic is an important characteristic -of Wagner. It was his sheet anchor, a refuge from annoyances that would -have incisively irritated or crushed another. True, he would burst into -a passion at first,--there is no denying his passionate nature,--but it -was of short duration and once over the boisterous merriment of a -high-spirited school-boy succeeded. Though deeply wounded, as only -finely strung sensitive natures can be, he was quick to recover, and -whilst animadverting upon the denseness of those who slighted his art, -he distorted the incident and treated it as worthy of affording fun -only. Wagner identified himself with his art body and soul, his breath -of life was art, his pulse throbbed for art, and to wound him was -insulting art. His success was the triumph of art, and the sacrifices -his friends made of mental energy, wealth, and time were regarded by him -but as votive offerings to the altar of the divine art, honouring the -donor. Then when his scores of “Rienzi,” the “Dutchman,” and -“Tannhäuser” were returned unopened by managers, he turned with -undiminished ardour upon “Lohengrin,” doubting his capacity to realize -in tones his feelings, but with dauntless fortitude to write his -“love-music” for the glory of art, conscious that its scenic -interpretation was, for the present at least, a very improbable -circumstance. - -[Sidenote: _PUBLISHING THREE OPERAS._] - -What, in Wagner’s character at all times, inspires our admiration is his -courage. “He never knew when he was beaten.” Weighed down with monetary -difficulties,--though his poor means were made rich by the wealth of -love and ready invention of Minna, whose patience and self-denial he was -always ready to extol,--with a cloudy art horizon, he sought to approach -the great public in a more direct manner than by stage representations, -by publishing the three operas already composed. It was not a difficult -matter; he was a local celebrity, and on the strength of his reputation -he entered into an engagement with a Dresden firm, Messrs. Meser and Co. -The large initial cost was borne by the firm, but the liability was -Wagner’s. Messrs. Meser and Co. predicted a success, and risking -nothing, or comparatively nothing, urged the issue of “Rienzi,” -“Dutchman,” and “Tannhäuser.” The contract was signed, the works were -produced, but alas, the forecast was pleasant to the ear but breaking in -the hope. There was absolutely no sale, and claims were soon preferred -on the luckless composer for the cost of production. Of course they -could not be met. Wagner had no available funds, his income was -insufficient for his daily needs, and so he borrowed, borrowed where he -could, sufficient to temporarily appease the publishers. This debt, paid -by instalments, hung over him as a black cloud for years, always -breaking when he was least equal to meet it. How he has stormed at his -folly, and regretted his heedlessness of the future, but the demand met, -his tribulation was immediately forgotten. A brother of mine, passing -through Dresden in 1847, wrote to me of his surprise at the state of -Wagner’s finances, and of the sum that was necessary to keep him afloat, -which under my direction was immediately supplied. - -It was then that Wagner wrote to me: “Try and negotiate for the sale of -my opera ‘Tannhäuser’ in London. If there be no possibility of -concluding a bargain, and gaining a tangible remuneration for me, -arrange that some firm shall take it so as to secure the English -copyright.” I went off at once to my friend Frederick Beale, the head of -the house Cramer, Beale and Co., now Cramer and Co. Though Frederick -Beale was an enthusiast in art, with a sense beyond that of the ordinary -speculator in other men’s talent, yet “he could not see his way to -publishing ‘Tannhäuser.’” I knew Beale would have done much for me, our -relations being of so intimate a character, but the times “were out of -joint,” his geniality had just then led him to accept much that proved a -financial loss to the firm, and so the work which, as time now shows, -would have produced a future, was rejected, yes, rejected, though on -behalf of Wagner I offered it _for nothing_. It is the old, old story; -Carlyle offering his “Sartor Resartus” for nothing, Schubert his songs, -etc., etc., and rejected as valueless by the purblind publisher. The -publisher invariably is the man of his period; he is incapable of seeing -beyond his age, and thrusts aside the genius who writes for futurity. -“Wouldst thou plant for eternity?” asks Carlyle, “then plant into the -deep, infinite faculties of man, his fantasy and heart; wouldst thou -plant for a year and a day? then plant into his shallow, superficial -faculties, his self-love and arithmetical understanding.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -1848. - - -I now come to perhaps the most important period in Richard Wagner’s -life, full of deep interest in itself, and pregnant with future good to -our art. Additional interest is further attached to it because of the -incomplete or inaccurate accounts given by the many Wagner biographers. -For this shortcoming, this unsatisfactory treatment, Wagner is himself -to blame. He has left behind him rich materials for an almost exhaustive -biography; he was a man of great literary power, a clear and full -writer, and yet, with reference to the part he played in the revolution -in Saxony, of 1848-49, he is singularly, I could almost say -significantly, silent, or, when he does allude to it, his references are -either incomplete or misleading. - -Wagner was an active participator in the so-called Revolution of 1849, -notwithstanding his late-day statements to the contrary. During the -first few of his eleven years of exile his talk was incessantly about -the outbreak, and the active aid he rendered at the time, and of his -services to the cause by speech, and by pen, prior to the 1849 May days; -and yet in after-life, in his talk with me, I, who held documentary -evidence, under his own hand, of his participation, he in petulant tones -sought either to minimize the part he played, or to explain it away -altogether. This change of front I first noticed about 1864, at Munich. -But before stating what I know, on the incontestable evidence of his own -handwriting, his explicit utterances to me, the evidence of -eyewitnesses, and the present criminal official records in the -procès-verbal Richard Wagner, of his relations with the reform movement -(misnamed the Revolution); I will at once cite one instance of his--to -me--apparent desire to forget the part he enacted during a trying and -excited period. - -Wagner was a member of a reform union; before this body he read, in -June, 1848, a paper of revolutionary tendencies, the gist of which was -abolition of the monarchy, and the constitution of a republic. This -document, of somewhat lengthy proportions, harmless in itself, which was -printed by the union, constituted part of the Saxon government -indictment against Richard Wagner. From 1871-1883 Wagner edited his -“Collected Writings,” published by Fritsch, of Leipzic, in eleven -volumes; these include short sketches on less important topics, written -in Paris, in 1841, but this important and interesting statement of his -political opinions is significantly omitted. Comment is needless. - -[Sidenote: _THE REVOLUTION AGAIN._] - -To help in forming an accurate judgment of Richard Wagner’s -“revolutionary tendencies” (?) a slight sketch of the outbreak, its -objects, and the means employed, will be of assistance. Secondly, as the -head and front of Wagner’s offending, according to the government, -rested on a letter he had written from Dresden to August Roeckel at -Prague, on the first day of the rise, which letter was unfortunately -found on Roeckel when taken prisoner, references to Roeckel’s -participation will be necessary. Indeed, from an intimate knowledge of -the two men, I place my strong conviction on record, that had it not -been for August Roeckel, the patriot, Wagner, revolutionary demagogue, -would never have existed nor have been expatriated. True and undoubted -it is, that Richard Wagner’s nature was of the radical reformer’s type, -but in these matters he was cautious, and would not have played the -prominent part he did, had it not been for the stirring appeals of “the -friend who sacrificed his art future for my sake.” The feeling already -existed in him; it was fanned into a glowing flame by his colleague, -Roeckel. When aroused, Wagner was not the spirit to falter. - -Wagner has often been charged with base ingratitude towards his king. -The accusation is absurd, and proceeds solely from ignorance, forsooth, -indeed, it is disproved emphatically in the very revolutionary paper -which forms part of the official government indictment against him. -Although he therein argues in favour of a republic, his personal -references to the king of Saxony are inspired by feelings of reverential -affection. Wagner was no common trickster, or prevaricator, and when he -speaks of the “pure virtues” of the king, “his honourable, just, and -gentle character,” of the “noblest of sovereigns,” we may unhesitatingly -acquit him of any personal animosity. He even seems to have had a -prophetic instinct of this charge, and meets it by, “He who speaks this -to-day, and ... is most firmly convinced that he never proved his -fidelity to the oath of allegiance he took to the king, on accepting -office, more than on the day he penned this address.” - -[Sidenote: _HIS INCENDIARY PAPER._] - -In the year 1848 the kingdom of Saxony, and other German principalities, -were in a state of much unrest. The outbreak of the French Revolution -caused an onward movement, and the German people clamoured for -constitutional government, and demanded (1) freedom of the press, (2) -trial by jury, (3) national armies, and (4) political representatives. A -deputation set out from Leipzic, in February, 1848, and pleaded -personally before the king of Saxony. He replied by a more rigorous -press censorship. The people congregated in thousands before the Leipzic -town hall, to hear the royal reply read. Enraged at the refusal of their -requests, and at the tone of that refusal, they determined on sending a -second deputation. Wagner was present when this arrived. They no longer -prayed, but plainly told the king that the press was free, demanded -another minister, and intimated that if the freedom was not officially -recognized, Leipzic would march _en masse_ on Dresden. Six other towns -then sent deputations; the king was advised not to receive them, but -they forced their way to the presence chamber, which the king left by -another door, exclaiming, “I will not listen--go!” As a reply to such -unwise treatment, Wagner’s townsmen prepared to make good their words, -and marched on Dresden. Prussian aid was sought, and promptly given, -troops mobilizing on the northern frontier, the Saxon soldiery being -despatched to surround Leipzic. Other towns arranged mass deputations to -the king, who despatched a minister to report on the attitude of -Leipzic. The report came, “The people are determined and orderly.” The -whole report was favourable to the town; upon which, the king changed -his ministers, abolished the press censorship, instituted trial by jury, -and promised a reform of the electoral laws. The people became -delirious with joy, and received the king everywhere with acclamations. - -It was during these stirring times that Wagner and Roeckel became -members of the “Fatherland Union,” a reform institution with a modest -propaganda. The Union was really a federation of existing reform and -political institutions, adopting for its motto, “The will of the people -is law,” leaving the question of a republic or a monarchy an open one. - -There was plenty of enthusiasm and strong determination among members of -the Union, but they lacked organization. The drift of the government’s -attitude was clear, seemingly conciliatory, but really more oppressive. -The Union felt that until the electoral laws were altered and national -armies instituted, the people would never be in a position to cope with -the government. It was not that they desired the abolition of the -monarchy so much as the acknowledgment that capable, law-abiding -citizens had a right to a voice in the selection of their rulers. The -Union had its own printing-press, and distributed largely political -leaflets, a proceeding carried on openly, though the members knew -themselves exposed to every hazard. - -It is a fact that one of the best papers read before the members of the -Union was written by Richard Wagner. It was not possible that a man of -Wagner’s excitable temperament, with his love of freedom, his -deep-rooted sympathy with the masses, would have joined such a society -without actively exerting himself to further its objects. In his heart -he was not a revolutionist, he had no wish to overturn governments, but -his principles were decidedly utilitarian, and to secure these he did -not scruple to urge the abolition of the monarchy, although represented -by a prince he dearly loved. His argument was delivered against the -office and not against the man. Among the many reforms he advocates in -this paper are two to which democratic England has not yet attained: (1) -manhood suffrage without limitation or restriction of any kind, and (2) -the abolition of the second chamber. Though he urges the substitution of -a republic for a monarchy, he strives at the impossible task of proving -that the king can still be the first, the head of a republic, and that -the name only would be changed, and that he would enjoy the heart’s love -of a whole people in place of a varnished demeanour of courtiers. His -paper was read on the 16th June, 1848, before the Fatherland Union. It -was ordered to be printed and circulated among the various federated -societies. A copy of this paper was sent to me, of which I give a -translation here. It will be noted that it is not signed Richard Wagner -but only “A Member of the Fatherland Union.” This mattered not, as the -author was well known, and when Wagner was numbered among those accused -by the government, this paper was filed as part of the indictment -against him. It is entitled:-- - -“What is the Relation that our Efforts bear to the Monarchy?” and is as -follows:-- - -[Sidenote: “_STRIP HIM OF HIS TINSEL._”] - - As it is desirable that we become perfectly clear on this point, - let us first closely examine the essence of republican - requirements. Do you honestly believe that by marching resolutely - onward from our present basis we should very soon reach a true - republic, one without a king? Is this your deliberate opinion, or - do you say so only to delude the timorous? Are you so ignorant, or - do you intentionally purpose to mislead? - - Let me tell you to what goal our republican efforts are tending. - - Our efforts are for the good of all and are directed towards a - future in which our present achievements will be but as the first - streak of moonlight. With this object kept steadily in view, we - should insist on the overthrow of the last remaining glitter of - aristocracy. As the aristocracy no longer consists of feudal lords - and masters who can enslave and bodily chastise us at their will, - they would do wisely to obliterate old grievances by relinquishing - the last remnants of class distinction which, at any moment, might - become a Nessus shirt, consuming them if not cast off in time. - - Should they answer us that the memory of their ancestors would - render it impious to resign any privileges inherited by them, then - let them remember also that we too have forefathers, whose noble - deeds of heroism, though not inscribed on genealogical trees, are - yet inscribed--their sufferings, bondage, oppression, and slavery - of every kind--in letters of blood in the unfalsified archives of - the history of the last thousand years. - - To the aristocracy I would say, forget your ancestors, throw away - your titles and every outward sign of courtly favour, and we will - promise you to be generous and efface every remembrance of our - ancestors. Let us be children of one father, brothers of one - family! Listen to the warning--follow it freely and with a good - will, for it is not to be slighted. Christ says, “If thy right eye - offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee, for it is better - that one of thy members should perish than that thy whole body - should be cast into hell.” - - And now another point. Once for all, resign the exclusive honour of - ever being in the presence of our monarch. Pray him to cease - investing you with a medley of useless court offices, distinctions, - and privileges; in our time they make the court a subject for - unpleasant reflection. Discontinue to be lords of the chamber and - lords of the robes, whose only utterance is “our king,”--strip him - of his tinsel, lackeys, and flunkeys, frivolous excrescences of a - bad time--the time of Louis the Fourteenth, when all princes sought - to imitate the French monarch. Withdraw from a court which is an - almshouse for idle nobility, and exert yourselves, that it may - become the court of a whole and happy people, which every - individual will enjoy and will be ready to defend, and smile on a - sovereign who is the father of a whole contented people. - - Therefore, do away with the first chamber. There is but one people, - not a first and a second, and they need but one house for their - representation. This house, let it be a simple, noble building, - with an elevated roof, resting on tall and strong pillars. Why - would you disfigure the building by dividing it with a mean - partition, thus causing two confined spaces? - - We further insist upon the unconditional right of every - natural-born subject, when of age, to a vote. The more needy he be, - the more his right, and the more earnestly will he aid in keeping - the laws which he himself assisted in framing and which, - henceforth, are to protect him from any similar future state of - need and misery. Our republican programme further includes a new - system of national defence, in which every citizen capable of - bearing arms shall be enrolled. No standing army. It shall be - neither a standing army nor a militia, nor yet a reduction of the - one nor an increase of the other. It must be a new creation, which - in its process of development, will do away with the necessity of a - standing army as well as a militia. - - [Sidenote: _NOT THREATS, BUT WARNING._] - - And when all who draw breath in our dear German land are united - into one great free people, when class prejudices shall have ceased - to exist, then do you suppose we have reached our goal? Oh, no; we - are just equipped for the beginning. Then will it be our duty to - investigate boldly, with all our reasoning power, the cause of - misery of our present social status, and determine whether man, the - crown of creation, with his high mental abilities and his wonderful - physical development, can have been destined by God to be the - servile slave of inert base metal. We must decide whether money - shall exert such degrading power over the image of God--man--as to - render him the despicable slave of the passions of usury and - avarice. The war against this existing evil will cause neither - tears nor blood. The result of the foregone victory will be a - universal conviction that the highest attainable happiness is - commonwealth, a state in which as many active men as Mother Earth - can supply with food will join in the well-ordered republic, - supporting it by a fair exchange of labor, mutually supplying each - other’s wants, and contributing to the universal happiness. Society - must be in a diseased state when the activity of individuals is - restrained and the existing laws imperfectly administered. In the - coming contest we shall find that society will be maintained by - the physical activity of individuals, and we shall destroy the - nebulous notion that money possesses any inherent power. And heaven - will help us to discover the true law by which this shall be - proved, and dispel the false halo with which the unthinking mind - invests this demon money. Then shall we root out the miseries - engendered and nourished by public and secret usury, deceptive - paper money and fraudulent speculations. This will tend to promote - the emancipation of the human race (whilst fulfilling the teachings - of Christ, a simple and clear truism which it is ever sought to - hide behind the glamour of dogma, once invented to appeal to the - feeble understanding of simple-minded barbarians), and to prepare - it for a state towards the highest development of which we are now - tending with clear vision and reason. - - Do you think that you scent in this the teachings of communism? - - Are you then so stupid or wicked as to confound a theory so - senseless as that of communism with that which is absolutely - necessary to the salvation of the human race from its degraded - servitude? Are you not capable of perceiving that the very attempt, - even though it were allowed, of dividing mathematically the goods - of this world, would be a senseless solution of a burning question, - but which attempt, fortunately however, in its complete - impossibility, carries its own death-warrant. But though communism - fails to supply the remedy, will you on that account deny the - disease? Have a care! Notwithstanding that we have enjoyed peace - for thirty-three years now, what do you see around you? Dejection - and pitiful poverty; everywhere the horrid pallor of hunger and - want. Look to it while there is yet time and before it becomes too - late to act! - - Think not to solve the question by the giving of alms; acknowledge - at once the inalienable rights of humanity, rights vouchsafed by - the Omnipotent, or else you may live to see the day that cruel - scorn will be met by vengeance and brute force. Then the wild cry - of victory might be that of communism, and although the - impossibility of any lengthened duration of its principles as a - ruling power can be boldly predicted, yet even the briefest reign - of such a thraldom might be sufficient to expunge for a long time - to come all the advantages of a civilization of two thousand years - old. - - Do you believe I threaten? No; I warn! When by our republican - efforts we shall have solved this most important problem for the - weal of society, and have established the dignity of the freed man, - and established his claim to what we consider his rights, shall we - then rest satisfied? No; then only are we reinvigorated for our - great effort. For when we have succeeded in solving the - emancipation question, thereby assisting in the regeneration of - society, then will arise a new, free, and active race, then shall - we have gained a new mean to aid us towards the attainments of the - highest benefits, and then shall we actively disseminate our - republican principles. - - Then shall we traverse the ocean in our ships, and found here and - there a new young Germany, enriching it with the fruits of our - achievements, and educating our children in our principles of human - rights, so that they may be propagated everywhere. We shall do - otherwise than the Spaniards, who made the new world into a - papistic slaughter-house; we shall do otherwise than the English, - who convert their colonies into huge shops for their own individual - profit. Our colonies shall be truly German, and from sunrise to - sunset we shall contemplate a beautiful, free Germany, inhabited, - as in the mother country, by a free people. The sun of German - freedom and German gentleness shall alike warm and elevate Cossack, - Frenchmen, Bushmen, and Chinese. You see our republican zeal in - this respect has no termination; it pushes on further and further - from century to century, to confer happiness on the whole of the - human race! Do you call this a Utopian dream? When we once set to - work with a good will, and act courageously, then every year shall - throw its light on a good deed of progress. - - But you ask, will all this be achieved under a monarchy? My answer - is that throughout I have persistently kept it in view, but if you - have any doubts of such a possibility, then it is you who pronounce - the monarchical death-warrant. But if you agree with me, and - consider it possible as I realize it, then a republic is the exact - and right thing, and we should but have to petition the king to - become the first and most genuine republican. - - [Sidenote: _THE QUESTION TO BE SOLVED._] - - And who is more called upon to be the most genuine republican than - the king? _Res-publica_ means the affairs of the people. What - individual can be destined more than the king to belong with his - whole soul and mind to the people’s affairs? When he has been - convinced of this undeniable truth, what is there possible that - could induce him to lower himself from his exalted position to - become the head of a special and small section only of his people. - - However deeply any republican may feel for the general good, he - never can emulate the feelings of the king, nor become so genuine a - republican, for the king’s anxiety is for his people as a whole, - whilst every one of us is, in the nature of things, compelled to - divide his attention between private and public affairs. And in - what would consist a sacrifice, which it might be supposed the king - would have to make in order to effect so grand and noble a change? - Can it be considered a sacrifice for a king to see his free - citizens no longer subjects? This right has been acknowledged and - granted by the new constitution, and he who confirms its justice - and adopts it with fidelity, cannot see a sacrifice in the - abolition of subjects, and the substitution of “free men.” Would it - be possible that a monarch could view the loss of the idle, vapid - court attendance, with its surfeit of extinct titles and obsolete - offices, as a sacrifice? What a contemptuous notion we should have - of one of the most gentle-minded, true-hearted princes of our - period, were we to assume that the fulfilment of our wishes - entailed a sacrifice on his part, when we feel convinced that even - a real sacrifice might with safety be expected from him, and the - more so, when it is proved to him that the love of his people - depended on the removal of an obstacle. What gives us the right to - suppose this? that by our interpretation of the feelings of so - exceptional a prince, we are able to infer that he would grant our - request when we could not dare act thus with one of our body? It is - the spirit of our time, the new state of things, that has grown up, - which seems to give to the simplest among us the power of prophecy. - There is a decided pressure for a decision. There are two camps - amongst the civilized nations of Europe; from one we hear the cry - of monarchy; republic, is the cry of the other. - - Will you deny that the time has come when a solution of this - question must be arrived at, a question, the reply to which - embodies all that which, at the present moment, excites human - sympathies down to their lowest depths? Do you mean to say that you - do not recognize the hour as inspired by God, that all this had - been said and attempted before, and would again pass off like a fit - of inebriation, and would fall back into its old place? Well, - then, it would seem as though the heavens had stricken you with - blindness. No; at the present moment we clearly perceive the - necessity of distinguishing between truth and falsehood, and - monarchy as the embodiment of autocracy is a falsehood--our - constitution has proved it to be so. - - All who despair of a reconciliation throw yourselves boldly into - the arms of the republic; those still willing to hope, lift their - eyes for the last time to the points of existing circumstances to - find a solution. The latter see that if the contest be against - monarchy, it is only in isolated cases against the person of the - prince, whilst everywhere war is being waged against the party that - lifts the monarch on a shield, under the cover of which they fight - for their own selfish ends. This is the party that has to be thrown - down and conquered, however bloody the fight. And if all - reconciliation fail, party and prince will simultaneously be hit. - But the means of peace are in the hands of the prince; if he be the - genuine father of his people, and by one single noble resolution he - can plant the standard of peace, there where war seems otherwise - inevitable peace will reign. Let us then cast our glance around, - and seek among the European monarchs those said to be the chosen - instruments of heaven for the great work of paternal government, - and what do we see? A degenerated race, unfit for any noble - calling! What a sight we find in Spain, Portugal, or Naples. What - heartache fills us when we look in Germany, on Hanover, Hesse, - Bavaria. Let us look away from these! God has judged the weak and - wicked; their evils extend from branch to branch. Let us turn our - eyes towards home. There we meet a prince beloved by his people, - not in the old traditional sense, but from a genuine acknowledgment - of his real self, his pure virtues, his honourable, just, and - gentle character; therefore, we cry aloud, “This is the man - Providence has chosen!” - - [Sidenote: _A SELF-DEPOSING KING._] - - If Prussia insists on monarchy, it is to suit its notion of - Prussian destiny, a vain idea that cannot fail to pale soon. If - Austria is of the same mind, it is because she sees in her dynasty - the only means of keeping together a conglomeration of people and - lands thrown into an unnatural whole and which cannot by any - possibility hold together much longer. But if a Saxon chooses - monarchy, it is because he loves his king, is happy in calling such - a prince his own, not from a cold, calculating spirit of - advantage, but from genuine affection. This pure affection shall be - our beacon-light, our guide not only during this troubled state of - things, but for the future and forever. Filled with this - unspeakably grand and important thought, we with inspired - conviction courageously exclaim, “We are republicans!” - - By what we have achieved we are rapidly nearing our goal,--the - republic,--and although much anger and deception attach themselves - still to the name, all doubts can be dispelled by one word from our - sovereign. It is not we who shall proclaim the republic; it will be - our king, the noblest of sovereigns; he shall say:-- - - “I declare Saxony to be a free state, and the first of this free - state shall give to every one the fullest security of his station, - and we further proclaim that the highest power in the land of - Saxony is invested in the royal house of Wettin to descend from - branch to branch by the right of the firstborn. And we swear to - keep the oath that the law shall never be broken, not that our - taking it will be the safeguard of its being kept, for how many - oaths are continually broken to such covenants! No; its safeguard - will be the conviction we had before we took the oath, that the law - will be the beginning of a new era of unchangeable happiness, not - only for Saxony, but the whole of Germany, aye, to all Europe will - it carry the beneficent message.” - - He who speaks this to-day, emboldened by inspired hope, is most - firmly convinced that he never proved his fidelity to the oath of - allegiance he took to the king on accepting office more than on the - day he penned this address. Does it appear to you that by this - proposition, _monarchy would be altogether abolished? Yes, so it - would!_ But the kingdom would thereby be emancipated. Do not - deceive yourselves, ye who clamour for “a constitutional monarchy - on the broadest basis.” - - You are either not honest in reference to that basis, or if you are - in real earnest, you will torture your artificial monarchy to - death, for every step you take in advancing on that democratic - basis will be an encroachment on the power of the monarch, viz.: - his autocracy; and in this light only can a monarchy be understood, - therefore every step you take in a democratic direction will be a - humiliation to the monarch, since it will bespeak a distrust of his - rule. How can love and confidence prosper in a continual conflict - between totally opposed principles? A monarch cannot fail to be - thwarted and annoyed in a contest in which very often undignified - measures are employed that cannot but produce an unhealthy state of - things. Let us save the monarch from such an unhappy half-life. - _Therefore, let us abolish monarchy altogether_, as autocracy, - _i.e._ sole-reigning, becomes impossible by the strong opposition - of democracy,--the reign of the many,--but, on the other hand, let - us set against this the complete emancipation of royalty. - - At the head of the free state--the republic, the king by lineal - descent, will be what he in the noblest sense should be, viz. the - first of the people, the freest of the free! - - Would this not be the grandest realization of Christ’s teaching, - “the highest among you shall be the servant of all,” for in serving - and upholding the liberty of all, he raises in himself the - conception of liberty to the highest pinnacle, the divine. The more - earnestly we dive into the annals of German history, the more we - become convinced that the signification of sovereignty, as we have - given it, is but a resuscitated one. The circle of historical - development will be closed when we have adopted it, and its - greatest aberration will be found in the present un-German - conception of monarchy. - - Should we wish to formulate our heartfelt wishes into a petition, - then I am convinced we should have to count our petitions by the - hundred thousands, for their contents would lead to a - reconciliation of contesting parties, at least of all of them that - mean well. But only one signature is wanted here to be conclusive, - that is, the signature of our beloved king, whom from the innermost - depth of our hearts we wish a happier lot than he can at present - enjoy! - -A MEMBER OF THE FATHERLAND UNION. - - 16TH JUNE, 1848. - -[Sidenote: _HE BECOMES A MASKED MAN._] - -It may be supposed with such documents scattered broadcast by a great -political institution, that the government would have shown discretion -and endeavoured to conciliate the people by judicious concessions. Their -action, however, was in the contrary direction. They were well aware -they could crush the people at the first appearance of an outbreak, and -cared not. As long as they had control of the army they felt secure. -This question of natural armies was for the moment pressing. Wagner had -endeavoured to solve it in his paper, but his were more suggestions than -a detailed plan, so his talk with his friend, August Roeckel, led to the -latter attempting a solution. Roeckel took for his basis the various -military organizations in force in Switzerland. His paper was read -before the Fatherland Union, and Wagner told me, he was loudly -applauded. Like his own paper it was printed, and in thousands. He, too, -signed his scheme, “A Member of the Fatherland Union,” but it was an -open secret who was the author. The result was that he was dismissed -from his post of assistant court conductor, after five years of service. -The Union then resolved to hold themselves in readiness for extreme -measures, and with that view directed Roeckel to amplify his plan. As -this was a question of technical skill and practical experience, the aid -of officers in the army was sought. The movement was popular with the -troops, and advice was readily forthcoming. The government, becoming -aware of this, at once dismissed all military men who had aided in -formulating the plan. From this time Wagner was what might be termed a -marked man. It was known that “the companion of my solitude” was his -offending assistant director, and means were taken to indicate the -disapprobation of the court. August Roeckel was dismissed in the autumn -of 1848, just at the time all Dresden was celebrating the three-hundred -years’ jubilee of its theatre. Among the favours bestowed by the king -were decorations for Chapel Master Reissiger, (a man vastly the inferior -of Wagner) and other subordinates, but Wagner was passed over. The -slight was intentional. - -But a few weeks later Liszt was going to produce “Tannhäuser” at Vienna. -To secure as perfect a representation as possible, Jenasst, the Vienna -stage manager, visited Richard Wagner, for consultation, and he relates -how Wagner took him to a meeting of republicans where the men all wore -large hats, and behaved themselves generally in a wild, excited fashion. - -No longer a musician by profession, but engaged entirely in the cause of -the people, August Roeckel founded a small weekly paper called the -“Volksblatte” (People’s Paper), naturally supported by the Union; it was -narrowly watched by the government. Occasionally seizures were made, but -no charge was brought against Roeckel. In this Wagner wrote, and I know -that the tenour of his articles was, “Destroy an interested clique of -flatterers who surround the King; and let the royal ear be open to the -prayers of all the people.” The government contemplated a prosecution of -Roeckel, but refrained solely because of the difficulty of securing a -conviction. - -[Sidenote: _ROECKEL’S PROMINENCE._] - -In November the _Prussian National Gathering_ was dissolved. This -procedure exasperated the people, upon which Berlin openly announced -that any exhibition of revolt would be at once put down mercilessly by -bayonet and cannon. August Roeckel was appealed to, and he wrote a -letter to the Prussian military authorities on the subject, copies of -which he sent to the public journals. For this the government arrested -him and put him in prison, where he remained three days without trial; -a generous unknown friend, putting ten thousand dollars as bail, secured -his release. Shortly after, he was tried and acquitted, but to this day -it is not known who was the benefactor on that occasion. So popular was -August Roeckel with the people, that on his acquittal, he was met by a -large concourse of friends, to which joined a detachment of Life Guards, -some two dozen, from the barracks close at hand, and headed a procession -through the town. As may be expected, the whole of the troop of soldiers -were tried, punished, and dismissed from the army. I mention this -incident as bearing upon the prominence of Roeckel in the eyes of the -government; and because the charges against Wagner rested on his -friendship with Roeckel, and on papers found at Roeckel’s house, -implicating Richard Wagner. - -In the opening winter months of 1848, the air was thick with reform. A -new chamber was to be elected; every one was straining his utmost for -the cause. It was felt that on the result of the elections the fate of -the people rested. The Fatherland Union determined to run as many -candidates of their own as possible, and Roeckel was of the chosen -number. He was elected deputy for Limbach, near Chemnitz, the electors -purchasing and presenting him with the freehold property, which it was -required all members should possess. The result of the elections gave an -overwhelming majority for what were termed the people’s candidates. -Roeckel wrote me the result, which was as follows:-- - - Government party, nil seats. - Moderate liberals, one-tenth. - Democratic party, nine-tenths. - -[Sidenote: _A GERMAN NATIONAL THEATRE._] - -The democratic party as a body had pledged itself to a revision of -taxation. It was felt that the new chamber would not trifle with an -iniquitously large court list, nor would it tolerate luxuries on the -civil list. This was openly talked about. Wagner was in distress. The -subsidy granted by the government to the theatre was one of the items of -the civil list; was this to go? He saw Roeckel; there was the man most -fitted to urge the wisdom of retaining the charge. His devotion to the -cause of the masses was unhesitatingly admitted on all hands, and he -knew the theatre and its necessary expenditure better than any one. It -was decided that while Roeckel should work in the chamber, Wagner -should, as conductor, draw out a scheme and submit it to ministers, -independently of his coadjutor. The plan once begun assumed much larger -proportions than was intended for the occasion. It was delivered, and he -heard nothing of it for months, officially, but he knew that the -discussion was being shirked. When it was returned to him, there was -evidence in the shape of pencil-marks that he had been laughed at as a -visionary, anticipating a great measure of reform when it was intended -none should be granted. Communications had been opened up secretly with -the Prussian government, who promised on the first show of discontent to -enter Saxony with their troops and very effectively stamp it out; and so -the king’s advisers had no intention of considering any plan the newly -elected chamber might submit. In itself the plan is a marvel of -administrative and constructive ability. He entitled it, “Scheme for the -Organization of a German National Theatre.” There are many propositions -advanced in it which are very moot points, in urging which Wagner, in -my judgment, was in error; _e.g._ private enterprise was to be -discountenanced for the reason that an impressario might produce immoral -pieces. To him the theatre was a great educator of a nation, and he -would insist on all theatres being under the direct control of the -government. But apart from this, which is a matter of opinion, the -scheme is a logical and exhaustive treatment of the whole question of -dramatic and vocal art, from the training-school for girls and boys to -their retirement on a pension to be allowed by the government. I will -briefly mention the main features of his plan: (1) Girls to enter -training-schools at fourteen, boys at sixteen, for three years; (2) -curriculum to embrace dancing, fencing, and general culture; (3) pupils -to first appear in the provinces; (4) pensions to be guaranteed, and -innumerable details as to construction of chorus, orchestra, -qualification of directors and instructors, practice, etc. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -1849-1851. - - -The year of the Revolution, Wagner’s flight and exile,--to comprehend -the full significance of these three incidents of magnitude, the -condition of society, the determination of the masses, and the unwise -prevarication of the ministry must be understood. Before stating what I -know of Wagner’s active participation during the next few exciting -months, I will describe the events themselves, and then treat of Wagner. - -[Sidenote: _LEANING ON A REED._] - -The newly elected chamber met on the 10th January. For weeks they -struggled to make headway. Whatever measure they passed was vetoed or -postponed by the king’s advisers. The excuse ever was, “Wait until the -constitution of the Frankfort diet has been promulgated”; or, when the -chamber insisted on reforms as regards the jury system and law -procedure, they were hung up on the miserable plea that the minister of -justice was ill, and could not devote himself to a careful study of the -changes proposed. The constitution as laid down by the federated German -parliament at Frankfort gave to every native German equal civil rights -and freedom of speech and press. Special civil privileges for the -nobility were not recognized; all Germans were to be governed by the -same laws. Out of the thirty-four principalities, twenty-nine had -accepted the enactment wholly, but Saxony held out. The Dresden chamber -resolved on coming to close quarters; they insisted on its official -recognition. Matters were assuming a cloudy aspect, but the king had no -intention of granting what a representative parliament of the whole -German people held to be the just rights of every man. The ministry, -therefore, at the wish of the king, resigned on the 24th February. This -purchased a short period of tranquillity. The new ministry would require -time to examine the question. False hopes were held out, but nothing was -done in the shape of advance or concession. The people refrained from -breaking out, expecting the Frankfort diet to insist on the Saxon -monarch acknowledging the constitution. But they leaned on a reed. The -king of Prussia, aware of the disturbed state of Saxony, sent a note to -the king, intimating that at a word from him he was ready to overrun -Saxony with his soldiers. Thus supported, there was no hope of any -reform passing into Saxon law. And so, on the 23d April, August Roeckel -writes to me, “This day we have passed a vote of want of confidence in -the king’s advisers.” Five days later, the 28th, I hear again that “the -ministry had the temerity to demand the imposition of a new tax.” This -was fiercely resisted, and the king, to bring his unfaithful commons to -their senses, issued a proclamation dissolving the chamber. This -unconstitutional and high-handed act was protested against with -vehemence, and was denounced in plain terms by Roeckel. The chambers -would not dissolve then, but arranged a final meeting two days hence. -Rough work was expected by the ministry; orders were given to confine -all troops to barracks on the 29th April, the day before the final -meeting arranged for; armaments were to be held ready for use. - -On the 3Oth April the angered and excited chambers met. The debate was -stormy, for the members were aware that troops and police were held in -readiness to seize certain of their members, immediately on the rising -of the house. Richard Wagner still held his office under the government. -In a sketch of these exciting days, written and published by Roeckel, at -my instigation, he states that Wagner, by some means, became aware that -his friend Roeckel was to be taken prisoner; at once making his way to -the house, he called Roeckel out, while the debate was in progress. -Deputies had an immunity from arrest while the house was sitting, a -privilege similarly enjoyed by English members of Parliament. - -[Sidenote: _MICHAEL BAKUNIN._] - -Roeckel desired to stay till the end of the sitting. He had long felt, -he says, that the government wished to force a decision by an appeal to -arms, and he was anxious to remain to the last, to hear what the -intentions of the government were. To this Wagner would not listen, but -finding his own entreaties not strong enough, he quickly brought a few -friends together, Hainberger, Bakunin, and Semper, and to their -unanimous decision he gave way. They urged that he should not even go -home to take farewell of his wife and five young children, but escape at -once. The question then was--where? Roeckel proposed Berlin, as he -thought there the revolt would first break out, but Bakunin advised -Prague, where the cause had some staunch friends, as safer. It was -decided then for Prague. Roeckel was to be recalled immediately there -was need for his presence. - -The men who advised this temporary flight were important leaders of the -people during the outbreak. First, Hainberger, son of Herr von -Hainberger, one of the eight imperial councillors of the emperor of -Austria. A musician of gift, his father wished him to enter the law, his -studies in which drove him into the ranks of democracy. He came to -Dresden, and took up his abode with August Roeckel, was a member of the -Fatherland Union, addressed public gatherings, and though but twenty -years of age, was of invaluable service in the organizing (such as it -was) and controlling of the people. He was on the staff, too, of -Roeckel’s paper. - -Michael Bakunin, an historic revolutionary figure, was, by birth, a -Russian. Driven into exile by the severity of the laws in his own -country, he had taken refuge in Dresden, where he was hidden by Roeckel. -A man of imposing personality, high and noble-minded, of impassioned -speech, he was one of the greatest figures during those terrible May -days. As gentle and inoffensive as a lamb, his intellect and energy were -called into action by the unjust treatment of the people. He -unfortunately gave Roeckel a letter addressed to the heads of the -movement in Prague, urging no precipitation, but combination, unity of -action. - -Here, for a moment, I must turn aside to the most prominent of Wagner’s -biographers, Glasenapp. In vol. I, p. 267, it is stated that Roeckel had -left Dresden to escape the consequences of a law-suit. This is totally -inaccurate. My information is derived from manuscript now before me, -under Roeckel’s own hand, and I will produce textually what he says:-- - - I had scarcely been three days in Prague, when a premature outbreak - recalled me. Richard Wagner, whose later long years of persecution - can but find their explanation in that he dared to distinguish - between his duties as a court conductor and his conscience as a - citizen, he who as conductor insisted on being unfettered, had long - since been wearied out in bitter disappointment, by the - non-fulfilment of the promises of 1848. Wagner wrote to me during - the feverish excitement of 3d May. “Return immediately. For the - moment you are not threatened with any danger, but there is a fear - that the excitement will precipitate a premature outbreak.” These - last words [Roeckel goes on to add], were held by his judges to - imply a preconcerted plot to overthrow all German princes, whereas - his letter had reference solely to Dresden. The inference was - erroneous. As you know, no organization existed by which the - principalities could be united. - -[Sidenote: _HE MUST HAVE ICE._] - -Simultaneously with this incriminating note from Wagner, a messenger -arrived from Bakunin urging Roeckel to return with all possible speed, -as directing heads were sorely needed, and particularly popular men. -This was on the 4th. He left Prague immediately, arriving outside -Dresden on Sunday, the 6th May, whence he heard the booming of guns, -ringing of church bells, fusillading of musketry, and saw two columns of -fire rising to the sky. From his position, he discerned that one was -from the site of the old opera house. His heart sank. Had the people -grown wild? Were they reckless, and was the grand cause to be lost in -fury and ill-directed efforts? The gates of the town were held open to -him by citizens. He made his way at once to the town hall. In his -patriotism he thought not of wife or children. The streets presented an -appearance akin to the sickening, horrible sight he had seen in Paris -during the July Revolution of 1830,--shops closed, paving-stones doing -duty as barricades, strengthened by overturned carts, etc., etc., a -miscellaneous collection of domestic articles. - -Hurrying along, he came suddenly upon Hainberger. The incident is -curious and characteristic. Rapid inquiries and answers passed. It -appeared that Hainberger was at the same barricades as Richard Wagner, -who, he said, had just returned to the town in charge of a convoy of -provisions, and a strong detachment of peasants, and Hainberger was sent -in search of an ice for the parched Wagner. The significance of this -incident should not be lost sight of. The character of “Wagner as I knew -him” is herein painted accurately in a few lines. He was fond of luxury; -a sort of Oriental craving possessed him; and, whether weighed down with -debt and the horizon obscure, or in the midst of a nation’s throes for -liberty, he would appease his luxurious senses. Hainberger was the -messenger, first, because of his devotion, and secondly, because of his -long legs, which enabled him to step over the barricades. - -At the town hall he found the members of the provisional -government--Heubner, Todt, Tzchirner--that had been appointed on the -flight of the king, 4th May. With them were Bakunin and Heinze, a first -lieutenant in the army, who had thrown in his lot with the people, and -took the military lead during the outbreak. Heinze had no means of -communicating his orders to anybody. Every man guarded the post he -thought best, and left it at his discretion. The commander had no notion -how many men he commanded; it was a chaos, a seething medley of -uncontrolled enthusiasm. Up to the 5th May no one had realized the -serious nature of the conflict; masses streamed hither and thither, were -in a rough sort of manner marshalled and directed to defend certain -streets; but it was a terribly unorganized mass, each man fighting as he -thought best. - -[Sidenote: _THE ARREST OF ROECKEL._] - -Roeckel placed himself at the disposal of the provisional government, -and was appointed director of a district,--that in which Wagner worked. -Roeckel visited the barricades, encouraged the people, and to open up -communications with comrades in neighbouring streets, he had walls -broken down and passages made through houses. But his chief crime, -according to the government, was the making of pitch rings to be flung -burning into public buildings held by the soldiers. The actual facts of -the case were these: The barricades were too low; men could with little -effort step over them. He hurriedly consulted Wagner, and it was agreed -that a storming by the soldiers could only be prevented by covering the -top of the barricades with some substance easy of ignition. Then Roeckel -suggested tar or pitch rings; and while Wagner went off to his convoy -supervision, Roeckel, with a body of men, set to work making these rings -in the yard opposite the town hall. The work had only proceeded an hour -when he received a message from the provisional government. His presence -was urgently required elsewhere, so the ring-making was discontinued at -once. This was on the Monday, or but one day after he had entered -Dresden. That evening information was received that a convoy of -provisions and a detachment of peasants were a few miles outside the -city waiting to enter. It was raining hard, and very dark; only some -person acquainted with the road and place would be of service. Roeckel -knew both, and started with Hainberger. As their mission was of such -importance, they deemed it advisable to wait until night had completely -set in. The rain and darkness increasing, the utmost caution was -imperative; but alas! they were met by a patrol of the Saxon troops, and -Roeckel was taken prisoner, his companion Hainberger escaping, owing to -his nimbleness. Roeckel was immediately taken before an officer and -searched. On him were found papers inculpating Wagner and others. A few -lines, too, from Commander Heinze as to the conduct of the people in the -event of a sortie taking place, caused him considerable discomfort. His -hands were tied behind him with rope which cut the flesh, and for the -night he was left in a barn. Next morning, still tied, he was sent down -the Elbe to Dresden under a strong escort, for the importance of the -capture was soon known. On his way down, he passed his own house; his -wife was at the window, and his children, attracted by the helmets of -the troops, were on the banks, unconscious that their father was a -prisoner on board. He was confined in a narrow, dark room, in his wet -clothes, and saw no one for two days, by which time the firing in the -town had ceased, and he knew then that the outbreak was at an end. - -And now, to measure accurately the extent of Wagner’s culpability or his -claim to eulogy, the precise nature of the revolt should be understood, -the class and character of the insurgents, and their avowed purpose, -plainly stated. Further, the source of the government indictment against -Wagner and the reason of their relentless persecution should both be -fully comprehended. - -First, the revolt. It began through pure accident. Naturally the -townspeople were excited at the knowledge of the military being held in -readiness to suppress, by force of arms, any public expression at the -arbitrary dissolution of the chambers. They gathered in groups about the -streets, the pressure being greatest near the town hall. As the crowd -swayed, a wooden gate, opening upon a military magazine, gave way. The -troops were turned out, and defenceless people fired upon,--men, women -and children dying in the streets. This was May 3d. Then began that -loose organization. And who took part in it? Let the official records -supply the answer. I find that when the insurrection was suppressed the -government indicted twelve thousand persons, this lamentably lengthy -list including thirty mayors of different towns, about two-thirds of the -members of the dissolved chambers, government officials, town -councillors, lawyers, clergy, school-masters, officers and privates of -the army, men of culture, position, and social influence. - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER’S SEDITION._] - -Well might Herr von Beust, the king of Saxony’s chosen prime minister -during March and April, 1849, when speaking in the Dresden chamber on -the 15th August, 1864, or fifteen years after the terrible May days of -1849 that condemned Richard Wagner to exile, describe this revolt as an -“insurrection that embraced the whole of the people of Saxony.” After -such striking, conclusive testimony to the character of the revolt, from -the highest minister of the crown, no stigma can attach to Wagner or any -member who united in defence of the liberty of the subject, but rather -is such action to be commended. - -One more fact from the official report now before me: of Prussian and -Saxon troops thirty-four are recorded dead and a hundred wounded; -whereas, of the people, or “insurgents,” one hundred and ninety men, -seven women killed, and a hundred and eleven men and four women wounded, -besides “about fifty more” of the people admittedly killed by the -soldiery, and then thrown into the Elbe, or a gross total of a hundred -and thirty-four soldiers killed and wounded against three hundred and -sixty-two people. - -And now as to the source of the government charge and the reason of its -intolerant bearing for thirteen years towards Richard Wagner. I have -already referred to the note taken upon Roeckel, which Wagner wrote and -addressed to him at Prague, urging his immediate return. Further, I have -reproduced the revolutionary paper which Wagner read before the -Fatherland Union, a copy of which figures in the official indictment -_re_ Wagner. There yet remain other incriminating documents, and -occasional words uttered by prisoners under examination, besides the -knowledge the government possessed of his close intimacy with that -revolutionary directing spirit, Bakunin, and also with August Roeckel; -and further, his membership in the Union. But the chief materials for -the government accusation were furnished by poor Roeckel himself. There -was, first, the letter taken upon him--“Return immediately ... -excitement may precipitate a premature outbreak.” Then his house was -sacked. He was the editor and proprietor of the “Volksblatte,” the -people’s paper. Naturally, therefore, documents and papers of every -description were found in profusion, held to incriminate several -persons. Here copies were found of the June, 1848, paper, by Richard -Wagner, on the “Abolition of the Monarchy,” and articles written by him -for the “Volksblatte,” then minutes of meetings of the Fatherland Union -and of the sub-committee. In a letter from his wife to me, detailing the -incidents of the sacking of his house in Dresden, she says, “Every -paper, printed and in manuscript, was taken away by the police officer -who accompanied the military guard”; and, further, she says, “When I was -ordered to leave Dresden I went first to Leipzic and Halle, thence to -Weimar, and at each town, when it became known who we were, I and my -five children were received with every sign of affection; at Leipzic the -townspeople coming out in a body to welcome us.” - -[Sidenote: _A CHIEF OF INSURRECTION._] - -Roeckel’s wife was ordered to quit Dresden so that she might not witness -the execution of her husband. Both Bakunin and Roeckel were, by order of -the Prussian commander, to be shot in the market place, an order only -countermanded when it was thought that further information could be -extracted from them. Ten days after Roeckel’s capture he was brought up -for investigation, in company with Heubner, the head of the provincial -government, Heinze, the military commander of the people, and Bakunin, -directing spirit. These four men were all chained. From this time each -was examined and interrogated separately. Roeckel’s investigations were -endless. He could not at the time perceive why he was repeatedly -cross-questioned on the same point. Alas, it was too cruelly potent -when, on the 14th January, 1850, or nineteen months after he was taken -prisoner, for the first time he heard specifically with what he was -charged, and his sentence,--death. He saw then clearly that the last -part of Wagner’s note to him had been interpreted as implying a general -organized rising throughout Saxony at a moment to be decided upon by the -leaders, Bakunin, Heubner, Todt, Wagner, and Roeckel--“return -immediately ... the excitement will precipitate a premature outbreak.” -The official interpretation was entirely wrong. No decision of the kind -had been arrived at. There was a complete lack of organization. They -wished to be prepared for emergencies, but a deliberate attack was not -contemplated. However, it sufficed to include Wagner among the chiefs of -the insurrection. - -Then there were Bakunin’s letters to the sympathizers at Prague, -unaddressed. By all manner of cunning questions that legal ingenuity -could suggest was it sought to drag out from Roeckel in his cell, the -names of the leaders at Prague. The addresses of several personages were -found in the sacking of Roeckel’s house, and these were all arraigned. -For a year these secret investigations were carried on, in June, July, -and August at Dresden, and subsequently at the fortress of Königstein. -On the last day of August, 1849, Heubner, Bakunin, and Roeckel seem to -have been confronted separately by a witness who swore to the part -actually played by Wagner during the rising. Refusing to utter a word -that should incriminate their friend, they were transported that night -in three separate wagons to the impregnable fortress of Königstein. -Officers with loaded revolvers sat inside each conveyance, a troop of -mounted soldiery forming the van and rear of the cavalcade. The night -had been chosen, as these men were known to be beloved of the people; -they were martyrs in a nation’s cause, and it was feared that, should it -become known who were the prisoners being conveyed, a rescue might be -attempted. Inside the prison house, Roeckel met with kind treatment and -was permitted to receive letters from his friends. The nobility of his -character, his integrity, fearlessness, and unselfishness had rendered -him so popular that the directors of the Royal Library at Dresden placed -their whole store of books at his disposal. Within the walls of his -prison he was equally popular, warders and soldiers uniting to form a -plan for his escape, and that of Heubner and Bakunin. Roeckel and -Bakunin declared themselves ready, but Heubner refused, whereupon -Roeckel and Bakunin declined to hazard the attempt without their friend. -It is to these efforts of the soldiers that Wagner refers in a letter to -Edward Roeckel, brother of August, which appears later on. The -friendliness of the warders being perceived by the authorities, Roeckel -was removed to that Bastille of Saxony, the fortress of Waldheim, and -Bakunin to Prague. - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER’S ACTIVE PART._] - -And now for the first time was Roeckel brought before a properly -constituted tribunal. It was on the morning of the 14th January, 1850, -that he heard for the first time the charge formulated against him and -the sentence. The official accusation of my friend is before me, and as -Richard Wagner is concerned, I will summarize the charge. It consists of -eight distinct counts to the effect that he, Roeckel, had placed himself -at the disposal of the provisional government, constructed barricades, -was present at military councils, received the convoys of men and -provisions that were brought into Dresden by Wagner and others, prepared -tar brands, was concerned in a plot for a general uprising in the -principalities to overthrow the lawful rulers, as proved by the letter -from Richard Wagner taken upon him, etc., etc. The sentence passed upon -Roeckel was death, Heubner and Bakunin having been brought up for trial -and sentenced at the same time. The friends shook hands for the last -time. - -Outside a party had arisen demanding a second trial. The clamour was -strong, so that a rehearing was conceded, but the second court, on 16th -April, 1850, only confirmed the judgment of the first, the extreme -penalty, however, being commuted by the king, who had under all -circumstances shown himself averse to capital punishment, to -imprisonment for life. Roeckel was, however, reprieved after having been -incarcerated nearly thirteen years. - -And now for the actual part played by Wagner. Throughout he was most -active. He was, as he says, “everywhere.” His genius for organizing and -directing, which we have seen carried to such perfection on the stage, -proved of infinite value during those anxious days. An outbreak had long -been expected, but not at the moment it actually took place, and when it -came he was found ready to carry out the work appointed him. Though not -on the executive of the provisional government, he was consulted -regularly by the heads, and as he says, “it was pure accident” he was -not taken prisoner with Heubner and Bakunin, as he had but “left them -the night before their arrest to meet them in the morning for -consultation.” - -[Sidenote: _LEAD FROM THE HOUSE-TOPS._] - -His temperament, all who have come into contact with him well know, was -very excitable, and under such a strain as he then endured it was at -fever pitch. Hainberger related to me a dramatic episode which thrilled -Wagner’s frame and stirred the whole of the eye-witnesses. I recounted -it subsequently to Wagner, and he agreed entirely as to the truth of -Hainberger’s recital. It was in the morning about eight o’clock, the -barricade at which Wagner and Hainberger were stationed was about to -receive such morning meal as had been prepared, the outposts being kept -by a few men and women. Amongst the latter was a young girl of eighteen, -the daughter of a baker belonging to this particular barricade. She -stood in sight of all, when to their amazement a shot was suddenly -heard, a piercing shriek, followed by the fall of the girlish patriot. -The miscreant Prussian soldier, one of a detachment in the -neighbourhood, was caught redhanded and hurried to the barricade. Wagner -seized a musket and mounting a cart called out aloud to all, “Men, will -you see your wives and daughters fall in the cause of our beloved -country, and not avenge their cowardly murder? All who have hearts, all -who have the blood and spirit of their forefathers, and love their -country follow me, and death to the tyrant.” So saying he seized a -musket, and heading the barricade they came quickly upon the few -Prussians who had strayed too far into the town, and who, perceiving -they were outnumbered, gave themselves up as prisoners. This is but one -of those many examples of what a timid man will do under excitement, for -I give it as my decided opinion, and I have no fear of lack of -corroboration, that Richard Wagner was not personally brave. I have -closely observed him upon many occasions, and though entering into a -quarrel readily enough,--once in the London streets with a grocer who -had cruelly beaten his horse,--he always moved away when it looked like -coming to blows. This might be termed discretion; well, he was discreet, -there are no two opinions about that, but I distinctly affirm that what -is commonly understood by personal bravery, Wagner possessed none of it. - -He was ever ready to harangue the people; his volubility, excitability, -and unquenchable love of freedom instigating him at all times. This was -well known to the government, as also the foregoing incident, I am -convinced, for, be it remembered, Wagner and his companions only made -the Prussian soldiers prisoners, and it is not supposing the impossible -that on release they would have reported fully who it was that led, -musket in hand, the people against them. - -Another incident of the campaign, and this time the author is Wagner. -When it was reported that the ammunition was running short, the not very -original idea sprang from him in this instance to use the lead from the -house-tops. That Wagner’s very active participation was fully reported -to the government, is proved by their attitude towards him. They -expected to take him prisoner with Heubner and Bakunin, for he was -constantly with them, and they were betrayed by the Prussians; and, as -Wagner says, it was “pure accident” only that he was not taken with -them. - -As soon as the leaders were taken, and Wagner saw there was no use in -continuing the conflict, he fled. He knew not in what direction to turn, -but the thought of his precious manuscripts which he had with him -determined his course--Weimar, Liszt. And so it fell out. Liszt was good -and sheltered him, and interested himself so far as to go to the police -official at Weimar to try and discover whether any warrant had been -issued for his apprehension. Wagner remained below while Liszt entered -to inquire. He was not kept in suspense long. Liszt hurried out -breathless and excited. “For the love of God, stay not a moment; a -warrant has been issued and is upstairs now waiting to be executed, but -I have prevailed upon H----, who out of friendship will not put it into -execution for an hour.” Under Liszt’s advice he left for Paris, the -Weimar virtuoso being intrusted with Wagner’s precious manuscripts. He -went to Paris, but remained a few weeks only, seeking an asylum in -Zurich, of which city in the October following he became a naturalized -subject. - -In the summer of 1853 he thought of quitting Zurich, information which -was soon conveyed to the Dresden government, who at once issued the -following proclamation. I draw attention to the words “most prominent,” -and further to the date, June, 1853; or, it should be borne in mind, -four years after the Revolution. It ran as follows:-- - -[Sidenote: _A HAPPY ACCIDENT._] - - Wagner, Richard, late chapel master of Dresden, one of the most - prominent supporters of the party of insurrection, who by reason of - his participation in the Revolution of May, 1849, in Dresden, has - been pursued by police warrant, this is to give notice that it - having transpired he intends to leave Zurich, where he at present - resides, in order to enter Germany, he should be arrested; whereby, - for the better purpose of apprehension, a portrait of the said - Richard Wagner is hereby given, so that should he touch German land - he may at once be delivered over to the police authorities at - Dresden. - -The question then arises, is it to be supposed that a man thus pursued -by the Saxon government had taken little or no part in the insurrection? -There cannot be any doubt as to the answer. As I have before stated, -Richard Wagner was deeply implicated in revolutionary proceedings before -the May days of 1849, facts within the cognizance of the government. -They knew he was a member of the political society, Fatherland Union, -the centre of Saxon discontent; it was notorious that the conductor, -Wagner, had written and read a celebrated paper in June, 1848, before -the society, advocating the abolition of the monarchy; his most intimate -companion and confidant was the second conductor, Roeckel, dismissed -from office by reason of his revolutionary (?) practices, and he, -Wagner, had already expressed his regret for hasty language condemnatory -of the powers, and what was even still more convincing evidence, did he -not stand convicted by his own handwriting--the short note taken on the -person of August Roeckel, besides the evidence of his having contributed -articles to Roeckel’s paper? It is then a matter of universal rejoicing, -that the “pure accident” did prevent his meeting Bakunin and Heubner, -for, judging from the sentence of death passed upon those two, and upon -Roeckel, it is more than probable that the same sentence would have been -pronounced against him. - -That the government regarded Roeckel and Wagner in much the same light, -is to my mind further shown by the similarity in time of their -respective imprisonment and exile--August Roeckel serving nearly -thirteen years, and Richard Wagner’s amnesty dating March, 1862. Several -persons of high rank interceded for him, among them Napoleon the Third, -who, after the “Tannhäuser” fiasco in Paris of 1861, expressed himself -amazed at the fatherland exiling so great a son. After the perusal of -the following letter, dated by Wagner, Enge, near Zurich, 15th March, -1851, future biographers can no longer ignobly treat the patriotism of -Wagner by striving to whitewash or gloss over the part he played during -those sad days. It is addressed to my life-long friend, Edward Roeckel -(the brother of August), now living at Bath, where he has resided since -1849.[2] - -[Sidenote: _LETTER TO EDWARD ROECKEL._] - - -ENGE, NEAR ZURICH, 15th March, 1851. - - MY DEAR FRIEND: Many a time have I longed to write to you, but have - been compelled to desist, uncertain as to your address. But now I - must take my chance in sending you a letter, as the occasion is - pressing, and I have to claim your kindness in the interest of - another. I will, therefore, at once explain matters, and so have - done with the immediate cause of this letter. - - A young man, Hainberger, still very young, half German, half Pole, - at present my exile companion in Switzerland, originally found - refuge in the Canton Berne. This canton has expelled all political - refugees, refusing to harbour them any longer, and, indeed, no - canton will now receive another exile, at most keeping those - already domiciled there; thus Hainberger is obliged to seek - sanctuary either in England or America. Being a good violinist, I - had already secured for him several months’ engagement in the - Zurich orchestra. His present intention, if possible, is to go next - winter to Brussels, in order to profit by lessons from de Beriot, - but alas! for him, his most reactionary Austrian parents and - relations are as yet too angry with him to permit him to hope of - their furnishing the necessary money for that plan. Until he can - expect a change in that quarter, he does not wish to go as far as - America, but prefers London, there to await that happy - reconciliation with his relations. Meanwhile, and in order to - ensure the means of subsistence, he would much like to find an - engagement in one of the London orchestras. As he does not know a - soul in London to whom he could apply for help in this case, I turn - to you in friendship, to assist in procuring him such an - engagement. And, further, besides knowing no one in London, my - young friend does not speak English. If, therefore, you could - indicate any house where he could live moderately, and make himself - understood, you would confer a great favour on me. Could we not - direct him at once to Praeger? I take a deep interest in this young - man, as he is of an amiable disposition, and I have become closely - acquainted with him at Dresden, where indeed he stayed for some - long time, with August. He is really a talented violinist, and - possesses letters of recommendation from his masters, Helmsberger - and David (in the first instance, he was a pupil of Jansa), which - he wishes to be known, as he believes the name of Helmsberger a - guarantee. If you are willing to do me this service I beg, in my - name, that he may be sustained in all power. - - Now to another matter. During the last few years much has occurred - of a most painful nature, and oft have I thought of your sorely - tried brotherly devotion. We were all compelled to be prepared for - extremes during those times, for it was no longer possible to - endure the state of things in which we lived, unless we had become - unfaithful to ourselves. I, for my part, long before the outbreak - of the Revolution, was incapable of anything but contemplating that - inevitable catastrophe. What in me was a mixture of contemplation, - was with August all action. His whole being was impelled to - energetic activity. It was not until the fourth day of the outbreak - at Dresden that I saw him on a Monday morning for the first and - last time. For some time after he was captured, I could get no news - of him but what I gathered from the public journals. Although I had - not accepted a special rôle, yet I was present everywhere, actively - superintending the bringing in of convoys, and indeed, I only - returned with one from the Erzgebirge[3] to the town hall, Dresden, - on the eve of the last day. Then I was immediately asked on all - sides after August, of whom since Monday evening no tidings had - been received, and so, to our distress, we were forced to conclude - that he had either been taken prisoner or shot. - - [Sidenote: _A CONVENIENT MEMORY._] - - I was actively engaged in the revolutionary movement up to its - final struggle, and it was a pure accident that I, too, was not - taken prisoner in company with Heubner and Bakunin, as I had but - taken leave of them for the night to meet in consultation again the - next morning. When all was lost, I fled first to Weimar, where, - after a few days, I was informed that a warrant of apprehension was - to be put in motion after me. I consulted Liszt about my next - movements. He took me to a house to make inquiries on my behalf. - While awaiting his return in the street, I suddenly caught sight of - Lullu,[4] who told me her mother had arrived at Weimar, was living - close by, and gave me their address, I promising to call at once; - but on Liszt returning he told me that not a moment was to be lost, - the warrant of apprehension had been received, and I must quit - Weimar at once. It became, therefore, impossible to call on - August’s wife; and only now, as I am writing, does it strike me - that “Linchen”[5] might perhaps think my behaviour unfeeling. I beg - of you, then, when you have an opportunity, if she may have - considered me wanting in sympathy, to explain how the matter then - stood, as I should feel deeply distressed at such a belief - existing. I heard from Dresden that, thanks to your brotherly - devotion, the family of the unhappy August have been well provided - for. Where they at present reside I do not know. As regards August, - from whom, alas, I have not yet received any detailed information, - I can, thinking of the terrible trial he is now undergoing, have - only one profound anxiety, that is, his health. Should he lose - this, it would be the worst possible thing; for his imprisonment - cannot last eternally, of that there is no doubt. I cannot speak of - “plots,” as of them I know nothing authoritatively, and most likely - they even do not exist, but a glance at the affairs of Europe - clearly shows that the present state of things can be but - shortlived. Good health and patience are most to be desired for - those who suffer the keenest under existing circumstances. Happily, - August’s constitution is of the kind that gives every hope for him. - I know, from his manner of living, that neither an active nor a - sedentary life affect him deeply. But one thing is to be feared, - viz. that his patience will not last him; and alas, in this respect - I have heard, to my sorrow, that he has been incautious, and - suffers in consequence stricter discipline. Altogether, however, I - believe that the political prisoners in Saxony are treated - humanely, and we must hope that by prudent behaviour August will - soon experience milder treatment, could we but influence him in - respect to his easily understood passionate outbreaks. - - I live here very retired with my wife, receiving from certain - friends in Germany just sufficient monetary assistance. My special - grief is my art, which, though I had my freedom of action, I could - not unfold. I was in Paris, intended even going to London, but the - feeling of nausea, engendered by such art excursions, drove me back - here; and so I have taken to write books, amongst others, “Das - Kunstwerk der Zukunft,” and, on a larger scale, “Oper und Drama,” - my last work. I could also turn again to composing “Siegfried’s - Tod,” but after all, it would only be for myself, and that in the - end is too mournful. Dear Edward, write to me. Perhaps I may hear - much news from you, and I would greatly like to hear how you are - getting on. Farewell. Be assured of my heartiest devotion. - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -And now for a few closing remarks upon this revolutionary epoch. I have -alluded to the whitewashing, as it were, of Wagner by his biographers -when treating of this period. If it were asked who is to blame, the -answer might fairly be, “Imperfect or inadequate knowledge of the -facts,” fostered, I regret to add, by Wagner’s own later utterances and -writings upon the point. When Wagner visited London in 1855, the -Revolution and the thousand and one episodes connected therewith were -related and discussed fully and dwelt upon with affection, but as the -years rolled on he exhibited a decided aversion towards any reference to -his participation. Perhaps we should not judge harshly in the matter; he -had suffered much and there were not wanting, and I fear it may be said -there are still not wanting, those who speak in ungenerous, malignant -tones about the court conductor being false to his oath of allegiance, -of the demagogue luxuriating in the wealth of a royal patron. Wagner’s -art popularity was increasing and his music-dramas were gradually -forcing themselves upon the stage, and he did not wish his chance of -success to be marred by the everlastingly silly and spiteful references -to the revolutionist. But whether he was justified in writing as he did, -in permitting almost an untruth to be inferred and history falsified, I -should not care to decide. As, however, I am of opinion that the lives -of great men (their public actions at least) are the property of -posterity, I have stated what I know to have been the true facts, and -will bring my remarks to a close by appending a few extracts from -Wagner’s early and later writings upon this point which, read by the -light of the uncontrovertible facts, I leave for each to form his own -opinion:-- - - (1) Paper on the “Abolition of the Monarchy,” read before the - Fatherland Union, dated 16th June, 1848. - - (2) Note to August Roeckel: “Return immediately; a premature - outbreak is feared.”--May, 1849. - - (3) Letter to Edward Roeckel: March, 1851: - - (_a_) “It was no longer possible to endure the state of things in - which we lived.” - - (_b_) “I was present everywhere, actively superintending the - bringing in of convoys, etc.” - - (_c_) “I was actively engaged in the revolutionary movement up to - its final struggle.” - - (4) His active participation, related by himself to me, - corroborated by Hainberger’s testimony. (I should add that - Hainberger came to London in April, 1851, stayed with me, and that - I secured for him lessons and a place in the orchestra of the New - Philharmonic.) - - (5) Max von Weber, son of Carl Maria von Weber, told me that he was - present during the Revolution, and saw Wagner shoulder his musket. - -[Sidenote: _A SIGNIFICANT OMISSION._] - -As I have stated, the general drift of Wagner’s references to the -Revolution is to minimize his share; I content myself with two extracts -only:-- - - 1. From “Eine Mittheilung an meine Freunde” (a communication to my - friends), vol. IV. of his collected writings, and dated 1851: “I - never had occupied myself really with politics.” - - 2. “The Work and Mission of my Life,” the latest of Wagner’s - published writings, written in 1876 for America: “In my innermost - nature I really had nothing in common with its political side,” - _i.e._ of the Revolution. - -The significant omission of “The Abolition of the Monarchy” paper from -his eleven volumes of “Collected Writings,” a collection which includes -shorter papers written too at earlier periods than the above, may also -be noted. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -1850-1854. - - -[Sidenote: “_TERRIBLY IN EARNEST._”] - -Pursued by a police warrant, Wagner first sought refuge and a home in -Paris. The French capital possessed alluring attractions for him, but -his reception, in 1849, was no brighter or more promising than it had -been ten years earlier. He therefore left Paris, after a few weeks, and -went to Zurich. Here he found a true home and hearty friends, and felt, -as far as was possible, so contented that in the autumn following he -became a naturalized subject. And yet Wagner used to say his forced -exile pressed sore upon him, and there is no doubt he did chafe under -it, and strove hard to free himself from its galling chains. He could -not settle to work. He endeavoured to open communications with August -Roeckel, through influential friends in Dresden, but was unsuccessful. -When in Paris, and whilst still under the influence of the -multitudinous, unsettling thoughts that had pressed him into the ranks -of liberty, making him one of its most energetic champions, he -endeavoured to negotiate with the editor of a newspaper of standing, for -a series of letters, on the interesting and timely topic of “The -Revolution, and its Relation to Art.” But the proposal came to nothing. -He was told the time was inopportune. “Strange and silly people,” was -his comment, and he left the Parisians for the more homely, though -heavier folk, of Zurich. - -And still he could not tear himself away from Paris. The city and people -fascinated him then and at all times, and he returned, in the early part -of 1850, to make another effort in the cause of art. Though his -invectives were frequent and bitter, yet I have seen enough, and know -enough, of the inner Wagner, to state positively that he highly esteemed -the French intellect and judgment in matters of art. This is one of -those curious paradoxes in Richard Wagner’s character. He could never -refer to the French without some sarcastic allusion to their frivolity. -At all times Wagner was “terribly in earnest,” and he almost took it as -a personal insult to see the French full of sensuous enjoyment, and -regarding art as a pleasant, agreeable relaxation, at the end of the -day’s labour. And yet he strove to succeed there for all that; even in -1860, when he was again in Paris, his feelings were precisely the same. -Writing on this point, some sixteen years later, he says: “I thought -that it was there (_i.e._ Paris) only that I could find the atmosphere -so necessary to the success of my art,[6] that element of which I so -much stood in need.” - -His success in 1849-50, however, was no more than it had been hitherto. -His vanity was piqued at his reception. He visited old acquaintances, -and was received with a patronizing friendship, as one who had come to -Paris, an aspirant for fame. They would not see in him the “Tannhäuser” -composer, the prophet who had come to baptize them with the pure, holy -water of the true in art. His pride was wounded. - -He was envious, too, of that smooth, highly polished gracefulness which -the French possess in the small matters of every-day life, and which he -was conscious he lacked. Though refined in intellect, courteous in -bearing, carrying himself with majestic dignity when occasion demanded, -yet Richard Wagner’s natural characteristic was a plainness and -directness of speech, which often took the form of abruptness. -“Amiability usually runs into insincerity,” says Mr. Froude, when -describing Carlyle’s character in the “Reminiscences,” and Wagner was at -all times sincere. Sensitive, too, as artists commonly are, he saw the -Parisians resolving life and art into a pastime, and doing it with an -elegant, natural gracefulness that was absent in his own serious -utterances of the heart. Impatient of incapacity, blunt in speech, and -vehement in declamation, even with bursts of occasional rudeness, he was -angered and jealous, that a people--his intellectual inferior--should -take life so easily. - -[Sidenote: _NOT FOND OF EXILE._] - -Sick in heart, he soon became sick in body; seriously ill indeed. On his -recovery, feeling naught congenial to him in Paris, he left again for -Zurich, via Bordeaux and Geneva. At Bordeaux an episode occurred similar -to one which happened later at Zurich, about which the press of the day -made a good deal of unnecessary commotion and ungenerous comment. I -mention the incident to show the man as he was. The Opposition have not -spared his failings, and over the Zurich incident were hypercritically -censorious. The Bordeaux story I am alluding to, is, that the wife of a -friend, Mrs. H----, having followed Wagner to the south, called on him -at his hotel, and throwing herself at his feet, passionately told of -her affection. Wagner’s action in the matter was to telegraph to the -husband to come and take his wife home. On telling me the story, Wagner -jocosely remarked that poor Beethoven, so full of love, never had his -affection returned, and lived and died, so it is said, a hermit. - -Another adventure of this description took place at Berlin, which to my -mind is a verification of the homeopathic doctrine, _similia similibus -curantur_, for I often taunted him with possessing, though in -homeopathic doses, just those very failings he denounced in others, viz. -amorousness, Hebraic shrewdness, and the Gallic love of enjoyment. When -he was in a jocular mood he would laugh heartily at my endeavour to -prove the truth of my opinions by the citation of instances, and -occasionally he would admit the impeachment, whereas, at other times, he -would become irritated, and put an end to any such conversation by -charging me with having lost all my German feeling under the pernicious -influence of a London fog. - -Back in Zurich, he could not force himself to compose. He could not, and -never did, take kindly to his compulsory exile, even appealing himself -to the authorities more than ten years later for permission to re-enter -his fatherland. And yet I have no hesitation in asserting that the world -should regard it as a boon for art that he was thus driven into exile. -Away from the theatre and the busy activity connected with his office of -conductor, he had time to reflect over the many schemes for the -elevation of art that constantly held communion with his inner self. -Freed from the contact of that vortex of petty agitation which -constitutes the active life of the stage, and of which every -individual, no matter how inferior his grade, thinks himself the chief -attraction, he gained that repose which enabled him to see art matters -in their just proportion. His state, he described to me, as that spoken -of by both Aristotle and Plato: “One of the highest happinesses attained -through the pleasures of the intellect by the contemplative life.” -Indeed, it can be maintained, that all the great works of his after-life -were either completed or sketched during those years of exile. - -[Sidenote: _THE VILLA AT ZURICH._] - -To begin with his literary work. In this branch of thought he was -remarkably active. For five whole years, the first five of his Zurich -life, I remember he said he did not compose a bar; all was literary -outpouring, and so much was he given to reflection on the strange -position in which he found himself in the art world, and the manner in -which his operas had been received, that he even seriously considered -the question whether music was his province, whether he should not -reject tonal composition entirely in favour of the spoken drama. In a -letter of that period he says, “I spend my time in walking, reading, and -literary work.” And when one considers what Wagner did during those -years of banishment, it will be seen how hard a worker he was. His exile -lasted for something like twelve years, and during that time he wrote -those masterly expositions: “Art and Revolution,” “The Art Work of the -Future,” “Art and Climate,” “Judaism in Music,” and “Opera and Drama,” -whilst, as regards the music-drama, he wrote the whole of the words and -music of the “Nibelung’s Ring,” “Tristan and Isolde,” the -“Mastersingers” (1861-62), and a fragment of music subsequently -embodied and amplified in “Parsifal.” - -Wagner met with many reverses in the early portion of his career, but he -also, on occasions, enjoyed exceptionally good fortune. Though caged, as -he said, like an angry, irritable lion in Zurich, longing to burst his -prison door, yet he met everywhere with troops of friends. The personnel -of the opera house united to do him honour, and individually he was -treated with hearty good will. One of his ardent admirers and intimate -friends was Madame Wesendonck, the wife of a wealthy retired merchant -who had come, with her husband, to take up her abode in Zurich. -Wesendonck was a musical amateur, but not so gifted as his wife, who was -enthusiastic for Wagner. Wesendonck had purchased some land overlooking -the beautiful lake, and was building himself a house there. For that -purpose he had brought architects and upholsterers from Paris. While the -building was in course of erection, a very pretty chalêt adjoining the -property became untenanted, which it was stated was about to be used as -an asylum. Such information was not pleasant to Wesendonck, and at the -suggestion and wish of his wife he purchased it and rented it to Wagner -for a nominal sum. This really charming villa was an immense delight to -Wagner. Hitherto, living in the town, he had grown fractious under the -infliction of noises and cries inseparable from the bustle of civic -life, and the “Retreat,” as he called the chalêt, afforded him a -pleasure, and procured that quiet comfort invaluable to him at that -period of thought. - -At the house of his friends there were frequent gatherings of musicians -from Zurich and neighbouring towns, at which, it seems, he often -delivered himself of lengthy harangues on his view of art, to find that -one only of those who applauded him comprehended the heart of the thing -he spoke of. He said it was with him, just as it had been with the -unfortunate Hegel, the philosopher, who with facetious cynicism -remarked, that “nobody understands me, except one disciple, and he -misunderstands me.” Perhaps the fault was partly his own. His fervid -perorations were ambitious, and he spoke above the heads of his hearers. -They saw in him only the composer of “Tannhäuser” and “Lohengrin,” -whereas he felt within himself the embryo of the colossal tetralogy; and -how could they comprehend, then, a man who addressed his inward -clamourings rather than his auditors. When I say the embryo of the -tetralogy, I include the musical sketch of certain of the leading ideas, -for the whole of the Nibelung poem was completed, and a few copies -printed in 1853 for his intimate friends, of one copy of which I am the -fortunate possessor. - -[Sidenote: _CONDUCTING THE OPERA._] - -On recalling the occasion, when in 1855 Wagner gave me a bound copy of -his “Nibelung lied,” one incident stands out prominently. On studying -the poem I had been struck with the keen dramatic insight displayed by -Wagner throughout his treatment of the old Norse sagas: the laying out -of the ground plan, the sequence of the story, the exclusion of -extraneous and subsidiary matter, the many powerful and striking -tableaux presented, the crisp dialogue and scholarly retention of the -alliterative verse, the merit of these features being increased by the -high literary standard attained throughout the work. Now when I -congratulated Wagner on the literary skill he had shown, he grew -peevish; and indeed he resented at all times praise of his poetic -ability, seeming to think that in some measure it was a denial of his -musical power. - -Some portion of the Nibelung poem Wagner read to his small circle of -intimates in London. At that time Richard Wagner was forty-two years of -age, and his histrionic powers, at all times great, were perhaps then at -their best. With his head well thrown back, he declaimed his poem with a -majestic earnestness that cast a spell over all. But of his histrionic -and mimetic powers I shall have something to say later on. - -At Zurich he interested himself largely in the opera house. He sought to -control the local taste, but the directors were governed with one -thought and that, that only such works as bore the hall-mark of Paris -success could succeed in Zurich. Accepting the state of things, he -conducted performances of “Robert le Diable,” “Les Huguenots,” -“Guillaume Tell,” Halévy’s “La Juive,” Donizetti’s “La Fille du -Regiment,” and other works of similar type. He even conducted the -rehearsals, attending and exerting himself at these for the benefit, -however, of Hans von Bülow, who had become his pupil. I know he was -deeply attached to Bülow; he spoke of him with enthusiasm, praised his -wonderful reading at sight, and was much impressed by his general -culture. There is no doubt that Bülow merited the high opinion Wagner -held of him, as subsequent events have proved. - -On Richard Wagner’s fortieth birthday, 22 May, 1853, a grand Wagner -festival was held at Zurich, musicians from neighbouring towns being -invited. All the principal theatres responded with the exception of -Munich, which through its conductor, Lachner, refused to permit -orchestral members of the theatre to attend, giving as the flimsy -pretext that journeymen, _i.e._ orchestral performers, could not be -granted passports. Lachner as a composer has found his level, and there -it is wise to leave him. I will only note the curious fate which later -made Wagner supreme at Munich and, further, how odd it was that when -Wagner was conducting the Philharmonic concerts in London, Mr. Anderson -informed him that it was the wish of the directors he should produce a -prize symphony of Lachner. The proposition startled Wagner and perhaps, -somewhat contemptuously, he exclaimed, “What! have I come all this way -to conduct a prize symphony by Lachner? No! no!” and he would not -either, not because the composition was superscribed “Lachner,” but -because of the really wretched Kapellmeister music it was. - -The Wagner festival at Zurich was very gratifying to him. For a whole -week he was fêted, and at the close received an ovation that took all -his self-control. He addressed the audience in faltering accents, and on -bidding his friends farewell he broke down entirely--that they should -return to the fatherland and he an exile. Such a wail of anguish went -out from his heart as only those who have known the sensitive character -of the man can understand. - -[Sidenote: _LOVE FOR HIS DOG._] - -From the time Wagner went into exile his health generally gave way. -Constant brooding over his enforced isolation from his countrymen -induced melancholia, and in its train a malignant attack of his old -enemy, dyspepsia. His wife, fortunately, was of a homely nature with a -buoyancy of spirits, the value of which cannot be over-estimated, nor, -must I add, was Wagner insensible to her worth. But with these terrible -fits of dyspepsia which prostrated him for days, there also came, as one -ill upon another, attacks of erysipelas. When he had the strength, he -fought against them, but more often he succumbed. He sought relief at -hydropathic establishments, for which form of prevention and cure he -retained a fancy for many years. The bracing air of the mountains, too, -he sought as a means of removing the ills under which he suffered. He -was fond, too, of taking “Peps” with him in these rambles. “Peps,” it -will be remembered, was the dog who, he used to assert, helped him to -compose “Tannhäuser.” He was passionately fond of his dog, referred to -him in his letters with affection, and ascribed to him feelings and a -perceptiveness only possible from a man loving the animal kingdom as he -did. All who remember the last sad incidents connected with the -interment at Wahnfried will think of the faithful canine creature (a -successor of “Peps”), who came to lie on the grave, and could not be -induced to quit the spot where his master was buried. As it was there, -so it was at Zurich. He loved “Peps” with a human love. Taking his -constitutional on the Zurich mountains, “Peps” his companion, reflecting -upon his treatment by his fatherland, he would declaim against imaginary -enemies, gesticulate, and vent his irascible excitement in loud -speeches, when “Peps,” “the human Peps,” as he called him, with the -sympathy of the intelligent dumb creation, would rush forward, bark and -snap loudly as if aiding Wagner in destroying his enemies, and then -return, plainly asking for friendly recognition for the demolition. Such -an expression of sympathy delighted Wagner, and he was very pleased to -rehearse it all to his friends, calling in “Peps” to go through the -performance, and I must say the dog seemed to understand and appreciate -it all. Numerous anecdotes of this kind he could tell, and he generally -capped them with such a remark as, “‘Peps’ has more sense than your -wooden contrapuntists,” pointing his speech by naming the authors of -some concocted Kappelmeister music who were specially objectionable to -him. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -“JUDAISM IN MUSIC.” - - -As regards his literary productions, that which provoked most discussion -and engendered a good deal of acrimonious hostility towards him was -“Judaism in Music.” No one knowing Wagner, and writing any reminiscences -of him, no matter how slight, could omit reference to this subject. Any -such treatment would be incomplete, though it would be easy to -understand such omission, for no friend of Richard Wagner would elect to -put him in the wrong, nor care to admit that his attitude towards the -descendants of Abraham, in certain phases, was as unreasoned, and -perhaps as ungenerous, as that of earlier anti-Semitic agitators of the -fatherland. However, an impartial critic must confess that in Wagner’s -attacks on the Jews and their treatment of art, he has, in much that he -says, force and truth on his side. Unfortunately, much of the cogency of -his reasoning is weakened in the eyes of many by the introduction of the -names of two of his prominent contemporaries, Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, -both of Hebraic descent. His attack is put down to personal spite, -jealousy born of anger at the success of his rivals. Never was charge -more groundless. Richard Wagner was high above such small-minded enmity. -His was a nature incapable of mean, paltry envy. Rancour was not in -him. Yet how could an attack upon “Judaism in music” be maintained -without indicating Semitic composers, in whose works supposed -shortcomings and spurious art were to be found? That he was not animated -by any personal motive I am convinced, and that the things he wrote of -lay deep, deep in his heart, I am equally persuaded. Finding in me a -partial antagonist, he debated the question freely. Perhaps, too, it was -a subject impossible of exclusion from our discussion, since, when he -came here (London) in 1855, or three years after his Jew pamphlet had -been published, the press spared not its sneers and satire for a man who -only saw in the grand composer of “Elijah” “a Jew,”[7] the man Wagner, -whom “it would be a scandal to compare with the men of reputation this -country (England) possesses, and whom the most ordinary ballad writer -would shame in the creation of melody, and of whose harmony no English -harmonist of more than one year’s growth could be found sufficiently -without ears or education to pen such vile things.” - -[Sidenote: _TROUBLE FOR BRENDEL._] - -To understand this “Jew” question thoroughly, one should remember the -admiration, the just admiration, in which Mendelssohn was held in this -country. He was the idol of English musicians. That he should have been -“assailed” by Wagner because of his Hebraic descent was unpardonable. -This was the spirit of hostility with which the larger proportion of the -press received him, seeing in him the personal enemy of the “Jew” -Mendelssohn. And thus it happened that references to this question were -continually being made, and discussions, occasionally of an angry -character, were thrust upon us. What Richard Wagner wrote in 1852, the -date the paper was first published, he adhered to in 1855, and what is -more, in 1869, when he was master of the situation, he somewhat -pertinaciously appended a letter to the original indictment, from which -he did not recede one step. - -When Wagner had almost attained the zenith of his fame, at a time when -his weight and genius were admitted, he then deliberately placed on -record that years of his earlier suppression and ostracism from great -musical centres were due, and due alone, to the power wielded by the -Jews, and their determination to keep his works out of sight where -possible. - -The article, “Judaism in Music,” was originally published in “Die Neue -Zeitschrift,” under the nom de plume of “Freethought.” At the time the -journal was edited by Franz Brendel, and when the subject-matter of the -article is known, it will be admitted that the editor was courageous, -and perhaps no one will be surprised at the hostile acts which followed. -Poor Wagner seems to have been much troubled at the difficult position -in which he had placed his friend. No sooner had the article appeared, -he told me, than about a dozen of Brendel’s co-professors at the Leipzic -conservatoire sent forward a petition to the directors of the Institute -urging the dismissal of the editor, but, though the signatories of the -document were such names as Moritz Hauptmann, David, Joachim, Rietz, -Moschelles (all Jews), Brendel retained his post. Of course there was no -attempt at withholding the name of the real author; it was at once -admitted. It was a bold act to first publish the paper in Leipzic, for -though Richard Wagner’s birthplace, it had received, as it were, a -Jewish baptism from the lengthened sojourn of Mendelssohn there. - -Certainly the article contained enough to create enmity on the part of -the Jews. It opened with an assertion that one has an involuntary and -inexplicable revulsion of feeling towards the Jews; that, as a people, -there is something objectionable in them, their person repellant, and -manner obnoxious. Now when it is remembered that Wagner’s daily visitor -during his first sojourn in Paris was Dessauer, a Jew, that the man who -brought about his own death for love of Wagner was a Jew, and that the -music-publisher Schlesinger, his friend, was also a Jew, it will be -confessed that this was a startling charge to come from him. I must add -that Wagner always insisted it was not a personal question, and pointed -out that some of his staunchest friends were Jews. - -Then he further asserted, in the “Judaism” pamphlet, that it mattered -not among what European people the Jew lived, he was always a foreigner, -and our wish was to have nothing to do with him. This, again, was -surprising, for Wagner was not slow to admit the loyalty of the people -of Shiloh to the government of the country in which they were domiciled, -and there is no doubt they are eminently patriotic, calling themselves -by the name of the country in which they live. Indeed, it cannot be -contended that the Jews are one nation; they are many. - -[Sidenote: _FOR AND AGAINST JEWS._] - -Wagner’s antipathy towards the Hebrew people was, he felt, partly -inherited by him as a German. He knew them to be observant, discerning, -energetic, and ambitious, yet he could not put away from him an -instinctive feeling of repugnance, and could not understand why the -“Musical World” and the London press should so severely flagellate him -because of his attitude towards the Jews. He found the Semitic race -regarded here in an entirely different manner from what it was in -Germany. Here it was much the same as in France. Civil disabilities had -been removed, and the Israelites had proved themselves as great patriots -as English Christians, one, Mr. Solomons, filling the post of alderman -of the city of London at the time Wagner was here. This Mr. Solomons had -been, with others of his co-religionists, previously elected a member of -Parliament, and Wagner used often to express his wonder how a man -waiting for the advent of the Messiah could sit in a house of Gentiles. -Wagner marvelled, too, how the citizens of London could permit the Jews -to amass such a large proportion of the wealth of the country, but he -soon came to admit the force of the argument, that special laws having -been enacted against them, preventing the acquisition of land, denying -them the professions, and restricting them to certain trades, it was -unreasonable, after having driven them to mean occupations, to reproach -them for not having embraced honourable professions. I pointed out to -him that in bygone centuries, when the Germans were barbarians, this -much-despised people had produced poets, men of letters, statesmen, -historians, and philosophers, all, too, of such brilliant genius as -would add lustre to any galaxy of modern luminaries. He was struck by -this, and, as his bent was art, fully admitted the poetic fancy and -genius of the harpist David, the imagination of Solomon, and other of -the old Hebraic writers. - -And yet he would insist on the truth of his own assertion in the -pamphlet. “If in the plastic art a Jew has to be represented,” he said, -“the artist models after an ideal, or, if working from life, omits or -softens those very details in the features which are the characteristic -of the countrymen of Isaiah.” - -As regards the histrionic art, he laid it down that it is impossible to -picture a Jew impersonating a hero or lover without forcing a sense of -the ridiculous upon us. And this feeling he felt of an actor, -irrespective of sex. It would not be difficult to destroy this argument -now: the names of Rachel, Sarah Bernhardt, Patti at once cross the mind. -He asserted that their strength in art lay in imitation and not in -creation. - -[Sidenote: _MAKING STRANGE STATEMENTS._] - -In speech, too, the Jew was offensive to him. The accent was always that -of a foreigner, and not of a native. The language was spoken as if it -had been acquired, as something alien, and had not the ring of -naturalness in it; for language, he argued, was the historic growth of a -nation, and the Jew’s mother tongue, Hebrew, was a dead language. To the -Jew, our entire civilization and art had remained a foreign language. He -could only imitate it; the product, therefore, was artificial; and as in -speech, so in song. “Notwithstanding two thousand years of contact with -European peoples, as soon as a Jew spoke our ear was offended by a -peculiar hissing and shrill manner of intonation.” Moreover, he -contended, in their speech and writing there was a wilful transposition -of words and construction of phrases, characteristics of an alien -people, also discernible in their music. These racial characteristics -which Wagner asserted were repugnant, were intensified in their -offensiveness in his eyes by an absence of genuine passion, _i.e._ -strong emotion coming deep from the heart. In the family circle he -allowed the probability of the Jews being earnest and impassioned, yet -in their works it was absent. On the stage he would have it that the -passion of a child of Israel was always ridiculous. He was incapable of -artistic expression in speech, and therefore less capable of its -expression in song; for true song is speech raised to the highest -intensity of emotion. - -It will not be difficult to call to the mind the names of celebrated -Hebrews, great as histrionic artists, who at once appear to confute this -statement; and for my part, one name is sufficient, viz. Pauline Viardot -Garcia, though it will be admitted, on closely examining Wagner’s -feeling, there is a vein of truth in it, which grows upon one on -reflection. - -And then Wagner turns towards the plastic art, and examines the position -of the Jew under that art aspect. He states as his opinion that the -Hebrew people lack the sense of balance and proportion, and in this he -sees the explanation of the non-existence of Jewish sculptors and -architects. Now it is regrettable that Wagner should have committed -himself to so faulty a statement. The sculptor’s art was not practised -by the Jews, because it was prohibited by the Mosaic law, and to this -day strict Hebrews would not fashion “any graven image, nor the likeness -of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the -waters under the earth.” But Wagner was of opinion that the Jew was too -practical to employ himself with beauty, and yet he was unable to -explain the Jew’s acknowledged supremacy as a connoisseur in works of -art. - -In such a general indictment, it is hardly to be expected that Wagner -would have omitted the vulgar charge of usury, nay, he even went so far -as to assert that it was their chief craft. This, I told Wagner, was -hardly generous or fair on his part. By persecution and restriction of -the Jew to certain trades we had driven him to the tables of the -money-changers, and then charged, as crime, the very vice persecution -had engendered. - -Nor was he less severe towards the cultivated Jew, charging him with a -desire to disown his descent, and wipe out his nationality, by embracing -Christianity, but whatever his efforts, he remained isolated in a -society he did not understand, with whose strivings and likings he had -no sympathy, and whose history and development had remained indifferent -to him. - -[Sidenote: _MUSIC OF THE SYNAGOGUE._] - -With such convictions, strong and deep, it follows that Wagner would not -allow that Hebraic tonal art could be acceptable to European peoples. -The Jew, he said, was unable to fathom the heart of our civilized life; -he could not feel for or with the masses. He was an alien, and at the -utmost, the cultured Jew could only create that which was trivial and -indifferent to us. Not having assimilated our civilization, he could not -sing in our heart’s tones. He could compose something pleasant, slight, -and even harmonious, since the possibility of babbling agreeably, -without singing anything in particular, is easier in music than in any -other art. When the Jew musician tried to be serious, the creative -faculty was entirely absent; all he could do was to imitate the earnest, -impressive speech of others, and then the imitation was of the parrot -kind, tones, without the purport being understood, and occasionally -exhibiting an unconscious gibberishness of utterance. Now this seemed to -me the denial of pure feeling to the Jew, and so I sought to get from -Wagner precisely what he did mean by his charges on this point in the -“Judaism” pamphlet. Music, I urged, was the art of expressing feelings -by sounds; did he deny feelings to the Semitic people? “No.” Then it is -only the mode of utterance, I urged, to which you so strongly object. -But he would not wholly subscribe to this view, though he confessed it -was an important element in the question. His view was, that the true -tone poet, the genius, was he who transfixed in immortal tones the joys -and sorrows of the people. “Now,” said he, “where is the Jew’s people to -be found, where would you go to see the Hebrew people, in the practice, -as it were, of unrestrained Judaism, which Christianity and civilization -have left untouched, and where the traditions of the people are -preserved in their purity? Why, to the synagogue.” Now if this be -admitted, Wagner has certainly made out a strong case. Truly, the folk -melody proper of the Hebrews is to be found in the song service of the -synagogue, and a dreadful tortuous exhibition it is. As Wagner said, “it -is a sort of ‘gargling or jodelling,’ which no caricature could make -more nauseous than it is in its naïve seriousness.” There was the proper -sphere for the Hebrew musician, wherein to exercise his art, and when he -attempted to work outside his own people’s world he was engaged in an -alien occupation. The melodies and rythmical cadences of the synagogue -are already discernible in the music of Jewish composers, as our folk -melodies and rhythm are in ours. If the Jew listened to our music and -sought so dissect its heart and nerves, he would find it so opposed to -his own cult, that it were impossible for him to create its like from -his own heart; he could only imitate it. Following up this reasoning, -Wagner argued that the Hebrew composer only imitated the external of our -great composers, and that his reproductions were cold and false, just as -if a poem by Goethe were delivered in Jewish jargon. The Hebrew musician -threw the most opposed styles and forms about, regardless of period, -making what Wagner called, with his usual jocularity, a Mosaic of his -composition. A real impulse will be sure to find its natural expression, -but a Jew could not have that, since his impulse would not be rooted in -the sympathies of the Christian people. Then he enters into a -description of Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, or of the men and their music. -Of Mendelssohn he says:-- - - In this man we see that a Jew may be gifted with the most refined - and great talent, that he may have received a most careful and - extensive education, that he may possess the greatest and noblest - ambition, and yet, with the aid of all these advantages, be unable, - even once, to impress on our mind and heart that profound sensation - we look for in music, and which we have so many times experienced - as soon as a hero of our art intones one single chord for us. Those - who specially occupy themselves with musical criticism, and who - share our opinion, will, on analyzing the works of Mendelssohn, be - able to prove the truthfulness of this statement, which, indeed, - can hardly be contested. - - [Sidenote: _COLD WORDS FOR MEYERBEER._] - - In order to explain the general impression which the music of this - composer makes upon us, it will be sufficient to state that it - interests us only when our imagination, always more or less eager - for distraction, is excited in following in its many shapes, a - series of forms most refined, and most carefully and artistically - worked. These several forms only interest us, in the same manner as - the combinations of colour in a kaleidoscope. But when these forms - ought to express the profoundest and most forcible emotions of the - human heart, they entirely fail to satisfy us. - -No one, judging dispassionately, will contend that Wagner has exceeded -the legitimate limits of criticism. It is not dogmatism, since he -appealed to the reasoning faculty and adduced proof in favour of his -deduction. The context of the article naturally imparts additional force -to his statements. Mendelssohn is credited with the highest gifts, -natural and acquired, and yet falls short in the production of a -masterpiece that appeals direct to the heart, because by ancestry and -surroundings he has stood without the pale of our European civilization, -and consequently has not assimilated the feelings of the masses. - -In his observations upon Meyerbeer he says:-- - - A musical artist of this race, whose fame in our time has spread - everywhere, writes his works to suit that portion of the public - whose musical taste has been so vitiated by those only desiring to - make capital out of the art. The opera-going public has for a long - time omitted to demand from the dramatic art that which one has a - right to look for from it. - - This celebrated composer of operas to whom we are making allusion, - has taken upon himself to supply the public with this deception, - this sham art. It would be superfluous to enter upon a profound - examination of the artistic means which this artist employs with - profusion to achieve his aim; it will be sufficient to say that he - understands perfectly how to deceive the public. His successes are - the proof of it. He succeeds particularly in making the bored - audience accept that jargon which we have characterized as a - modern, piquant expression of all the trivialities already served - up to them so many times in their primitive absurdity. One will not - be astonished that this composer equally takes care to introduce - into his works those grand catastrophes of the soul which so - profoundly stir an audience, for one knows how much those people - who are the victims of boredom seek such emotions. Whoever reflects - upon the reasons which insure success under such circumstances, - will not be surprised to see that this artist succeeds so - completely. - - The faculty of deceiving is so great with this artist, that he - deceives himself. Perhaps, indeed, he wishes it as much for himself - as for the public. We verily believe that he would like to create - works of art, but that he knows he is not able of doing so. In - order to escape from this painful conflict between his wish and his - ability, he composes operas for Paris, and has them produced in - other countries, which in these days is the surest means of - acquiring the reputation of an artist without being one. When we - see him thus overwhelmed by the trouble he gives himself in - practising self-deception, he almost assumes, in our eyes, a - tragical figure, were there not in him too much personal interest - and self at work, the amalgamation of which reduces it to the - comic. Besides the Judaism which reigns generally in art, and which - this composer represents in music, he is distinguished by an - impotence to touch us, and further by the ridiculous which is - inherent in him. - -[Sidenote: _OFFENDING THE CRITICS._] - -This criticism upon Meyerbeer is caustic and unsparing. Yet even now -public opinion has testified to its veracity. It is not making too bold -a statement to say that no musician of taste, no musician--it matters -not of what nationality or school--of to-day will accord Meyerbeer that -exalted position he occupied when Wagner had the temerity to show the -sham and unreal art in the man. At that time, now nearly forty years -ago, Richard Wagner suffered severely for his fearless and outspoken -criticism. Personal jealousy was freely hurled at him as the paltry -incentive of his article. I frankly admit, with an intimate acquaintance -of Wagner’s feelings regarding Meyerbeer, that he despised the -“mountebank,” hating cordially the thousand commercial incidents -Meyerbeer associated with the production of his works. Schlesinger told -me indeed of well-authenticated instances where Meyerbeer had gone so -far as to conciliate the mistresses of critics to secure a favourable -verdict. It can easily be understood that Wagner could not help feeling -contempt for such a man, for when he himself came to London in 1855, he -absolutely refused to call on any single critic, notwithstanding I -impressed upon him how necessary and habitual such custom was. The -result we know. He offended them all. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -1855. - - -[Sidenote: _THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC._] - -The story of the invitation of Richard Wagner, the then dreaded -iconoclast of music, to London, to conduct the concerts of the -conservative Philharmonic Society, is both curious and interesting, in -the history of the tonal art. Costa, the previous conductor, had -resigned. The pressing question was, who could succeed so popular a man? -The names of many German notabilities were proposed, and as soon -dismissed. In England there was Sterndale Bennett, but he had quarrelled -with the directors; the field was therefore open. It was then that the -appointment of Wagner was suggested and agreed to. The circumstances -were as follows. Prosper Sainton, the eminent violinist, was both leader -of the orchestra of the Philharmonic, and one of the seven directors of -the society. He was and is[8] an intimate friend of mine, and to him I -proposed Richard Wagner. At that time Sainton was living with Charles -Lüders, a dear, lovable German musician, with whom he had travelled on -concert tours throughout Europe. From the time the two men met in -Russia, they lived together for twenty-five years, until the marriage of -Sainton with Miss Dolby, since which time Lüders was a daily visitor at -his friend’s house, Sainton administering always to his comfort, and -tending him on his death-bed, in the summer of 1884. Lüders and I were -heart and soul, and catching my enthusiasm he pressed Sainton so warmly, -that the name of Wagner was at once proposed. Richard Wagner was then -but a myth to the average English musician. However, as Sainton was a -general favourite with his colleagues, and was, further, held in high -esteem on account of his artistic perception, I was requested, through -his influence, to appear before the directors. I had then been a -resident in the metropolis for twenty-one years; I attended at a -directors’ meeting in Hanover Square, and stated my views. - -Up to the present time, I have never been able to discover how it was -that seven sedate gentlemen could have been so influenced by my red-hot -enthusiasm as to have been led to offer the appointment to Richard -Wagner. I found that they either knew very little of him or nothing at -all, nor did I know him personally; I was but the reflection of August -Roeckel; as a composer, however, I had become so wholly his partisan as -to regard him the genius of the age. The crusade in favour of Richard -Wagner, upon which I then entered with so much fervour, will be best -understood by an article contributed by me at the time to the “New York -Musical Gazette,”[9] parts of which I think it advisable to reproduce -here, even at the expense of repeating an incident or two. The article -was summarized in the London musical papers, and immediately a shower of -virulent abuse fell upon me which, however, at no period affected in the -slightest my ardour for Wagner’s cause. - -[Sidenote: _AN EDITOR AGITATED._] - - The musical public of London is in a state of excitement which - cannot be described. Costa, the autocrat of London conductors, is - just now writing an oratorio, and no longer cares for what he would - have sacrificed anything for before he got possession of it, - namely, the conductorship of the Old Philharmonic; and whom to have - in his place, has for some time sorely puzzled the directors of the - said society. No Englishman would do, that is certain, for the - orchestra adores Costa; and besides, it belongs to Covent Garden, - where Costa reigns supreme (and where he really does wonders; being - musical conductor and stage manager; looking after the _mise en - scène_ and everything else with remarkable intelligence). Whom to - seek for, the government knew not. They made overtures to Berlioz, - but he had already signed an engagement with the New Philharmonic, - their presumptuous and hated rival. Things looked serious, - appalling, to the Old Philharmonic; they were in danger of losing - many subscribers, and a strong tide was setting in against them. At - last, seeing themselves on the verge of dissolution, and the New - Philharmonic ready to act as pall-bearers, they resolved upon a - risk-all, life-or-death remedy, and Richard Wagner was engaged! - Yes; this red republican of music is to preside over the Old - Philharmonic of London, the most classical, orthodox, and exclusive - society on this globe. - - Mr. Anderson, the conductor of the queen’s private band, and acting - director of the Old Philharmonic, was despatched as minister - plenipotentiary and envoy extraordinary to Zurich, where Wagner is - staying, to open negotiations and conclude arrangements, and - happily succeeded in his mission. Wagner agreed to give up certain - previously made conditions (some correspondence had taken place on - the subject), which required a second conductor for the vocal part - of the concerts, and unlimited rehearsals. In regard to pecuniary - considerations, Wagner rather astonished the entire John Bull; he - coolly told Mr. Anderson that he was too much occupied to give that - point much thought, and only desired to know at what time he - (Wagner) would be wanted in London. The society has requested - Wagner to have some of his works performed here. He, however, has - written nothing for concerts on former occasions; he has arranged a - suite of morceaux from each of his three operas, and these give a - public, unacquainted with his works, some idea of his - peculiarities. - - To see Wagner and Berlioz, the two most ultra red republicans - existing in music, occupying the two most prominent positions in - the musical world of this classical, staid, sober, proper, - exclusive, conservative London, is an unmitigatedly “stunning” - fact. We are now ready for anything, and nothing more can astonish - us. Some of our real old cast-iron conservatives will never recover - from this shock--among others, the editor of the London “Musical - World.” This estimable gentleman is in a truly deplorable state, - whereby his friends are caused much concern. The engagement of - Wagner seems to have affected his brain, and from the most amiable - of men and truthful of critics, he has changed to the--well, see - his journal. He lavishes abuse, in language no less violent than - vehement, upon Wagner and all who will not condemn “poor Richard” - without hearing him. Wagner once wrote an article, “Das Judenthum - in der Musik” (“Judaism in Music”), in which he conclusively proves - that a Jew is not a Christian, and neither looks nor “feels,” nor - talks nor moves like one, and consequently does not compose like a - Christian; and in that same article, which is written with - exceeding cleverness, Wagner makes a severe onslaught upon - Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, on Judaistic grounds. The editor of the - London “Musical World,” considering himself one of Mendelssohn’s - heirs, and Mendelssohn having (so it is said) hated Wagner, _ergo_, - must the enraged editor also hate him? He certainly seems to do so, - “con molto gusto.” - - * * * * * - - Wagner is at Zurich, quietly industrious, and does not even know or - care about the hue and cry concerning him, which is raised by a set - of idlers, who wish to identify themselves with something new and - great; being nothing themselves, nor likely ever to be anything. - -It having been decided that the directors were to make proposals to -Richard Wagner, I wrote to him detailing the events that had occurred, -and stating that he might expect at any moment to receive a -communication from the society. He did hear almost immediately, and on -the 8th January, 1855, he wrote to me from Zurich. - -[Sidenote: _HE ACCEPTS THE POSITION._] - - I enter into correspondence with you, my dear Praeger, as with an - old friend. My heartiest thanks are due to you, my ardent champion - in a strange land and among a conservative people. Your first - espousal of my cause, ten years ago, when August[10] read to me a - vigorous article, from some English journal,[11] by you on the - “Tannhäuser” performance at Dresden, and the several evidences you - have given subsequently of a devotion to my efforts, induce me to - unhesitatingly throw the burden of somewhat wearisome arrangements - upon your shoulders, as papa Roeckel[12] urges me in a letter which - I inclose. - - I must tell you that before concluding arrangements with the - directors of the Philharmonic, I imposed two conditions: first, an - under conductor; secondly, the engagement of the orchestra for - several rehearsals for each concert. You may imagine how enchanted - I am at the promised break of this irritating exile, and with what - joy I look forward to an engagement wherein my views might find - adequate expression; but frankly, I should not care to undertake a - journey all the way to London only to find my freedom of action - restricted, my energies cramped by a directorate that might refuse - what I deem the imperatively necessary number of rehearsals; - therefore, am I willing to agree with what papa Roeckel advises, if - it meets, too, with your support, viz. to forego the engagement of - a second conductor. In such an event, I would beg of you to talk - over, in my name, this affair with Mr. Hogarth,[13] and so far to - arrange that only the question of honorarium be left open for - settlement, for which I would then ask your friendly counsel. - Altogether, what specially decides me to come to London, is the - certainty of your help in the matter, for, being totally incapable - to do that which may be necessary there, I shall be compelled in - many more respects to have recourse to your decision. If you will - venture to burden yourself with me, then tell me in friendship, and - take your chance how you fare with me. My position forces me to - wish again to undertake something desirable, but in how far that is - possible, without lending myself to anything unworthy, I have to - find out. - - Be not angry with me that I have thus bluntly cast myself upon you. - If you receive my entreaty, then act in my name as you consider - good. Heartily shall I be glad of such an opportunity of becoming - more intimate with you. - -With best greeting to you, yours heartily, - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ZURICH, 8th January, 1855. - - P.S. Hogarth’s letter I received twelve days ago, and I answered - immediately, but up till to-day I have had no reply, most likely - for the reason which papa Roeckel surmises. - -The inclosure to Wagner’s letter was a long epistle from papa Roeckel, -advising him to accept the Philharmonic engagement as a means of -introducing some of Wagner’s own works to a London public in a worthy -manner, the orchestra of the Philharmonic having acquired a continental -reputation. Wagner had respect for the opinion of old Mr. Roeckel, -taking counsel with him immediately the Philharmonic conductorship was -proposed to him. - -[Sidenote: _HIS WORKS NOT WELCOMED._] - -The next letter is dated-- - - -ZURICH, 18th January, 1855. - - Hearty thanks, dear Praeger. You show yourself in your letter - exactly as I expected, and that gives me great courage for London. - You no doubt know that I have given my word to Mr. Anderson. He was - anxious to telegraph it at once to London in order to have the - advertisement printed. I received your letter after Mr. Anderson - had left. I was glad to find from you that you had been informed - officially of my having accepted the engagement. What I think of - this engagement I cannot briefly explain to you. I feel positive, - however, that I make a sacrifice. I felt that either I must - renounce the public and all relations with it once and for all, and - turn my back upon it, or else, if but the slightest hope were yet - within me, I must accept the hand which is now held out to me. I - have repeatedly experienced, however, that where I was most - sanguine I have ever been most positively in error; and although I - have again and again felt this, yet I have been induced by this - offer to make a last attempt, and as such I look upon the whole - transaction. That the directors of the Philharmonic have no idea - whom they have engaged, I am perfectly sure; but they will soon - discover. They might have been more generous, for if these - gentlemen intentionally go abroad to find a celebrity, they ought - to have been inclined to spend a little extra. As to the question - of emolument, I answered Mr. Anderson with tolerable indifference. - They seem to attach great importance to the performance of my - works. You no doubt are aware that I have never written anything - for concert performances, and only on special occasions have I - arranged characteristic movements from my three last operas, and - even those which might perhaps give a concerted impression would - occupy a whole concert. By these means I have been enabled to give - to a public unacquainted with the peculiarities of my music an - intelligent first impression. I might have wished to have begun - with such a concert in London, but as this would entail somewhat - heavy expenses at first starting, the concert might be repeated. Do - you think this is practicable, or do you think I, myself, could - undertake it as an enterprise? In which case I would keep back my - compositions from the Philharmonic. I surmise, however, that such a - speculation would encounter insurmountable difficulties in London, - and therefore I shall be obliged after all to give detached - selections in the concerts of the Philharmonic, whereby my meaning - will be considerably weakened. If you think it worth while to give - me an answer on this point, I beg of you to tell me whether I - should have the parts of my compositions copied out here (Zurich), - or whether I should only bring the scores, or, perhaps, should I - previously send them to you so that they might be copied in London. - Of course you can only inform me as to this after an official - interview with the directors of the Philharmonic. In any case the - choral sections would have to be translated. As regards my lodgings - and London diet, Mr. Anderson mumbled something that this could be - arranged to be free for me. I was, however, so preoccupied that I - did not pay much attention to it. Have I, after all, correctly - understood? He spoke, I think, of a pleasant residence near - Regent’s Park which could be procured for me. Would you have the - amiability, when opportunity presents itself, to question Mr. - Anderson on this point? If they could provide me such a pretty, - friendly, and quiet lodging, with a good piano, from the 1st - March, it would suit me well, for I would then save you trouble, - and it would free me from all anxiety on that score, especially - about my supposed daintiness. Now I presume I shall soon have - something more to say about this. Meanwhile, I pity you beforehand - on account of my acquaintanceship, and for the trouble I shall be - to you. May heaven help that I shall have something good and noble - to offer you. - -Yours, - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -On reading this letter, admiration for the fearless courage of Wagner -grows upon one. A whole concert devoted to his own works! He little knew -with whom he was dealing. Wagner’s temper was quick, and I feared to -irritate him by conveying the certain refusal of the directors, but it -had to be done. It was a difficult and delicate matter to prevent -friction between Richard Wagner, possessed with the exalted notion of -his mission, on the one hand, and the steady-going time-serving -directors on the other. I saw Mr. Anderson. Timorous of the leap in the -dark he and his colleagues had made in engaging Wagner, they feared -hazarding the reputation of their concerts by the devotion of a whole -evening to Wagner’s works, but a compromise--that some selections should -be given--was readily effected. The conveyance of this news to Wagner -brought from him the following letter:-- - - My best thanks to you for so amiably taking such trouble. That you - sounded the directors of the Philharmonic as to the question - whether they would fill up a whole evening with selections from - those of my operas which I have arranged specially for concert - performances, although fully authorized to do so, produced a - somewhat disagreeable effect upon me. Heaven knows how strange it - is to me that I should force myself upon any body, and originally, - I only wished your opinion whether I had any chance to have one - concert set apart for my works, for in such case I should have held - back the various selections. I had a similar intimation from - Hogarth, to whom I briefly answered that I would conduct the - classical works only, and that if the directors later on wished to - perform any of my compositions, they might tell me so, when I - should select such as I deemed most appropriate, for which - contingency I should bring the orchestral parts with me, some of - which, no doubt, would require additional copies, the expense of - which, in London, could not be of much account. I am quite - satisfied with this arrangement, and the people will learn to know - me there. On the whole, I have really no special plan for my London - expedition, except to essay what can be done with a celebrated - orchestra, and further, a little change for me is desirable, but - under no circumstances can London even be a home for me. As you - open your hospitable doors to me, I shall avail myself of your - kindness, and if you will let me stay until I have found a suitable - apartment, I shall be grateful to you, and shall heartily beg - pardon of your amiable wife for my intrusion. I shall be in London - in the first days of March. I sincerely repeat to you that I have - no great expectations, for really I do not count any more upon - anything in this world. But I shall be delighted to gain your - closer friendship. The English language I do not know, and I am - totally without gift for modern languages, and at present am averse - to learn any on account of the strain on my memory. I must help - myself through with French. Now for mutual personal acquaintance, - -Yours very faithfully, - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ZURICH, 1st February, 1855. - -[Sidenote: _HE STARTS FOR LONDON._] - -The following incident, as showing the enmity towards Wagner prior to -his landing on these shores, should be noted. It was after receiving the -previous letter that I met James Davison, the editor of the London -“Musical World,” and also musical critic of the “Times,” at the house of -Leopold de Meyer, the pianist. We had hitherto been on terms of -friendship. The power of this gentleman was enormous. He told me, “I -have read some of Richard Wagner’s literary works; in his books he is a -god, but as long as I hold the sceptre of musical criticism, I’ll not -let him have any chance here.” He did his utmost. With what result is -matter of history. - -The next letter from Wagner is dated Zurich, 12th February. In it he -speaks of “wishing for some quiet room, free from annoying visitors, -where no one but yourself, knowing of my existence, will come to pester -me while scoring part of my tetralogy. Your house I will gladly make as -my own, but as a number of strangers are likely to call, I hope to -escape them in solitude of unknown regions. You must not think this -strange, as I isolate myself at home the whole morning, and do not -permit a soul to come near me when at work, unless it be ‘Peps.’ You -will remember, too, when I did something similar to this at Dresden, and -left the world to go into retirement with August Roeckel.” - -A few days after he left Zurich for London, his next letter being -dated-- - - -PARIS, 2d March, 1855. - - I am on the road to you. I expect to leave here Sunday morning - early, and shall accordingly arrive in London in the evening, - probably somewhat late. If, therefore, without further notice, I - must be so unceremonious with you, the friend, whom, alas, I am not - yet personally acquainted with, as to tumble right into the house, - then must I beg of you to expect me on Sunday night. Trusting that - I shall not ill-use your friendly hospitality, if only for this - night, for I suppose we shall succeed in trying to find on Monday - morning an agreeable lodging, in which I might at once install - myself, for from the many exertions, I fear I shall come very - fatigued to you. I do not doubt that you will have the kindness to - inform Hogarth that, dating from Monday morning early, I shall be - at the disposition of the directors of the Philharmonic. In so - doing I keep my promise to be in London a week before the first - concert. With the entreaty to best excuse me to your wife, and in - hearty joy of your personal acquaintanceship, - -I am yours very faithful, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -Wagner arrived at midnight precisely on Sunday, the fifth of March. - -[Sidenote: _HIS HAT WOULD NOT DO._] - -If I had not already acquired through the graphic letters of August -Roeckel an insight into the peculiarities of Richard Wagner’s habits of -thought, power of grasping profound questions of mental speculation, -whilst relieving the severity of serious discourse by the intermingling -of jocular ebulitions of fancy, I was soon to have a fair specimen of -these wondrous qualities. One of the many points in which we found -ourselves at home, was the habit of citing phrases from Schiller or -Goethe, as applicable to our subjects of discussion, as often ironically -as seriously. To these we added an almost interminable dictionary of -quotations from the plays and operas of the early part of the century. -These mental links were, in the course of a long and intimate -friendship, augmented by references to striking qualities, defects, or -oddities, our circle of acquaintances forming a means of communication -between us which might not inaptly be likened to mental shorthand. -Nothing could have exceeded the hilarity, when, upon showing him, at an -advanced hour, to his bedroom, he enthusiastically said, “August was -right; we shall understand each other thoroughly!” I felt in an exalted -position, and dreamed that, like Spontini, I had received a new -decoration from some potentate which delighted me, but the pleasant -dream soon turned to nightmare, when I could find no room on my coat to -place the newly acquired bauble. The next morning I found the -signification of the dream. Exalted positions have their duties as well -as their pleasures, and it became my duty to acquaint Wagner that a -so-called “Necker” hat (_i.e._ a slouched one) was not becoming for the -conductor of so conservative a society as the Philharmonic, and that it -was necessary that he should provide himself with a tall hat, indeed, -such headgear as would efface all remembrance of the social class to -which his soft felt hat was judicially assigned, for, be it known, in -some parts of Germany the soft slouched felt hat had been interdicted by -police order as being the emblem of revolutionary principles. I think it -was on the strength of the accuracy of this last statement that Wagner -gave way, and I at once followed up the success by taking the composer -of “Tannhäuser” to the best West End hatter, where, after an onslaught -on the sons of Britannia and their manias, we succeeded in fitting a hat -on that wondrous head of the great thinker. I could not help -sarcastically joking Wagner on his compulsory leave-taking with the -“revolutionary” hat for four months,--the time he was to sojourn amongst -us,--by citing from Schiller’s “Fiesco” the passage about the fall of -the hero’s cloak into the water, upon which Verina pushes him after it -with the sinister words, “When the purple falls, the duke must follow.” -As to Richard Wagner’s democratic principles, I observed that the -solitude of exile had considerably modified them. This I noticed to my -surprise and no less pain, for, when I anxiously inquired after our poor -friend, August Roeckel, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Perhaps he -tries to revolutionize the prison warders, for the ‘Wuhlers’” -(uprooters, a name of the period) “are never at rest in their -self-elected role of reformers!” I, who knew the unambitious, -self-sacrificing nature of the poor prisoner, felt a pang of -disappointment at Wagner’s remark, and had often to suffer the same when -the year 1849 was mentioned. - -[Sidenote: _A DIFFICULT INTERVIEW._] - -We drove from the hatmaker straight to the city to inquire after a box -containing the compositions Wagner had been requested to bring over with -him. The box had arrived, and then we continued our peregrination back -to the West, alighting at Nottingham Place, the residence of Mr. -Anderson. The old gentleman possessed all the suave, gentle manner of -the courtier, and all went well during the preliminary conversation -about the projected programme, until Mr. Anderson mentioned a prize -symphony of Lachner as one of the intended works to be performed. Wagner -sprang from his seat, as if shot from a gun, exclaiming loudly and -angrily, “Have I therefore left my quiet seclusion in Switzerland to -cross the sea to conduct a prize symphony by Lachner? no; never! If that -be a condition of the bargain I at once reject it, and will return. What -brought me away was the eagerness to head a far-famed orchestra and to -perform worthily the works of the great masters, but no Kapellmeister -music; and that of a ‘Lachner,’ bah!” Mr. Anderson sat aghast in his -chair, looking with bewildered surprise on this unexpected outbreak of -passion, delivered with extraordinary volubility and heat by Wagner, -partly in French and partly in German. I interposed a more -tranquillizing report of the harangue and succeeded in assuring Mr. -Anderson that the matter might be arranged by striking out the “prize” -composition, to which he directly most urbanely acceded. Wagner, who did -not fail to perceive the startling effect his derisive attack on the -proposed work had produced on poor Mr. Anderson, whose knowledge of the -French language was fairly efficient in an Andante movement, but quite -incapable of following such a _presto agitato_ as the Wagner speech had -assumed, begged me to explain the dubious position of prize compositions -in all cases, and certainly no less in the case of the Lachner -composition, and Wagner himself laughingly turned the conversation into -a more general and quiet channel. After thus having tranquillized the -storm, the interview ended more agreeably than the startling episode had -promised. I, however, then clearly foresaw the many difficulties likely -to occur during the conductorship of a man of Wagner’s Vesuvius-like -temper, and the sequel amply proved that I had not been unduly -prejudiced in this respect. Yet in all his bursts of excitability, a -sudden veering round was always to be expected, should it chance that -the angry poet-musician perceived any ludicrous feature in the -controversy, when he would turn to that as a means of subduing his -ebullition of temper, and falling into a jocular vein, would plainly -show he was conscious of having exceeded the bounds of moderation. I was -glad that we had passed the Rubicon of our difficulties for the present, -for I was fully aware that whatever difficulties might arise with regard -to Wagner’s relation to the other directors, they would be easily -overcome by Mr. Anderson’s support, for it was he who unquestionably -ruled the “Camarilla,” or secret Spanish council, as Wagner styled the -“seven,” when any work proposed by them for performance met with -disapproval. I never could well understand how the Lachner episode -became known, but it is certain that it did, for the German opposition -journals, and there were many, made great capital out of the refusal of -Wagner to conduct a prize symphony. - -[Sidenote: _HIS CHILDLIKE JOLLITY._] - -Our next visit was an unclouded one. We went to call on Sainton, who was -as refined a soloist as he was an intelligent and energetic orchestral -leader. His jovial temperament, Gasconic fun (born at Toulouse), his -good and frank nature, pleased Wagner at once. Charles Lüders, a German -musician, “le frère intime” of Sainton, formed the oddest contrast to -his friend’s character. Quiet, reflective, and somewhat old-fashioned, -he nevertheless became an ardent admirer of Wagner’s music, and proved -that “extremes meet,” for in his compositions, and they are many, known -in Germany and in France, the good Lüders tenaciously clung to the -traditions of a past period. We soon identified him in gentle fun with -the “contrapuntista.” Notwithstanding the marked contrast of the -quartette, Wagner, Sainton, Lüders, and myself, we harmonized remarkably -well, and many were our pleasant, convivial meetings during the time of -Wagner’s stay in London. As Sainton had always been very intimate with -Costa, and was his recognized deputy in his absence, he accompanied us -on the first visit to the Neapolitan conductor, Wagner expressing a wish -to make Costa’s acquaintance. This was the only visit of etiquette -Wagner paid. He sternly refused to pay any more, no matter to whom, and -I gladly desisted from advocating any, though he suffered severely in -consequence from a press which stigmatized him as proud and unsociable. - -We went home to dine. What a pleasant impression did the master give us -of his childlike jollity. Full of fun, he exhibited his remarkable power -of imitation. He was a born actor, and it was impossible not to -recognize immediately who was the individual caricatured, for Wagner’s -power of observation led him at all times to notice the most minute -characteristics of all whom he encountered. A repast in his society -might well be described as a “feast of reason and flow of soul,” for, -mixed in odd ways, were the most solid remarks of deep, logical -intuition, with the sprightliest, frolicsome humour. Wagner ate very -quickly, and I soon had occasion to notice the fatal consequences of -such unwise procedure, for although a moderate eater, he did not fail to -suffer severely from such a pernicious practice. This first day afforded -a side-light upon the master’s peculiarities. Never having been used to -the society of children, he was plainly awkward in his treatment of -them, which we did not fail to perceive whenever my little boy was -brought in to say “good-night.” - -As soon as we had discovered a fitting apartment at Portland Place, -Regent’s Park, within a few minutes’ walk of my house, the first thing -he wanted was an easel for his work, so that he might stand up to score. -No sooner was that desire satisfied than he insisted on an eider-down -quilt for his bed. Both these satisfied desires are illustrative of -Wagner. He knew not self-denial. It was sufficient that he wished, that -his wish should be gratified. When he arrived in London his means were -limited, but nevertheless the satisfaction of the desires was what he -ever adhered to. - -He had not been here a day before his determined character was made -strikingly apparent to me. In the matter of crossing a crowded -thoroughfare his intrepidity bordered close upon the reckless. He would -go straight across a road; safe on the other side, he was almost boyish -in his laugh at the nervousness of others. But this was Wagner. It was -this deliberate attacking everything that made him what he was; -timorousness was not in his character; dauntless fearlessness, perhaps -not under proper control, naturally gave birth to an iconoclast, who -struck with vigour at all opposition, heedless of destroying the penates -worshipped by others. - -[Sidenote: _HIS FIRST LONDON CONCERT._] - -The rehearsal and the introduction of the band of the Philharmonic was a -nervous moment for me. I knew the spirit of opposition had found its way -among a few members of the orchestra; indeed, it numbered one at least, -who felt himself displaced by Wagner’s appointment. However, Wagner -came. He addressed the band in a brotherly manner, as co-workers for the -glory of art; made an apt reference to their idol, his predecessor, and -secured the good-will at once of the majority. I say advisedly the -majority only, because they had not long set to work when he was gently -admonished by some that “they had not been in the habit of taking this -movement so slowly, and that, perhaps, the next had been taken a trifle -too fast.” Wagner was diplomatic; his words were conciliatory, but, for -all that, he went on his way, and would have the _tempi_ according to -his will. At the end he was applauded heartily, and henceforth the band -apparently followed implicitly his directions. - -The first concert took place on the 12th March; the programme was as -follows:-- - - Symphony Hadyn. - Operatic terzetto (vocal) Mozart. - Violin Concerto Spohr. - Scena (“Ocean, Thou Mighty Monster”) Weber. - Overture (“The Isle of Fingal”) Mendelssohn. - The “Eroica” Beethoven. - Duet (“O My Father”) Marschner. - Overture (“Zauberflöte”) Mozart. - -The effect of the concert will be best understood by the following -notice, which I contributed at the time for the “New York Musical -Gazette”:-- - - The eagerly looked for event has taken place. Costa’s bâton, so - lately swayed with such majestical and even tyrannical ardour, this - self-same bâton was taken on Monday last (12th March) by Richard - Wagner. The audience rose almost _en masse_ to see the man first, - and whispers ran from one to another: “He is a small man, but what - a beautiful and intelligent forehead he has!” Haydn’s symphony, No. - 7 (grand) began the concert, and opened the eyes of the audience to - a state of things hitherto unknown, as regards conducting. Wagner - does not beat in the old-fashioned, automato-metronomic manner. He - leaves off beating at times--then resumes again--to lead the - orchestra up to a climax, or to let them soften down to a - _pianissimo_, as if a thousand invisible threads tied them to his - bâton. His is the beau ideal of conducting. He treats the orchestra - like the instrument on which he pours forth his soul-inspired - strains. Haydn’s well-known symphony seemed a new work through his - inexpressibly intelligent and poetical conception. Beethoven’s - “Eroica,” the first movement of which used to be taken always with - narcotic slowness by previous conductors, and in return the funeral - march always much too fast, so as to rob it of all the magnificent - _gran’dolore_; the scherzo, which always came out clumsily and - heavily; and the finale, which never was understood.--Beethoven’s - “Eroica” may be said to have been heard for the first time here, - and produced a wonderful effect. As if to beat the Mendelssohnian - hypercritics on their own field, Wagner gave a reading of - Mendelssohn’s “Isle of Fingal” that would have delighted the - composer himself, and even the overture of “Die Zauberflöte” - (“Magic Flute”) was invested with something not noticed before. Let - it be well understood that Wagner takes no liberties with the works - of the great masters; but his poetico-musical genius gives him, as - it were, a second sight into their hidden treasures; his worship - for them and his intense study are amply proved by his conducting - them all without the score, and the musicians of the orchestra, so - lately bound to Costa’s reign at Covent Garden, and prejudiced to a - degree against the new man, who had been so much abused before he - came, and judged before he was heard (by those who are not capable - of judging him when they do hear him!)--this very orchestra already - adores Wagner, who, notwithstanding his republican politics, is - decidedly a despot with the orchestra. In short, Wagner has - conquered, and an important influence on musical progress may be - predicted for him. The next concert will bring us the “Ninth - Symphony” and a selection of “Lohengrin,” which the directors would - insist on, notwithstanding the refusal of the composer. The “Times” - abuses Wagner and revenges the neglected English conductors; mixes - up his music with the Revolution, 1848, and falsely states that he - hates Mozart, Beethoven, etc., etc., and furthermore asserts, just - as falsely, that he wrote his books in defence of his operas; but - is so virulent against the man, and says so little about his - conducting, that it strikes us the article must have been written - some years ago, as an answer to “Judaism in Music.” The “Morning - Post” agrees perfectly with us as to Wagner being the conductor of - whom musicians have dreamed, when they sought for perfection, - hitherto unbelieved. - -[Sidenote: _SUPPER AFTER THE CONCERT._] - -After the first concert, we went by arrangement to spend a few hours at -his rooms. Dear me, what an evening of excitement that was! There were -Wagner, Sainton, Lüders, Klindworth (whom I had introduced to Wagner as -a pupil of Liszt), myself and wife. Animal spirits ran high. Wagner was -in ecstasies. The concert had been a marked success artistically, and -Richard Wagner’s reception flattering. On arriving at his rooms, he -found it necessary to change his dress from “top to toe.” He had -perspired so freely from excitement that his collar was as though it had -that moment been dipped into a basin of water. So while he went to -change his attire and don a somewhat handsome dressing-robe made by -Minna, Sainton prepared a mayonnaise for the lobster, and Lüders rum -punch made after a Danish method, and one particularly appreciated by -Wagner, who, indeed, loved everything unusual of that description. -Wagner had chosen the lobster salad, I should mention, because crab fish -were either not to be got at all in Germany, or were very expensive. -When he returned he put himself at the piano. His memory was excellent, -and innumerable “bits” or references of the most varied description were -rattled off in a sprightly manner; but more excellent was his running -commentary of observations as to the intention of the composer. These -observations showed the thinker and discerning critic, and in themselves -were of value in helping others to comprehend the meaning of the music. -What he said has mostly found its way into print; indeed, it may be -affirmed that the greater part of his literary productions was only the -transcription of what he uttered incessantly in ordinary conversation. -Then, too, he sang; and what singing it was! It was, as I told him then, -just like the barking of a big Newfoundland dog. He laughed heartily, -but kept on nevertheless. He cared not. Yet though his “singing” was -but howling, he sang with his whole heart, and held you, as it were, -spellbound. There was the real musician. He felt what he was doing. He -was earnest, and that was, and is, the cause of his greatness. Then when -we sat at supper he was in his liveliest mood. Richard Wagner a German? -Why, he behaved then with all that uncontrolled expansion of the -Frenchman. But this is only another instance of those contradictions in -Wagner’s life. His volubility at the table knew no bounds. Anecdotes and -reminiscences of his early life poured forth with a freshness, a vigour, -and sparkling vivacity just like some mountain cataract leaping -impetuously forward. He spoke with evident pleasure of his reception by -the audience; praised the orchestra, remarking how faithfully they had -borne in mind and reproduced the impressions he had sought to give them -at the rehearsal. On this point he was only regretful that the -inspiration, the divination, the artistic electricity, as it were, which -is in the air among German or French executants, should be wanting here; -or, as he phrased it, “Ils jouent parfaitement, mais le feu sacré leur -manque.” - -[Sidenote: _CONDUCTING WEBER’S MUSIC._] - -Then followed his abuse of fashion. White kid gloves on the hands of a -conductor he scoffed at. “Who can do anything fettered with these -things?” he pettishly insisted; and it was only after considerable -pressure, and pointing out the aristocratic antecedents of the -Philharmonic and the class of its supporters, that he had consented to -wear a pair just to walk up the steps of the orchestra on first -appearing, to be taken off immediately he got to his desk. That evening, -at Wagner’s request, we drank with much acclamation eternal -“brotherhood,” henceforth to “tutoyer” each other, and broke up our -high-spirited meeting at two in the morning. - -But the second concert, 26th March, 1855, the programme was after -Wagner’s own heart. It was, perhaps, the _one_ of the whole eight which -delighted him the most, embracing as it did the overture to “Der -Freischütz,” the prelude and a selection from “Lohengrin,” and -Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony.” It was the first time any of Wagner’s -music was to be performed in England, and Wagner was anxious. But the -rehearsal was reassuring. At first the orchestra could not understand -the _pianissimo_ required in the opening of the “Lohengrin” prelude; and -then the crescendos and diminuendos which Wagner insisted upon having -surprised the executants. They turned inquiringly to each other, -seemingly annoyed at his fastidiousness. But the conductor knew what he -wanted and would have it. Then came the overture to “Der Freischütz.” -Now this was exceedingly popular in England, and it was thought nothing -could be altered in the mode of rendering it. Traditions, however, of -the “adored idol,” Weber, were strong in Wagner, and he took it in the -composer’s way; the result was, that at the concert the applause was so -boisterous, and the demands of the audience so emphatic, that a -repetition was at once given. That the overture was repeated will show -how insistent were the audience, for Wagner then, as afterwards, was -decidedly opposed to encores; however, upon this occasion there was no -way of avoiding the repeat. Though, as I have said, the overture was -extremely popular, yet the reading was so new and striking, the phrasing -and _nuances_ marked with such decision, that the people were startled, -and expressed their appreciation heartily. - -The reception of the “Lohengrin” selection, too, was unmistakably -favourable. The delicately fragile orchestration of the sweetly melodic -prelude, followed by the bright and attractive rhythmical phrases of the -bridal chorus, caused a bewildered, pleased surprise among the audience, -who had expected something totally different. The “music of the future -was noise and fury,” so said the leading English musical journal, and -this authority counted for something; but the “Lohengrin” prelude was -very inaccurately described, if that had been included, and Wagner felt -pleased and contented at the impression which the first performance of -any of his music had created in this country. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -1855. _Continued._ - - -On the “Ninth Symphony,” that colossal work, Richard Wagner expended -commensurate pains. I remember how surprised the vocalists were at the -rehearsal, when he stopped them, inquiring did they understand the -meaning of what they were singing, and then he briefly explained in -emphatic language what he thought about it. The bass solo was especially -odd: the vocalist was taking it as though it were an ordinary ballad, -when Wagner burst in fiery song, natural and falsetto, illustrating how -it should go, singing the whole of the solo of Mr. Weiss (the bass -vocalist) in such a decided, clean cut manner that it was impossible for -the singer to help imitating him, and with marked effect too. As for the -band, that rehearsal was a revelation to them. That symphony was a -stupendous work, yet the conductor knew it by heart and was conducting -without score. They felt they were in the hands of a man whose artistic -soul was fired with enthusiasm; his earnestness infected them; they -caught it quickly and responded with a zealousness that only sympathetic -artists can put forth, ably supported by Sainton, whom the Prince -Consort complimented to Wagner as a splendid “Chef d’attaque.” The -concert performance created, too, such a stir that even the most violent -of all the anti-Wagner critics spoke of it as an “intellectual and -elevated conception.” This concert placed Wagner permanently in the -heart of his band; they loved to be under the command of such an earnest -art worker and yielded willingly to his inspirations. - -That evening after the concert, at our now established gathering, Wagner -was positively jubilant. He had been able to produce the “Ninth -Symphony” in London as he wished, and he hoped the “traditions” would -remain. He emphasized “traditions” in a slyly sarcastic manner, and well -had he reason to do so. Traditions of Mendelssohn and Spohr were -omnipotent, and omnipotent with the orchestra, and Wagner hoped the -conservative English mind would retain “his” traditions of the “Choral -Symphony,” among which would be found how he had sung the long -recitative for the strings,--double-basses,--that ushers in the choral -portion of the work. When Wagner first sang this part to the orchestra, -they all engaged in a good-humoured titter, which speedily gave way to -respect; for Wagner certainly was marvellously successful in explaining -how he wanted a phrase played by first singing it,--a gift it -undoubtedly was. - -[Sidenote: _A VISIT TO ST. PAUL’S._] - -He said he would not do any work next day, and arranged that we should -visit the city. We went first to the Guildhall. It was astonishing how -he absorbed everything to himself, to his purposes, how his fancy freely -exercised itself. Gog and Magog! they were his Fafner and Fasolt; then -his humour leaped in advance of the period, and he laughingly asked me -whether there was a “Götterdämmerung” in store for the City Fathers, and -whether Guildhall, their Walhalla, supported by the giants Gog and -Magog, would also crumble away through the curse of gold. We next went -to the Mint. There, too, the central figure was Wagner; the main theme -of discussion, Wagner. When the attendant put into his hands, as was the -custom, a roll of cancelled bank notes, amounting to thousands of pounds -sterling, he turned to me and said, “The hundredth part of this would -build my theatre, and posterity would bless me.” His speech certainly -savoured of the consciousness of genius. I do not think this is a -euphemistic way of saying he had a good opinion of himself. I say it, -because I feel it to be the truth. It was through this very -consciousness that he triumphed over the many difficulties that beset -him. Without it he could not have achieved what he did. The buoyancy of -hope begotten of conscious strength is a powerful factor in the securing -of success. The theatre he had in his mind then, I thought to be that -which he had urged the Saxon authorities to establish, the scheme for -which I was then well acquainted with, but his latter discourse showed -how, during his exile, that original thought had amplified itself. Of -our visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral I can recall but one observation of -Wagner, to the effect that it was as cold and uninspiring as the -Protestant creed--a strange remark from one whose own religious -tendencies were Lutheran, and who could express his religious -convictions so powerfully and poetically in his last work, “Parsifal.” - -Richard Wagner’s intense attachment to the canine species led him to -make friends with our dog, a large, young, black Norwegian beast, given -me by Hainberger, the companion of Wagner in the forward movement of -1848-9, and sharer of his exile. The dog showed in return a decided -affection for his newly made acquaintance. After a few days, when Wagner -found that the dog was kept in a small back yard, he expostulated -against such “cruelty,” and proposed to take the dog’s necessary -out-door exercise under his own special care--a task he never shirked -during the whole of his London stay. Whenever he went for his daily -promenade, a habit never relinquished at any period of his life, the dog -was his companion, no matter who else might be of the party. Nor was the -control of the dog an easy task. It was a curious sight to witness -Wagner’s patience in following the wild gyrations of the spirited -animal, who, in his exultation of that semi-freedom, tugged at his -chain, dragging the Nibelung composer hither and thither. - -[Sidenote: _ANIMALS ON THE STAGE._] - -Part of Wagner’s daily constitutional was to the Regent’s Park, entering -by the Hanover Gate. There, at the small bridge over the ornamental -water, would he stand regularly and feed the ducks, having previously -provided himself for the purpose with a number of French rolls--rolls -ordered each day for the occasion. There was a swan, too, that came in -for much of Wagner’s affection. It was a regal bird, and fit, as the -master said, to draw the chariot of Lohengrin. The childlike happiness, -full to overflowing, with which this innocent occupation filled Wagner, -was an impressive sight never to be forgotten. It was Wagner you saw -before you, the natural man, affectionate, gentle, and mirthful. His -genuine affection for the brute creation, united to a keen power of -observation, gave birth to numberless anecdotes, and the account of the -Regent’s Park peregrinations often formed a most pleasant subject of -after-dinner conversation. I should explain that though Wagner had rooms -in Portland Place, St. John’s Chapel, Regent’s Park, he only took his -breakfast there, and did such work in the matter of scoring in the -morning, coming directly after to my house for his dog and rolls, -returning for dinner and to spend the rest of the day under my roof, -where also a room was provided for him. - -[Sidenote: _THAT UNHAPPY DRAGON._] - -In our friendly talks upon the animal kingdom, we soon came to a decided -dissension. I casually remarked on the ludicrous effects animals produce -at times, and under all circumstances on the stage; here I found myself -in direct opposition to Wagner’s notions on the subject. Had he not the -dragon Fafner, the young bear in “Siegfried,” the Gräne, the steed of -the Valkyrie, even the fluttering bird in the tetralogy? Was not the -swan in “Lohengrin” another proof of his predilection for realistic -representation of animals on the stage? It was in vain that I cited the -lamentable failure of the serpent in Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” which, even -at the best theatres in Germany, never produced other than a burst of -hilarity at its wriggling in the pangs of death, when pierced by the -three donnas; or again the two lions in the same opera which are rolled -on to the stage like children’s wooden horses; or Weber’s mistake of -introducing a serpent in his “Euryanthe,” which always mars that scene! -But I found myself obliged to cease quoting examples, and seek a basis -for establishing principles for my argument against the introduction of -animals on the stage. Here more success awaited me on the strength of -Wagner’s own exalted notion of the histrionic art; viz. that an actor, -to be worthy of the name, must possess the creative power of a poet, and -become, as it were, inspired into the state impersonated, which might -not inaptly be likened to that of mesmerism. The actor must believe -himself another being, must be unconscious of aught else. One such -artist, he asserted, was Garrick, in the delivery of monologues, when -the great tragedian was said to have isolated himself to such a degree, -that though with his eyes wide open, he became, as it were, visionless. -It was on this ground that I attempted my argument against Wagner’s -illogical and intemperate introduction of the brute creation into his -dramas. If, I argued, you will not accept an actor properly so-called, a -reasoning man, unless his poetic creative fancy can enable him to -transport his identity into a character entirely different from his own, -how still less can you expect any animal to impersonate a set rôle in -any performance? Whatever actions may be required from it, a dog will -always represent a dog; a horse, a horse. Wagner saw the argument, but -reluctant as at all times to confess himself beaten, he advanced -“training” as a defence. This, however, served only to destroy his case -the more; for he had previously reasoned, and with much force, that all -training for the stage as a profession was useless, and but so much -mis-directed effort and waste of time, unless the student had given -evidence of a genius, which nature, alas! is chary in bestowing. So much -for the introduction of real animals upon the stage; there the case is -bad enough, and the results occasionally disastrous and ludicrous; but -when one has to make shift with imitation, the matter is still worse. -Here, too, however, Wagner was reluctant to forego the semblance as -much as he was the reality. Yet, let the case be tested by oneself. -Recall the bear Siegfried brings with him into the smithy, think of the -ridiculous effect produced by the actor’s antics in his vain efforts to -worthily perform his part and seem a real bear. There is no margin left -for the imagination, and the sad attempt at a mistaken realism defeats -its own purpose. It is an extraordinary feature in a poetic brain like -that of Wagner, that he would cling persistently to such a realism. This -subject remained always one on which we dissented, and I never failed to -prognosticate a failure for his pets in the Nibelung tetralogy, which to -my mind was fully proved even under his own supervision, and on the -hallowed ground of Bayreuth at the performances there, which were, in -all other respects, so marvellously perfect. Who is there that was -terribly impressed by the sight of the dragon, or who could divest -himself of the thought that a recital of the combat would have proved -infinitely more impressive than the slaying of the snorting monster, -however well Siegfried bears himself towards the pasteboard pitiful -imitation of a fabulous beast? Who, again, would not sooner have heard a -description of the wild, spirited steed, Gräne, than witness the nervous -anxiety of Brünhilde in mounting and dismounting a funeral charger, -which is the cynosure of all eyes while on the stage, to the loss of the -music-dramatic setting? The attention of the dramatis personæ and -audience is distracted from the action of the drama, and centred on the -probable next movement of an animal unable to grasp the situation. This -question of realism is a debatable point; but if it be not kept within -strictly defined limits, I fear there will be danger of the ludicrous -triumphing over the serious. - -An inquiry into the probable causes of an exaggerated tendency to -realism, in a man like Wagner, cannot but be interesting to those who, -without bias, accept him as a master-mind. After many years of an ardent -study of his character, compelled by his commanding genius, I am forced -to a conclusion, the key to many of his actions, which is equally the -explanation in the present instance, is the lack of self-denial. He -yearned for unlimited means to achieve his purpose, and would have the -most gorgeous and costly trappings, to set off his pictures of the -imagination. It was the same in every-day matters of life. Nor, must I -add, did he ever care from whence the means came. That this was the case -in real life, all who know him will testify. How much more, then, would -such a tendency be fed in realizing the vivid impressions with which his -active poetical fancy so freely provided him. Unlimited means! that was -the dream of his life, and up to a late period, when these means at last -realized themselves by the astounding success of his works and the -enormous sums they produced, his inability to curb his wants down to his -actual means kept him in a state of constant trouble and yearning for -freedom from those shackles. - -[Sidenote: _THE THIRD LONDON CONCERT._] - -He accepted his humble descent, fully convinced from earliest time of -having the patent of nobility in his brain--in his genius! He ever bore -himself with the consciousness of superiority, but as for titles and -decorative distinctions, he disdained them all. Were they not bestowed -on numskulls? therefore, he has loudly proclaimed genius should not -dishonour its lofty intelligence in accepting empty baubles. But riches -and the profuse luxurious splendour that can be purchased thereby would -not have seemed too much for him, had they equalled the fabulous -possessions of a Monte Cristo. The traditional humble state of the great -composers, if not actual poverty, as compared with the fortunes amassed -in other arts, was a continual source of complaint with him. - -The programme of the third concert was as follows:-- - - THIRD CONCERT, 16TH APRIL. - - Symphony in A Mendelssohn. - Aria from “Faust” Spohr. - Concerto, pianoforte Beethoven. - Aria Mozart. - Overture (“Euryanthe”) Weber. - Symphony in C minor, No. 5 Beethoven. - Recitative and Aria Spohr. - Overture (“Les deux journées”) Cherubini. - -That evening, the 16th April, there was a stir among the Mendelssohnian -supporters. They mustered in force; for it had been rumoured that at the -rehearsal Wagner had not stopped the orchestra once. But however Wagner -may have regarded the works of the composer of “Elijah,” he was -straightforward enough to do with all his might what he put his hand to, -as the sequel proved, since the “Daily News” reported that it “never -heard the ‘Italian’ Symphony go so well.” That there were some whose -prejudice was not appeased, is to be accepted as a matter of course, and -Wagner was taunted in the “Times,” “with a coarse and rigorously frigid” -performance. - -As for the overture to “Euryanthe,” it is not too much to say the -audience was startled out of itself; there was a dead silence for a -moment on the work being brought to a close, and the enthusiasm, -vigorous and hearty, burst forth. It was a new reading. Such was the -surprise with which we witnessed the rapturous applause, that at the -convivial gathering after the concert Wagner set himself at the piano, -and from memory poured forth numerous excerpts from “Euryanthe.” Then we -learned that that opera was intensely admired by Wagner. He thought it -“logical” and “philosophical,” and throughout showed that Weber was a -reflective musician, and, as he himself forcibly argued, that only works -of reflection could ever be immortal. The plot, its treatment, and the -language employed were, he felt, the causes of the opera’s -non-popularity, and that these wretched drawbacks dreadfully changed the -intrinsically beautiful music. - -[Sidenote: _A FONDNESS FOR SNUFF._] - -Reflections upon the habits and customs of a past generation sometimes -introduce us to situations that produce in the mind wonder and perhaps a -feeling of disgust. Who can picture the composer of that colossal work -of intellect, the “Nibelung Ring,” sitting at the piano, in an elegant, -loose robe-de-chambre, singing, with full heart, snatches and scenes -from his “adored” idol, Weber’s “Euryanthe,” and at intervals of every -three or four minutes indulging in large quantities of scented snuff. -The snuff-taking scene of the evening is the deeper graven on my memory, -because Wagner abruptly stopped singing, on finding his snuff-box empty, -and got into a childish, pettish fit of anger. He turned to us in -deepest concern, with “Kein schnupf tabac mehr also Kein gesang mehr” -(no more snuff, no more song); and though we had reached the small hours -of early morn, would have some one start in search of this “necessary -adjunct.” When singing, the more impassioned he became, the more -frequent the snuff-taking. Now, this practice of Wagner’s, one -cultivated from early manhood, in my opinion pointedly illustrates a -phase in the man’s character. He did not care for snuff, and even -allowed the indelicacy of the habit, but it was that insatiable nature -of his that yearned for the enjoyment of all the “supposed” luxuries of -life. It was precisely the same with smoking. He indulged in this, to -me, barbarous acquirement more moderately, but experienced not the -slightest pleasure from it. I have seen him puffing from the mild and -inoffensive cheroot, to the luxurious hookah--the latter, too, as he -confessed, only because it was an Oriental growth, and the luxury of -Eastern people harmonized with his own fondness for unlimited profusion. -“Other people find pleasure in smoking; then why should not I?” This is, -briefly, the only explanation Wagner ever offered in defence of the -practice--a practice which he was fully aware increased the malignity of -his terrible dyspepsia. - -There was in Wagner a nervous excitability which not infrequently led to -outbreaks of passion, which it would be difficult to understand or -explain, were it not that there existed a positive physical cause. -First, he suffered, as I have stated earlier, from occasional attacks of -erysipelas; then his nervous system was delicate, sensitive,--nay, I -should say, irritable. Spasmodic displays of temper were often the -result, I firmly feel, of purely physical suffering. His skin was so -sensitive that he wore silk next to the body, and that at a time when -he was not the favoured of fortune. In London he bought the silk, and -had shirts made for him; so, too, it was with his other garments. We -went together to a fashionable tailor in Regent Street, where he ordered -that his pockets and the back of his vest should be of silk, as also the -lining of his frock-coat sleeves; for Wagner could not endure the touch -of cotton, as it produced a shuddering sensation throughout the body -that distressed him. I remember well the tailor’s surprise and -explanation that silk for the back of the vest and lining of the sleeves -was not at all necessary, and that the richest people never had silk -linings; besides, it was not seen. This last observation brought Wagner -up to one of his indignant bursts, “Never seen! yes; that’s the tendency -of this century; sham, sham in everything; that which is not seen may be -paltry and mean, provided only that the exterior be richly gilded.” - -On the matter of dress he had, as on most things, decided opinions! The -waistcoat he condemned as superfluous, and thought a garment akin to the -mediæval doublet in every way more suitable and comely, and was strongly -inclined at one time to revert to that style of costume himself. He did -go so far as to wear an uncommon headgear, one sanctioned by antiquity, -the _biretta_, which few people of to-day would have courage to don. -Thus it was that from physical causes Wagner preferred silks and -velvets, and so a constitutional defect produced widespread and -ungenerous charges of affected originality and sumptuous luxuriousness. - -[Sidenote: _TOO MUCH GOOD MUSIC._] - -Wagner was greatly amused at the references to him in the London -Charivari “Punch,” wherein his “music of the future” was described as -“Promissory Notes,” and on a second occasion when it was asserted that -“Lord John Russell is in treaty with Dr. Wagner to compose some music of -the future for his Reform Bill.” - -The fourth concert on the 30th April nearly led to a rupture between -Wagner and the directors. The programme was as follows:-- - - Symphony in B flat Lucas. - Romanza (“Huguenots”) Meyerbeer. - Nonetto for string and wind instruments Spohr. - Recitative and Aria Beethoven. - Overture (“Ruler of the Spirits”) Weber. - Symphony No. 7 Beethoven. - Duetto (“cosi fan Tutti”) Mozart. - Overture (“l’Alcade de la Velga”) Onslow. - -Wagner had a decided objection to long programmes. The London public, he -said, “overfeed themselves with music; they cannot healthily digest the -lengthy menu provided for them.” This programme was distasteful, and -what a scene did it produce! During the aria from “Les Huguenots,” the -tenor, Herr Reichardt, after a few bars’ rest, did not retake his part -at the proper moment, upon which Wagner turned to him,--of course -without stopping the band,--whereupon the singer made gestures to the -audience indicating that the error lay with Wagner. At the end of the -vocal piece a slight consternation ensued. Wagner was well aware of the -unfriendliness of a section of the critics, and in all probability -capital would be made out of this. At the end of the first part of the -concert I went to him in the artists’ room. His high-pitched excitement -and uncontrolled utterances, it was easy to foresee, boded no good. And -so when we reached home after the concert there ensued a positive storm -of passion. Wagner at his best was impulsive and vehement; suffering -from a miserable insinuation as to his incapacity, he grew furious. On -one point he was emphatic,--he would return to Switzerland the next day. -All entreaties and protestations were unavailing. Sainton, Lüders, and -myself actually hung upon him, so ungovernable was his anger. He knew -how I had suffered in the press for championing his cause. -“Chef-de-claque,” “madman,” and “tutto quanti” were the elegant epithets -bestowed upon me in print; and if Wagner left now, the enemy would have -some show of truth in charging him with admitted incompetence: however, -after two or three hours’ talking he engaged to stay and see whether he -could not win success with the “Tannhäuser” overture, which was to be -performed at the next concert. - -A distorted report of this event appearing in certain German musical -papers, he wrote an explanatory letter to Dresden, in which he stated, -“I need not tell you that it was only the entreaties of Ferdinand -Praeger and those friends who accompanied me home, that dissuaded me -from my somewhat impulsive determination.” - -At the fifth concert, 14th May, the “Tannhäuser” overture was performed. -It came at the end of the first part of another of those long programmes -which Wagner disliked so much. In a letter to me to Brighton, where I -had gone for a few days, he writes: “These endless programmes, with -these interminable masses of instrumental and vocal pieces, torture me.” -The programme of the fifth concert was:-- - -[Sidenote: _THE “TANNHÄUSER” OVERTURE._] - - Symphony Mozart. - Aria Paer. - Concerto (pianoforte) Chopin. - Aria Mozart. - Overture (“Tannhäuser”) Wagner. - Symphony (“Pastorale”) Beethoven. - Romance Meyerbeer. - Barcarola (vocal) Ricci. - Overture (“Preciosa”) Weber. - -How those violin passages on the fourth string in the “Tannhäuser” -overture worried the instrumentalists! But as Lipinski had done at -Dresden, so Sainton did now in London, and fingered the passages for -each individual performer. The concert room was well filled. At the -close of the overture tumultuous applause followed, the audience rising -and waving handkerchiefs; indeed, Mr. Anderson informed me that he had -never known such a display of excitement at a Philharmonic concert where -everything was so staid and decorous. As this overture has become -perhaps one of the most popular of Wagner excerpts, it will be -interesting to read what the two acknowledged leading musical critics in -London, i.e. of the “Musical World” (who was also the critic of the -“Times”) and the “Athenæum,” said with reference to it. The former -wrote: “The instrumentation is always heavy and thick”; and the -“Athenæum” said: “Yawning chromatic progressions ... a scramble; ... a -hackneyed eight-bar phrase, the commonplace of which is not disguised by -an accidental sharp; ... the instrumentation is ill-balanced, -ineffective, thin, and noisy.” - -On the morning of the 22d May, Wagner came to Milton Street very early. -It was his birthday; he was forty-two, and the good, devoted Minna had -so carefully timed the arrival of her congratulatory letter, that Wagner -had received it that morning. He was informed that her gift was a -dressing-gown of violet velvet, lined with satin of similar colour, -headgear--the _biretta_, so well known--to match,--articles of apparel -which furnished his enemies with so much opportunity for charges of -ostentation, egregious vanity, etc. Minna knew her husband well; the -gift was entirely after his heart. He read us the letter. The only -portion of it which I can remember referred to the animal world,--the -dog, Peps, who had been presented with a new collar; and of his parrot, -who had repeated unceasingly, “Richard Wagner, du bist ein grosser mann” -(Richard Wagner, you are a great man). Wagner’s imitation of the parrot -was very amusing. That day the banquet was spread for Richard Wagner. -How he did talk! It was the never-ending fountain leaping from the rock, -sparkling and bright, clear and refreshing. He told us episodes of his -early career at Magdeburg and Riga. How he impressed me then with his -energy! Truly, he was a man whose onward progress no obstacles could -arrest. The indomitable will, and the excision of “impossible” from his -vocabulary, were prominent during the recital of the stirring events of -his early manhood. Certainly it was but a birthday feast, and the talk -was genial and merry; yet there went out from me, unbidden and -unchecked, “Truly, that is a great man.” Yes, though it was but -after-dinner conversation, the reflections were those of a man born to -occupy a high position in the world of thought and to compel the -submission of others to his intellectual vigour. - -[Sidenote: “_THE PHILHARMONIC OMNIBUS._”] - -At the sixth concert, 28th May, another of those lengthy programmes was -gone through, and comprised-- - - Symphony in G minor C. Potter. - Aria (“Il Seraglio”) Mozart. - Concerto, violin, Mr. Sainton Beethoven. - Sicilienne Pergolesi. - Overture (“Leonora”) Beethoven. - Symphony, A minor Mendelssohn. - Aria (“Non mi dir”) Mozart. - Song, “O ruddier than the cherry” Handel. - Overture (“Der Berg-geist”) Spohr. - -Think of the anger of Wagner! two symphonies and two overtures in the -same evening, besides the vocal music and concerto! This was the fourth -concert at which a double dose of symphony and overture was administered -to an audience incapable of digesting such a surfeit; it was these -“full” programmes, reminding him of the cry of the London omnibus -conductors, “full inside,” which led him humorously to speak of himself -as “conductor of the Philharmonic Omnibus.” In the subjoined letter -addressed to my wife, anent their daily promenade for the “banquetting,” -as he called it, of the ducks in the Regent’s Park, he subscribes -himself as above. - - CARISSIMA SORELLA: Croyez-vous le temps assez bon, pour - entreprendre notre promenade? Si vous avez le moindre doute, et - comme l’affaire ne presse pas du tout, je vous prie de vous en - dispenser pour aujourd’hui. Faites-moi une toute petite reponse si - je dois venir vous chercher dans un Hansom, ou non? - - En tous cas je gouterai des 4 heures des delices de votre table! - -Votre cordialement, dévoúé frère, - -RICHARD WAGNER, -_Conductor d’omnibus de la Société -Philharmonique, 1855_. - - - - -The letter was sent by hand, as his rooms were but ten minutes from my -house. Perhaps I may here reproduce another short note from Wagner to my -wife, with no other intention than showing the degree of close -friendship that existed between him and us:-- - - MA TRÈS CHÈRE SŒUR LÉONIE: Si vous voulez je viendrai demain - (Samedi) diver avec vous à 6 heures le soir. Pour Dimanche il m’a - fallu accepter une invitation pour Camberwell, que je ne pouvais - absolument pas refuser. Serez-vous contente de me voir demain? - -Votre très obligé frère, - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - VENDREDI SOIR, 1865. - -[Sidenote: _MR. POTTER MADE HAPPY._] - -Reverting to the concert, the universal criticism was that Wagner had -achieved great things with Cipriani Potter’s symphony. The music Wagner -thought the exact reflection of the man, antiquated but respectable. -Potter was a charming man in daily intercourse, of short stature, thin, -ample features, huge shaggy eyebrows, stand-up collars behind whose -points the old man could hide half his face, and a coat copied from a -Viennese pattern of last century. Wagner was genuinely drawn to the man; -and as the inimical “Musical World” said, “took great pains with the -symphony” (p. 347). Wagner used to declaim greatly against -Mendelssohnian tradition, in the orchestra,--that no movement should be -taken too slow, for fear of wearying the audience. However, being a man -of strong independent character, he would have his way, and movements -were taken as slow as the spirit appeared to require. The critics abused -him heartily; indeed, to such an extent that when the Mozart symphony in -E flat was to be done, the directors implored Wagner to allow the -orchestra to take the slow movement in the quick _tempo_ taught by -Mendelssohn. Similarly, when Potter’s symphony was to be done, Mr. -Potter particularly requested Wagner to take the _andante_ somewhat -fast, otherwise he feared a failure. But Wagner, who, with his -accustomed earnestness had almost the whole by heart, told the composer -that the _andante_ was an extremely pretty, naïve movement, and that no -matter the speed, if the expression were omitted or slurred, the whole -would fall flat; but, added Wagner, it should go thus: Then he sang part -to Mr. Potter, who was so touched that he grasped Wagner’s hand, saying, -“I never dreamed a conductor could take a new work so much to heart as -you have; and as you sing it, just so I meant it.” After the concert Mr. -Potter was very delighted. - -But the work of the evening was the “Leonora” overture. Here again -Wagner had his reading, one which the orchestra fell in with -immediately, for they perceived the truth, the earnestness of what -Wagner taught. - -At the seventh concert, 11th June, the “Tannhäuser” overture was -repeated, by royal command. The programme, again “full,” included three -overtures and two symphonies. - - Overture (“Chevy Chase”) Macfarren. - Air (“Jessonda”) Spohr. - Symphony (“Jupiter”) Mozart. - Scena (“Oberon”) Weber. - Overture (“Tannhäuser”) Wagner. - Symphony (No. 8) Beethoven. - Song (“Ave Maria”) Cherubini. - Duet Paer. - Overture (“Anacreon”) Cherubini. - -The press did Wagner the justice to state that he showed himself earnest -in the matter of Macfarren’s “Chevy Chase.” His own overture, -“Tannhäuser,” was again a brilliant success. The queen sent for him into -the royal salon, and, congratulating him, said that the Prince Consort -was “a most ardent admirer of his.” Richard Wagner was pleased at the -unaffected and “winning” manner of Her Majesty, who spoke German to him, -but as his own account of the interview, written to a friend at Dresden -two days after the concert, is now before me, I will reproduce it. - -...It was therefore the more pleasing to me that the queen (which - very seldom happens, and not every year) had signified her - intention of being present at the seventh concert, and ordered a - repetition of the overture. It was in itself a very pleasant thing - that the queen overlooked my exceedingly compromised political - position (which with great malignity was openly alluded to in the - “Times”), and without fear attended a public performance which I - directed. Her further conduct towards me, moreover, infinitely - compensated for all the disagreeable circumstances and coarse - enmities which hitherto I had encountered. She and Prince Albert, - who sat in front before the orchestra, applauded after “Tannhäuser” - overture, which closed the first part, with such hearty warmth that - the public broke forth into lively and sustained applause. During - the interval the queen sent for me into the drawing-room, receiving - me in the presence of her suite with these words: “I am most happy - to make your acquaintance. Your composition has charmed me.” She - thereupon made inquiries, during a long conversation, in which - Prince Albert took part, as to my other compositions; and asked if - it were not possible to translate my operas into Italian. I had, of - course, to give the negative to this, and state that my stay here - could only be temporary, as the only position open was that of - director of a concert-institute which was not properly my sphere. - At the end of the concert the queen and the prince again applauded - me.... - -[Sidenote: _BURLESQUE OF HIS OWN SONG._] - -That evening after the concert our usual meeting included Berlioz and -his wife. Berlioz had arrived shortly before this concert. Between him -and Wagner I knew an awkward constraint existed, which I hardly saw how -to bridge over, but I was desirous to bring the two together, and -discussing the matter with Wagner, he agreed that perhaps the convivial -union after the concert afforded the very opportunity. And so Berlioz -came. But his wife was sickly; she lay on the sofa and engrossed the -whole of her husband’s attention, causing Berlioz to leave somewhat -early. He came alone to the next gathering. - -After such a triumph as Wagner had had that evening with the overture, -he was unusually excited. Hector Berlioz, too, was of an excitable -temperament, but could repress it. Not so Wagner. He presented a -striking contrast to the polished, refined Frenchman, whose speech was -almost classic, through his careful selection of words. Wagner went to -the piano, and sang the “Star of Eve,” with harmonies which Chellard, a -German composer of little note (he had composed “Macbeth” as an opera), -said “must be intended.” The effect was extremely mirth-provoking, for -Wagner could ape the ridiculous with irresistible humour. - -That evening Wagner, who was always fond of “tasty” dinners, spoke so -glowingly of the French, and their culinary art powers, that we arranged -a whitebait dinner at Greenwich at the Ship, one such as the ministers -sat down to. Edward Roeckel, the brother of August, came up from Bath -for the occasion, and was the giver of the feast. We went by boat. I -remember well the journey, for poor Wagner had an attack of -_malde-mer_, as though he actually were at sea; the wind was blowing -hard, and the water rough. He appreciated highly the whitebait, -especially the dish of devilled ones, and the much-decried cooking of -the British ascended several degrees in his opinion. - -The attitude of the bulk of the London press towards Wagner I have -spoken of as unfriendly; they condemned him, indeed, before he was -heard. Not content with writing bitterly against him, some persons were -in the habit of sending him every scurrilous article that appeared about -him. Who was the instigator I could not positively say. On one occasion, -a letter was addressed to Wagner by an English composer, whom I will not -do the honour of naming, who had sought by every possible means to -achieve notoriety, stating that it was said Wagner had spoken -disparagingly of his name and music, and desiring an explanation with -complete satisfaction. Wagner was excessively angry. He had never heard -the name of the composer, wanted to write an indignant remonstrance, but -was dissuaded by me, for I saw both in this and the regular receipt of -the anonymously sent papers, an attempt to draw Wagner into a dispute. -Of course the writer was but the tool of others. In these matters Wagner -yielded himself entirely into my hands, though he was often desirous of -wielding a fluent and effective pen against his ungenerous enemies. - -[Sidenote: _HIS FONDNESS FOR LUXURY._] - -At that time I had in London a friend on a visit from Paris, a musical -amateur of gift, named Kraus. He was in the confidence of the emperor of -the French, holding the position of steward to a branch of the Bonaparte -family. I invited him to meet Wagner, of whom he was an admirer. Now -listen to what took place. Wagner did all that was possible by -persuasive language to induce Kraus to move the emperor to do something -for Berlioz. It was to no purpose that we were told the emperor was not -enthusiastic for music, and that so many impossible difficulties were in -the way. Wagner kept to his point; Berlioz was poor, had been compelled -to resort to pledging trinkets, etc., whereby to live, and that it was a -crime to the art which he, Kraus, professed to love, that Berlioz should -be in want. I have thought this incident worthy of notice, as showing -the good-will of Wagner for a brother artist was stronger than the icy -restraint that existed between them when they met. - -Much has been written and said of Wagner’s extravagance, his prodigality -of luxury. Well, ‘tis true, Wagner knew not self-denial, and that his -taste was ever for the beautiful and costly. With such characteristics, -his indulgence in the choice and elegant can be understood. Should -something pretty attract his attention in the street, say in a shop -window, he would stop suddenly and exclaim aloud what he thought, -heedless of the people standing by. Wagner was not wealthy when in -London, yet he spent freely; silk for shirts for ordinary wear, and -costly Irish laces for Minna. In these shopping expeditions my wife was -his companion, and Wagner showed he possessed that kindly tact born of -natural goodness of heart, in discovering what might be considered -pretty, when it was straightway purchased and presented to her. - -I now come to the last concert, the eighth, which took place on the 25th -June. Again the programme included two symphonies and two overtures:-- - - Symphony (No. 3, C minor) Spohr. - Scena (“Der Freischütz”) Weber. - Concerto (pianoforte) Hummel. - Song Haydn. - Overture (“Midsummer Night’s Dream”) Mendelssohn. - Symphony (No. 4, B flat) Beethoven. - Duet (“Prophète”) Meyerbeer. - Overture (“Oberon”) Weber. - -At the close of this concert he met with applause, hearty from a -section, but I cannot say it was universal. He had won many friends and -had made many enemies, but on the whole, Wagner was satisfied. That -evening our last festive gathering was very jovial. Wagner expressed -himself with all the enthusiasm his warm, impulsive nature was capable -of; he was deeply sensible of the value of his stay here. He had almost -retired from the world, but now Paris and Germany would again be brought -to hear of him. He regretted much the spiteful criticism that had fallen -upon me, and which I was likely to meet with still more. We remained -with Wagner until about three in the morning, helping him to prepare for -his departure from London that 26th June. - -[Sidenote: “_NOT A MUSICIAN AT ALL._”] - -I have refrained from making any quotations about myself. Those who are -interested enough to know how a pioneer is treated by his contemporaries -will discover many silly, impotent reflections upon me in the musical -journals of the period. I will content myself with reproducing a few -extracts about Richard Wagner and his music. The principal papers in -London, those that directed public opinion in musical matters, were the -“Musical World,” “Times,” “Athenæum,” and “Sunday Times.” Four days -after Wagner had left, the following sad specimens appeared. The -“Musical World,” 30th June, 1855:-- - - We hold that Herr Richard Wagner _is not a musician at all_ ... - this excommunication of pure melody, this utter contempt of time - and rhythmic definition, so notorious in Herr Wagner’s compositions - (we were about to say Herr Wagner’s music), is also one of the most - important points of his system, as developed at great length in the - book of “Oper und Drama.” ... It is clear to us that Herr Wagner - wants to upset both opera and drama. Let him then avow it without - all this mystification of words--this tortuous and sophisticated - systematizing.... He is just now cleansing the Augean stables of - the musical drama, and meanwhile, with a fierce iconoclasm, is - knocking down imaginary images, and levelling temples that are but - the creations of his own brain. When he has done this to his own - satisfaction, he will have to grope disconsolate among the ruins of - his contrivance, like Marius on the crumbled walls of Carthage, and - in a brown study begin to reflect, “What next?” For he, Wagner, can - build up nothing himself. He can destroy, but not reconstruct. He - can kill, but not give life.... What do we find there in the shape - of Wagnerian “Art Drama.” So far as music is concerned, nothing - better than chaos--“absolute” chaos. The symmetry of form--ignored - or else abandoned; the consistency of keys and their - relations--overthrown, contemned, demolished; the charm of rhythmic - measure, the whole art of phrase and cadence, the true basis of - harmony and the indispensable government of modulation, cast away - for a reckless, wild, extravagant, and demagogic cacophony, the - symbol of profligate libertinage!... Look at “Lohengrin”--that - “_best_ piece”; hearken to “Lohengrin”--that “_best_ piece.” Your - answer is there written and sung. Cast that book upon the waters; - it tastes bitter, as the little volume to the prophet. It is - poison--_rank poison_.... - - This man, this Wagner, this author of “Tannhäuser,” of “Lohengrin,” - and so many other hideous things--and above all, the overture to - “Der Fliegende Holländer,” the most hideous and detestable of the - whole--this preacher of the “future,” was born to feed spiders - with flies, not to make happy the heart of man with beautiful - melody and harmony. What is music to him, or he to music?... Who - are the men that go about as his apostles? Men like Liszt--the - apostle of Weimar and Professor Praeger, madmen, enemies of music - to the knife, who, not born for music, and conscious of their - impotence, revenge themselves by endeavouring to annihilate it.... - Wagner’s theories are impious. No words can be strong enough to - condemn them; no arraignment before the judgment-seat of truth too - stern and summary; no verdict of condemnation too sweeping and - severe.... Not to compare things earthly with things heavenly, has - Mendelssohn lived among us in vain?... All we can make out of - “Lohengrin,” by the flaming torch of truth, is an incoherent mass - of rubbish, with no more real pretension to be called music than - the jangling and clashing of gongs and other uneuphonious - instruments.... Wagner, on the contrary, who, though a mythical - dramatist, is no musician and very little poet.... He cannot write - music himself, and for that reason arraigns it. His contempt for - Mendelssohn is simply ludicrous; and we would grant him forty years - to produce one melodious phrase like any of those so profusely - scattered about in the operas of Rossini, Weber, Auber, and - Meyerbeer.... Wagner is as unable to invent genuine tune as pure - harmony, and he knows it. Hence “the books.” ... Richard Wagner and - his followers--sham prophets.... Listen to their wily eloquence, - and you find yourself in the coils of rattle-snakes.... There is as - much difference between “Guillaume Tell” and “Lohengrin” as between - the sun and ashes. - -From the “Sunday Times,” May, 1855:-- - -[Sidenote: _GEMS OF CRITICISM._] - - Music is not his special birthgift--is not for him an articulate - language or a beautiful form of expression.... Richard Wagner is a - desperate charlatan, endowed with worldly skill and vigorous - purpose enough to persuade a gaping crowd that the nauseous - compound he manufactures has some precious inner virtue, that they - must live and ponder yet ere they perceive.... Anything more - rambling, incoherent, unmasterly, cannot well be conceived. In - composition it would be a scandal to compare him with the men of - reputation this country possesses. Scarcely the most ordinary - ballad writer but would shame him in the creation of melody, and no - English harmonist of more than one year’s growth could be found - sufficiently without ears and education to pen such vile things. - -The “Athenæum,” upon the fifth concert says:-- - - The overture to “Tannhäuser” is one of the most curious pieces of - patchwork ever passed off by self-delusion for a complete and - significant creation. - -The critic, after finding a plagiarism of Mendelssohn and Cherubini, -continues:-- - - The instrumentation is ill-balanced, ineffective, thin and noisy. - -The “Musical World” of 13th October, 1855, says:-- - - TANNHÄUSER--We never before heard an opera in which the orchestra - made such a fuss; the cacophony, noise, and inartistic - elaborations! We can detect little in “Tannhäuser” not positively - commonplace. It is tedious beyond endurance. We are made aware, by - a few bars, that he has never learned how to handle the implements; - and that, if it were given him as a task to compose the overture to - “Tancredi,” he would be at straits to accomplish anything so easy, - clear, and natural. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -1855-1856. - - -Richard Wagner left London for Paris, from whence he wrote immediately -the following letter. The humorously descriptive reference to the -Channel passage is characteristic. - - DEAREST FRIENDS: Heartiest thanks for your love, which after all is - the one thing which has made the dull London lastingly dear to me. - I wish you joy and happiness, and, if possible, to be spared the - dreariness of the London pavement. Were it not that I regret to - have left you, I would speak of the delightful feeling which has - taken possession of me since I have returned to the continent. Here - the weather is beautiful, the air balmy and invigorating. The past - night’s rest has somewhat recruited my strength after the recent - fatigue. At present I am enjoying peace and quiet, which I hope - will soon enable me to resume work, the only enjoyment in life - still left to me. - - I have not much to tell of adventures, except that when I went on - board I felt rather queer. I lay down in the cabin and had just - succeeded in getting into a comfortable position for sleep, hoping - thereby to keep off the sea-sickness, when the steward shook me, - wanting to look at my ticket. To comply, I had to turn over so as - to get to my pocket. This movement caused me to feel unwell; and - then the unhappy man claiming his steward’s fee, I was obliged to - sit up in order to find my money. This new movement brought on the - sea-sickness, so that just as he thankfully received his gratuity, - he also received the whole of my supper. Yet he still seemed quite - content, notwithstanding, whilst I had such a fit of laughter that - drove away both sickness and drowsiness so that I entered Calais in - tolerably good spirits. - - The custom-house visiting only took place in Paris. It was well - for me that the lace I had secreted for Minna was not discovered. - Here I soon found my friend Kietz, to whom I poured out my heart - about you, dear friends. To-morrow I leave with a Zurich friend, - who has waited for me. From Zurich you shall have news. As I write - to you all, I beg you to divide my greetings, and do this from the - depth of your hearts. To my sister Léonie, give her as well a - hearty kiss for me. - - Adieu, good lovable humankind, think with love of thy - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - PARIS, 28th June, 1855. - -From Paris he went direct to Zurich, where Minna was waiting for him. He -had scarcely arrived when he sent me the following. It is noteworthy, as -it illustrates how a great man could interest himself in the small -concerns of home life. His affection for domestic pets is once more -touched upon, and that humour, which but rarely forsook him even in his -pessimistic Schopenhauerian utterances, again playfully laughs -throughout the letter. - -[Sidenote: _GRIEF OVER HIS DOG._] - - Best greetings from Switzerland. - - I hope you have already received tidings of me from Lüders. From - you, however, I have not yet heard anything. You might at least - have written to say you were glad to have got rid of me, how sister - Léonie fares, and how Henry is, whether “Gypsy” (the dog) has made - his appearance in society, whether the cat has still its bad cough. - Heaven! how many things there are of which I ought to be informed - in order to be perfectly at ease. As for me, I am still idle. My - wife has made me a new dressing-gown, and what is more, wonderfully - fine silk trousers for home wear, so that all the work I do is to - loll about in this costume, first on one sofa and then on another. - - On Monday next I go with my wife, the dog, and bird, to Seelisberg; - there I think I shall at last get straight! If you could but visit - me there. My address for the present is Kurhaus, Sonnenberg, - Seelisberg, Canton Uri. I do not know how I can sufficiently - express the pleasure which my wife wishes me to convey to you. - Whilst I unpacked I chatted, and kept on chatting and unpacking. - Several times she was deeply moved, particularly when we came to - the carefully marked and neatly folded socks. Again and again she - called out, “What a good woman that Léonie must be!” and then when - the needle-case came out and that beautiful thimble, both she and I - were mightily pleased. We wish your wife the happiest confinement - that woman ever had, and at least six healthy children all at once - with heavenly organized brains, every one to be born with a pocket - containing ten thousand pounds each, and further, that your wife - shall be able on the same evening of the confinement to dance a - polka in the Praeger drawing-room. May it please heaven that this - reverential wish shall be tenfold fulfilled, then your love for - children will be fully satisfied. - - In a few days you will receive a box with three medallions in - plaster of Paris. These were modelled by the daughter of “the - Princess Lichtenstein,” and are to be divided thus: one for the - Praeger family, one for the family Sainton and Lüders (who I - sincerely trust will never separate, and who are regarded by me as - one family), and the other for the poor fellow of Manchester - Street, Klindworth, the invalid, from whom I am expecting news - about his performance of last Wednesday. I trust he is already at - Richmond enjoying the benefit of hydropathy. I purpose writing to - him as soon as I know his address. For the present greet the poor - fellow heartily for me, and in my name try to console him for me. I - will soon write to Sainton, and for that occasion I will pull - together all the French I learned in London, so that I might be - able to express to him my opinion that he is a splendid fellow. And - what is dear Lüders about? I hear that he has headed the riot in - Hyde Park. Is that true?[14] I hope he has not used my letter to - Prince Albert in making lobster salad. I have often been unlucky - with letters of mine. Even yesterday I found reproduced in - Brendel’s “Neue Zeitschrift” a letter I had written to my old - friend, Fischer, at Dresden. It has most disagreeably affected me, - for if I had wished to express myself about the London annoyances I - should have done it in a different manner, but I had not the - slightest wish to do anything of the kind. However, I am heartily - glad my time of penance is past, and forgive with my whole heart - Englishmen for being what they are; still I am resolved, even in - thought, never to have anything more whatsoever to do with them. - But you, my dear friends, I will ever cherish in remembrance, and - if all that is agreeable be but a negative of pain, then by the - memory of your love and friendship is the period of my London - tribulation blotted out. - - A thousand hearty thanks for your love! Now you will, I hope, give - me the joy of good news, and say that you love me still. To dear - Edward[15] give my best greetings. It was a great pity I did not - see him again. - - Farewell, my dear Ferdinand; all happiness to yours, and to the - dear wife good wishes. - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ZURICH, 7th July, 1855. - -The next letter, dated eight days later than the preceding, will be -admitted a jewel in Wagner’s crown. Picture this great intellect, the -creator of the colossal Nibelung tetralogy (with its Gräne, the steed of -the Valkyrie), crying “incessantly” over the grave of a dead dog, -postponing the removal of his household to nurse the dying creature -until its last moments, and then himself burying it in the garden. The -whole of this touching recital bespeaks a tenderness, a wealth of human -love and large-heartedness, which show Wagner, the man! - -[Sidenote: _ILL-HEALTH OF MINNA._] - - DEAREST FRIEND FERDINANDUS: A thousand hearty congratulations to - the newly born. Right gladly I agree to become god-father and, if - you think it will bring fortune, add my surname as well. - - I arrived here in this paradise a few days ago. I read your letter - on the left corner of the balcony of the hotel, the picture of - which heads this letter. Occasionally, while reading, I raised my - eyes and looked beyond upon the magnificent Alps, which you cannot - fail to notice at the side of the hotel. I say that I looked from - the letter occasionally, since its contents afforded me matter for - reflection, and I found solace and comfort in the contemplation of - the sacred and noble surroundings. You have no conception how - beautiful it is here, how pure the air that one breathes, and how - beneficially this wonderful spectacle acts on me. I fancy you would - become delirious with joy at the prospect, so that the return to - London would be a sad event; yet you must undertake this trip next - year with your dear wife. - - But how strange that the same incident should have happened to us - both at about the same moment! You remember that I expected to see - my old and faithful dog, “Peps.”[16] Well, shortly before my - arrival he had been taken ill, but nevertheless he received me with - the greatest delight, and soon began to improve somewhat in health. - The day of our departure for Seelisberg was already fixed, where, - as I wrote to you, I was going with my wife, my dog, and bird.[17] - Suddenly dangerous symptoms showed themselves in “Peps,” in - consequence of which we put off our journey for two days so as to - nurse the poor dying dog. Up to the last moment “Peps” showed me a - love as touching as to be almost heartrending; kept his eyes fixed - on me, and, though I chanced to move but a few steps from him, - continued to follow me with his eyes. He died in my arms on the - night of the 9th-10th of the month, passing away without a sound, - quietly and peacefully. On the morrow, midday, we buried him in the - garden beside the house. I cried incessantly, and since then have - felt bitter pain and sorrow for the dear friend of the past - thirteen years, who ever worked and walked with me. It has clearly - taught me that the world exists only in our hearts and conception. - That the same fate should befall your young dog at almost the same - moment has deeply affected me. I have often thought of “Gypsy,”[18] - and wished I had taken him with me, and now that fiery creature too - is also suddenly dead!! There is something terrible in all this!!! - And yet there are those who would scoff at our feeling in such a - matter! - - Alas! I am often tired of life, yet life is ever returning in a new - guise, alluring us anew to pain and sorrow. With me now it is - sublime nature which ever impels me to cling to life as a new love, - and thus it is I have begun once more to work. You have again been - presented with a new-born life. I wish you happiness with all my - heart. I feel as though I had some claim to the boy, for it was - during the last four months prior to his entering the world that I - came a new member into your household. The affection I sought was - vouchsafed to me in the highest degree; the mother’s mind was no - doubt much occupied with that strange, whimsical individual, whom, - to his great joy, she so heartily welcomed. May it not be, perhaps, - that before he saw the light, this may have influenced the little - stranger! if so, my heartiest wish is that it may bring him - blessings. Now give my best greetings to sister Léonie, and thank - her heartily for all the kindness she showed me. I can but wish her - the happiest motherly joys; remember me to Henry; he is to care for - his little brother as if it were a sister. - - Farewell, and let me soon know how you all are, Keep up, and above - all, see well that you come to visit me next year; kindly remember - me also to my few London friends. Lüders and Sainton I thank for - their friendly letter; you will soon hear from me. Farewell, dear - brother, - -Your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - P.S. Liszt will not come until October. Ask Klindworth to write to - me. Thousand kind things from my wife. - - SEELISBERG, CANTON URI, 15th July, 1855. - -In the next letter he speaks sorrowfully of the demon of ill-health -which had settled in his house. Poor Minna suffered with heart-disease, -an illness to which she eventually succumbed, whilst he, too, was -somewhat broken down, and shortly to be laid upon a sick-bed. His only -relief from worry and trouble was work. Indeed, the major portion of his -work was done at times when the horizon was dark for him. - -[Sidenote: _“TANNHÄUSER” AT MUNICH._] - - Best thanks, dear friend, for your letter, which was, alas, sad - enough to make me sad too. The worst of misfortune in a life like - yours is that in surveying all circumstances, it is positively - unrectifiable: to revolt against it, even at the best, has still - something ridiculous in it. To him, who like you suffers keenly - (and amongst your surroundings must perforce suffer the most), all - I can say is, think, dear friend, no man is happy except he who is - foolish enough to think that he is. You and I are not fit for this - life except to be tired of it; he who becomes so the soonest - finishes his task the quickest. All so-called “fortunate events” - are but deceptive palliations, making the evil worse. I know this - is capable of being understood in a double sense, so that it might - be interpreted either as a trivial commonplace or the deepest - possible reflection. I must leave it to chance how you will - understand it. The only ray of light in the dark night of our life - is that which sympathy affords us. We only lose consciousness of - our own misery when we feel that of others. Entire freedom from - one’s own sorrow is only possible if one could live solely for the - sorrows of others, but the evil of it is, that one cannot do this - continually, as one’s own troubles always return the stronger to - attack the feelings. I, for my part, must say that since in London - I have never had my mind free from troubles. The demon of sickness - has come to lodge in my house. My wife, particularly, causes me - great anxieties. Her ever-increasing ill-health helps to render me - very sad. Worried and troubled, I resumed work. I struggle at it, - as work is the only power that brings to me oblivion and makes me - free. Only look to it that next year you come to Switzerland; - meanwhile amuse yourself as much as you can in your polemical war - against London music-artists and critics, not on my account, - however, but only as I believe it is a good channel to absorb your - otherwise sad thoughts. - - From New York I have just received an invitation to go over and - conduct there for six months; it would be well paid. It is - fortunate, however, that the emolument is not after all so very - large, or else, perhaps, I might myself be obliged to seriously - consider the matter. But of course I shall not accept the - invitation. I had enough in London. I am somewhat fidgety that you - have not yet acknowledged my three medallions, one for you, one for - Sainton and Lüders, and one for Klindworth. I paid freight for them - some time ago, and thought they would have been in your hands long - before this. If you have not yet received them, I beg of you to - make inquiries at the post-office, since I sent the little box from - Basle by the mail, and your address was correctly written. Do not - forget to speedily inform me of its arrival. - - Please send at once to Berlin the box which I left at your house, - containing my manuscripts, and address it to the Royal Music - Director, Julius Stern, Dessauer Strasse No. 2. Do not prepay it. - You may have some expense on my account which I will settle with - you when we meet. Do not forget to mention it. - - Perhaps you have heard already that “Tannhäuser” has created a - perfect furore at Munich. I felt constrained to laugh at the sudden - veering round in my favour when I remembered that only two years - ago Lachner contrived that the performance of the overture to - “Tannhäuser” should be a complete fiasco. On the whole, I live - almost entirely isolated. Working, walking, and a little reading - constitute my present existence. At present, I am expecting Liszt - at Christmas. How fares my sister Leonie? Well, I hope. You write - so ambiguously about it that I cannot make out the exact thing. How - is the boy? Is he really called Richard Wagner? Are you not right - glad to have him? Greet your dear wife for me with all my heart, - and tell her I often think of her with pleasure, and of the - friendly interest she took in me. My love to the poor - hypochondriacal Lüders. How well I ought to have felt myself in - London. When he became excited, he was irresistible. I will write - to Sainton soon. He is happy, and finds himself best where he is. - - Farewell, dear Ferdinand. A thousand thanks for your friendship. - When things go badly with you, laugh at them. - - Adieu, - -Your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ZURICH, 14th September, 1855. - -The next letter shows Wagner in a new light. It is addressed to my wife -in her native language, French. Wagner has freely admitted in his -published writings that he had no gift for languages, still he spoke -French well, truly, not as a born Frenchman, yet, as a thoughtful man, -and moreover as an earnest student he was able to express himself with -clearness and freedom, and to a degree was master of the idiom. -Intellect, combined with earnestness, will forge a path through -difficulties where education alone would halt. Berlioz was an educated -Frenchman, and expressed himself in elegant and polished diction--it was -like music to hear him speak--yet he soon succumbed to Wagner’s torrent -of enthusiasm. Of course this in part finds its natural explanation in -Wagner ever having something new to say, and “Wagner eloquent” was -irresistible. But as he ever depreciated his ability in French, I have -inserted the following in the original (with translation) so as to -enable the reader to form his own judgment. - -[Sidenote: _HE WRITES IN FRENCH._] - -This letter is a well-drawn portrait of Wagner by himself. It shows the -boy in the man. Picture this man, after a serious illness of some weeks, -which must have been terribly irksome to a man of his active -temperament, setting himself the task the first day of his convalescence -to write in French and at such length. Instead of grumbling at the -mental miseries such an illness must have caused him, through the -interruption of that work so dear to him, he roused himself, in order to -amuse by his boyish, humorous chat, “his sister Léonie,” whom he knew -was all sympathy for him. The boy’s affectionate heart is plainly -discernible in the man, tried and battered as he was by the world. It -makes one think of the boy’s gentle love for his “little mother,” as he -endearingly spoke of his mother. In him there were always glimpses of -sunshine which would burst forth, aye, in the midst of the storms which, -caused by disappointment and ill-usage, raged within himself or round -about him. It was impossible for those who knew Wagner not to love him, -notwithstanding those defects of character which he possessed; they -disappeared entirely in the love one bore him, and the worship his -mighty genius compelled. The sun itself has spots, which, -notwithstanding, do not prevent it from glittering with radiance. Why -should not Wagner be allowed the privilege of the sun? - -[Sidenote: _LIFE IS BURDENSOME._] - - -ANSICHT VOM KURHAUSE SONNENBERG AUF -SEELISBERG, CT. URI. - - MA TRÈS CHÈRE SŒUR! Allons donc! Je vais vous écrire en - français. Dieu donne que vous en entendiez quelques mots--ce qui ne - sera pas chose facile. Mais je ne serai pas si absurde de me donner - de la peine, pour faire de bonnes phrases; cela sera l’affaire du - Dr. Wylde, qui s’y entend probablement aussi bien qu’à la musique! - Plutôt je porterai sur ce papier quelques bêtises de mon genre, qui - ne toucheront au caractère d’aucune langue, ni vivante, ni morte. - - Enfin, je vous félicité, ma soeur, d’être doublement mère! - L’événement que Ferdinand m’a annoncé il y a quelque temps, était - prévu par moi moyennant d’un pressentiment prophétique, qui me - naissait pendant mon séjour à Londres; car, pendant que je me - souhaitais au diable--c’est à dire: hors du monde--je m’avisais, - que le bon Dieu se preparait à remplir la lacune attendue, en - mettant au monde un remplaçant pour moi. Mais ce bon Dieu s’est - trompé, comme il lui arrivé quelques fois (en toute confiance soit - dit!); le diable ne m’a pas encore accepté; je suis resté au monde, - par obstination seulement, comme vous allez voir--et mon remplaçant - est arrivé pendant que je vis encore, de la sorte qu’il y a - maintenant deux Richard Wagner. Ainsi, je ne suis pas surpris de - cet événement, que j’ai plutôt préparé en quelque sorte (et sans la - moindre offense pour Ferdinand!) seulement par ma résolution de - quitter la terre, résolution, dont le changement me procure - maintenant le plaisir passablement rare, de vivre ensemble avec mon - remplaçant future, de faire sa connaissance personelle, de - m’entende avec lui sur la direction des concerts de la Société - Philharmonique, enfin sur mille choses d’une importance extrême, - qui ne s’arrangent pas si bien par une distance si énorme que celle - de la mort à la vie.--Cette affaire a donc bien réussie. Seulement - je plains de vous avoir causé tout de désagrements et de - souffrances, comme vous les avez dû subir pour cela (je le dis vous - savez toujours sans la moindre offense pour Ferdinand!). Jugez donc - de la grande et intime satisfaction, que je viens d’eprouver à la - nouvelle de votre rétablissement complêt, et croyez à la sincérité - bien cordiale des félicitations, que je vous addresse. - - Maintenant je n’ai pas d’autre soin, que de m’entendre aussitôt que - possible avec ma doublette sur nos démarches réunies pour conquérir - le monde avant de le quitter de ma part c’est-à-dire: de la part de - Richard Wagner l’aîné. Ainsi je vous prie de me donner toujours des - nouvelles bien promptes et exactes sur l’état du développement de - mon remplaçant. J’ai déjâ très besoin de ses fonctions auxiliares. - On m’a invité de venir en Amérique, pour faire de la musique à New - York et à Boston on m’a promis des recettes très fortes, et mille - autres choses. Mais il m’est impossible d’y aller: cela serait - alors l’affaire de Richard Wagner le jeune; quand pourra-t-il - accepter l’invitation? Expliquez-vous, je vous en prie, très - clairement sur ce point là. Aussi j’ai une multitude de projets de - sujets d’opéras dans ma tête: Ferdinand les croît sous le toît de - ma maison; il se trompe, ma maison c’est moi, et le toît c’est mon - crâne. Je n’ai ni le temps, ni la tranquillité nécessaire pour les - ôter de leur cage, là, où ils sont encore enfermés: ainsi, ce sera - l’affaire de mon remplaçant de delivrer ces plans d’opéras et d’en - donner ce qui lui plaît à son petit père pour qu’il en fasse la - musique. Quand sera-t-il assez développé pour ce travail bien - pressant? Répondez-moi avec promptitude sur cette demande; demandez - à Ferdinand si elle est importante! Ah! mon dieu! il y a encore - tant d’autres choses à arranger ensemble qu’une conférence - prochaine me parait indispensable. Connaissez-vous le Dr. Wylde? Eh - bien! j’attends son invitation pour lui donner des leçons de - “musique du future.” Richard Wagner le jeune ne serait-il pas - encore mieux avancé que moi pour instruire ce genre de musique, - puis qu’il est encore plus du future que moi? Que voulez-vous? Il - n’y a pas de temps à perdu. Dépechez-vous du peu d’education qu’il - faudra pour mûrir les facultés de mon remplaçant, et écrivez moi - aussitôt télégraphe quand le moment sera venu, ce moment de - développement accompli que j’attends avec impatience. N’est-ce pas, - chère soeur Léonie? N’est-ce pas, ma mère (entendez-bien!!) - n’est-ce pas, vous n’oublierez pas cela par hasard? Et surtout vous - ne manquerez pas d’instruire mon “alter-ego” de gagner de l’argent? - le seul talent (entre autres) que, par une faute incomprehensible - dans mon education, je n’ai pas cultivé dutout ce qui me cause - quelquefois, _i.e._ toujours--des peines horribles, puisque je suis - luxurieux, prodigue et dépensier par nature, beaucoup plus que - Sardanapale et tous les empereurs Romains pris ensemble. J’ai donc - besoin d’un autre moi! (“passez-moi le mot”) qui gagne énormément - d’argent pour moi. Vous n’oubliez pas cela, et m’enverrez sous peu - de temps quelques millions, volés par mon remplaçant aux - admirateurs innombrables que j’ai l’aissé en Angleterre. J’y pense - bien, je trouve que c’est là le point décisif, de la sorte que je - vous donne le conseil final, de faire apprendre à mon remplaçant - seulement ce que je n’ai jamais appris-moi; cela veut dire faire de - l’argent--“make money”--mais beaucoup! Beaucoup! Enormément - beaucoup! - - Voilà ma bénédiction:--que Dieu m’exance!! - - Quant à Richard Wagner l’aîné, je ne puis vous donner que des - nouvelles peu agréables: il se traîne à travers la vie comme un - fardeau. Sa seule réjouissance est son travail; son plus grand - déplaisir est quand il perd l’envie de travailler; mais la cause de - sa mort sera un jour le sort terrible auquel il lui faut livrer ses - travaux, à la mutilation et à la destruction parfaite par des - exécutants bêtes ou mérchants; contre lesquels il lui est défendu - de protéger son œuvre, puisqui’il est exilé de là, où il est - exécuté. (Pensez donc à mon remplaçant!) Tout autre malheur ne me - touche plus fortement: mais celui-là me touche au cœur et aux - entrailles. Sous de telles influences je perds quelques fois, - l’envie de travailler parfaitement et pour longtemps: ces époques - sont terribles, car alors il ne me resto rien, rien pour me - soulager. Aux derniers mois j’ai regagné heureusement un peu mon - ancien zêle, et je travaillais assez bien au second de nos drames - musicals; que je voulais finir à Londres (so’t que j’étais!) - Malheureusement j’étais forcé de passer les dernières sermaines au - lit, en proie d’une maladie, long temps cachée en moi, et enfin - éclatée--j’espère à mon salut. Je viens de quitter le lit hier, et - me voilà aujourdhui à la table pour vous écrire. Soyez indulgent, - et pardonnez-moi le tas de bêtises que je vous envoie avec cette - lettre; mon écrit ne sera pas probablement mieux que ma - conversation, qui était bien triste et bêto. Mais néanmoins vous - m’avez voué votre amitié, car vous savez lire entre les lignes de - ma conversation. Soyez bien cordialement remercié pour ce - bien-fait! Maintenant soyez heureuse, ce qu’on est qu’au milieu de - désagrements et de souffrances de toute sorte--par un cœur plein - de compassion, de cette compassion qui s’égaie aussi à - l’apperception d’un sourire de l’autrui, même si ce n’était que le - sourire exalté de la mélancolie. Par example:-- - - Vive le punch et la salade de hommard! Vive Lüders qui la - préparait! Vive Ferdinand qui devorait les os! Vive Sainton qui - venait tard, mais qui venait! Vive Klindworth, quine mangeait et ne - buvait pas, mais qui assistait! Vive, vive Léonie, qui riait de - compassion de notre hilarité! Cela n’était pas si mal! Soyons - reconnaissants, et restons amis! Et vous ma chère mère? restez ma - soeur! - -Adieu. -Votre -RICHARD WAGNER l’aîné. - - P.S. La prochaine lettre sera à Sainton. Je ne puis pas dépenser - autant de Français dans un jour!-- - - 3^{D} Novembre, 1855. - -[Sidenote: _INVITED TO AMERICA._] - - -ANSICHT VON KIRHAUSE SONNENBERG AUF -SEELISBERG, CT. URI. - - MY DEAR SISTER: Now, then, I am going to write to you in French. - May heaven help you to understand something of it, for I fear it - will not be an easy matter. I shall not, however, be foolish enough - to give myself the trouble of making fine phrases. That I leave to - Dr. Wylde,[19] who, no doubt, understands that much better than he - does composing. Rather do I prefer to put down on paper some - stupidities of my own, which will have no relation either to a dead - or living language. - - Now, I congratulate you, my sister, in being doubly mother.[20] - The event, Ferdinand had announced to me some time ago, I had - foreseen, by means of prophetic vision generated during my stay in - London; for whilst I was wishing myself to the devil--that is to - say, out of the world--I perceived that Providence was preparing to - fill the gap, by sending into the world a substitute. But the same - Providence made a mistake, as He occasionally does (this, remember, - is quite confidential!); the devil has not yet wanted me; I have - remained in the world, as you shall see, through sheer obstinacy, - and my other self has arrived whilst I am still living, so that now - there are two Richard Wagners!! - - I am not surprised, then, at the event, which, by my resolve to - quit the world, I had in some measure prepared (this without the - slightest offence to Ferdinand); but fate having ordained - otherwise, I have the rare pleasure of living at the same time with - my future substitute, of making his personal acquaintance, of - coming to some understanding with him about conducting the concerts - of the Philharmonic Society; in short, upon a thousand things of - the greatest importance, which could not conveniently be arranged - at such an enormous distance as that of the other world to this. So - the event has been quite a success. But I must ever regret to have - caused you so much pain and suffering on that account. I say it, - you know, always without any offence to Ferdinand. Think, then, of - the great personal relief I have just experienced at the news of - your convalescence, and believe in the warm-hearted sincerity of my - congratulations. - - I have no other care now but to come to an understanding as quickly - as possible with my other self, respecting our united efforts to - conquer the world before I myself (_i.e._ Richard Wagner the elder) - leave it. I therefore entreat you to keep me well informed of the - exact state of the development of my substitute. Even at this very - moment I very much need his help. - - I have received an invitation from America to conduct at New York - and Boston. In addition to a thousand other things I have been - promised very large receipts. It is, however, quite impossible for - me to accept; that must be the province of Richard Wagner the - younger. When will he be able to accept the invitation? I beg of - you to be very explicit on this point. Further, I have a multitude - of projects and subjects for operas in my head. Ferdinand imagines - them under the roof of my house; he is mistaken, my house is - myself, the roof my skull. But, alas, I have neither the time nor - the requisite tranquillity to release them from the prison-house in - which they are confined: that also, then, must be the work of my - other self; and when he has liberated them he may give what he - likes of them to his father to set to music. When will he be - developed enough for this pressing work? Be prompt in your reply on - this point. Ask Ferdinand if it is not important! Ah! good heavens! - there are such a number of other things which we must arrange - together that an early conference is imperative. - - Do you know Dr. Wylde? Well, I am expecting an invitation from him - to give him lessons in the “music of the future.” But will not - Richard Wagner the younger be better fitted than I to teach that - kind of music, since he is still more closely connected with the - future? What think you? There is no time to lose. Make haste with - the little education absolutely necessary for ripening the - faculties of my _alter ego_, and telegraph to me the moment the - time has arrived--that time of complete development so anxiously - waited for by me. Is it not so, dear sister Léonie? Eh! my mother - (you understand!) Now you must not fail to remember this. - - But above all, you must not omit to teach my _alter ego_ to make - money, the one talent of all others which, by some incomprehensible - fault in my education, has never been cultivated. And this causes - me sometimes (_i.e._ always) horrible anxieties, since by nature I - am luxurious, prodigal, and extravagant, much more than - Sardanapalus and all the old Roman emperors put together. In this I - am sadly in want of another self (pardon me for saying so), who - will gain money enormously. Now be sure and do not forget this and - send me as soon as possible a few millions, stolen by my double - from the innumerable admirers I have left behind in England! On - pondering over the situation, I perceive that herein lies the - crucial point, so that my last entreaty is that you instruct my - other self in that which I have never learnt, viz. making - money--make money--but much! Much! Enormously much! - - This is my prayer; may heaven hearken to me! - - [Sidenote: _AFTER A LONG ILLNESS._] - - Of Richard Wagner the elder I can only give you poor news. He drags - himself through life as a burden. His only delight is his work. His - greatest sorrow, the loss of desire to work. The cause of his - death will one day be the terrible fate to which he cannot help - exposing his works, _i.e._ to their mutilation and complete - destruction by stupid or wicked executants, from whom he is - powerless of protecting them, since he is an exile from that land - where they are being performed. (Think, therefore, of my _alter - ego_!) No other misfortune affects me so keenly. This touches me to - the heart, to the very core. It is when under such feelings that I - occasionally lose completely--yes, even for a long time--the desire - to work. These periods are terrible, for then nothing remains, - nothing to comfort me. During the last few months I had happily - regained a little of my old enthusiasm, and I had been working - pretty well at the second of my musical dramas, which I had hoped - to finish in London (fool that I was!). But alas, I have been - confined, during the last few weeks, to my bed, a prey to a long - latent illness, which, having at last broken out, I hope has been - the saving of my life. I only left my sick-bed yesterday, and here - I am to-day at my table, writing to you. Be indulgent, and excuse - the mass of nonsense I am sending you in this letter. My - correspondence will probably be no better than my conversation, - which was very dull and stupid. But nevertheless, you vowed to me - your friendship, for you know how to read between the lines of my - conversation. I thank you very heartily for that kindness! - - Now be happy, although one lives in the midst of annoyances and - sufferings of all kinds--for it is only by a heart full of - compassion which brightens up even at the perception of a smile - from another, though it be but the forced smile of melancholy. - - Three cheers for the punch and lobster salad! Long live Lüders, who - prepared it! Long live Ferdinand, who devoured the bones! Long live - Sainton, who came late, but who came! Long live Klindworth, who - neither ate nor drank, but who was present! Long live, long live - Léonie, who laughed sympathetically at our boisterousness! That was - not so bad. Let us be grateful, and let us remain friends. And you, - my dear mother, remain my sister. - -Adieu. -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER THE ELDER. - - NOVEMBER 3d, 1855. - - P.S. The next letter will be to Sainton. I cannot dole out so much - French in one day. - -The next letter, written three months after the preceding, is of -interest in showing that Wagner kept up the practice of his daily -promenade. - - DEAREST FRIEND: Thanks for your beautiful London notice, which I - have just read in Brendel’s “Zeitschrift.” As I am thoroughly - acquainted with all the circumstances, I pronounce it excellent; in - short, so important, and so always hitting the mark, that were I - not the leading subject I should have much less restraint in - praising it. - - Be assured that the remembrance I seem to have left with you will - always remain one of my most cherished thoughts. That I was so - fortunate to create a good opinion in you, is to me exhilarating - and touching. After all, what a lot of trouble we both had to - endure. Be content with these few words, written immediately after - reading your notice, and just before taking my accustomed stroll, - and be assured that they contain much joy. - - Farewell, dearest Ferdinand, and continue to love me. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - Many, many hearty greetings for sister Léonie and the god-child! - - Adieu. - - ZURICH, 15th January, 1856. - -Again was Wagner laid upon a sick-bed. One anxiety seems to have -possessed his mind--the longing to complete the “Walküre.” The following -letter is of importance, since it shows the composer’s frame of mind -during the composition of the above work, a state of “pure despair” -which, says Wagner, could alone have created it:-- - -[Sidenote: _THE “WALKÜRE” POETRY._] - - Best thanks, dearest friend for your letters. You are right; I have - again been laid on a sick-bed, and when at last I became - convalescent I was in a perfect rage to get to the score of my - “Walküre” (in the composition of which I have been hindered for - the last year). So much do I long to finish it that I have entirely - ceased letter-writing. Altogether, the older one grows, that is to - say, in sense and reason, the more the worldly events of every-day - life dwindle away into nothingness. That which one experiences in - the inward heart becomes more and more difficult to explain. I do - not mean to say that the events one has passed through, and which - have touched you most intimately, cease to exist to live on; no, - no; therefore I assure you that you and your family are ever - vividly before me, yet as soon as one commences to write one finds - after all there is nothing of real worth to put down. On the whole, - we can only agree with each other, then there remains nothing but - actual occurrences, views, and intentions to discuss. In these my - life at present is as poor as my art creations are prolific, and - which, indeed, are surging to the surface and becoming richer and - richer. When you come to me, and I play my works to you, you will - agree with me. In so far as the world has a claim upon me I can - point solely to my work. I have nothing else to offer to it. - - If you read the poetry of the “Walküre” again, you will find such a - superlative of sorrow, pain, and despair expressed therein, that - you will understand me when I say the music terribly excites me. I - could not again accomplish a similar work. When it is once - finished, much will then appear quite different (looking at the - work as an art whole), and will afford enjoyment, whereas nothing - but pure despair could have created it. But we shall see! - - Altogether I live so secluded and retired that I feel at a loss - when I am anxious to talk to you about it. I look forward to the - time of Liszt’s coming to me as a bracing up of my heart. Alas! on - account of illness, I was compelled last winter to put off the - visit. About the illness in your little family I take a hearty - interest. In your new garden I picture you gambolling with your - children. How I wish that I had a little house with a little garden - attached; alas! an enjoyment hitherto unattainable. - - At first I was tolerably indifferent about the sad - conflagration,[21] but when I thought of Sainton it became painful - to me. Now I hear that Gye has managed to continue his opera - notwithstanding, and therefore Sainton’s income, no doubt, will not - be endangered, and the misfortune overcome! That he now plays - under Wylde amuses me much. It was ridiculous that he had to resign - the Old Philharmonic. After all, Costa has succeeded in this! When - I recall my London visit, I find I do not remember much except the - friends I left there; they are all that remind me of it--happily! - - But now try and come to visit me. For my operas wait until you hear - them produced by me. Now you can get a very inadequate impression - of them. If, therefore, you desire more of me, come to me yourself; - in so doing you will give me great pleasure. I remain here during - the summer. If I can arrange it, I intend going in the autumn with - Semper to Rome; at least, such is my present hope. But continue to - give me frequent news of you, and be assured that in so doing you - give the greatest gratification to - -Your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - Greet your dear wife heartily for me; she is to continue to hold me - in good remembrance. Happiness and prosperity to my godchild! - - Kiss poor Lüders a thousand times; I shall soon inquire more - precisely after Bumpus. - -Adieu, -R. W. - - ZURICH, 28th March, 1856. - -[Sidenote: _TROUBLED BY SCHOPENHAUER._] - -The next letter is again dated from Zurich:-- - - That’s right, dearest Ferdinandus, to determine to leave Richard - Wagner of the future to come to the R. W. of the present. My _alter - ego_ will not regret it. When you are here I will hammer out the - “Walküre” to you, and I hope it will force its way from ear to - heart. Then there is a bit of the “Siegfried,” and that, too, must - I sing to you. How my head is full of projects for work! - - Minna is very delighted at the prospect of seeing you, and says she - will treat you as a brother. I have told her how heartily you enter - into the mysteries of household matters, and are of just that - temperament to agree with her, and appreciate that domestic skill - for which I am totally unfitted. To me also your presence will be a - delight, for I can talk to you with open heart, and have much to - say to you. Now see that you do not let anything intervene that - shall prevent your coming. I am just now full of work, and when you - are here I shall work all the same. Some hours during the morning - shall be devoted to work while you shall be sent upstairs to deeply - study Schopenhauer, and then shall we not argue and discuss like - orators in the old Athenian lyceum! Two months, and you will be - with me! ah! that is good! Then bring all your brain-power, all - your keen penetration, for you shall explain to me some obscure - passages in that best of writers, Schopenhauer, which now torment - me exceedingly. He will, perhaps, cause you many researches of the - heart, so you must come fully equipped with all your intellectual - faculties in the full vigorous glow of health, and then I promise - myself some happy hours. And what shall be your reward? Well, the - “Walküre” shall entreat you, and man, the original man, “Siegfried” - shall show you what he is! Now, good, dear friend, come! - - Mind, now, no English restraint and propriety; bother that - invisible old lady, Mrs. Grundy, that hovers over the English - horizon, ruling with a rod of iron what is supposed to be proper - and virtuous! - - Heartiest greetings to dear sister Léonie, and tell her that her - son, Richard Wagner the elder, sends his best affection to the - younger, and inquires whether he has yet been taught how to make - money. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - P.S. Ferdinand, bring me a packet of snuff from that shop in Oxford - Street, you know, where you got it before for me. - -R. W. - - ZURICH, May, 1856. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -ZURICH, 1856. - - -In the summer of 1856 I spent two months under Wagner’s roof at Zurich. -As it was holiday time for me, and Wagner had no engagements of any -importance, we passed the whole period in each other’s society debating, -in a most earnest, philosophical, logical manner, art matters, most of -our discussions taking place during our rambles upon the mountains. - -One figure I found in that quiet, tastily arranged chalet, who filled a -large portion of Wagner’s life; to whom, first, Wagner owed an unpayable -debt, and then that wide world of countless ones which has been enriched -by the artist’s creations. But that solitary, heroic Minna is, it -seems--judging from the many writings which have appeared of the -master--likely to be forgotten. Her glory is obscured by the more -brilliant luminary that succeeded her. Still a domestic picture of the -creator of the “Walkyrie,” whilst that work was actually in hand, is of -interest, as herein we see the man, the actual man, the human being, -with his irritabilities and good humour, all under the gentle sway of a -soft-hearted, brave woman. - -[Sidenote: _CHARACTER OF MINNA._] - -Nor should the reader think that the worth of Wagner’s first wife is -here over-estimated through partiality. There is another witness to her -good qualities, who certainly will not be suspected of friendly -feeling, viz. Count von Beust, the Saxon minister, who vigorously and -unrelentingly persecuted the so-called revolutionist in 1849. Beust knew -Minna in Dresden, and what he then learnt of the chapel master’s wife -was not obliterated by forty years active participation in the -diplomatic subtleties of European politics. In his autobiography,[22] -published the latter end of 1886, he speaks of Minna’s amiable -character, and describes her as an excellent woman. - -Minna may be spoken of as a comely woman. Gentle and active in her -movements, unobtrusive in speech and bearing, possessing a forethought -akin to divination, she administered to her husband’s wants before he -knew them himself. It was this lovable foresight of the woman which -caused such a horrible vacancy in Wagner’s life when, later, Minna left -him, a break which he so bitterly bemoaned, and which all the adoration -and wealth of Louis of Bavaria could not atone for. As a housewife she -was most efficient. In their days of distress she cheerfully performed -what are vulgarly termed menial services. In this she is as fitting a -parallel of Mrs. Carlyle, as Wagner is of Carlyle. Both the men were -thinkers, aye, and “original” thinkers (which in Carlyle’s estimation -was “the event of all others,” a fact of superlative importance). They -both elected hard fare, nay, actual deprivation, to submission to the -unrealities, and both are educators of our teachers: and Minna’s efforts -in the house and sustaining Wagner in the dark days is the pendant of -Mrs. Carlyle’s scrubbing the floors of the little house at Scotsbrig in -the wilds of Scottish moors. But though Minna was not the intellectual -equal of this cultured Scottish lady, she is not to be confounded with -the German housewife, so often erroneously spoken of as a sort of head -cook. She was eminently practical, and full of remedies for sickness. - -[Sidenote: _NOT A TRUE PESSIMIST._] - -In art, however, Minna could not comprehend the gifts of her husband. He -was an idealist; she, a woman alive to our mundane existence and its -necessities. She worshipped afar off, receiving all he said without -inquiry. In their early years their common youth glossed over -difficulties. Moreover, Wagner was not in the full possession of his -wings. He knew not his own power. For him exile was the turning-point of -his greatness, the crucible wherein was destroyed the dross of his art, -the fire from which he emerged, the teacher of a purified art. Exile was -the period of his literary achievements. There was the test of his -greatness. “A man thinks he has something to say. He indulges in an -abundance of spoken language, but when in the quiet of his study he -seeks to transfix on paper the fleeting theories of his brain, then is -he face to face with himself, with actualities. And in exile Wagner -first sought to set down in writing the theories which hitherto, in a -limited manner only, had governed his work.”[23] From this -self-examination Wagner rose up nobler and stronger. And here it was -that Minna failed to keep pace with him. She had been a singer and an -actress, and could, in a manner, interpret his work, but the meaning of -it lay deep, hidden from her. It was not her fault, yet she was to -suffer for it. Still I must point out that all Wagner’s works were -created during the period of his first marriage. His union with Cosima -von Bülow is dated 25th August, 1870, since which time “Götterdämmerung” -(a poem written in 1848) and “Parsifal” only, have been given to the -world. - -While I was with Wagner it was his invariable habit to rise at the good -hour of half-past six in the morning. If Minna was not about, he would -go to the piano, and soon would be heard, at first softly, then with odd -harmonies, full orchestral effects, as it were, “Get up, get up, thou -merry Swiss-boy.” That was his fun. Early breakfast would be served in -the garden, after which Wagner would hand me “Schopenhauer,” with my -allotted task for the morning study. This plan, though Wagner’s, was one -which coincided happily with my own inclinations. I was, as it were, -ordered up to my room, there to ponder over the arguments of the -pessimistic philosopher, and so be well prepared for discussion at the -dinner-table, or later, during our regular daily stroll. - -Now to me Schopenhauer was not the original great thinker that Wagner -considered him. Some of his most prominent points I had found enunciated -already by Burke, that eloquent and vigorous writer, in his “Enquiring -into the Origin of our Ideas on the Sublime and Beautiful.” The -personally well attested statement that “the ideas of pain are much more -powerful than those which enter on the part of pleasure,” was so well -reasoned by Burke, that Wagner induced me to read the whole of that -author’s work to him. - -Wagner a pessimist! So he would have had every one believe then, and for -some time later too. But my impression then and now is that, as with a -good many people, pessimism is only pre-eminent when fortune fails to -favour. This feeling is confirmed by an extract recently published from -certain manuscripts found after Wagner’s death: “He who does not strive -to find joy in life is unworthy to live.” Certainly this was not the -utterance of Wagner in the dark days of his work. While on this subject -I may recall one incident which has remained prominently with me because -of the locality where it occurred. We were on the top of one of the -heights overlooking the Zurich Lake, discussing the much debated -Schopenhauer, when I observed that pessimism, in a well-balanced mind, -could only lead to optimism, on the ground that, “what cannot be cured -must be endured,” and jocularly cited from Brant’s “Narrenschiff,” -written in the quaint language of the fifteenth century:-- - - Wer sorget ob die genss gaut blos, - Und fegen will all goss und stross, - Und eben machen berg und tal - Der hat keyn freyd, raw überal. - - He who shall fret that the geese have no dress, - The sweeper will be of street, road and mess. - He who would level both valley and hill - Shall have of life’s gifts no joy, but the ill. - -Wagner stopped, shouted with exultation, and then commenced probing my -knowledge of one of our earliest German poets. He assumed the part, as -it were, of a schoolmaster, and so when we arrived home, in a boyish -manner, he, delighted, called aloud to Minna before the garden gate was -opened, “Ach, Ferdinand knows all about my pet poets.” - -[Sidenote: _THE BIRTH OF “TRISTAN.”_] - -Every morning after breakfast he would read to Minna her favourite -newspaper, “Das Leipziger Tageblatt,” a paper renowned for its prosy -character. Imagination and improvisation played her some woeful tricks. -With a countenance blameless of any indication of the improviser, he -would recite a story, embellishing the incidents until their colouring -became so overcharged with the ludicrous, that Minna would exclaim, “Ah, -Richard, you have again been inventing.” - -He had spoken to me of Godfrey von Strassburg, saying, “To-morrow I will -read you something good.” He did next day read me “Tristan” in his -study, and we spoke long and earnestly as to its adaptability for -operatic treatment. Events have shown it to have been the ground-work of -the music-drama of the same name. But at the time he spoke, it appeared -to me he had no thought of utilizing it as a libretto. This intention -only presented itself to his mind while we three were at breakfast on -the following day. He was reading the notices in the Leipzic paper with -customary variation, when, without any indication, he dropped the paper -onto his knees, gazed into space, and seemed as though he were in a -trance, nervously moving his lips. What did this portend? Minna had -observed the movement, and was about to break the silence by addressing -Wagner. Happily, she caught my warning glance and the spell remained -unbroken. We waited until Wagner should move. When he did, I said, “I -know what you have been doing.” “No,” he answered, somewhat abruptly, -“how can you?” “Yes; you have been composing the love-song we were -speaking of yesterday, and the story is going to shape itself into a -drama!” “You are right as to the composition, but--the libretto--I will -reflect.” Such is the history of the first promptings of that wondrous -creation, “Tristan and Isolde.” - -But how, how did this Titanic genius compose? Did he, like dear old papa -Haydn, perform an elaborate toilet, donning his best coat, and pray to -be inspired before setting himself to his writing-table away from the -piano? or were his surroundings and method akin to those of -Beethoven?--a room given over to muddle and confusion, the Bonn master -writing, erasing, re-writing, and again scratching out, while _at_ the -piano! Well, distinctly, Wagner had nothing in common with Haydn. The -style of Beethoven is far removed from him as regards the state of his -working-room. I am desirous there should be no misunderstanding on -Wagner’s method of composing, because I find that my testimony is in -conflict with some published statements on this subject, from those -whose names carry some weight. - -[Sidenote: _WORKING AT THE PIANO._] - -Wagner composed at the piano, in an elegantly well arranged study. With -him composing was a work of excitement and much labour. He did not shake -the notes from his pen as pepper from a caster. How could it be -otherwise than labour with a man holding such views as his? Listen to -what he says: “For a work to live, to go down to future generations, it -must be reflective,” and again in “Opera and Drama,” written about this -time, “A composer, in planning and working out a great idea, must pass -through a kind of parturition.” Mark the word “parturition.” Such it was -with him. He laboured excessively. Not to find or make up a phrase; no, -he did not seek his ideas at the piano. He went to the piano with his -idea already composed, and made the piano his sketch-book, wherein he -worked and reworked his subject, steadily modelling his matter until it -assumed the shape he had in his mind. The subject of representative -themes was discussed much by us, and he explained to me that he felt -chained to the piano until he had found precisely that which shaped -itself before his mental vision. I had one morning retired to my room -for the Schopenhauer study, when the piano was pounded--yes, pounded is -the exact word--more vigorously than usual. The incessant repetition of -one theme arrested my attention. Schopenhauer was discarded. I came down -stairs. The theme was being played with another rhythm. I entered the -room. “Ah!” he exclaimed, “you have been listening!” “Who could help -it?” was my answer. “Your vigorous playing fascinated me more than -skilful philosophical dialectics!” And then I inquired as to the reason -of the change of rhythm. The explanation astonished me. Wagner was -engaged on a portion of “Siegfried,” the scene where Mime tells -Siegfried of his murderous intentions whilst under the magic influence -of the tarn helm. “But how did you come to change the rhythm?” “Oh,” he -said, “I tried and tried, thought and thought, until I got just what I -wanted.” And that it was perseverance with him, and not spontaneity, is -borne out by another incident. The Wesendoncks were at the chalet. -Wagner was at the piano, anxious to shine, doubtless, in the presence of -a lady who caused such unpleasantness in his career later on. He was -improvising, when, in the midst of a flowing movement, he suddenly -stopped, unable to finish. I laughed. Wagner became angry, but I -jocularly said, “Ah, you got into a _cul-de-sac_ and finished _en queue -de poisson_.” He could not be angry long, and joined in the laugh too, -confessing to me that he was only at his best when reflecting. - -The morning’s work over, Wagner’s practice was to take a bath -immediately. His old complaint, erysipelas, had induced him to try the -water cure, for which purpose he had been to hydropathic establishments, -and he continued the treatment with as much success as possible in the -chalet. - -[Sidenote: _THE RHINE MAIDENS’ MUSIC._] - -The animal spirits and physical activity of Wagner have before been -referred to by me. He really possessed an unusual amount of physical -energy, which, at times, led him to perform reckless actions. One day he -said to Minna, “We must do something to give Praeger some pleasure, to -give him a joyful memento of his visit; let us take him to -Schaffhausen,” and though I remonstrated with him on account of his -work, he insisted, and so we went. We stayed there the night. Breakfast -was to be in the garden of the hotel. The hour arrived, but Wagner was -not to be found. Search in all directions, without results. We hear a -shout from a height. Behold! Wagner, the agile, mounted on the back of a -plaster lion, placed on the top of a giddy eminence! And how he came -down! The recklessness of a school-boy was in all his movements. We were -in fear; he laughed heartily, saying he had gone up there to get an -appetite for breakfast. The whole incident was a repetition of Wagner’s -climbing the roof of the Dresden school-house when he was a lad. Going -to and returning from Schaffhausen, Wagner took first-class railway -tickets. Now in Switzerland, first-class travelling is confined to a -very few, and those only the wealthiest, so that Minna expostulated with -him. This was typical. As he described himself, he was more luxurious -than Sardanapalus, though he lived then on the generosity of his friends -to enjoy such comfort. Minna was the housewife, and strove to curb the -unlimited desires of a man who had not the wherewithal to purchase his -excess. And Wagner was not to be controlled, for he not only travelled -first-class, but also telegraphed to Zurich to have a carriage in -waiting for us. - -At Zurich Wagner had a sense of his growing power, and he cared not for -references to his early youthful struggles. I remember an old Magdeburg -singer, with her two daughters, calling to see her old comrade. The -mother and her daughters sang the music of the Rhine maidens, Wagner -accompanying, and they acquitted themselves admirably. But when the old -actress familiarly insisted on taking a pinch of snuff from Wagner’s -box, and told stories of the Magdeburg days, then did Wagner resent the -familiarity in a marked manner. - -When they finished singing, Minna asked me: “Is it really so beautiful -as you say? It does not seem so to me, and I am afraid it would not -sound so to others.” Such observations as these show where Minna was -unable to follow Wagner, and the estrangement arising from -uncongeniality of artistic temperament. - -When I was at Zurich, Wagner showed me two letters from august -personages. First, the Duke of Coburg offered him a thousand dollars and -two months’ residence in the palace, if he would score an opera for him. -The offer was refused, for he said, “Look, now, though I want the money -sadly, yet I cannot and will not score the duke’s opera.” - -The second letter was from a count, favourite of the emperor of Brazil. -The emperor was an unknown admirer of Wagner’s, it appears, and was -desirous of commissioning Wagner to compose an opera, which he would -undertake should be performed at the Italian opera house, Rio Janeiro, -under his own special direction. Wagner did not care to expatriate -himself to this extent, but the offer spurred him on to compose an -opera, which he said, “shall be full of melody.” He did write his opera, -and it was “Tristan and Isolde.” - -How was Wagner as a revolutionist at this time? Well, one of his old -Dresden friends came to see him, Gottfried Semper. We spoke of the sad -May days, and poor August Roeckel. Again did Wagner evade the topic, or -speak slightly of it. The truth is, he was ready to pose as the saviour -of a people, but was not equally ready to suffer exile for patriotic -actions, and so he sought to minimize the part he had played in 1849. It -appears from “The Memoires of Count Beust,” to which I have before -alluded, that Wagner also sought to minimize his May doings, by speaking -of them as unfortunate, when he called upon the minister after his exile -had been removed, on which Beust retorted, “How unfortunate! Are you not -aware that the Saxon government possesses a letter wherein you propose -burning the prince’s palace?” I am forced to the conclusion that Wagner -would have torn out that page from his life’s history had it been -possible. - -[Sidenote: _DOMESTIC TROUBLES GATHERING._] - -During my stay I saw Minna’s jealousy of another. She refused to see in -the sympathy of Madame Wesendonck for Wagner as a composer, that for -the artist only. It eventually broke out into a public scandal, and -filled the opposition papers with indignant reproaches about Wagner’s -ingratitude toward his friend. On leaving Zurich I went to Paris. There -I wrote to Wagner an expostulatory letter, alluding to a couple of plays -with which we were both familiar, viz. “The Dangerous Neighbourhood” and -“The Public Secret,” with a view of warning him privately in such a -manner that Minna should not understand should she chance to read my -letter. The storm burst but too soon. Wagner wrote to me while I was -still in Paris: “The devil is loose. I shall leave Zurich at once and -come to you in Paris. Meet me at the Strassburg station.” ... But two -days after, this was cancelled by another letter, an extract from which -I give. - - Matters have been smoothed over, so that I am not compelled to - leave here. I hope we shall be quite free from annoyance in a short - time; but ach, the virulence, the cruel maliciousness of some of my - enemies.... - -I can testify Wagner suffered severely from thoughtlessness. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -1857-1861. - - -[Sidenote: _A STAY IN VENICE._] - -From the time I left Zurich in the autumn of 1856, to the untoward fate -of “Tannhäuser,” at Paris, in March, 1861, of the several letters which -passed between Richard Wagner and me I reproduce the few following, as -possessing more than a personal interest. - -On the 17th July he writes:-- - - Hard have I toiled at “Siegfried,” for work, work, is my only - comfort. Unable to return to the fatherland! Cruel! cruel! and why? - The efforts of the grand duke[24] are fruitless; one hopes for the - best, but that best comes not. Eh! is not Schopenhauer right? Is - not the degree of my torment more intense than that of any joy I - have experienced? Here I am working alone, with no seeming - probability of my compositions ever being performed as I yearn for. - My efforts are in vain, and then when I look round and see what is - being done at the theatres,--the list of their representations - _fills me with rage_,--such unrealities! - - You tell me that Goethe says, “The genius cannot help himself, and - that the demon of fate seizes him by the nape of the neck, and - forces him to work _nolens volens_.” And must I work on without a - chance of being heard? _Nous verrons_.... - - But listen, Ferdinandus! I am pondering over the Tristan legend. It - is marvellous how that work constantly leaps from out the darkness - into full life, before my mental vision. Wait until next summer, - and then you shall “hear something”! But now my health is poor, and - I am out of spirits.... - - Keep me in thy love. - -Thine, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -Not long after the above reached me, Wagner’s health did begin to give -way, so that his next letter is dated:-- - - -VENICE, October, 1858. - - Yes; I have been long in writing, but you are a second me and - understand the cause. Since I have been here I have been very ill. - I have sought to avoid all correspondence, and have endeavoured to - restore my somewhat shattered self. Thank sister Léonie for her - account of my _alter ego_. Poor little fellow! he is in terribly - wondrous sympathy with me. Perhaps, were he here, we might together - come through our pains triumphantly.... What was good news for me - was that “Lohengrin” was done at Vienna, though I cannot understand - how it can be adequately given without me. Only “hearty love and - good-will could conquer.... - -Your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - [Sidenote: _THE TRIALS OF GENIUS._] - - - -Wagner appears to have stayed at Venice through the winter of 1858-59, -going in the spring of 1859 to Lucerne. It was from this latter place he -wrote to me that he meant to go to Paris. - -Strange the fascination Paris possessed for Wagner! He always spoke -against it, yet when his fortunes were at the lowest, it was towards -Paris that he turned for succour. He has told me that he felt the French -were in a manner gifted in art as no other European people; that they -inherited a perception of the beautiful and sense of the delicate -refinement to a degree beyond that of other nations, though he saw it in -an artificiality which gave it an unsound basis. And thinking of -Meyerbeer, he felt the French to be generous in their treatment of -aliens. So, in the autumn of 1859, again he attempts the conquest of -Paris. He wrote to me, asking for an introduction to certain friends who -would assist him in securing the legal copyright of his compositions. I -took steps to put him into communication with the desired advisers, and -he then did his best to make friends in all directions. He became -popular; gave musical parties, inviting art celebrities, beside -musicians. Minna was with him. They brought some of the furniture and -hangings from their Swiss chalet, and transformed the house of Octave -Feuillet, which Richard Wagner had taken, into the same agreeable and -pleasant abode as at Zurich. Of course there was the usual opposition -party, and they made the most out of the upholstery, charging Wagner in -the press with keeping his house like that of a _lorette_, and behaving -altogether with the vanity and ostentation of an Eastern potentate. - -“Look here,” said he to me, when I was with him in Paris, “now you know -this furniture, and how carefully Minna has preserved it, and yet see -how I am treated.” He was desirous of replying to the press notices, but -I endeavoured to dissuade him. He went to the Rue Newton, a street -situated on the left hand of the Champs Elysée, beyond the Rondpoint, -because it was quieter than the Rue Martignan, and he had trees near -him. The Rue Martignan was the first he went to on returning to Paris, -and where I visited him. It was in the Rue Newton, however, that his -reunions took place. - -And who were present at these gatherings? Well, occasionally men of -note: Villot, famed as the recipient of that lengthy exposition of -Wagner’s views in the shape of a letter; Gasparini, a medical gentleman -from the south of France; Champfleury, an enthusiastic pamphleteer who -wrote then, and published his views of Wagner; and Olivier, the husband -of Cosima Bülow’s eldest sister. There doubtless were others, but I do -not know. What I do know is that I marvelled much at some of the -visitors who found themselves in Wagner’s salon. A very mixed assembly. -At one of his receptions, while Wagner was singing (in his way) and -accompanying himself at the piano, I remember an old lady (a Jewess) who -snored painfully audibly while Wagner was at the piano. Aroused by the -applause of the others, she suddenly burst into grunts of approval, -clapping her hands at the same time. I expostulated with Wagner. How -could he sing and play before such an audience? “How could he help it,” -was his reply; to that lady he was under obligations for £200. She -resided in Manchester, and had been introduced to him by a German -friend, a Bayreuth figure, known to all pilgrims to Wahnfried. His -singing was like that of a composer who tries over at the piano all the -parts of his score. What among musicians and composers would be regarded -as a grand boon seemed to me, before the uninitiated, as a profanation. -He hardly liked such references to his performance, but conscious of -their sincerity, he fully explained his position to me. The trials which -a genius is sometimes compelled to undergo are bitter, very. - -I was one day discussing with Wagner, when he was called away by a -visitor. On his return, he told me I should never guess who it was. M. -Badjocki, chamberlain of the Emperor Napoleon III., had been directed -to arrange for a performance of “Tannhäuser” at the grand opera. The -story of the “Tannhäuser” disaster is now known to almost every one. I -therefore shall touch upon certain points, only particularly those with -which I am acquainted as an eyewitness, and which have not been spoken -of elsewhere. Richard Wagner told me that one day, at a reception, the -emperor had asked the Princess Metternich whether she had seen the last -opera of Prince Poniatowski. She replied, contemptuously, “I do not care -for such music.” “But is it not good?” doubtingly observed the emperor. -“No,” she said, curtly. “But where is better music to be got, then?” -“Why, Your Majesty, you have at the present moment the greatest German -composer that ever lived in your capital.” “Who is he?” “Richard -Wagner.” “Then why do they not give his operas?” “Because he is in -earnest, and would require all kinds of concessions and much money.” -“Very well; he shall have _carte blanche_.” This is the whole story. - -After many fluctuations, as to whether the performance would take place -or no, the translation was begun. On this were engaged at first one -Lindau and Roche, who shaped it in the rough, but so badly that it had -to be redone. This time Nuitre, a well-known poet, did it. Connected -with Roche is an incident which Wagner related to me, and perhaps has an -interest for all. - -[Sidenote: _“TANNHÄUSER” IN PARIS._] - -On Wagner’s return to Paris, in 1859, he had some difficulty with his -luggage at the custom-house. He spoke to an officer who seemed in -command. “What is your name?” the officer inquired. “Richard Wagner.” -The French officer threw himself on his knees, and embraced Wagner, -exclaiming, “Are you the Richard Wagner whose ‘Tannhäuser’ I know so -well?” It appears Roche was an amateur, and, alighting upon Wagner’s -“Tannhäuser,” had studied it closely. This was a good beginning in Paris -for Wagner. - -Well, Nuiter was the poet. The translation was in progress while I was -in Paris, and I was a daily witness of the combined efforts of Nuiter -and Wagner at the translation. How Wagner stormed while it was being -done. “Tannhäuser” teems with references to “love,” and every time such -words or references were to be rendered into French, Nuiter was -compelled to say, “No, master, it cannot be done like that,”--so many -were the possible double interpretations likely to be put upon such by -the public. To all Wagner’s anger Nuiter posed a soft answer. “It shall -be all right, master; it shall be done well, if I sit up all night;” and -this was the frequent response of the poor poet. - -The rehearsal began in September, 1860, and ended the first week in -March, 1861. Wagner applied to the authorities for permission to conduct -himself. The answer came: “The general regulations connected with the -performances at the grand opera house cannot be interfered with for the -proposed representation of ‘Tannhäuser.’” This was communicated -officially to Wagner, and he sent the letter to me. What did happen was -that Dietsch, the composer for whom Wagner’s poem, the “Flying -Dutchman,” had been purchased, conducted instead. Dietsch received -Wagner’s suggestions and hints in a good-natured manner, and worked as -well as he could for the success of the performance. Before the -rehearsals came to an end Wagner had become quite indifferent as to the -possible reception of “Tannhäuser.” The first public representation was -to take place on the 13th March, 1861. On the 12th February Wagner wrote -me the following:-- - - Come, dear old friend, now is the time when I want all my friends - about me. The opposition is malicious; fair play is no part of the - critic’s stock in trade.... I have had pressure put upon me from - high quarters, urging me to give way, and that unless I bend before - the storm my proud self-will will be snapped in twain.... But I - will have none of it. I hear David[25] has been subsidized by the - members of the Jockey Club to purchase tickets of admission for - himself and gang of hirelings, who are going to protest vigorously - against their exclusion. We may, therefore, expect much rough work, - and so I want you and others to be about me. I care not for all the - mercenaries in Paris. The work of my brain, the thought and labour - I have in solitude anxiously bestowed upon it, shall not (by my - will, at any rate) be left to the mercy of a semi-inebriated, - sensual herd. Here are artists working zealously for the success of - my work, men and women really exerting themselves in an astonishing - manner. There are truly some annoyances both on the stage and in - the orchestra; but on the whole, the energy shown is wonderful.... - My indignation was at a boiling-point when Monsieur Royer - insolently observed that if Monsieur Meyerbeer contrived a ballet - for half-past eight he saw no reason why I could not follow so - popular a composer. I!... Meyerbeer! Never! Fail me not then, - Ferdinand. You will find me in the most jubilant spirits, and well - supported, but in the moment of trial it is the old faces one longs - to see about. Bring “ma mère Léonie” to witness the downfall of her - son, and to console him in his anger. If good old Lüders could only - come, his quaint humour would be irresistible. Now come. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -[Sidenote: _THE JOCKEY CLUB CABAL._] - -I returned, therefore, to Paris, and went with Wagner to the final -rehearsals. At the last, the dress rehearsal, one of the chief -characters ... walked on the stage in ordinary morning attire, creating -a laugh and some confusion. Wagner might have avoided what was almost -the inevitable reception of the performance, for he told me he had -received a visit from some manager, whose name I now cannot recall, of a -theatre at St. Petersburgh, who had agreed to produce “Tannhäuser” -there, provided the Paris representations were foregone. To this he -refused. Thus the Paris performances took place. - -On the 13th March we were all assembled. In a private box sat the -Princess Metternich, whose influence with the emperor had brought about -the performance. Before the princess showed herself in the box, the -noisy hissing, which greeted her from a section of the audience, -indicated the hostility present. The overture was, on the whole, well -received. Indeed, altogether, the opera created a favourable impression -among those who had not come with the avowed intention of making the -performance a failure. When the dog-whistles of the “protectors” of the -_corps-de-ballet_ were first heard, a goodly portion of the audience -rose indignantly, endeavouring to suppress the organized opposition, but -to no purpose, and the work dragged itself on to a torturing -accompaniment of strife among the audience. - -How indignant was Wagner! His excitement and anger were great. Annoyed -with himself for coming to Paris, with having so little perception in -seeking to succeed with an opera opposed to the formality where -tradition was king. But the second performance took place, all the same, -on the 18th March. Then the opposition was but little up to the end of -the first act, but from there it gathered in force. At the third and -last representation, which was on Sunday, the 24th March, the members of -the Claque appeared in force, paid again, it was commonly asserted, by -the Jockey Club. This performance decided the fate of “Tannhäuser.” At -this last representation I was not present. The scenic artist, Monsieur -Cambon, however, came to London and gave me a description of it. The -whistles and toy flageolets of the enemy destroyed all hope of hearing -any portion comfortably, but as far as he could gather from independent -testimony of those musicians and artists outside the opera house, -“Tannhäuser” was regarded as a great work, and but for the persistent -tactics of the Jockey Club would have proved a success. Such was the -enthusiasm the work inspired in some of the artists, that Monsieur -Cambon told me he himself went specially to the Wartburgh, there to -prepare his canvas for the performances. - -There is now one point characteristic of Wagner’s earnestness. He went -through the score with me before the performances, I should add, and he -told me, “I have been through it before and found many bald places, -which required filling in, and which my long experience has taught me -how to improve.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -LETTERS FROM 1861-1865. - - -From Paris Wagner went to Carlsruhe, whence he wrote to me the following -letter. The allusion in the opening phrases of his letter is to my -inability to stay for the third performance of “Tannhäuser.” - - You never heard such a din. It was a pity indeed you were away. I - would it had been possible to prevent it; however, it could not be - otherwise. But we did very well, until one whistle more shrill than - the rest screamed for fully a minute. It seemed an hour. Horrible! - horrible!--and my work was submitted to such an audience! Had I but - the strength--but no, my indignation is now nearly over; the joy of - being on my native soil once again, a free man, has removed a load - from me that really at moments felt insupportable. Aye, those who - have kept me from my fatherland little know how dearly they - punished me for my, perhaps, imprudence in those early Dresden - days. The sight is again reproduced before my vision, but in my joy - at being free to go--except in Saxony--where I choose, poor - August’s earnest face appears before me; and he is still the - political prisoner of a power that could crush him in a moment. It - is unkingly. Those days have made me suffer so keenly in what I - love the dearest and tenderest on earth, my art, that in my - happiness at being once more home I could shut out forever that sad - past. Now I may go forward with my work. I shall not rest contented - until Saxony once again is free to me as to the birds of the air; - but how my hopes are built upon the future, and I feel all the - confidence of success. I am sick again in body just now, but I will - be conqueror. Was ever work like mine created for no purpose? Is it - miserable egoism, the stupidest vanity? It matters not what it is, - but of this I feel positive; yes, as positive as that I live, and - that is my “Tristan and Isolde,” with which I am now consumed, does - not find its equal in the world’s library of music. Oh, how I yearn - to hear it! I am feverish; I feel worn; perhaps that causes me to - be agitated and anxious, but my “Tristan” has been finished now - these three years and has not been heard. When I think of this I - wonder whether it will be with this as with “Lohengrin,” which now - is more than thirteen years old, and has been as dead to me. But - the clouds seem breaking--are breaking. The grand duke is good. He - shows himself desirous of befriending me; no doubt intends well, - and has even proposed that I shall return to Paris to engage - singers to perform “Tristan.” I am going to Vienna soon. There they - are going to give me a surprise. It is supposed to be kept a secret - from me, but a friend has informed me they are going to bring out - “Lohengrin.” You will hear about it. - - Ah! I have so run away with my thoughts that I have nearly failed - to tell you what I began to say; and that is, strong pressure was - brought upon me to consent to a fourth performance of “Tannhäuser.” - I was officially informed that all the seats had been taken; the - public were strongly desirous of hearing an opera which had caused - such a stir in high circles, that the sale of tickets had been so - brisk that now not one was unsold. But nothing, nothing would - induce me to submit again to such debasing treatment. I would - sooner lose all hope of assistance from imperial and noble - personages, and fight my battle alone, than again appear before - such tribunal. The royalty, £60, I left for Nuiter; it was a poor - recompense.... Now commend me to sister Léonie; tell her that Minna - is grateful for her thoughtful kindness, and bids me send her a - thousand hearty greetings. - -Always thine, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - CARLSRUHE, April, 1861. - -The next letter, August, 1862, is from Biebrich, near Mayence, on the -Rhine. - -[Sidenote: _SCHNORR VON CAROLSFELD._] - - MY DEAR FRIEND: It is a long time since I wrote to you; yes, but I - have had a worrying, anxious time. I do not seem to be able to - forge ahead. Each time I feel now I am within reach of my goal, it - flies from me like a “will o’ the wisp.” - - No, “Tristan” has not yet been done; but it will, it will soon be - done. I have found such a Tristan as charms my soul, such a one as - will worthily enact my hero. He has been here with me for a few - days studying it. Schnorr! Ah, the alighting upon him was - miraculous! At one time last winter, so saddened and broken down - was I by successive disappointments, that I had a presentiment of - approaching death. I actually had rehearsals of “Tristan” at - Vienna, and then the proposed performance does not take place. But - now it will. Yet I dare not be too positive. If it does, Schnorr - will be grand; then you must come. Why can’t you come now to me? I - am going to stay here till the end of the summer; that my poor - second self is so weakly as to compel you to go to the seaside, I - am concerned deeply. May the sea-breezes invigorate him, and soon - give his mother no cause for anxiety. But I intended telling you - how I heard Schnorr first. - - He was going to sing “Lohengrin” at Carlsruhe. I did not want him - or anybody to know I should be present, so I went secretly, for I - feared a disappointment; he is fat, and picture a corpulent Knight - of the Swan! I had not heard him before. I went, and he sang - marvellously. He was inspired, and I was enchanted; he realized my - ideal. So come now and see him; you will be delighted too.... I am - staying here because I want to superintend the printing of my - “Meistersinger.” - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - - AH! DEAR FERDINAND: I am faring tolerably well; have made some good - friends, influential ones too, but that is not what I crave. - “Tristan”! that’s it! I am ready to go back to Vienna at any - moment, am expecting information from there, but again have - feelings that the performance will not take place. Here, as you - have doubtless seen through the press notices, my music has been - received with an enthusiasm beyond what it ever before achieved in - Germany. Tell Lüders that I called on his friends and they behaved - in the kindest manner to me. Give the dear fellow my heartiest - greetings. I would Minna were here with me; we might, in the - excitement that now moves fast around me, grow again the quiescent - pair as of yore. The whole thing is annoying. I am not in good - spirits. I move about freely, and see a number of people, but my - misery is bitter. Can you not arrange to come and be with me in the - summer, wherever I may be? Write to me a long letter of how all is - with you. - -Yours ever, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ST. PETERSBURGH, February, 1863. - -I did not see him that year; matters could not be arranged. But since -that time the storm was gathering in intensity which was to soon break. -Minna had been in correspondence with me. Of her letters I publish -nothing. But the next from Wagner tells its own sad story in plain -language. It is dated-- - - -MARIAFELD, April, 1864. - - And so she has written to you? Whose fault was it? How could she - have expected I was to be shackled and fettered as any ordinary - cold common mortal. My inspirations carried me into a sphere she - could not follow, and then the exuberance of my heated enthusiasm - was met by a cold douche. But still there was no reason for the - extreme step; everything might have been arranged between us, and - it would have been better had it been so. Now there is a dark void, - and my misery is deep. It has struck into my health, though I - carefully attend to what you ever insist is the root of my - ills--diet. Yet I do not sleep, and am altogether in a feverish - state. It is now that I feel I have sounded my lowest note of dark - despair. What is before me? I know not! Unless I can shortly and - quickly rescue myself from this quicksand of gloom, it will engulf - me and all will then be over. Change of scene I must have. If I do - not I fear I shall sink from inanition. I like comfort, luxury--she - fettered me there--How will it end? - - Write to me soon. - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -[Sidenote: _LUDWIG’S PRINCELY HELP._] - -But a startling change was nigh at hand. The curtain was about to rise -upon the “Wahnfried” act of the hitherto stormy drama of Richard -Wagner’s life. As far as the wit of man could devise, Wagner was -henceforth to be relieved from all care and anxiety as to the future. -His wants--and be it remembered they were not few, for, on his own -confession, he stands described as “more luxurious than -Sardanapalus”--were all about to be provided for with regal liberality. -But the following extracts from a letter which conveyed to me the news, -will be noted with interest, since they give a vivid picture of the man -and his feelings, in a word, paint the human being in characters so -striking, and lay bare the workings of the heart in a manner which was -impossible for his most intimate friend to hope to achieve. It was not -wealth he wanted. Luxury when he possessed it in abundance did not -comfort him: the worship and close intimacy of a king solaced him not: -the void was sympathy, such as only a loving woman could give. The -gloomy picture he draws of desolation amidst plenty invokes our -heartiest compassion. - - DEAREST FERDINAND: I owe it to you that you should be informed of - what my joy--clouded though it is by certain thoughts--has been - during the last few weeks. Such a state of intoxication have I been - cast into, that it has been as though I were another being than - myself, and I but a dazed reflection of the real mortal. It is a - state of living in another atmosphere, like that induced by the - drinking of hasheesh. A message from the sun-god has come to me; - the young king of Bavaria, a young man not yet twenty years of age, - has sent for me, and resolves to give me all I require in this - life, I in return to do nothing but compose and advise him. He - urges me strongly to be near him; sends for me sometimes two and - even three times in one day; talks with me for hours, and is, as - far as I can see, devoted heart and soul to me. There is but one - name for him--a god-like youth. But though I have now at my - command a profusion of unlimited means, my feeling of isolation is - torturing. With no one to realize and enjoy with me this limitless - comfort, a feeling of weariness and desolation is induced which - keeps me in a constant state of dejection terrible to bear. The - commonest domestic details now must be done by me; the purchasing - of kitchen utensils and such kindred matters am I driven to--Ah! - poor Beethoven! Now is it forcibly brought home to me what his - discomforts were with his washing-book, and engaging of - housekeepers, etc., etc. I who have praised woman more than - Frauenlob, have not one for my companion. The truth is, I have - spoilt Minna: too much did I indulge her, too much did I yield to - her; but it were better not to talk upon a subject which never - ceases to vex me. The king strives his utmost to gratify me, and if - I do not seem happy when with him and show my appreciation of his - wondrous goodness, I should deserve to be branded as “ingrate.” - - There is one good being who brightens my household--the wife of - Bülow; she has been with her children. If you can come to see me I - shall be happy. My god-child, Richard Wagner, is now eight years - old, you tell me; bring him; the talk of a dear innocent child will - do me good; to have him near me will, perhaps, comfort me. - -Your unhappy -RICHARD WAGNER. - - STARNBERG, June, 1864. - -The preceding letter is to me a landmark in Wagner’s life. The facts -have only to be recited for it to be clearly perceived what a striking -climax had been reached. Upon them I make no comment. They speak for -themselves--the sudden transformation from a state of hardship into one -of security; the powerful patronage and friendship of the king of -Bavaria; the absence of Minna; the presence of Madame von Bülow. - -[Sidenote: _THE LOVE OF A KING._] - -New influences were now beginning to work upon Wagner; and--they were -not weak. I did not see Wagner until the next year, when the change was -pronounced. During the winter the attachment of the king grew in -warmth, until in a manner Wagner may be said to have dominated the -youthful monarch completely. In the early spring of 1865, Wagner wrote -me the following short note. It was in reply to one from me, urging him -to find some occupation for August Roeckel, who had been released since -the January of 1862. When Roeckel was at Dresden, in 1849, with Richard -Wagner, he had effaced himself entirely for his friend. Then Wagner was -appreciative of sacrifices upon the altar of friendship, and regarded -them as done on his behalf entirely; but he later grew so absorbed with -his mission that no sacrifice did he regard as done to himself, but for -the glory of his art, and in this no sacrifice could be too great. The -short note after a private reference to Roeckel runs as follows:-- - -...At present I cannot. Time may be when the good August shall feel - that his old friend lives--now, all I can say is that the king - loves me with a love beyond description. I feel as sure of his love - for me till the end, as I am conscious of his unbounded goodness to - me now. It is a trial, though, of the heaviest; the formation of - his mind I feel it a duty to undertake. He is so strikingly - handsome that he might pose as the King of the Jews (and--this in - confidence--I am seriously reflecting on the Christian tragedy; - possibly something may come of it). But you must forgive me any - more correspondence just now, I am busy. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - MUNICH (London post-mark), 8th April, 1865. - -It appeared later that he was deeply engrossed in preparations for -“Tristan’s” performance, his next letter--but a short -invitation--bearing on the subject. - - DEAR PRAEGER: 15, 18, 22 May: Wonderfully fine representations of - “Tristan” at Munich. Come, if you can, and write first. I should be - heartily glad to know you present at them. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - MUNICH, 7th May, 1865. - -I found it impossible to be present at the “Tristan” performances, and -was compelled to postpone my visit to the summer of the same year. On -the 27th July, Madame von Bülow wrote to me for “her friend,” explaining -that he was so much touched by the death of poor Schnorr (the Tristan of -the recent performances), that he was unable to write any letters, but -that Wagner would be at Munich up to the 8th August--though she “had -advised Richard very strongly to retire to the mountains there to -strengthen his nerves.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -1865-1883. - - -I went to Munich and found Wagner considerably depressed. “Tristan,” the -work he evidently loved with no ordinary affection, had, after seven -years of hoping against hope, but just been performed to his intense -satisfaction, when the ideal impersonator dies. The happiness he had -recently felt at the three “Tristan” performances, coupled with the -publication of the piano scores of the “Walküre” and “Tristan” had, to -an extent, kept his mind free. These events passed, and his friends -departed, he fell into a desponding mood. Minna, his wife, was not -there. This was a constant irritation to him. He affected to care -nothing about it, but his references to her absence showed how it -annoyed and preyed upon him. Then was he placed in delicate relations -with the young king of Bavaria. Louis constituted Wagner his -adviser--his Mentor. Questions of state were submitted to him. The -king’s personal advisers were aware of this, and resented it. Wagner -knew of the intrigues against him. He sincerely yearned for quietude; -all the more because he instinctively felt the coming storm. He showed -me all the letters that his royal devotee had written to him, and this I -can testify, that breathing as they did the fervid adoration of a -cultured, highly gifted youth for a genius, Wagner on his side felt no -less intense admiration and affection for the “god-like” king. So great -was the influence it was assumed Wagner possessed over the monarch, that -his good-will was sought by all classes of petitioners for the royal -favour. - -The house inhabited by Richard Wagner was detached, an uncommon thing -for houses in Germany. It had been built, he told me, by an Englishman, -and now that he could command practically “unlimited means,” he did not -restrict his wants. I may say he positively revelled in his grandeur -like a boy. His taste in arranging his house once again provoked the -hostile comments of an ever-ready opposition press. As I have before -remarked, this charge of Oriental luxury was a stock one with some -people. Even now, his velvet coat and biretta are made the subject of -puerile attacks; but I cannot refrain from stating that Richard Wagner’s -house and decorations are far surpassed by the luxuriously appointed -palaces of certain English painters, musicians, and dramatic poetasters. -Wagner was fond of velvets and satins, and he knew how best to display -them. The arrangements in the house, too, showed the unmistakable -guiding of a woman. Madame von Bülow acted as a sort of secretary to -Wagner. Wagner was a prolific correspondent, but during the early -portion of the summer, he had, it seems, been busy finishing the score -of the second act of “Siegfried.” - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER A BORN ACTOR._] - -Wagner laid bare his hopes and wishes to me. He merits eulogy for his -fearlessness. With that trait I was particularly struck. In relating the -subject of a certain interview with the king, I was of opinion he had -been too blunt of speech, too outspoken in his criticism, and I asked -what would he do were he to lose the royal favour, remembering how dark -and mournful had been his days at the moment the king sought him out. -His reply startled me. “I have lived before without the king, and I can -do so again.” Honour to Wagner! He was fearless here as he was in his -music--no concessions to false art. - -A born actor Wagner? Certainly. Out together one day he related to me -the story of his climbing the Urirothstock in company with a young -friend. Some distance up the mountain, his companion, who was following, -exclaimed he was giddy and falling, upon which Wagner turned round on -the ledge of rock, caught his friend, and passed him between the rock -and himself to the front. The scene was reproduced very graphically. His -presence of mind never left him. Truly, Wagner was born to teach actors. - -I found that the same boyish love of fun remained with Wagner. He dearly -loved a joke, a good story, a witty anecdote. Many did he tell me. Even -when I was leaving Munich, his stories came out, so that on saying -good-bye, he added, “Well, we have had some discomforts, but a good many -jokes.” - -Towards the end of the year the intrigues of his opponents proved too -strong for him. He left Bavaria; but I will give some few extracts from -his next letter, which will tell the history in his own way. It is -dated-- - - -CAMPAGNE AUX ARTICHAUX. - -...The stories you read in the papers of my flying the country are - wholly untrue. The king did nothing of the kind. He _implored_ me - to leave; said my life was in danger; that the director of the - police had represented to him the positive necessity for my - quitting Munich, or he could not guarantee my safety. Think, so - greatly did he fear the populace! The populace opposed to me? No; - not if they knew me. My return, I am told, is only a question of - time; until the king is able to change his advisers. May he come - out of his troubles well.... - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - GENEVA, 1866. - -The next letter of interest is dated nearly six months later. It shows -that Wagner and the king did not then always get on well together. - - -MUNICH, June, 1867. - - MY GOOD FERDINAND: I will keep my promise about August. He is here. - I will see to it, but there are so many obstacles. The king is - influenced by innumerable enemies, who are jealous of me, and - angered at my influence with him. I have, indeed, almost broken off - our relations, only the scandal would be too great! - - “Lohengrin” and “Tannhäuser” were to be produced with the best - artists and dresses. I was anxious to have Tichatschek as - Lohengrin. He had, however, been singing elsewhere, in - “Masaniello,” so that he was hoarse. The _entourage_ of the king - seemed to have conceived a thorough dislike of Tichatschek. But - what is more true, they were, I am convinced, desirous of - preventing my appearing with the king at the performance, because - they feared a demonstration. - - After the last rehearsal, a few days ago, the king, who was - present, sent for me. Tichatschek had displeased him, and he - asserted he would never again attend a performance or rehearsal in - which that singer took part. As this dislike referred only to the - stiff acting of Tichatschek (for he had sung splendidly), I felt - that the king’s enthusiasm inclined to the spectacular, and where - this was defective, he could not elsewhere find compensation. But - now comes the outrage. Without consulting me, he ordered - Tichatschek and the “Ortrud” to be sent away. I was, and am, - furious, and forthwith mean to quit Munich. Now you know the - situation, you will understand the impossibility of doing anything - at present. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -[Sidenote: _THE MARRIAGE WITH COSIMA._] - -Nothing came of the promise to help Roeckel, though Wagner and the king -were soon reconciled. Roeckel became editor of a democratic newspaper, -ceasing all active participation in the musical world. The friendship of -Louis grew stronger, if that were possible, and Wagner shows by his -letters that he was quite “the guide, philosopher, and friend” of the -young monarch. Of his communications to me during the next year, I -select the following short note, as possessing a wider interest than a -merely personal communication. - - DEAR OLD FRIEND: The 21st June first performance of the - “Meistersinger” (model). On the 25th the second, and repetition of - it up to about the 20th July. Now see whether you can catch - something of it. It will be worth while, and will give me great joy - when you come. Many hearty greetings. - -From yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - MUNICH, at Bülows, 11 Arcos Strasse, 11th June, 1868. - -As the above note shows, Wagner was living in Bülow’s house. I purposely -pass over the next two years. Events were coming to a climax. He and I -did not agree; but still his friendship never waned or abated one jot. -Meanwhile his wife, Minna, had died at Dresden. The two following notes -tell their own tale. The first is but a very short communication of what -the world had foreseen; the second was the printed card announcing his -second marriage, which I presume was sent to all his friends. - -CENTER -(1) - - MY DEAR FERDINAND: You will be no doubt angry with me when you hear - that I am soon to marry Bülow’s wife, who has become a convert in - order to be divorced. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - JULY, 1870. - -CENTER -(2) - - We have the honour to announce our marriage, which took place on - the 25th August of this year, at the Protestant Church of Lucerne. - -RICHARD WAGNER, -COSIMA WAGNER, _née_ LISZT. - - 25TH AUGUST, 1870. - -In the following November Wagner wrote to me again. It was the first of -a series of letters relative to the purchase of a costly edition of -Shakespeare, in English, as a birthday present to Madame Wagner. I -publish six of these. They show Wagner by the fireside, at home with -wife and children. Nearly sixty, with the close of his life almost in -sight, he first bathes in that unspeakable happiness--the presence of -children constantly about him, ready to receive the pent-up affection of -half a century. It seems to me that his state of mind will be best -understood by a few words, taken from the closing paragraph of his -letter of the 25th November, 1870: “God make every one happy. Amen!” - - (1) - -[Sidenote: “_A SPLENDID SON._”] - - DEAR OLD ONE: If you are still alive, and not angry with me for - various reasons, you could do me a right good service. I should - like to make a present to my wife (you know the deep, serious - happiness that has been mine) on her birthday, which falls just on - Christmas Eve,--a present of one of the most beautiful editions of - Shakespeare in English. I do not so much want one of those editions - with a voluminous appendix of critical notes as a really luxurious - edition of the text. If such an edition de luxe is only published - with notes, and so forth, well, then I will have that. I know that - in this respect the English have achieved something extraordinary, - and it is just one of their grand editions I should like to - possess. Further, it must be encased in a truly magnificent - binding, and of the greatest beauty. All this, I feel sure, can - only be obtained for certain in London. Now be so good as to occupy - yourself in the most friendly manner for me. Deem me worthy of a - response and a note of the price, that we may arrange everything, - and I will forthwith send you the necessary funds. - - How are you all at home? I hear that the English are making - colossal profits by the war. I hope something of the good may fall - to you. Your last letter coming after such a long time was a - delightful surprise, and has given me much joy, for I perceive in - it that you still are actively employed. Often do I now think of - you because of your love for children. My house, too, is full of - children, the children of my wife, but beside there blooms for me a - splendid son, strong and beautiful, whom I dare call _Siegfried - Richard Wagner_. Now think what I must feel, that this at last has - fallen to my share. I am fifty-seven years old. - -Be most fondly greeted. -From your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, 11 November, 1870. - -(In pencil on the last page of the letter.) - - Perhaps the director of the theatre might make me a present of a - copy of Shakespeare. - - - (2) - - - When Ferdinand in pious rage, - The Moors afar did chase! - - Therefore, thou most excellent good one, quick to business! - - Your recommendation seems to point to the Cambridge edition of - Dyce. You say that the cost will be about three guineas (_i.e._ £3. - 3_s._) therefore--let us stop at Dyce’s--this Cambridge edition. - But you do not tell me, however, whether it is one volume or in - several. Further, how am I to decide about the binding? I know that - in London bookbinding is treated as an art, and I would much like - to have a good specimen of London art work for my wife (for I - cannot present her with anything else). Acting upon the hypothesis - that it is in one volume only, I have forwarded to you six pounds - for disposal upon the work, and therefore three pounds less three - shillings will be available for the binding. Should there be two - volumes, then you must consider whether for the money you can still - obtain something remarkably good. If not--then order unhesitatingly - what is good, and write to me at once and I will send you a few - pounds more immediately. The chief point to be kept in view is that - you arrange with the bookbinder so as to have the work finished in - time to enable me to present it here on Christmas Eve. - - But now, above all, be not angry with me for thus earnestly - importuning you. If you but think of Milton Street and Portland - Terrace, lobster salad, punch, and Lüders, then shall I be - pardoned. And lastly will come your good wife to the rescue, who, - notwithstanding that she, as I see, has still little children, may - yet have some kind remembrance for me. - - I am glad that you write to me about yourself in full; one cannot - do anything better than write about one’s self to one’s friends, - for the more one reflects the less one seems to know of others. - According to this, I ought to write a great deal about myself, but - that I must defer for an ocular inspection by you; therefore, come - and see me. My son is Helferich Siegfried Richard. My son! Oh, what - that says to me! - - _You_ have plenty of children’s prattle, are used to it like the - English to hanging, but with me the hanging is only just beginning. - Now I must prepare to live to a good old age, for then will others - profit by it. Outside my home life, one thing only do I propose to - accomplish, and that, the performance of my “Nibelungen” drama as I - have conceived it. It appears to me that the whole German Empire is - only created to aid me in attaining my object. Carlyle’s letter in - the “Times” has caused me intense satisfaction. The Messieurs - Englishmen I have already learned to know through you. I need but - refer to divers data I have from you to be at once clear about the - character of this strangely ragged nation. - - God make every one happy. Amen! Now greet mamma and children, and - tell them of Milton Street. Come next summer into Switzerland and - keep me in your heart as I do you. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, 25th November, 1870. - -[Sidenote: _HIS IDEA OF SHAKESPEARE._] - - (3) - - MY GOOD FERDINAND: Is it not too bad that I am still to give you so - much trouble? I thought there must be, especially in London, a - central depot where one could quickly be informed about the most - complicated matters of all kinds. Does there not exist, _i.e._ in - Regent Street, or in some other main thoroughfare, a bookseller who - keeps on hand a stock of editions de luxe of celebrated authors, in - elegant and costly bindings, ready for sale for certain festive - occasions? Certainly it would have been better could you have - alighted upon such an edition of “Shakespeare” already bound. That - a bookbinder would now undertake such a task, I myself feel it is - somewhat venturesome to hope. But as you are such a good fellow I - leave the whole business entirely in your hands. Do not let the - price frighten you, for when it is a question of a birthday gift - for such a noble, dear woman, then, in honour of Shakespeare, one - may afford to be liberal. Yet on this occasion, I insist that the - external must be the pre-eminent consideration, the thing to be - first thought of, viz. beautiful, correct print on beautiful paper, - artistic binding, and--the internal Shakespeare supplies himself; - but do not trouble at all about the critical notes of English - editors. - - As the time is now very close upon us, it would be best if you - could still discover, all ready and complete, a luxurious book, in - a luxurious shop, in a luxurious binding; for the rest--go on! I am - not sending you any further money to-day, as I want to leave the - matter entirely in your hands. How much more I am to send you we - will arrange later on. - - Adieu for to-day! - - Good old fellow! - - Make sure that we see you next summer here! - - Don’t be melancholy, and keep me in your love. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, 9th December, 1870. - - (Herewith the addresses of the London banker: nice fellows those!!) - - (4) - - DEAR GOOD PRAEGER: Ah, now all is right, and the trouble at an end. - You will have seen by my last letter that it seemed to me our only - hope lay in finding an edition de luxe ready bound. That this - should have been in nine volumes, though not precisely an edition - de luxe, is satisfactory; therefore, have you acted most - blamelessly and correctly. Instead of having to transmit to you - further subsidies, you tell me there is even a balance at my - disposition. Now I have cudgelled my brains as to what can be - purchased with the remaining twelve shillings. In this matter it - will depend on the patience and perseverance of your wife, should - she see some pretty trifling _article-de-mode_ to put on the - Christmas table, where it might look well, perhaps. My wife has - spoken to me about, and would like, if possible, an East India, or - even Chinese, foulard dress, rich, highly-coloured patterns on - satin ground, brilliant and luxurious, _i.e._ Orientally fantastic, - such as is sure to be found in London. Now if your good wife would - be kind enough to look to this, and should it not go into the - abnormal in cost, of which, naturally, there is no intention, since - the proposed costume is not to serve for ostentation, but for the - gratification of a fantastic taste, I would beg of you to make bold - and send me about twenty metres of such a material, and to send it - off at once. The settlement of the transaction on my side would - follow immediately. I do not restrict the price, as that might - hamper you; but on the other hand, I beg you to understand that, in - case it is really something beautiful and original, Oriental, do - not stop at the price. Only in respect of the design, I remember - there must be no figures, nothing but flowers--that much do I - remember. God knows to what new trouble I am putting you again. - Don’t take it too seriously, but remain good to me, for this is the - most important of your business. - -Heart greetings to all of you, from yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, 11th December, 1870. - - (5) - -[Sidenote: _PREPARING FOR “DER RING.”_] - - DEAR OLD FRIEND: Yes, yes! so it is, and I have neglected to inform - you that “Shakespeare” rightly and well came into my hands. It - arrived somewhat late, but for the efforts on your part to fully - gratify me I give you my thanks. Altogether I am sorry I did not - pay more thought to the gigantic proportions of London business, - as I feel by that I have unknowingly thrown upon you a lot of - trouble in this affair. But now that everything has turned out - well, I thank you once more, and promise not to trouble you again - with such commissions. I write to you in haste, as I am preparing - for a journey; to-morrow I go with my wife into Germany, where I - propose to try and discover how matters stand. Several things are - in preparation, but all tend to one good, that is, the performance - of the “Nibelung” _after my own way_. Leipzic, Dresden, and above - all, Berlin, will be visited by me. In Berlin, where they have made - me a member of the Academy, I shall deliver a discourse on the - mission of the opera, etc. - - I will send to you the “Kaisermarsch,” and all else that comes out. - - Now look to it that you pay me a visit next summer in our beautiful - retreat. By the middle of May we shall have returned. - - And now, farewell! - - Be not angry with me! - - Greet wife and children, and keep loving - -Your faithful friend, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, April, 1871. - - (6) - - -LEIPZIG, 12th May, 1871. - - This I have carried about with me on a long journey, for, when I - wanted to send it from Lucerne, I found I had mislaid your address. - It is fortunate that in your last letter, sent after me from - Lucerne, and which has just reached me, I have once again your - address. - - I am fatigued, and I return to-morrow. - - As regards the proposals and offer of the English music-sellers, I - would beg you to request them to address in the matter, Tausig, - Dessauer Strasse 35, Berlin. He has urged me to let him manage many - things in which I am always worsted. He will arrange with the - publishers, O. F. Peters, music bureau, in a manner that I shall - derive all possible advantage. Else, dearest, I am well, and my - undertaking bodes well for a success. - - Best greetings to wife and children. - -Love me, and forever yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -Then came the following:-- - - DEAREST: Come when you will! Alas, everybody comes in the few weeks - of the summer, and it is possible that you will find visitors - already when you come. In the quiet time not even a cock crows - after you, but you will find your place prepared for you; only, - therefore, to our next meeting. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, TRIBSCHEN, 6th June, 1871. - -[Sidenote: _STANDING ON HIS HEAD._] - -In the summer I went to stay with Wagner. How changed! Fifty-eight years -old, and yet but one year in the possession of what is called home. His -had been a roving life. Not through choice, but necessity. Energetic and -persevering, never leaving a stone unturned or failing in an effort to -preach his creed. And so through the long years of early manhood and -middle age had he struggled with adversity, never finding an abiding -resting-place. But the sunset of his life was setting in rich, warm -colours. A feeling of serenity, born of the conscious security from -worldly anxieties, had taken possession of him. His work had been -acknowledged throughout Europe. He was ambitious, and his soul was -satisfied. Now was he for the first time living in that warm-hearted, -self-denying atmosphere of “home,” where dwelt a remarkably cultured, -intellectual wife and children. _There_ “bloomed for him a splendid son, -strong and beautiful.” Yes; he was happy. His naturally buoyant -temperament had not lessened with years. I remember full well, one day -when we were sitting together in the drawing-room at Tribschen, on a -sort of ottoman, talking over the events of the years gone by, when he -suddenly rose and stood on his head upon the ottoman. At the very -moment he was in that inverted position the door opened and Madame -Wagner entered. Her surprise and alarm were great, and she hastened -forward, exclaiming, “Ah! lieber Richard! Richard!” Quickly recovering -himself, he reassured her of his sanity, explaining that he was only -showing Ferdinand he could stand on his head at sixty, which was more -than the said Ferdinand could do. This was a ridiculous incident, but -strikingly illustrative of the “Wagner as I knew him.” I suppose there -are few thinking people who will deny the seriousness and profundity of -Wagner’s mind, and that perhaps in earnestness of purpose and power of -reflection, he may be said to have been the equal of Carlyle; yet who -can picture the “sage of Chelsea” standing on his head at sixty, or -indeed at any period of his life? - -Wagner’s tranquillity of mind was delightful to contemplate. He longed -for “peace on earth and good will to all men.” The desire of his heart, -the dream of those early Dresden days, was about to be realized. A -theatre constructed after his own theory was soon to be erected. The -architect and engineer, Neumann and Brandt, came to Lucerne during my -visit. I was privileged to be present at their discussions. It was -another illustration of “to have a clear notion of what you want is -half-way to get it.” “The theatre must be so built that it can be -emptied in the space of one or two minutes”; upon this Wagner insisted. -Did the experts explain some detail to him it was marvellous to see how -quickly he grasped the point and debated it with them. His heart was in -his work, in this as in all he did, and there lay the secret of his -success, for of this I am convinced, that without his indomitable will, -that untiring perseverance which would not be conquered, the genius of -Wagner would have availed him but little. - -In writing of “Wagner as I knew him” I have touched upon certain -subjects and criticised him in a manner which I am aware many of his -worshippers might perhaps shrink from. But in this I have in no way -offended Wagner. He wished to be known as he was. Indeed, he has written -his own life, which, should it please the Wagner heirs, may one day be -given to the world to its great gain. I became aware of the existence of -this autobiography in the following manner. Wagner and his wife were -going out, leaving me alone at Tribschen. Before going, Wagner placed in -my hands a volume for my perusal during his absence. “It is my -autobiography,” he said. “Only Liszt has a copy; none other has seen it, -and it shall not be published until my Siegfried has reached his -majority.” I read it carefully, and I may state, without touching upon -any of the matter contained therein, that in my treatment of Wagner I -have not uttered one word to which he himself would not have subscribed. - -To see Wagner surrounded by children was a pleasant sight. He was as -frolicsome as they. He would have the children sing the “Kaisermarsch” -at the piano, and reward them with coins. As regards their discipline -and training, he effaced himself completely before Madame Wagner. To his -wife he showed the tenderest affection. It might almost be said of him -that he was the most uxorious of husbands. - -[Sidenote: _LISZT “BEGAN TOO LATE.”_] - -No matter the mood in which I found Wagner, it was always the old -Wagner. Did we set out for a stroll, he would take me into some wayside -inn, there to eat sausages and drink beer. I must add that his drinking -was of the most moderate description. It was during one of these rambles -that we spoke of Liszt, and in the talking, he told me that Liszt had -been more pained at his daughter Cosima’s change of religion from Roman -Catholic to Protestant, than at her divorce from von Bülow. Among other -things, too, he said, speaking of Liszt as a composer, that “he [Liszt] -had begun too late in life.” - -To me Wagner was all affection. He played to me, showed me everything -received from the king (among the many presents were two handsome vases, -the equivalent of which in money Wagner said he would have preferred), -and did all that he could to make my stay agreeable. I did not stay the -whole time I had purposed; I left somewhat unexpectedly. My departure -brought the following letter from Wagner:-- - - Thou strangest of all men, why do you not give a sign of life? Is - it right or just? After having lived among us, as one of us, to - have left us so suddenly, and not without causing us some anxiety, - too, on your behalf. How wrong if you were in a dissatisfied mood - with us; but that cannot be; rather be convinced that we take the - most hearty interest in you, and that this is the sole reason which - induces me to make this inquiry. - - Let me hear from you, and be heartily greeted. - -From yours ever, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -From now to the day of his death I have but little to tell. He had -arrived at a time when the world accepted him as one of its great men. -His movements were chronicled in the press as though he were some -minister of state. I saw him repeatedly since 1872, notably at the -opening of the Bayreuth theatre in 1874, and at the succeeding -representations there, and naturally on his coming to London for the -Albert Hall Wagner Festival in 1877, when at the banquet given at the -Cannon Street Hotel in his honour, he toasted me as the friend, “the -first in this country to nobly support him,” at a time when he was a -stranger in the land and the target of hostile criticism. Later on, I -saw him again at the “Parsifal” performances at Bayreuth, which proved -to be for the last time. - -My task is done. - -Wagner’s labours ceased at Venice on the 13th February, 1883. What he -has accomplished is beyond the power of any man to destroy. Were Wagner -himself to return to us, _he_ could not undo what he has done. In future -years, aye, in future centuries, men will come from all parts of the -civilized globe to worship at Bayreuth; that is the Mecca of musicians. -There is the shrine of the founder of a new religion in art, pure and -ennobling to all who have ears to hear and human hearts that can be -touched. To use an old metaphor, but accurate and appropriate when -applied to Wagner, his work is as the boundless ocean; many will sail -their craft upon it, from the majestic ship of tragedy to the winsome -bark of comic opera, and then shall they not have navigated all the -seas. - -[Sidenote: _HIS EARNESTNESS OF PURPOSE._] - -The key of Wagner’s success is his truth. Look at his work from -whichever side we may, that is it which ever finds its way into all -hearts. While the musicians were, and some still are, engaged in the -dissecting-room, with a bar here and bar there, with the people, the -laymen, he is universally popular. And what is the cause? His truth, his -earnestness. At bottom, it is this sincerity which has made him great. -Speaking of the laymen, I am forcibly reminded of perhaps the most -musically gifted and most devoted of all, one Julius Cyriax, a German -merchant of the city of London, whose friendship Wagner contracted here -in 1877, and with whom Wagner was in intimate correspondence down to the -last. - -And if this be the judgment passed upon his work, what shall be said of -the character of the man? Without fear, I say earnestness of purpose -guided him here too; that he was impatient of incompetence when it -sought to pose as the true in art was, and is, natural in a great -genius. Autocratic in bearing, and the intimate of a king, though -democratic in music and a professed lover of the _demos_ in his earlier -career, this is but a seeming contradiction. Democratic describes his -music; no domineering there of one voice; and democratic, too, in the -last days, when he refused imperial distinctions, preferring to remain -one of the people. An opponent in art, he was to be dreaded. Why? -Because he fought for his cause with such a whole-heartedness that he -drove, as Napoleon used to say, “fear into the enemy’s camp.” His -memory, like that of all great men, was extremely retentive. He was a -hard worker, as his eleven published volumes of literary matter and -fourteen music-dramas abundantly testify. To accomplish such work was -only possible to a man of method, and he _was_ methodical and careful -withal in what he did. Look at his handwriting and music notation, small -but clear, neat and clean. He was not free from blemish or -prejudice,--who is?--but - - Take him all in all, - We ne’er shall look upon his like again. - -Typography by J. S. Cushing & Co., Boston. - - * * * * * - -THE STORY OF MUSIC. - -BY W. J. HENDERSON. - -_12mo, Ornamental Cloth Cover, $1.25._ - -“Mr. Henderson tells in a clear, comprehensive, and logical way the -story of the growth of modern music. The work is prefixed by a -newly-prepared chronological table, which will be found invaluable by -musical students, and which contains many dates and notes of important -events that are not further mentioned in the text.... Few contemporary -writers on music have a more agreeable style, and few, even among the -renowned and profound Germans, a firmer grasp of the subject. The book, -moreover, will be valuable to the student for its references, which form -a guide to the best literature of music in all languages. The story of -the development of religious music, a subject that is too often made -forbidding and uninteresting to the general reader, is here related so -simply as to interest and instruct any reader, whether or not he has a -thorough knowledge of harmonics and an intimate acquaintance with the -estimable dominant and the deplorable consecutive fifths. The chapter on -instruments and instrumental forms is valuable for exactly the same -reasons.”--NEW YORK TIMES. - -“It is a pleasure to open a new book and discover on its first page that -the clearness and simple beauty of its typography has a harmony in the -clearness, directness, and restful finish of the writer’s style.... Mr. -Henderson has accomplished, with rare judgment and skill, the task of -telling the story of the growth of the art of music without encumbering -his pages with excess of biographical material. He has aimed at a -connected recital, and, for its sake, has treated of creative epochs and -epoch-making works, rather than groups of composers segregated by the -accidents of time and space.... Admirable for its succinctness, -clearness, and gracefulness of statement.”--NEW YORK TRIBUNE. - -“The work is both statistical and narrative, and its special design is -to give a detailed and comprehensive history of the various steps in the -development of music as an art. There is a very valuable chronological -table, which presents important dates that could not otherwise be well -introduced into the book. The choice style in which this book is written -lends its added charms to a work most important on the literary as well -as on the artistic side of music.”--BOSTON TRAVELLER. - -LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 15 East 16th Street, New York. - - * * * * * - -PRELUDES AND STUDIES. - -_MUSICAL THEMES OF THE DAY._ - -BY W. J. HENDERSON, - -Author of “The Story of Music.” - -_12mo, Cloth, Extra, Guilt Top, $1.25._ - -“The questions which he handles are all living. Even the purely -historical lectures which he has grouped together under the general head -of “The Evolution of Piano Music,” are informed with freshness and -contemporaneous interest by the manner which he has chosen for their -treatment.... The concluding chapter of the book is an essay designed to -win appreciation for Schumann, ... and is the gem of the book both in -thought and expression.”--NEW YORK TRIBUNE. - -“Leaving Wagner, of whom the book treats in a most interesting way, the -evolution of piano music is taken up and treated in such a way as to -convince one that the writer is a master of his subject. Mr. Henderson -dwells on the performances of some living players, their methods, -manner, etc., and closes his work with a number on Schumann and the -programme symphony.”--DETROIT SUNDAY NEWS. - -“The book is written by one who knows his subject thoroughly and is made -interesting to the general public as well as to those who are learned in -music.”--BOSTON POST. - -“All lovers and students of music will find much to appreciate.... Mr. -Henderson writes charmingly of his various subjects--sympathetically, -critically, and keenly. He shows a sincere love for his themes, and -study of them; yet he is never pedantic, a virtue to be appreciated in a -writer of essays upon any department of art.”--BOSTON TIMES. - -“Mr. Henderson’s clear style is well known to readers of the musical -criticism of the New York Times, and his catholicity of sentiment, and -freedom from prejudice, ... though this volume will be especially -valuable to the student of music, it will be helpful to the amateur, and -can be read with satisfaction by one ignorant of music, which, -altogether, is surely high praise.”--PROVIDENCE SUNDAY JOURNAL. - -“It is a volume of extremely suggestive musical studies.... They are all -full of appreciative comment, and show considerable clear insight into -the origin and nature of musical works. The author has a style which is -adapted to exposition. The book is an attractive one for the lover of -music.”--PUBLIC OPINION. - -“Mr. Henderson studies carefully and intelligently the evolution of -piano music and Schumann’s relation to the development of the programme -symphony. This is a suggestive, original, and well-equipped group of -essays upon themes which interest musicians.”--LITERARY WORLD. - - -LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 15 East 16th Street, New York. - - * * * * * - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Letter to F. Villot. - -[2] The original in the possession of Edward Roeckel, Bath. - -[3] Neighbouring mountains. - -[4] A daughter of August Roeckel. - -[5] August’s wife. - -[6] The Work and Mission of my Life, chap. ix. - -[7] Sunday Times, 6th May, 1855. - -[8] Written before his death in 1890. - -[9] 24th February, 1855. - -[10] Roeckel. - -[11] English Gentleman. - -[12] August’s father. - -[13] Secretary of the Philharmonic Society. - -[14] This is Wagner’s characteristic jocularity, Lüders being a man of -short and slight stature and most mild in temper. - -[15] Edward Roeckel of Bath. - -[16] “Peps” was the dog which helped to compose “Tannhäuser.” - -[17] The parrot. - -[18] Wagner used to take “Gypsy” out for a walk daily. - -[19] Then conductor of the New Philharmonic concerts, at present -director of the London Academy of Music. - -[20] Meaning of two Richard Wagners. - -[21] Burning of the opera house, Covent Garden. - -[22] An English translation of these memoirs by Baron de Worms was -published in 1887. - -[23] Letter to Mr. Villot, page 35. - -[24] Alluding to the action taken by Frederick of Baden (whose wife was -a lover of Wagner’s music) to secure the reinstalment of Wagner as a -citizen of Germany. - -[25] Then “Chef de claque.” - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -Seigfried=> Siegfried {pg 18} - -Kapelmeister=> Kapellmeister {pg 26} - -misletoe=> misletoe {pg 32} - -orchestra after Hadyn=> orchestra after Haydn {pg 42} - -the gift of Shroeder-Devrient.=> the gift of Schroeder-Devrient. {pg 74} - -Niebulungen=> Nibelungen {pg 97} - -as Tannhauser emerging from=> as Tannhäuser emerging from {pg 116} - -“Rienzi” rehersal in the overture=> “Rienzi” rehearsal in the overture -{pg 125} - -order came from Luttichon=> order came from Luttichorn {pg 133} - -Liepzic dialect=> Leipzic dialect {pg 135} - -his easily understoood=> his easily understood {pg 191} - -Götterdamerung=> Götterdämmerung {pg 242} - -Aria (“Non mi du”)=> Aria (“Non mi dir”) {pg 257} - -cequi ne sera pas chose facile=> ce qui ne sera pas chose facile {pg -277} - -absolutely nesessary=> absolutely necessary {pg 282} - -Götterdammerung=> Götterdämmerung {pg 291} - -Nuitre posed a soft answer=> Nuiter posed a soft answer {pg 305} - -If it does=> It it does {pg 311} - -run as follows=> runs as follows {pg 315} - -Freischutz=> Freischütz {x3} - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Wagner as I Knew Him, by -Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM *** - -***** This file should be named 42875-0.txt or 42875-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/8/7/42875/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Wagner as I Knew Him - -Author: Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger - -Release Date: June 4, 2013 [EBook #42875] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - -Transcriber's note: The etext attempts to replicate the printed book as -closely as possible. Obvious errors in spelling and punctuation have -been corrected. Only a few of the spellings of names, places and German -or French words used by the author have been corrected by the etext -transcriber. A list follows the etext. Footnotes have been moved to the -end of the text body. - - - -WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM - - - - -WAGNER -AS I KNEW HIM - -BY -FERDINAND PRAEGER - -NEW YORK -LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO. -15 EAST SIXTEENTH STREET -1892 - -COPYRIGHT, 1892, -BY CHARLES J. MILLS. - - -TO - -THE RIGHT HONOURABLE - -THE EARL OF DYSART, - -PRESIDENT OF THE LONDON BRANCH OF THE UNITED RICHARD WAGNER SOCIETY. - -[Sidenote: _THE EARL OF DYSART._] - - -MY LORD:-- - -If an intimacy, an uninterrupted friendship, of close upon half a -century during which early associations, ambitions, failures, successes, -and their results were frankly discussed, entitles one to speak with -authority on Richard Wagner, the man, the artist, his mental workings, -and the doctrine he strove to preach, then am I fully entitled so to -speak of my late friend. - -To vindicate Wagner in all things is not my intention. He was but -mortal, and no ordinary mortal, and had his failings, which will be -fearlessly dealt with. My sole purpose is to set Richard Wagner before -the world as I knew him; to help to an honest understanding of the man -and his motives as he so often laid them bare to me; and I -unhesitatingly affirm that, when seen in his true character, many a -hostile, plausible, and unsparing criticism, begotten of inadequate -knowledge or malice, will shrivel and crumble away when exposed to the -sunlight of truth. - -The daring originality of Wagner's work could not help provoking violent -opposition. Revolution in art as in aught else has ever been wedded to -storm and tumult. - -Of all things, Wagner was a thinker. The plot, construction, and logical -development of his dramas, the employment of those wondrous -character-descriptive tone-themes, their marvellous combination, his ten -volumes of serious matter, especially "The Work and Mission of my Life," -emphatically testify to his deliberate studied thinking, and friend and -foe alike readily acknowledge the _originality_ of his thought. - -Here then entered the art world, in the person of Richard Wagner, a -quite natural subject for discussion. Here was a thinker, an original -thinker, and Carlyle says that "the great event, parent of all others, -in every epoch of the world, is the arrival of a thinker, an _original_ -thinker." No matter for marvel, then, that the air thickened with -criticism as soon as the Thinker proclaimed himself. - -The persistency and vigour with which Wagner pursued the end,--an end to -which, primarily, he was unconsciously impelled by instinctive -genius,--the emphatic enforcement of the Gospel it was the sole purpose -of his thinking manhood to inculcate, led him to reject worldly -advancement, to endure painful privation, to utter fierce denunciation -against pseudo-prophets, and to be the victim of malignant insult and -scornful vituperation. And why? Because his mission was to preach -_Truth_. - -Wagner was "terribly in earnest." His earnestness forces itself home to -us through all his works; and in his strenuous striving to accomplish -his task, he involuntarily said and did things seemingly opposed to the -very principles he had so dogmatically enunciated. But on investigating -the why of such apparent contradictions, it will be found that they are -but paradoxical after all, and that never has Wagner swerved from the -direct pursuit of his ideal. Thus he says, "I had a dislike, nay, a -positive contempt, for the stage, its rouge and tawdry tinsel," and yet -within its precincts he was spell-bound. He was chained to it by -indissoluble links. It was the pulpit from which he was to expound his -gospel. Again, he accepted from friends the most reckless sacrifices -without the simplest acknowledgment or gratitude, yet it was not -ingratitude as is commonly understood; he accepted the service not as -done to himself, but for the glorification of true art, and in that -consummation he felt they were richly recompensed. He, when he felt it -his duty to speak plainly, spared the feelings of none by an incisive -criticism which cut to the core, and yet an over-sensitiveness made him -writhe under the slightest censure. - -Towards Jews and Judaism he had a most pronounced antipathy, and yet -this did not prevent him from numbering many Hebrews among his most -devoted friends. Pursued with the wildest ambition, he steadfastly -refused all proffered titles and decorations. He formulated most -positive rules for the music-drama, and then referring to "Tristan and -Isolde," states: "There I entirely forgot all theory, and became -conscious how far I had gone beyond my own system."[1] With Meyerbeer in -view, he emphatically insisted that after sixty no composer should -write, as being incapacitated by age and consequent failure of brain -power, and then when long past this period he not only writes one of his -greatest works, but when seventy and within the shadow of death, was -engaged upon another of engrossing interest, viz. on the Hindoo -religion. Lastly, whilst vehemently protesting the inseparability of his -music from its related stage representation and scenic accessories, -compelled by fate, he traversed Europe from London to St. Petersburg to -produce in the concert room orchestral excerpts from the very works upon -whose inviolability he had in such unequivocal terms insisted,--selections -too, though arranged by himself, which give but the most incomplete -conception of the dramas themselves. - -This seeming jarring between theory and practice in so powerful a -thinker requires explanation, and in due course I shall exhaustively -treat the same. - -Wagner and I were born in the same town, Leipzic, and within two years -of each other. This was a bond of friendship between us never severed, -Wagner ever fondly delighting to talk about his early surroundings and -associations. His references to Leipzic and prominent local characters -were coloured with strong affection, and to discuss with one who could -reciprocate his deep love for the charmed city of his birth, was for him -a certain source of happiness. - -Wagner's first music-master, properly so called, was Cantor Weinlig of -Leipzic. From him he received his first serious theoretical instruction. -Weinlig, too, was well known to me. He was an intimate friend of my -father, Henry Aloysius Praeger, director of the Stadttheater and -conductor of the famous Gewandhaus concerts, the latter post being -subsequently filled by Mendelssohn among other celebrities. Between -Weinlig and my father, whom the history of music has celebrated as a -violinist of exceptional skill and as a sound contrapuntist, constant -communications passed, and I was very often the bearer of such. - -Common points of interest like this--striking Leipzic individualities, -the house at Gohlis, a suburb of Leipzic where poor Schiller spent part -of his time, the masters of St. Nicolas' School, where we both attended, -though at different periods--I could multiply without end, each topic of -absorbing interest to us both, and productive of much mutual expansion -of the heart, but I will here refer to one only--that connected with -Carl Maria von Weber. - -"Der Freischtz" was first performed at Dresden, the composer -conducting, on the 22d January, 1822. Wagner, then in his ninth year, -was living at Dresden with his family. In his letter to Frederick -Villot, he says of Weber: "His melodies filled me with an earnestness, -which came to me as a bright vision from above. His personality -attracted me with enthusiastic fascination; from him I received my first -musical baptism. His death in a distant land filled my childish heart -with sorrowful awe." "Der Freischtz" was almost immediately produced at -Leipzic, and Weber came to Leipzic personally to supervise the -rehearsals and to acquaint my father, then the conductor of the theatre, -as to the special reading of certain parts. The work excited the utmost -enthusiasm in Leipzic, and was performed there innumerable times. I, the -son of the conductor, having free entry to the theatre, went nightly, -and acquired thus early a thoroughly intimate acquaintance with the -work, such as Wagner also had gained by his frequent visits to the -Dresden theatre through his family's connection with the stage. In -after-life we found that Weber and his works had exercised over both of -us the same fascination. In 1844, the remains of the loved idol, Weber, -were removed from Moorfields Chapel, London, to Dresden. At that time I -was residing in London, and, in conjunction with Max von Weber, the -composer's eldest son, and others, obtained the necessary authority and -carried out the removal. Wagner was in Germany. There he received the -body, and on its final interment pronounced the funeral oration over the -adored artist. - -In this country, where I have now lived for an unbroken period of -fifty-one years, I was Wagner's first and sole champion, and, -notwithstanding all the calumny with which he was persistently assailed -(which even now has not entirely ceased), stood firmly by him. - -It was through my sole exertions that the Philharmonic Society in 1855 -offered Wagner the post of conductor. His acceptance and retention of -the post for one season are now matters of history. - -Wagner returned to London in 1877 to conduct the "Wagner Festival" -concerts at the Albert Hall. As his sixty-fourth birthday fell during -these concerts, some ardent friends promoted a banquet in his honour at -the Cannon Street Hotel on the 23d May. To that banquet I was invited, -and great was my amazement when Wagner, the applauded of all, -spontaneously and without the least hint to me, warmly and -affectionately said:-- - -"It is now twenty-two years ago since I came to this country, -unacknowledged as a composer and attacked on all sides by a hostile -press. Then I had but one friend, one support, one who acknowledged and -boldly defended me, one who has clung to me ever since with unchanging -affection; this is my friend Ferdinand Praeger." - -My Lord, I have felt it desirable to address these preliminary remarks -to you as indicative of the manner in which I propose to treat my -friend's life and work. Wagner was extremely voluble, and, with his -intimate friends, most unreserved. He was a man of strong affections and -strong memory, and to those he loved he freely spoke of those whom he -loved, and thus I believe I am the sole recipient of many of his early -impressions and reminiscences, of his thoughts and ambitions in -after-life. Therefore shall I tell the story of his life and work, as he -made me see it and as I knew him, keeping back nothing, believing as I -do that the world has a right to know how its great men live: their -lives are its lawful inheritance. - -It is with deep affection that I undertake a work prompted by your -Lordship's love for the true in art, and it is to you that I dedicate -the result of my labour. - -FERDINAND PRAEGER. - -LONDON, 15th June, 1885. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - -CHAPTER I. - -1813-1821 - -.....PAGE - -"The child is father to the man"--Musician, poet, and dramatist--Stage -reformer--His grandfather a customs officer--His father, Frederick -Wagner, an officer of police, student, and amateur actor--Death of -Frederick, 1813--His mother--Eldest brother, Albert, a tenor -singer--Sisters Rosalie, Louisa, and Clara, actresses of repute--Ludwig -Geyer, a Leipzic actor--Marries Widow Wagner--Family removes to -Dresden--Affection of his step-father and mother for him--The girls -receive piano-forte lessons--Richard receives a few lessons in drawing -from Geyer--Beyond this, up to his ninth year, no regular education is -attempted with him--Geyer not of a robust constitution--Wagner plays the -bridal chorus from "Der Freischtz" by ear--Geyer's prediction and -death.....1 - - -CHAPTER II. - -1822-1827. - -His visit to an uncle Geyer at Eisleben--The Kreuzschule, Dresden--His -facility for languages--His modesty--Wagner a small man--Personal -appearance described--Wonder of school professors at unusual mental -activity of the delicate small boy--A prey to erysipelas--Love of -practical joking--Incident of the Kreuzschule roof--An adept in all -bodily exercises--His acrobatic feats--Love for his mother--Affection -for animals.....10 - - -CHAPTER III. - -1822-1827. _Continued._ - -Richard Wagner enters the Kreuzschule, Dresden, December, -1822--Translation of part of the "Odyssey" by private work--Begins to -learn English to read Shakespeare--Writes prize elegy in Germany at -eleven years of age--Theodore Krner, pupil of the Kreuzschule and poet -of freedom--Metrical translation of Romeo's monologue--His first lessons -on the piano--Hatred of finger exercises--Berlioz--Up to fourteen his -aspirations distinctly musical.....20 - - -CHAPTER IV. - -LEIPZIC, 1827-1831. - -Return to Leipzic--The Stadttheater; Rosalie and Louise--Jews, their -treatment by Leipzic townspeople--Wagner's attitude towards them--His -first love a Jewess--At the St. Nicolas school three years, St. Thomas -school and the University a few months each--Describes himself during -his Leipzic school-days as "wild, negligent, and idle"--Reprehensible -gambling of his mother's pension--Crisis of his life--Haydn's symphonies -at the theatres and Beethoven's symphonies in the concert-room--Beethoven -a pessimist--Haydn and Mozart optimists--Resolve to become a -musician--Private study of theory--His first overture, 1830, laughed -at--His marvellously neat penmanship--Takes lessons from Cantor -Weinlig--Writes a sonata without one original idea or one phrase of more -than common interest--Beethoven his daily study--Weber and Beethoven his -models--Combines in himself the special gifts of both, the idealism of -the former and the reasoned working of the latter.....26 - - -CHAPTER V. - -1832-1836. - -Revolution and romanticism at the beginning of the nineteenth -century--Its effect on Wagner--First grand symphony for -orchestra--Mendelssohn and Wagner--Wondrous dual gift of music and -poesy--Portion of an opera, "The Wedding," engaged at Wrzburg--Albert -Wagner--Life at Wrzburg--First opera, "The Fairies"--Schroeder-Devrient -and "The Novice of Palermo"--Stage manager at Magdeburg, 1834--Views -upon German National drama and national life.....44 - - -CHAPTER VI. - -1836-1839. - -Life and troubles at Magdeburg--Wagner marries--Minna Planer: the woman, -her home, her trustful love--Reflections on his life at Magdeburg--His -ability as a conductor of the orchestra and singers--Popularity of Auber -and Rossini--Renewed trials at Knigsberg, 1837--Success of -Meyerbeer--Paris the ruler of German taste--Wagner's ambition of going -to Paris--Sends sketch of new libretto to Scribe--No answer--Writes an -overture on "Rule Britannia," and sends it to Sir George Smart--Not -noticed--Wagner's impressions of stage life after his experience at -Wrzburg, Magdeburg, and Knigsberg--Visit to Dresden and -"Rienzi"--Conductor at Riga, 1839--His difficulties increase--Paris the -sole hope of relief--Resolves to go to Paris--Sets sail for London--"The -Champagne Mill"--Arrival in London.....55 - - -CHAPTER VII. - -EIGHT DAYS IN LONDON, 1839. - -First impression--Puts up at cheap hotel in Old Compton Street, -Soho--Loss and return of the dog--Visit to a house in Great Portland -Street where Weber died--Thoughts on English character and London -sights--Visit to Greenwich Hospital--Leaves by boat for Boulogne.....69 - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -BOULOGNE, 1839. - -Passage to Boulogne--The Mansons, friends of Meyerbeer--Wagner's visit -to Meyerbeer--Character of Meyerbeer--Interests himself in the youthful -Wagner--The reading of "Rienzi" libretto--Eulogium of Meyerbeer and -promises of help--Meyerbeer feels his way to the purchase of the -"Rienzi" book--Wishes Scribe to write one for him similarly -spectacular--Wagner and his wife at a restaurant; champagne the -"perfection of terrestrial enjoyment"--The Mansons advise him to stay in -Boulogne--The "Rienzi" music pleases Meyerbeer, who also, to Wagner's -annoyance, praises his neat writing--The "Das Liebesverbot" draws -further laudation from Meyerbeer, and the success of Wagner is -prophesied--"Le petit homme avec le grand chien" leaves Boulogne for -Paris.....78 - - -CHAPTER IX. - -PARIS, 1839-1842. - -The sanguine Wagner boldly invades Paris--Later reflections of the -bitter sufferings he underwent there--Why he went to Paris--Germany -offers no encouragement to native talent--Wagner has but a slight -acquaintance with the French tongue--Seeks out Monsieur Louis, who -becomes and remains his most devoted friend--With assistance of Louis, -engages modest apartments--Endeavours to deliver his letters of -introduction--Unsuccessful--Without occupation--His poverty--Help from -Germany for a short time--Their sadly straitened circumstances--In -absolute want--Writes for the press; Schlesinger--"A pilgrimage to -Beethoven," imaginary--He composes three romances, imaginary--Still in -want, forced to the uncongenial task of "arranging" popular Italian -operas for all kinds of instruments--Minna Wagner: her golden qualities -and admiration of Wagner--Minna performs all the menial household -duties--Bright and cheerful temperament soothes the disappointed, -passionate Wagner--His birthday tribute--His subsequent acknowledgment -of her womanly devotion--The artists he met in Paris--Heinrich Laube, an -old Leipzic friend, introduces him to Heine--Meeting of the trio--Laube -and Heine as workers--Schlesinger, music-publisher, becomes his -friend--Schlesinger upon Meyerbeer--Wagner and Berlioz in Paris and -London--The two compared--Wagner's opinion of Berlioz and his agreement -with Heine--Halvy--Vieuxtemps--Scribe--Kietz.....83 - - -CHAPTER X. - -PARIS, 1839-1842. _Continued._ - -The Paris sojourn the crucial epoch of Wagner's career--The grand opera -the hothouse of spurious art--Concessions to anti-artistic -influences--Realism of the historic opera irreconcilable with his own -poetic idealism: why?--Is infected with the revolutionary spirit of the -age--From now we date the wondrous change in his art work--Protests -through the "Gazette Musicale" against Italian composers dominating the -French stage to the exclusion of native worth--Rebuked by -Schlesinger--The Conservatoire de Musique; its performances solid food -to Wagner--"Music a blessed reality"--Probability that the unrealities -of the French stage brought Richard Wagner to a quicker knowledge of -himself--Wagner's estimate of French character--Their poesy--His -tact--Feeling of aversion towards the military and police--His -compositions--A year of non-productivity--Assertion of the -poet--Proposal by Schlesinger that he should write a light work for a -boulevard theatre--Refuses--Is put to bed with an attack of erysipelas -which lasts a week--"Overture to Faust": "the subjects not music, but -the soul's sorrows transformed into sounds"--Minna and his dog--Wagner's -lugubrious forebodings and short novel, "End of a German Musician in -Paris"--Completes "Rienzi," which is sent to Germany--The "Flying -Dutchman"--How the subject came to be adopted--Heine's treatment of -Fitzball's version--The original story as told by Fitzball--Libretto -completed, delivered to the director of the grand opera, who bargains -for it--Superiority of legend over history for musical treatment--Wagner -and his meaning of the "Dutchman" anecdote related at Munich, 1866--The -one of his music-dramas that occupied the shortest time in -composition--It is sent to Meyerbeer--News from Dresden--"Rienzi" -accepted, leaves for Germany.....99 - - -CHAPTER XI. - -DRESDEN, 1842-1843. - -New and hopeful prospect--Feels assured of "Rienzi" proving -successful--Ignored by Paris, received with open arms by Dresden, the -hallowed scene of Weber's labours--Joy at returning home a conqueror--A -new life for Minna--Reissiger, chief conductor of the Royal -Opera--Fischer, the manager and chorus director, his friend--His -"Rienzi" and "Adriano"--First performance of "Rienzi"--Unmistakable -success--Wagner appointed co-chief conductor with Reissiger--My own -first acquaintance with Richard Wagner--August Roeckel, the man, friend, -and musician--His letter describing Wagner--Intimacy and political sway -over Wagner--Visit of Berlioz to Dresden--His opinion of the "Dutchman" -and "Rienzi"--The father of Roeckel tutored by Beethoven in the part of -Florestan--Meetings of Richard Wagner and Hector Berlioz--Cold bearing -of the latter.....114 - - -CHAPTER XII. - -1843-1844. - -Hostility of the Dresden press--Wagner's energy and good humour when at -the conductor's desk--A born disciplinarian--Unflagging efforts to -improve the spiritless performances of master works--Interest evinced by -Spohr, who stigmatizes Beethoven's third period as barbarous -music--Wagner affects to ignore and despise criticism--In reality is -abnormally affected by it--Attacks on his personal attire, home -comforts, and manner of living--Wagner in seclusion--His tribute to the -constancy and devotion of August Roeckel--Wagner's opinion of Marschner -and Mendelssohn's "Midsummer Night's Dream"--The "Faust" overture -unsuccessful--Spontini and the "Vestal"--Visit of Wagner and Roeckel to -Spontini--Weber obsequies--Max von Weber with me in London--Reception of -the body in Germany--Funeral oration delivered by Richard -Wagner--Comparison between Wagner's public and private manner of -utterance.....124 - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -1845. - -"Tannhuser": story of its composition, poem and music--Its performance, -1845--First mention of Richard Wagner's name in the London press--The -criticisms (?) of 1845--An instance of the thoroughness of Richard -Wagner--Dawn of the 1848 revolution and Wagner's relation thereto--The -follower of August Roeckel expresses regret at his heated -language--Performance of the Choral Symphony under Wagner--Unusual -activity displayed in the preparations--The way he set to work--Part -explanation why I came to induce the London Philharmonic to invite him -to this country--His grasp of detail--Forethought displayed in writing -an analytical programme to acquaint audience with the meaning of the -work--Successful performance--Characteristics of Richard Wagner--His -opinion of Italian opera and dictum that an art work to endure must be -founded in reason and reflection--"Lohengrin": its popularity--"Music is -love"--The network of connection between Wagner's operas--Thoughts about -"Lohengrin" remaining on earth--Wagner never able to control his -finances--His position becomes embarrassed--At enmity with the -world--Composition of "Lohengrin"--Letter to his mother--Passionate -nature of Wagner--Complete identification of himself with his art--The -manner of his accepting services--His courage inspires our -admiration--The publication by himself of "Rienzi," "Dutchman," and -"Tannhuser"--A failure--"Tannhuser" offered to the firm of Cramer, -Beale, & Co. by me for nothing--Refused.....136 - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -1848. - -Wagner significantly silent as to his participation in the Saxon -Revolution, 1848-49--Wagner an active worker--Conclusive proof--A member -of the "Fatherland Union"--Paper read by Wagner before the Union--His -character--Charge of ingratitude towards his king absurd--Deputation to -king of Saxony--The four demands of the people--Refused--Leipzic -determines to march _en masse_ on Dresden--Reforms promised--Founding of -the "Fatherland Union"--Political leaflets printed and -distributed--Wagner reads his paper June 16, 1848: "What is the relation -that our republican efforts bear to the monarchy?"--Printed by the -Union--Copy forwarded to me at the time--Reproduced here--It is omitted -from Wagner's "Collected Writings"--An important document, since it -forms part of the official indictment against Wagner--The paper treats -of (1) relation of republic to monarchy; (2) nobility appealed to and -urged to join in the commonwealth; (3) abolition of first chamber; (4) -manhood suffrage advocated; (5) creation of national armies; (6) -communism a senseless theory and its reign impossible; (7) appeal to -improve the impoverished condition of the masses by timely concessions; -(8) founding of colonies; (9) the greatest and most far-reaching reforms -only possible under a republic of which the monarch is the head; (10) -the king logically the first republican; (11) "subjects" converted -into "free citizens"; (12) war against the office of king and not -against the person; (13) laudation of the Saxon potentate; (14) Wagner's -fidelity to the king; (15) advocates the abolition of the -monarchy--National armies--Roeckel, Wagner's assistant conductor, -dismissed, autumn, 1848--Founds a political paper; Wagner -contributes--Roeckel imprisoned for three days--The elections--Triumph -of the democratic party--Roeckel elected a deputy--Revision of taxation -and civil list--Subsidy to the theatre: Wagner defends it in paper -delivered to minister; Roeckel to defend it in the chamber--Details of -the paper.....151 - - -CHAPTER XV. - -1849-1851. - -The new Chamber of Deputies--The king of Saxony refuses to accept the -constitution formulated by the federated German parliament--The chambers -dissolved by the king--Wagner urges Roeckel to leave Dresden for fear of -arrest--Roeckel leaves for Prague--Hainberger, Bakunin, and Semper--The -outbreak--Wagner's incriminating note to Roeckel--Return of -Roeckel--Wagner in charge of convoys--Characteristic incident--Roeckel -taken prisoner--Origin of the revolt--Its character--Source of the -government charge against Wagner--Heubner, Bakunin, and Roeckel -imprisoned--Sentenced to death--Commuted--Actual part played by -Wagner--He carries a musket; heads a barricade--Wagner not personally -brave--His flight to Weimar--Liszt and the police official--Wagner in -Paris--Naturalized at Zurich--Proclamation by Saxon government, June, -1853, directing the arrest of Wagner--The government indictment -summarized--Richard Wagner amnestied, March, 1862--Important letter from -Wagner, March 15, 1851, to Edward Roeckel of Bath, detailing his own -share in the Revolution--Attempts of biographers to gloss over Wagner's -participation in Revolution--Wagner to blame--Conflicting extracts from -Wagner's early and later writings as to his precise share--The case -summarized.....170 - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -1850-1854. - -Wagner seeks an asylum in Paris--His reception disappointing--Leaves for -Switzerland--A second time within the year he returns to Paris--Again -vexed at the little recognition he meets with--Finally settles in Zurich -and becomes a naturalized subject--Reflections on the French and their -attitude towards art--His abruptness of speech, impatience of -incapacity, and vehement declamation wear the air of rudeness--Episode -at Bordeaux--He possesses the very failings of amorousness, Hebraic -shrewdness, and Gallic love of enjoyment denounced by him in others--At -Zurich unable to settle to work for some time--His exile the grandest -part of his life as regards art--Period of repose--For five years not -one single bar of music did he compose--Describes his Zurich life as -spent in "walking, reading, and literary work"--His literary -activity--Writes "Art and Revolution," "The Art Work of the Future," -"Art and Climate," "Judaism in Music," and "Opera and Drama"--The period -of his banishment the cradle of nearly all his great music-dramas: the -"Nibelung's Ring," "Tristan and Isolde," the "Mastersingers," and a -fragment of "Parsifal"--His pretty chalet, "The Retreat," at Zurich. The -Wesendoncks--Compares himself to the philosopher Hegel--The first -printing of the Nibelung poem, 1853--Resents allusion to it as a work of -literary merit--Recites portions of the lied--At Zurich conducts the -opera house--Hans von Blow his pupil--Wagner's festival week at -Zurich--Chapelmaster Lachner's prize symphony--His health always bad: -dyspepsia and erysipelas--At hydropathic establishments--His love for -the animal kingdom--Anecdote of "Peps," the Tannhuser dog.....194 - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -"JUDAISM IN MUSIC." - -The importance attached to the question--The paper said to have been -prompted by personal jealousy--Absurdity of the accusation--The London -press hostile because of his Jewish criticisms upon Mendelssohn and -Meyerbeer--The "Sunday Times" asserts that "the most ordinary English -ballad writer would shame him in the creation of melody, and no English -harmonist would pen such vile things"--The words he uttered in 1852 in -the Judaism paper lay deep in his heart, and he adhered to them in 1855 -and 1869--Wagner of opinion that his ostracism and suppression for many -years were due alone to the power of the Jews--Publication of the -article--Attempt to dismiss Brendel from his professional office at the -Leipzic conservatoire--Wagner asserts an involuntary revulsion of -feeling towards the Jews--The Jew always a foreigner--Wagner's Semitic -antipathy partly inherited--Cannot understand the natural humane -treatment of the Jews by the English--Admits the glorious history of the -Jews compared with the annals of the German barbarians--A Jew actor as a -hero or lover "ridiculous"--This assertion contradicted by -instances--The Jew offensive to Wagner in his speech, as regards -intonation and manner--Their absence of passion--Incapable of artistic -speech, the Jew is more incapable of artistic song--His unreasoned -attack on the lack of Jewish plastic artists--Further indulges in the -vulgar charge of usury--Attacks the cultivated Jew--The Jew incapable of -fathoming the heart of our civilized life--Cannot compose for those -whose feelings he does not understand--The synagogue the legitimate -sphere for the Hebraic composer--Outside this the Jewish musician can -only imitate Gentile composers--Criticism upon Mendelssohn--Criticism -upon Meyerbeer severe and unsparing--Meyerbeer's attitude towards the -critics--Cordially hated by Wagner--Wagner's own attitude towards the -London critics.....205 - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -1855. - -How Wagner came to be invited to London--I appear before the directors -of the Old Philharmonic--I find that they either know very little of him -or nothing at all--Richard Wagner visited at Zurich by a director--The -New York "Musical Gazette"--The London press upon Wagner--Condemned -before he is heard--The cause, "Judaism in Music"--Wagner's agreement -with the Philharmonic directors--Imposes two conditions: (1) a second -conductor; (2) several rehearsals--Gives way as to the first, but -insists on the second--Will not lend himself to anything -unworthy--Letter of 18th January--In accepting the Philharmonic -engagement Wagner "makes a sacrifice," but feels he must do this or -renounce forever all relations with the public--Projects a whole concert -of his works--The directors refuse--Irritation of Wagner--Letter of the -1st February--No special plan for his London expedition except what can -be done with a celebrated orchestra--States he does not know English and -is entirely without gift for modern languages--Enmity of the editor of -the "Musical World" (London), who confesses that Wagner is a "God in his -books, but he shall have no chance here"--Richard Wagner's arrival, -midnight, Sunday, 5th March, 1855--His head-gear--Objects to change his -felt hat--His democratic principles of 1849 now modified--Visit to Mr. -Anderson--The Lachner symphony proposed--Volcanic explosion of -Wagner--Would cancel his engagement rather than conduct Kapellmeister -music--Wagner's objection acceded to--Visit to Sainton and Costa--Wagner -refuses to call on any critics or pay any other visits of etiquette--At -dinner--Wagner dainty--Quick though moderate eater--His -workroom--Self-denial not his characteristic--His intrepidity borders -close upon the reckless--Introduction to the Philharmonic -orchestra--Briefly addresses them--Diplomatic, but his will law--The -concert--Programme--His conducting--The "Times" abuses him--After the -concert, at Wagner's rooms--His playing the piano--His singing like the -barking or howling of a Newfoundland dog--Well pleased with his first -introduction to an English audience--His volubility--Abuse of fashion -and white kid gloves for a conductor--The second concert--"Lohengrin" -prelude, overture to "Der Freischtz," "Ninth Symphony"--Overture -encored--Wagner objects to encores, but enthusiasm of audience demands -the repetition--"Lohengrin" prelude a surprise, as Wagner's music had -been described "noise and fury".....218 - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -1855. _Continued._ - -The "Ninth Symphony" rehearsed--Surprise of the orchestra--Guildhall, -Fafner, and Falsolt--The mint and his projected theatre--Daily promenade -of Richard Wagner with dog to Regent's Park to feed the ducks--Wagner -and the introduction of the animal kingdom upon the stage--Unlimited -means the key to his passion for realism--Unlimited means the dream of -his life--The third concert; "Euryanthe"--Wagner's habit of snuff-taking -while at the piano--His smoking--His irritability--Love for silks and -velvets partly due to physical causes--Anger at shams--"Punch" on -Wagner--Fourth concert; Wagner insists on leaving England next morning -and breaking his engagement--Dissuaded--Fifth concert; success of the -"Tannhuser" overture--Wagner's forty-second birthday; violet velvet -dressing-gown--Signs himself "Conductor of the Philharmonic omnibus," in -allusion to the "full" programmes--Cyprian Potter--The Queen, Prince -Consort, and Richard Wagner--Repetition of "Tannhuser" -overture--Berlioz and Wagner--The press and anonymous articles--Anxiety -of Wagner to serve Berlioz--The last concert and departure from London, -26th June--A few quotations from the contemporary press.....241 - - -CHAPTER XX. - -1855-1856. - -Letters of Wagner--In Paris--Home at Zurich--Domestic pets--"Cries -constantly" at the death of "Peps"--Buries the dog--Minna ill--Wagner on -a sick-bed--His acquaintance with the French language--The French of -Berlioz and Wagner compared--Letter in French from Wagner--He is "more -luxurious than Sardanapalus and all the old Roman emperors"--His frame -of mind during the composition of the Walkre--Study of Schopenhauer and -request for London snuff.....268 - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -ZURICH, 1856. - -A picture of Minna--Wagner an early riser--His acquaintance with -Schopenhauer--Wagner a pessimist?--The first promptings of "Tristan and -Isolde"--How did Richard Wagner compose?--The manner of Beethoven, -Haydn, and Wagner compared--Wagner's thumping--Admits he is not at his -best when improvising--Schaffhausen--The lions--Wagner's -extravagance--Duke of Coburg's offer--The Wesendoncks.....288 - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -1857-1861. - -His health "shattered"--Goes to Venice--Returns to Paris--Resides in -Octave Feuillet's house--The strong opposition of the press--The origin -of the performance of "Tannhuser"--The story of the cabal and -disaster.....300 - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -LETTERS FROM 1861-1865. - -Letters from Wagner.....309 - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -1865-1883. - -Munich--Wagner in low spirits--His relations with the young king of -Bavaria--His house--Fearlessness of speech--Presence of mind--Intrigues -against him--Leaves for Geneva--Return to Munich--Treatment of the -king--Approaching change in Wagner's life--Madame von Blow--Wagner's -second marriage--Letters from him--Under a new light--His love for -home--"Siegfried"--Lucerne--Wagner at home--Peace--His -autobiography--His opinion of Liszt--The end--Wagner's work and -character.....317 - - - - -WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -1813-1821. - - -Seldom has the proverb "The child is father to the man" been more -completely verified in the life of any prominent brain-worker than in -that of Richard Wagner. The serious thinker of threescore, with his soul -deep in his work, is the developed school-boy of thirteen lauded by his -masters for unusual application and earnestness. All his defects and -virtues, his affections and antipathies, can be traced to their original -sources in his childhood. No great individuality was ever less -influenced by misfortune or success in after-life than Wagner. The -mission he felt within him and which he resolutely set himself to -accomplish, he unswervingly pursued throughout the varied phases of his -eventful career. Beyond contention, Richard Wagner is, I think, the -greatest art personality of this century,--unequalled as a musician, -great as a poet as regards the matter, moral, and mode of expression, -whilst in dramatic construction a very Shakespeare. With an ardent -desire to reform the stage, he has succeeded beyond his hopes; and well -was he fitted to undertake such a gigantic task. His family--father, -step-father, eldest brother, and three sisters--and early surroundings -were all connected with the stage. Cradled in a theatrical atmosphere, -nurtured on theatrical traditions, with free access to the best theatres -from the first days his intellect permitted him to enjoy stage -representations, himself a born actor, and with earnestness as the rule -of his life, it is no matter for surprise that he stands foremost among -the great stage reformers of modern times. - -By birth he belonged to the middle class. A son of the people he always -felt himself; and throughout his career he strove to soften the hard -toil of their lot by inspiring in them a love for art, the power to -enjoy which he considered the goal of all education and civilization. To -him the people represented the true and natural, untainted by the -artificiality that characterized the wealthy classes. - -[Sidenote: _HIS FATHER, FREDERICK WAGNER._] - -Painstaking, energy, and ability seem to have been the attributes of -Wagner's ancestors. His paternal grandfather held an appointment under -the customs at Leipzic as "thorschreiber," _i.e._ an officer who levied -toll upon all supplies that entered the town. Family tradition describes -him as a man of attainments in advance of his station, a characteristic -which also distinguished his son Frederick (Richard's father). Frederick -Wagner, born in 1770, also held an appointment under the Saxon -government. A sort of superintendent of the Leipzic police, he spent his -leisure time in studying French. Although unaided, he must have attained -some degree of proficiency; as subsequently he was called upon to make -use of it, and it proved of great service to him. He was a man of -literary tastes, and was famed in Leipzic for his great reading and -knowledge. Goethe and Schiller were then the beacon-lights of young -German poetry. Their pregnant philosophical reasoning, clothed in so -attractive, new, and beautiful a garb, fascinated Frederick Wagner, and -he made them his serious study--a love which was inherited by his son -Richard, who oft in his literary works refers to Goethe and Schiller as -the two greatest German poets. - -Like all natives of Leipzic he was passionately fond of the stage. The -enthusiasm of all classes of society in Leipzic for matters theatrical -is historic. Frederick Wagner attached himself to a company of amateur -actors, and threw himself with such zest into the study of the -histrionic art as to achieve considerable distinction and court -patronage. The performances of this company were not unfrequently open -to the public; indeed, at one time, when the town theatre was -temporarily closed, the amateurs replaced the regular professionals, the -Elector of Saxony evincing enough interest in the troupe to pay the hire -of the building specially engaged for their performances. - -When the peace of Europe was disturbed by the wild, ambitious plottings -of Napoleon, a body of French troops were quartered at Leipzic under -Marshal Davoust. It was now that Frederick Wagner's self-taught French -was turned to account, as he was appointed to carry on communications -between the German and the French soldiers. The Saxon Elector submitting -to the French conqueror, the government of the town passed into French -hands. Davoust, with the shrewd perspicacity of an officer of Napoleon's -army, saw the solid qualities of Frederick, and directed him to -reorganize the town police, at the same time nominating him -superintendent-in-chief. He did not retain this appointment many months, -as he died of typhoid fever, caught from the French soldiers, on the 22d -of November, 1813. - -Of his "dear little mother" Wagner often spoke to me, and always in -terms of the fondest affection. He described her as a woman of small -stature, active frame, self-possessed, with a large amount of common -sense, thrifty and of a very affectionate nature. - -The Wagner family consisted of nine children, four boys and five girls. -Richard, the youngest of all, was born on the 22d May, 1813, at Leipzic. -At the time of his father's death he was therefore but six months old. -The eldest of the children, Albert, was born in 1799. He went on the -stage as a singer at an early age, having a somewhat high tenor voice. -In 1833 we find him stage manager and singer at Wurtzburg, engaging his -brother Richard as chorus director. He afterwards became stage manager -at Dresden and Berlin, dying in 1874. - -[Sidenote: _LUDWIG GEYER._] - -Three of Wagner's sisters, Rosalie, born 1803, Louisa, born 1805, and -Clara, born 1807, were also induced to choose the stage as a profession, -each being endowed with unmistakable histrionic talent. Although not -great they were actresses of decided merit. Laube, an eminent German art -critic and writer, has given it as his opinion that Rosalie was to be -preferred to Wilhelmina Schroeder, afterwards the celebrated -Schroeder-Devrient, but this praise Wagner considered excessive, -attributing it to the critic's friendly relations with the family. - -The unexpected death of Frederick Wagner threw the family into great -tribulation. A small pension was allowed the widow by government, but -with eight young children (one, Karl, born some time before, had died), -the eldest but fourteen years of age, the struggle was severe and likely -to have terminated disastrously, notwithstanding the watchful thrift of -Frau Wagner, had not Ludwig Geyer, a friend of the dead Frederick, -generously helped the widow. Geyer was a favourite actor at Leipzic. A -man of versatile gifts, he was poet, portrait-painter, and successful -playwright. For two years he continuously identified himself with the -Wagner household, after which, in 1815, he assumed the whole -responsibility by marrying his friend's widow. Shortly after his -marriage Geyer was offered an engagement at the Royal Theatre, Dresden, -which would confer on him the highly coveted title of "Hofschauspieler," -or court actor. He accepted the appointment, and the whole family -removed with him to the Saxon capital. At this time Richard was two -years old. Frederick Wagner, as a thorough Leipzic citizen, had already -interested his family in theatrical matters; now by Geyer becoming the -head of the household, the stage and its doings became the every-day -topic, and therefore the next consequence was its adoption by the eldest -children, Albert, Rosalie, Louisa, and Clara. What wonder then that -Richard was influenced by the theatrical atmosphere in which he was -trained. - -From the first Geyer displayed the tenderest affection towards the small -and delicately fragile baby. Throughout his life Wagner was a spoilt -child, and the spoiling dates from his infancy. Both step-father and -mother took every means of petting him. His mother particularly idolized -him, and seems, so Wagner told me, to have often built castles in the -air as to his future. They were drawn towards the boy, first, because of -his sickly, frail constitution; and secondly, owing to his bright powers -of observation, which made his childish remarks peculiarly winning. As -the boy grew up he remained delicate. He was affected with an irritating -form of erysipelas, which constantly troubled him up to the time of his -death. - -[Sidenote: _BOYHOOD AT DRESDEN._] - -Ludwig Geyer's income from all sources,--acting, portrait-painting, and -play-writing--did not amount to a sum sufficient to admit of luxuries. -Poor Madame Geyer, with her large, growing family, had still to keep a -watchful eye over household expenditure. Portrait-painting was not a -lucrative occupation, and play-writing less so, yet she contrived that -the girls should receive pianoforte lessons. It was customary for needy -students of the public schools to eke out their existence by giving -lessons in music, languages, or sciences; indeed, it was not uncommon to -find some students wholly dependent on such gains for the payment of -their own school fees. The fees usually paid in such instances were -sadly small, and not unfrequently did the remuneration take the form of -a "free table." At that time there was scarcely a family in Germany that -had not its piano. A piano was then obtainable at a cost incredibly -small compared with the sums paid to-day. True, the cases were but -coloured deal or some common stained wood, whilst the mechanism was of -the least expensive kind. In shape they were square, with the plainest -unturned legs. Upright instruments had not then been introduced. - -The Wagner family went to Dresden in 1815, and from that time, up to the -date of his entering the town school at the end of 1822, Richard -received either at school or at home no regular tuition. The boy was -sickly and his mother was content to let him live and develop without -forcing him to any systematic school work. It would seem that he -received irregular lessons in drawing from his step-father, as Wagner -told me that Geyer had hoped to discover some talent in him for the -pencil, and on finding he had not the slightest gift, he was very much -disappointed. As a boy, he continued to be a pet with Geyer, -accompanying his step-father in his rambles during the day or attending -with him the rehearsals at the theatre. Such home education as he did -receive was of the most fragmentary kind, a little help here and there -from his sisters or attention from Geyer or his mother. Music lessons he -had none. All he remembered in after-life was having listened to his -sisters' playing, and only by degrees taking interest in their work. His -own reminiscences of his boyhood were plain in one point--he certainly -was not a musical prodigy. He fingered and thumbed the keyboard like a -boy, but such scraps as he played were always by ear. - -Anxieties for a second time now began to thicken round the Wagner -family. The court actor Geyer was laid on a sick-bed. He was not of a -robust constitution, and conscious of failing health and apprehensive of -death, sought anxiously to find some indication in young Richard of any -decided talent which might help him to suggest as to the boy's future -career. He had tried, as I have said, to find whether his step-son -possessed any skill with the pencil, and sorrowfully perceived he had -none. In other directions, of course, it was difficult for Geyer to -determine as to any particular gift, if we remember the tender years of -the boy. As to music, it would have been nothing short of divination to -have predicted that there lay his future, since up to that time Richard -had not even been taught his notes. But the court actor was an artist, -and with unerring instinct detected in a simple melody played by Richard -from memory that in music "he might become something." - -[Sidenote: _THE WAGNER HOUSEHOLD._] - -Richard had been fascinated by a snatch of melody which was constantly -played by his sisters. He caught it by ear, and was one day strumming it -softly on the piano when alone. His mother overheard him. Surprised and -pleased at the boy's unsuspected accomplishment, Geyer was told, and the -melody was repeated in a louder tone for the benefit of the invalid in -the next room. It was the bridal chorus from "Der Freischtz." Although -a very simple melody and of easy execution, it must have been played -with unusual feeling for a child to prompt Geyer almost to the prophetic -utterance, "Has he perhaps talent for music?" Wagner heard this, and -told me how deeply he was impressed by it. On the next day Geyer died, -13th September, 1821. Richard was then eight years and four months old, -and preserved the most vivid remembrance of his mother coming from the -death chamber weeping, but calm, and walking straight to him, saying, -"He wished to make something of you, Richard." These words, Wagner -said, remained with him ever after, and he boyishly resolved "to be -something." But he had not then the faintest notion in what direction -that something was going to be. Certainly music was not forecast as the -arena of his future triumphs, since in his letter to F. Villot, dated -September, 1860, he tells us that it was not until after his efforts in -the poetical art, and subsequent to the death of Beethoven, 1827, _i.e_. -six years after Geyer's death, that he seriously began to study music. - -For a second time was the family thrown into comparative adversity. But -the embarrassment was less serious than in 1813, since the three eldest -children were now at an age to contribute materially to the general -support. A trifling annuity was again awarded to the widow, and with -careful thrift she resumed her sway of the household. The family at this -time consisted of the widow; Albert, twenty-two years; Rosalie, -eighteen; Julius, seventeen, apprenticed to a goldsmith; Louisa, -sixteen; Clara, fourteen; Ottilie, ten; Richard, eight and four months; -and Cecilia Geyer, six, the only child of Frau Wagner's second marriage. -The two eldest girls and Albert had already embraced the theatrical -profession. Family circumstances were therefore not so pinched as at the -death of Frederick Wagner. - -No plan having yet been devised as to the future of Richard, he was sent -on a visit to an uncle Geyer at Eisleben, between which place and his -mother's home at Dresden, he spent the next fifteen months, when it was -decided to enter him at the Kreuzschule (the Cross School), Dresden. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -1822-1827. - - -His first visit to Eisleben--the going among strange people, new -scenery, and for the first time sleeping away from his mother's -home--was the first great event of his life, and left an indelible -impression on him. The details he remembered in connection with this -early visit, at a time when he was not nine years old, point to the -vividness of the picture of the whole journey in his mind and his strong -retentive memory. - -The story I had from Wagner in one of our rambles at Zurich in 1856. - -[Sidenote: _HIS VISIT TO EISLEBEN._] - -"My first journey to Eisleben," said Wagner to me, "was in the beginning -of 1822. Can one ever forget a first impression? And my first long -journey was such an event! Why, I seem even to remember the physiognomy -of the poor lean horses that drew the jolting 'postkarre.' They were -being changed at some intermediate station, the name of which I have now -forgotten, when all the passengers had to alight. I stood outside the -inn eating the 'butterbrod,' with which my dear little mother ('mein -liebes Mtterchen' was the term of endearment invariably used by Wagner, -when referring to his mother) had provided me, and as the horses were -about to be led away, I caressed them affectionately for having brought -me so far. How every cloud seemed to me different from those of the -Dresden sky! How I scrutinized every tree to find some new -characteristic! How I looked around in all directions to discover -something I had not yet seen in my short life! How grand I felt when the -heavy car rolled into the town of Eisleben! Even then Eisleben had a -halo of something great for my boyish imagination, since I knew it to be -the birthplace of Luther, one of the heroes of my youth, and one that -has not grown less with my increasing years. Nor was it without a reason -that, at so early a period, religion should occupy the attention of a -boy of my age. It was forced upon my family when we came to Dresden. The -court was Roman Catholic, and in consequence, no inconsiderable pressure -was brought to bear upon all families who were connected in any manner -with the government to compel them to embrace the court-religion. My -family had been among the staunchest of Lutherans for generations. What -attracted me most in the great reformer's character, was his dauntless -energy and fearlessness. Since then I have often ruminated on the true -instinct of children, for I, had I not also to preach a new Gospel of -Art? Have I not also had to bear every insult in its defence, and have I -not too said, 'Here I stand, God help me, I cannot be otherwise!' - -"My good uncle tried his best to put me through some regular educational -training. It was intended that he should prepare me as far as he could -for school, as the famous Kreuzschule was talked of for me. Yet, I must -confess I did not profit much by his instruction. I preferred rambling -about the little country town and its environs to learning the rules of -grammar. That I profited little was, I fear, my own fault. Legends and -fables then had an immense fascination over me, and I often beguiled my -uncle into reading me a story that I might avoid working. But what -always drew me towards him was his strong affection for my own loved -step-father. Whenever he spoke of him, and he did so very often, he -always referred to his loving good-nature, his amiability, and his gifts -as an artist, and then would murmur with a tearful sigh 'that he had to -die so young!' - -"It was arranged that I should enter the Dresden school in December, -1822, just at a time when my sisters were busy with the exciting -preparations for the family Christmas-tree. How good it was of my mother -then to let us have a tree, poor as we were! I was not pleased to go to -school just three days before Christmas Day, and probably would have -revolted had not my mother talked me over and made me see the advantages -of entering so celebrated an academy as the Kreuzschule, pacifying my -disappointment by allowing me to rise at early dawn to do my part to the -tree. Now I cannot see a lighted Christmas-tree without thinking of the -kind woman, nor prevent the tears starting to my eyes, when I think of -the unceasing activity of that little creature for the comfort and -welfare of her children." - -[Sidenote: _MENTAL ACTIVITY.--STATURE._] - -Wagner was deeply moved when, on Christmas Day, he found amongst the -usual gifts, such as "Pfefferkuchen" (ginger-bread) and "Stolle" (butter -cake), a new suit of clothes for himself, a present from his thoughtful -mother for him to go to school with. Throughout his life Wagner was -always remarkably prim and neatly dressed, caring much for his personal -appearance. The low state of the widow's exchequer was well known to -Richard, and he could appreciate the effort made for him. He was no -sooner at school than he attracted to himself a few of the cleverest -boys by his early developed gift of ready speech and sarcasm. "Die -Dummer haben mich immer gehasst" (the stupid have ever hated me) was a -favourite saying of his in after-life. The study of the dead languages, -his principal subject, was a delight to him. He had a facility for -languages. It was one of his gifts. History and geography also attracted -him. He was an omnivorous reader, and his precise knowledge on any -subject was always a matter of surprise to the most intimate. It could -never be said what he had read or what he had not read, and here perhaps -is the place to note a remarkable feature in Wagner's disposition, viz. -his modesty. Did he require information on any subject, his manner of -asking was childlike in its simplicity. He was patient in learning and -in mastering the point. But it should be observed that nothing short of -the most complete and satisfactory explanation would satisfy him. And -then would the thinking-power of the man declare itself. The information -he had newly acquired would be thoroughly assimilated and then given -forth under a new light with a force truly remarkable. - -In stature Wagner was below the middle size, and like most undersized -men always held himself strictly erect. He had an unusually wiry, -muscular frame, small feet, an aristocratic feature which did not extend -to his hands. It was his head, however, that could not fail to strike -even the least inquiring that there he had to do with no ordinary -mortal. The development of the frontal part, which a phrenologist would -class at a glance amongst those belonging only to the master-minds, -impressed every one. His eyes had a piercing power, but were kindly -withal, and were ready to smile at a witty remark. Richard Wagner lacked -eyebrows, but nature, as if to make up for this deficiency, bestowed on -him a most abundant crop of bushy hair, which he carefully kept brushed -back, thereby exposing the whole of his really Jupiter-like brow. His -mouth was very small. He had thin lips and small teeth, signs of a -determined character. The nose was large and in after-life somewhat -disfigured by the early-acquired habit of snuff-taking. The back of his -head was fully developed. These were according to phrenological -principles power and energy. Its shape was very similar to that of -Luther, with whom, indeed, he had more than one point of character in -common. - -In answer to my inquiries about his school period at Dresden, he told me -that he was remarkably small, a circumstance not unattended with good -fortune, since it served to increase the favour of his school -professors, who looked upon his unusual mental energy in comparison with -his pigmy frame as nothing short of wonderful. - -As a boy he was passionate and strong-headed. His violent temper and -obstinate determination were not to be thwarted in anything he had set -his mind to. Among boys such wilfulness of character was the cause of -frequent dissensions. He rarely, however, came to blows, for he had a -shrewd wit and was winningly entreating in speech, and with much -adroitness would bend them to his whims. - -[Sidenote: _HIS YOUTHFUL ESCAPADES._] - -Erysipelas sorely tried the boy during his school life. Every change in -the weather was a trouble to him. As regards the loss of his eyebrows, -an affliction which ever caused him some regret, Wagner attributed it to -a violent attack of St. Anthony's fire, as this painful malady is also -called. An attack would be preceded by depression of spirits and -irritability of temper. Conscious of his growing peevishness, he sought -refuge in solitude. As soon as the attack was subdued, his bright animal -spirits returned and none would recognize in the daring little fellow -the previous taciturn misanthrope. - -Practical joking was a favourite sport with him, but only indulged in -when harm could befall no one, and incident offered some funny -situation. To hurt one willingly was, I think, impossible in Wagner. He -was ever kind and would never have attempted anything that might result -in real pain. - -His superabundance of animal spirits, well-seconded by his active frame, -led him often into hairbrained escapades which threatened to terminate -fatally. But his fearless intrepidity was tempered and dominated by a -strong self-reliance, which always came to the rescue at the critical -moment. - -On one occasion when the boys of the Kreuzschule were assembled in class -for daily work, an unexpected holiday was announced for that day. A -chance like that was a rare thing at schools on the continent. The boys, -wild with excitement, rushed pell mell from the building, and showed -their delight in the usual tumultuous manner of school-boys freed from -restraint. Caps were thrown in the air, when Wagner, seizing that of one -of his companions, threw it with an unusual effort on to the roof of -the school-house, a feat loudly applauded by the rest of the scholars. -But there was one dissentient, the unlucky boy whose cap had been thus -ruthlessly snatched. He burst into tears. Wagner could never bear to see -any one cry, and with that prompt decision so characteristic of him at -all periods of his life, decided at once to mount the roof for the cap. -He re-entered the school-house, rushed up the stairs to the cock-loft, -climbed out on the roof through a ventilator, and gazed down on the -applauding boys. He then set himself to crawl along the steep incline -towards the cap. The boys ceased cheering at the sight and drew back in -fear and terror. Some hurriedly ran to the "custodes." A ladder was -brought and carried up stairs to the loft, the boys eagerly crowding -behind. Meanwhile Wagner had secured the cap, safely returned to the -opening, and slid back into the dark loft just in time to hear excited -talking on the stairs. He hid himself in a corner behind some boxes, -waited for the placing of the ladder, and "custodes" ascending it, when -he came from his hiding-place, and in an innocent tone inquired what -they were looking for, a bird, perhaps? "Ja, ein Galenvogel" (yes, a -gallows bird), was the angry answer of the infuriated "custodes," who, -after all, were glad to see the boy safe, their general favourite. He -did not go unrebuked by the masters this time, and was threatened with -severe chastisement the next time he ventured on such a foolhardy -expedition. - -[Sidenote: _HIS ACROBATIC FEATS._] - -Wagner told me that whilst on the roof, which, like all roofs of old -houses in Germany, was extremely steep, he felt giddy, and was seized -with a dread of falling. Bathed in a fever of perspiration, he uttered -aloud, "liebe mtterchen," upon which he felt transformed. It acted on -his frame with the power of magic, and helped him to retrace his steps -from a position which would appall a practised gymnast. Many years after -this, Wagner's eldest brother, Albert, when referring to Richard having -taken part in the rising of the people of Saxony in 1849, which he -personally strongly deprecated, told me the above story in illustration -of Richard's extreme foolhardiness. The episode was fully confirmed by -Wagner, who then told me of his fears on the roof. - -It was not in climbing only that Richard excelled. He was known as the -best tumbler and somersault-turner of the large Dresden school. Indeed, -he was an adept in every form of bodily exercise; and as his animal -spirits never left him, he still performed boyish tricks even when -nearing threescore and ten. The roof of the Kreuzschule was not -infrequently referred to by me, and when Wagner proposed some -venturesome undertaking, I would say, "You are on the roof again." - -"Ah, but I shall get safely down again, too," was the answer, -accompanied with his pleasant boyish laugh. - -Richard early began to exhibit his love of acrobatic feats. When as -young as seven, he would frighten his mother by sliding down the -banisters with daring rapidity and jumping down stairs. As he always -succeeded in his feats, his mother and the other children took it for -granted that he would not come to grief, and sometimes he would be asked -to exhibit his unwonted skill to visitors. This no doubt increased the -boy's confidence in himself--a self-reliance which never left him to the -time of his death. - -Wagner's affection for his mother was of the tenderest. It was the love -of a poet infused with all his noblest ideality. The dear name, whenever -uttered by Richard Wagner, was spoken in tones so soft and tender as to -bespeak at once the sympathy and affection existing between the two. A -halo of glory ever encircled "mein leibe mtterchen." Nothing can give a -better idea of this gentle love than the passages in "Seigfried," the -child of the forest, where the hero demands of the ugly dwarf, Mime, who -had brought him up, "Who was my mother?" an inquiry he repeated after he -had killed the hideous dragon, Fafner, and thereby became able to -understand the song of the birds. If ever music could give an idea of -love, here in these passages we have it. In what touching accents comes, -"How may my mother have looked? Surely her eyes must have shone with the -radiant sparkle of the hind, but much more beautiful!" Every allusion to -his mother in this scene is expressed in the orchestra with an ethereal -refinement and originality of conception to which one finds no parallel -in the whole range of music of the past. I verily believe that Richard -Wagner never loved any one so deeply as his "liebe mtterchen." All his -references to her of his childhood period were of affection, amounting -almost to idolatry. With that instinctive power of unreasoned yet -unerring perception possessed by women, she from his childhood felt the -gigantic brain-power of the boy, and his love for her was not unmixed -with gratitude for her tacit acknowledgment of his genius. - -[Sidenote: _HIS LOVE FOR ANIMALS._] - -One of his early developed affections was a strong love for animals. On -this point, and what I know of its strong sway with him in his dramas, -I shall have something to say hereafter. Now I shall confine myself to -the recital of an incident of his boyhood. To see a helpless beast -ill-treated was to rouse all the strong passion within him. Anger would -overcome all reason, and he would as a child fly at the offender. - -One of his first impressions was a chance visit he paid with some of his -school-fellows to a slaughter yard. An ox was about to be killed. The -butcher, stripped, stood with uplifted axe. The horrible implement -descended on the head of the stately animal, who gave a low, deep moan. -The blows and moans were repeated. The boy grew wild, and would have -rushed at the butcher had not his companions forcibly held him back and -taken him away from the scene. For some time after he could not touch -meat, and it was only when other impressions effaced this scene that he -became reconciled by his mother reasoning that animals must be killed, -and that it was perhaps preferable to dying slowly by sickness and old -age. When a man, he could not refer to this incident without a shudder. - -In after-life he rarely missed an opportunity of pleading for better -treatment of animals, drawing the attention of the municipal authorities -to the prevention of wanton cruelty, and arguing that animals, to be -killed for human food, should be despatched with the minimum of pain. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -1822-1827. _Continued._ - - -From the record of the Kreuzschule it appears that Wagner entered that -famous training college on the 22d December, 1822, as Richard Wilhelm -Geyer, son of the late court actor of that name. He would then be nearly -ten years old. - -[Sidenote: _AT THE KREUZSCHULE, DRESDEN._] - -He told me that he well remembered the eager delight with which he -looked forward to the prospect of enjoying systematic instruction. He -hoped to be placed high in the school, yet dreaded the entrance -examination, conscious how very patched was _then_ his store of -information. During his first seven years' residence in Dresden, from -1815-1822, the Kreuzschule, had been an every-day object to him, and yet -on entering the building for the first time as an intending student, a -feeling of awe took possession of him. The unsuspected majesty of the -building, the echo of his footfall on the stone steps, made his young -heart beat with expectant wonder. The result of the examination was to -place him in the first form, his bright, quick, intelligent replies -proving more valuable than his disconnected knowledge. For the masters -of the Kreuzschule he ever retained an affection, their genial bearing -and friendly tuition comparing favourably with the pedantic overbearing -demeanour of the masters of the St. Nicholas school in Leipzic, where -he went later on, men who represented a past and effete dogmatic German -pedantry. - -The direction of his school studies was almost entirely classic. For -Greek he evinced a strong affection. Many a time has he told me that he -was drawn towards the history of the Greeks by their refined sense of -beauty, and the didactic nature of their drama, embodying as it did -their religion, politics, and social existence. - -Wagner never lost an opportunity of dilating upon, by speech and pen, -what might accurately be described as the basis of all his art work. The -drama of a nation, he persistently contended, was a faithful mirror of -its people. Where the tone of the drama was base the people would be -found degraded either through their own acts or the superior force of -others. Where the mission of the national drama was the inculcation of -high moral lessons, patriotism, and love, there the people were thrice -blessed. This idea of a national drama for his fatherland possessed him. -He longed to lift the German drama from its "miserable" condition, and -his model was "the noble, perfect, grand, and heroic tragedy of the -Hellenes." These words I have quoted from a pamphlet, "The Work and -Mission of my Life," written less than ten years ago by Wagner. Their -meaning is so clear and they summarize so accurately what Wagner in his -younger days oft discussed with me that I am glad to add my testimony to -what I know was the ambition of his life. - -In his ardent struggles to found a national drama we clearly trace the -young Dresden student. Here, indeed, is a plain incontestable instance -of the boy as the father of the man. His school studies were -pre-eminently Greek language and literature, and it was this which -dominated almost the whole of his future career. Hellenic history -permeated his entire being, and he gave it forth in the form and model -of his immortal music-dramas, in the mode of their development, and in -their close union between the stage story and the life of the people. - -At school, translations of schylus by Apel, a German writer of -mediocrity, constituted his chief textbooks. The tragedies suited so -well the boy's nature that he soon became possessed with a longing to -read them in the original. So real and fruitful was his earnestness, -that by the time he was thirteen he had translated at home, and entirely -for his own gratification, several books of the "Odyssey." This private -home work was, he remembered, greatly encouraged by his mother, who, -although untutored herself, revered, with a divination characteristic of -women of the people, his efforts after a knowledge which she felt would -surely be productive of future greatness. This piece of diligent extra -school work is another of the many examples of the boy Wagner, "father -to the man." Hard worker he always was. Persistency of application -characterized him throughout his life, and when it is stated that during -this very period of the "Odyssey" translation, he was also privately -studying English to read Shakespeare, who is not amazed at the -extraordinary energy of the boy? No wonder that the school professors -spoke flatteringly of him, and looked for great things from him, and no -wonder that the fond mother felt confirmed in her belief that Richard -"would become something," and that Geyer's dying utterance would not be -falsified. - -[Sidenote: _EARLY POETICAL EFFORTS._] - -Wagner's nature was that of a poet. The metrical skill of the Hellenes -fascinated him and fostered his strongly marked sense of rhythm. - -As regards mathematics, I never remember him in all our discussions to -have uttered anything which might lead me to suppose he had ever any -special liking for that branch of education, but at the same time I -should add that his power of reasoning was at all times strong and -lucid, as if based upon the precision acquired by close mathematical -study. In all he did he was eminently logical. - -His effort as a poet dates from a very early period. The incident, the -death of a fellow-scholar, was just that which would touch a sensitive -nature like Richard's. A school prize was offered for an elegy, and -Wagner, eleven years old, competed. The presence of death to him was at -all times terrible in its awful annihilation of all consciousness. -Whether in man or beast, it was sure to set him pondering on the -"whither?" a question to which at a later period of his life he devoted -much labour to satisfactorily answer. Although not twelve years old, -death had robbed him of his father and step-father, and their dark -shadows flitted before him, reviving sad memories which time had paled. -It was under this spell that the elegy was written, and it is not -astonishing that the prize was adjudged to him. The poem was printed, -but, unhappily, not preserved. In telling me of this early creative -effort, and in reply to a naturally expressed desire to hear his own -opinion about it, he said that beyond the incident he had not the -faintest remembrance of the style or wording of the poem, jocularly -adding that he would himself much like to see his "Opus I." - -There was a halo of poetry about the Dresden school. Theodore Krner, -the poet of freedom, was a pupil at the Kreuzschule up to 1808. His -inspiriting songs were sung by old and young. Loved by all, his death, -at the early age of twenty-two on the battle-field fighting for German -freedom, made him the idol of his countrymen. The boys of his own school -were intensely proud of him. To emulate Krner was the eager wish of -every one of them, and into Wagner's poetic nature the poetry of the man -and the cause he sung sank deeper than with the rest. The battle-songs -of the fiery young patriot received an immortal setting by Wagner's -idol, Weber. - -[Sidenote: _FIRST LESSONS ON THE PIANO._] - -The admiration of the future poet of "Tristan" for the genius of -Shakespeare impelled him, as soon as he had sufficiently mastered -English, to produce a metrical translation of Romeo's famous soliloquy. -This was done when he had hardly completed his fourteenth year. Up to -this period, poetry unquestionably dominated him. All his essays had -been literary. Nothing had been done in music. It was now, however, that -his latent music forced itself out of him. Up to the time that he -entered the Dresden school, in his ninth year, he had received -absolutely no instruction in music, and during his five years of school -life a few desultory piano lessons from a young tutor, who used to help -him at home with his school exercises, embraced the whole of his musical -tuition up to the age of fourteen. For the technical part of his music -lessons he had a decided dislike. The dry study of fingering he greatly -objected to, and to the last never acquired any rational finger method. -When joked about his ridiculous clumsy fingering, he would reply with -characteristic waggishness, "I play a great deal better than Berlioz," -who, it should be stated, could not play at all. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -LEIPZIC, 1827-1831. - - -For some time Rosalie and Louisa, Richard's two sisters, had been -engaged at the Leipzic theatre, where they were very popular. Madame -Geyer, desirous of being near her daughters and within easy reach of -assistance, returned to Leipzic with the younger children and Richard -with them. For ten years, from about 1818 to 1828, my father held the -post of Kapellmeister at the Stadttheater, under the management of -Kstner, a celebrated director. The period of Kstner's management is -famous in the annals of the German stage for the high intellectual tone -that pervaded the performances under his direction. The names of some of -the artists who appeared there are now historic. So high was the -standard of excellence reached in these truly model performances, that -the whole character of German stage representations was influenced and -elevated by it. This was the theatre at which Rosalie and Louisa were -engaged. These were the high artistic performances which the youthful -poet Richard witnessed, and which deeply affected the impressionable -embryo dramatist. - -[Sidenote: _ROSALIE AND LOUISA WAGNER._] - -Of this period, actors, plays, and incidents, I had the most vivid -remembrance from the close connection of my father with the theatre and -the friendly intercourse of my family with the actors. Wagner would -take great delight in discussing the performances and actors. He was -fond, too, of hearing what I, in my boyhood, thought of the acting of -his sisters, and from our frequent and intimate conversations, bearing -on his youthful impressions of the stage, he uttered many striking and -original remarks which will appear later on. A popular piece then was -Weber's "Sylvana," in which Louisa performed the part of the forest -child. This part apparently won the youthful admiration of both of us. -Wagner's remembrance of certain incidents connected with it was -marvellous to me. - -On his return to Leipzic, his first impulse drove him to visit the house -in the Brhl in which he was born. Is it not possible that even at that -early stage of his life his extraordinary ambition of "becoming -something great" might have foreshadowed to him that the humble -habitation of his childhood would later on bear the proud inscription, -"Richard Wagner was born here"? What struck him at once as very strange -was the foreign aspect of that part of the town where the Jews -congregated. It was continually recruited by an increasing immigration -of the nomadic Polish Jews, who seemed to have consecrated the Brhl -their "Jerusalem," as Wagner christened it and ever referred to it when -speaking to me. The Polish Jews of that quarter traded principally in -furs, from the cheapest fur-lined "Schlafrock" to the finest and most -costly furs used by royalty. Their strange appearance with their -all-covering gabardine, high boots, and large fur caps, worn over long -curls, their enormous beards, struck Wagner as it did every one, and -does still, as something very unpleasant and disagreeable. Their -peculiarly strange pronunciation of the German language, their -extravagantly wild gesticulations when speaking, seemed to his aesthetic -mind like the repulsive movements of a galvanized corpse. - -[Sidenote: _HIS FIRST ATTACHMENT._] - -I was sorry to find that Wagner, although generally averse to acts of -violence and oppression, was but little shocked at the unreasoned hatred -and contempt of the Leipzic populace (especially the lower classes) for -the Jews. Their innate thrift, frugality, and skill in trading, were -regarded as avarice and dishonesty. Tales of unmitigated cruelty and -horror perpetrated by the Jews floated in the brains of the lower -Christian (?) populace. The murder of Christian infants for the sake of -their blood, to be used in sacrifice of Jewish rites, was a commonplace -rejoinder in justification of the suspicion and hatred against this -unfortunate race. Crying babes were speedily silenced by the threat, -"The Polish Jew is coming." What wonder, then, to see what was almost a -daily occurrence,--a number of Christian boys rush upon an unprotected, -inoffensive Jew boy and mercilessly beat him to revenge the imaginary -wrongs which the Jews were said to have done to Christian infants. Nor, -I am sorry to add, did the fully grown Christian burgher interfere in -such brutal scenes; the poor wretched victim, beaten by overwhelming -numbers and rolled howling in the mud, was but a Jew boy! Strange to -say, Wagner had imbibed some intuitive dislike to the Egyptian type of -Hebrew, and never entirely overcame that feeling. No amount of reasoning -could obliterate it at any period of his life, although he counted among -his most devoted friends and admirers a great many of the oppressed -race. Still considerably more odd is it that Wagner's first attachment -was for one of the black-eyed daughters of Judah. When passing in review -our earliest impressions of school life, we naturally came to that -never-to-be-forgotten period of the earliest blossoms of first love, -which then revealed to me this remarkably strange episode. Events of -everyday occurrence, which in the lives of ordinary mortals scarcely -deserve mentioning, are invested with a significance in the lives of men -whose destiny points to immortality. When Wagner came to this curious -incident of his school life, amazed, I ejaculated, "a Jewess?" in a tone -of "impossible!" - -It was after a discussion of Jew-hating, and my pointing to the many -friends and adherents he had among the Jews, he with his joyous outbreak -of humor said, "After all, it was the dog's fault," referring to -"Faust," where Mephisto, as a large dog, lies "unter dem Ofen." Then -followed the story. - -He had called at his sister Louisa's house (by the way, he had an -affection for this sister which, in our intimate converse, he likened to -that which Goethe in his case speaks of as having for its basis the -frontier where love of kin ends and love of sex commences), went to her -room, where he found an enormous dog which attracted his attention. Any -one acquainted with Wagner knew of his devoted attachment to dogs, of -which I shall have more to say hereafter. Not many could understand an -affection which included every dog in creation. Wagner would engage in -long conversations with dogs, and in supplying their answers would -infuse into them much of that caustic wit which philosophers of all ages -and countries have so often and powerfully put into the mouth of -animals. Richard Wagner delighted to make dumb pets speak scornfully of -the boasted superiority of man, thinking that after all the animal's -quiet obedience to the prescribed laws of instinct was a surer guide -than man's vaunted free will and reasoning power. He was fond, too, of -quoting Weber on such occasions, who, when _his_ dog became disobedient, -used to remark, "If you go on like that, you will at last become as -silly and bad as a human being." - -The dog so wholly engrossed Richard's attention that he failed to notice -a visitor, Frulein Leah David, who had come to fetch her dog, left at -her friend's house whilst paying visits in the neighbourhood. The young -Jewess was of the same age as Richard, tall, and possessed that superior -type of Oriental beauty more frequently found among the Portuguese Jews. -She was on intimate terms with Louisa Wagner, who shortly after married -one of the celebrated book publishers of Germany. Leah David made an -immediate conquest of Richard. "I had never before been so close to so -richly attired and beautiful a girl, nor addressed with such an animated -eastern profusion of polite verbiage. It took me by surprise, and for -the first time in my life I felt that indescribable bursting forth of -first love." - -[Sidenote: _FRULEIN LEAH DAVID._] - -Wagner was invited to the house of her father, who, like most wealthy -Jews, surrounded himself with artists of every kind. Indeed, it was -there that Richard made many acquaintances which subsequently proved -useful to him. There was an extravagant luxury in the ostentatious house -of Herr David, which made the ambitious young student poignantly feel -the frugal economy practised in his own home. Wagner's imaginative -brain always made him yearn for all the enjoyments that life could -supply. Unlimited means was the roseate cloud that incessantly hovered -before his longing fancy. In this respect he differs largely from most -other creative great minds, who, by force of inventive genius, have -conjured up worlds of power and riches, and yet have lived contentedly -on the most modest fare and in the lowliest of habitations. - -Richard's new-found friend was an only daughter, and having lost her -mother, she was free to do as she willed; the enthusiastic young -musician was allowed to visit the house and proved a very genial -companion, fond of her dog, and adoring art. Wagner did not declare his -passion, feeling that in the sympathetic, friendly treatment he received -it was divined and accepted. But he was regarded more in the light of a -boy than as a lover, small and slight in stature, dreamy and absorbed as -he was then. If the young lady chanced to be out when he called, he -either went to the piano or occupied himself with the dog, Iago, if at -home. The visits becoming frequent, the attachment ripened into an -intimacy. At such a house, with a daughter fond of music, _soires -musicales_ were constantly occurring. At one of them a young Dutchman, -nephew of Herr David, was present. He was a pianist, and had just that -gift which Wagner lacked, dexterity of fingering. Flatteringly -applauded, the jealous Wagner intemperately and injudiciously launched -out about absence of soul and similar expressions. Taunted into playing, -his clumsy, defective manipulation provoked a sneer from the Dutchman -and a titter from the assembly. Wagner lost his temper. Stung in his -tenderest feelings before the Hebrew maiden, with the headlong -impetuosity of an unthinking youth he replied in such violent, rude -language that a dead silence fell upon the guests. Then Wagner rushed -out of the room, sought his cap, took leave of Iago, and vowed revenge. -He waited two days, upon which, having received no communication, he -returned to the scene of the quarrel. To his indignation he was refused -admittance. The next morning he received a note in the handwriting of -the young Jewess. He opened it feverishly. It was as a death-blow. -Frulein Leah was shortly going to be married to the hated young -Dutchman, Herr Meyers, and henceforth she and Richard were to be as -strangers. - -"It was my first love-sorrow, and I thought I should never forget it, -but after all," said Wagner, with his wonted audacity, "I think I cared -more for the dog than for the Jewess. Whilst under the love-spell I had -paid little heed to much that soon after, in pondering over the episode, -revolted me. The strange characteristics of the Jews were unpleasant to -me. Then it was that I first perceived that impassable barrier which -must always rise up between Jews and Christians in their dealings with -the world. One cannot help an instinctive feeling of repulsion against -this strange element, which has been gradually creeping into our midst, -growing like mistletoe upon the oak tree, a parasite taking root -wherever it can fasten but the smallest fibre, and clinging with a -tenacity entirely its own, drawing in all nutriment within reach, and -yet remaining, notwithstanding, a parasite. Such is the Jew in the midst -of Christian civilization." - -[Sidenote: _AT SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY._] - -His entrance to the St. Nicolas school in 1827, where he remained three -years, was as the passing through a dark cloud. The whole training here -differed vitally from that at the Kreuzschule. The masters and their -mode of tuition was unsympathetic to him. I did not wonder at this when -he told me. I had been at the school, too, and experienced similar -feelings of resentment. The Martinet system of discipline was irksome to -high-spirited boys. No attempt was made to develop individuality of -character. This was unfortunate for Wagner. He was just then at an age -when personal interest and sympathetic guidance would have been -invaluable. Filled with wild dreams of a glorious future that was to -follow his self-dedication to the drama, he threw himself with ardour -into the completion of a play he had begun to work at. Ambition had -prompted him to base it on the model of Shakespeare's tragedies. The -plot was as wild and impossible as the unrestricted exuberance of so -extravagant a fancy might suggest. It occupied him for upwards of two -years, and greatly interfered with his legitimate school work. When in -later life he surveyed this period he describes himself as "wild, -negligent, and idle," absorbed with one thought, his great drama. - -[Sidenote: _HIS ARTISTIC CRISIS._] - -From the St. Nicolas school he passed to St. Thomas's school, where he -stayed but a few months, leaving it for the University. At the -University he attended occasional lectures only, showing none of that -assiduity which distinguished him at the Kreuzschule. His University -days were marked by a profligacy to which he afterwards referred with -regret and even disgust. He was young and wild, and had determined with -his insatiable nature to drain to the dregs the cup of dissoluted -frivolity. I should not be performing the duty of an honest biographer -were I to omit an incident which occurred at this period, regrettable as -it might seem. His mother still received her modest pension. On one -occasion Richard was commissioned to receive it for her. Returning home -with the money in his pocket he chanced to pass a public gambling house. -_There_ was one sensation he had not yet experienced. At that moment he -felt that in the throw of the fascinating dice lay the fateful omen of -his future. The money was not his, yet he entered and risked the hazard -of the dice. He was unfortunate; lost all but a small sum he had kept -back. Yet he could not resist the alluring excitement. He staked this -too. Fortune, happily for the wide world of art, befriended him, and he -left the debasing den with more than he had entered, "But," inquired I, -"what would you have done had you lost all?" "Lord!" he replied, "before -going into the house I had firmly resolved that should I lose I would -accept the omen and seek my end in the river." A man in years calmly -telling me this so long after the incident had occurred urged me again -to ask, "Would you really have done that?" "I would," was the short -determined answer. He was unable to keep the story back from his mother, -and at once on his return told her all. "Instead of upbraiding me," -Wagner said, "she fell with passionate love around my neck, exclaiming, -'You are saved. Your free confession tells me that never again will you -commit so wicked a wrong.'" This Wagner related to me when I was staying -with him at Zurich in 1856. This hazardous throw of the dice was not the -only occasion on which he had boldly defied fate. He was ever buoyed up -with an implicit faith in his destiny, which sustained him through many -trials, though at the same time it urged him to act in a manner where -more thoughtful minds would have hesitated. - -I now come to what was undoubtedly the crisis of Wagner's artistic -career. It was the practice at German theatres, between the acts, for -the orchestra to play movements of Haydn's symphonies or similar -excerpts by other masters. The rule was to hurry through them in the -most indifferent manner. Not the slightest attention was paid to -expression, and if it happened that the manager's bell rang while the -"playing" was going on, the performance would terminate with a jerk, -each artist seemingly anxious not to play a note more, and heedless of -finishing the "phrase" together. - -At Leipzic, the entire music was particularly slovenly, played under the -cynical Matthey. And yet the very men who played so reprehensibly in the -stage orchestra, when performing at the famous Gewandhaus concerts -seemed to be moved by feelings of reverence for their work, unknown to -them in the theatre. It would be an interesting investigation to -discover why this was. The symphonies of Beethoven in the concert-room -compelled their whole worship; the symphonies of Haydn in the theatre -were treated like "dinner" music. Perhaps the explanation is, that the -symphonic movements played in the theatre bore no relation to the drama -enacted, whereas music played for itself went with a verve and spirit, -and attention to its meaning quite unknown to thestop-gap-music-scrambling -of the theatre. - -[Sidenote: _RESOLVE TO BECOME A MUSICIAN._] - -From the unsatisfying scrambling performances of the theatre, Wagner, -fifteen years old, went to the Gewandhaus concerts. There he heard -Beethoven's symphonies. What a revelation were they to him, played with -the artistic perfection for which that orchestra was so justly -celebrated, although there was room for improvement. They forced open in -him the floodgates of a torrent of emotion. A new world dawned upon him. -Music that had hitherto lain dormant, suddenly awakened into a vigorous -existence truly electrifying. His future career was decided. Henceforth -he, too, would be a musician. And what was there in Beethoven that -should so startle him into new life? He had heard Haydn, Mozart, and -earlier masters without being so completely awed and fascinated. What -was there in these symphonies that should exercise such a determining -influence over him? It was the overpowering earnestness of the unhappy -composer. Beethoven dealt with life problems according to the spirit of -his age--the demand for freedom of thought and liberty of the person. -Beethoven had been baptized in that mighty wave, the struggle for -freedom, which rolled over Germany at the beginning of this century. He -could not help being eloquently earnest. He was the creature of his -time, and when called upon to declare himself, was not found wanting in -rugged, bold earnestness. Yet although Haydn and Mozart, I too, were -earnest, their utterances were of a subjective character. The world to -them presented none of the doubts and philosophic speculations which -convulsed Beethoven's period. Their view of life was pure optimism. A -vein of bright joyousness runs through all their works, aye, even their -most serious. But Beethoven was a pessimist, and his works betray him. -When he has a sunshiny moment it serves only to show how deep is his -prevailing gloom. Wagner at fifteen was a poet, and the energetic, -suggestive music of Beethoven was mentally transformed into living -personalities. He has said that he felt as if Beethoven addressed him -"personally." Every movement formed itself into a story, glowed with -life, and assumed a clear, distinct shape. I do not forget the earlier -influence of Weber over him, but then that was more due to emotion than -to reason. The novelty of "Der Freischtz," the freshness of its melodic -stream, and the wild imaginative treatment of the romantic story -captivated his first affection and enchained it to the last. The whole -of his impressions of Beethoven (whom, by the way, Wagner never saw) -were embodied by him in a sketch written for a periodical and entitled, -"A Pilgrimage to Beethoven." Although the incidents painted there are -not to be taken as having happened to the pilgrim, Wagner, yet the story -is clear on one point--the unbounded spell Beethoven exercised over him. - -As he was now determined to become a musician, and seeing the necessity -of acquiring some theoretical knowledge of his new art, with his usual -perseverance he began studying alone. His progress was so disappointing -that he made arrangements with a local organist, with whom, too, he -advanced but little. However, he was resolved. Music he wanted for his -own play; without music he felt it was incomplete, and although he -worked assiduously, theory seemed a long, dreary road which, instead of -helping him to the goal he yearned to reach, presented innumerable -obstacles in the path. He wanted to compose, yet all the grammarian's -rules were so many caution-boards, warning him against doing this or -that, impediments that prevented him accomplishing what he strove to -perform. It was always what should _not_ be done instead of what should -be done. With youthful impetuosity he then revolted against all -grammarianism, and to the end of his life maintained an attitude of -derisive defiance towards all who fought behind the shield inscribed -fugue, canon and counterpoint. - -Although conscious of how unsatisfactory his theoretical progress had -been, ambition prompted him to write an overture for the orchestra. The -young composer was seventeen. The overture is characterized by Wagner's -besetting sin--extravagance of means. Through his sister's connection -with the stage he became acquainted with the music director of the -Leipzic theatre, a young man, Heinrich Dorn, a few years older than -Wagner. I knew Dorn as a friendly, easy-going, good-tempered fellow. -Impressed with the unusual enthusiasm of the youth, Dorn kindly offered -to perform his overture at the theatre. It was performed. The audience -laughed at it, and Wagner was not slow to admit the justice of its -reception. - -[Sidenote: _A PUPIL OF CANTOR WEINLIG._] - -Of the caligraphy displayed in this work I must say a few words. The -score was written in different-coloured inks, the groups of strings, -wood, and brass, being distinguished by special colours. His extreme -neatness and care at all times of his life, when using the pen, was -wonderful. Before putting word or note to paper every thought had been -so fully digested that there was never any need of erasure or -correction. In strange contrast with Richard Wagner's clean, neat, -distinct writing, stand Beethoven's hieroglyphics, whole lines of which -were sometimes smudged out with the finger. - -Wagner accepted the judgment upon his overture, though not without a -painful feeling of disappointment. But as he was determined to be a -musician, his family now encouraged him, and for that purpose placed him -under Cantor Weinlig of Leipzic. The Cantor was on intimate terms with -my father, and therefore was well known to me. He had a great name as a -skilled contrapuntist. Gentle and persuasive in demeanour, he soon won -the affection of his pupil, and although his tuition lasted for about -six months only, it was sufficient to cause Wagner to refer with -affection to this, his only real master. - -The immediate result of Weinlig's tuition was the production of a sonata -for the pianoforte. It is in strict form, but Wagner's conscientious -adherence to the dogmatic principles he had learned seem to have dried -up all sources of inspiration. He was evidently in a straight jacket, -for the sonata does not contain one original idea, not one phrase of -more than common interest. It is just the kind of music that any average -pupil without gift might have written. Time was wanting before the -careful, orthodox training of Weinlig could thoroughly assimilate itself -to the peculiarity of Wagner's genius. - -It is curious that he should have produced such a very inferior work as -regards ideas and development while he was at the same time a most -ardent student of Beethoven. It can only be explained by regarding the -period as one of transition and receptivity. He was not full grown nor -strong enough to wing himself to independent flight. - -Beethoven was his daily study. He was carefully storing up all the grand -thoughts of the great master, but his fiery enthusiasm had not yet come -to that burning-point when it should ignite his own latent powers. His -acquaintance with the scores of Beethoven has never been equalled. It -was extraordinary. He had them so much by heart that he could play on -the piano, with his own awkward fingering, whole movements. Indeed, -beyond Weber, the idol of his boyhood, and Beethoven, there was no -master whose works interested him at that period. His family considered -him Beethoven-mad. His eldest brother, Albert, then engaged actively in -the profession, and more of a practical business man, particularly -condemned the exclusive hero-worship of a master not then understood or -acknowledged by the general public. But Richard persevered with his -study, and as a testimony of his affection for Beethoven it may be -mentioned that, at eighteen, he produced a pianoforte arrangement of the -whole of the "Ninth Symphony." - -[Sidenote: _WEBER AND BEETHOVEN HIS MODELS._] - -In the school of Weber and Beethoven did Wagner form himself. The -musical utterances of both his models were in harmony with their time. -Weber was romantic, Beethoven pessimistic. The cry for liberty which ran -throughout Europe at the end of the eighteenth century affected the -republic of letters sooner than the world of music. It was Wagner's -"idol," his "adored" master, who first musically portrayed the -revolutionary spirit of the dawn of this century. It was he who founded -the romantic school of musicians. His ideality, his "romantic" genius, -taking that word in its highest and noblest sense, place him in an -entirely separate niche of the temple of art. His inventive faculty, the -irresistible charm of his melody, his entirely new delineation and -orchestral colouring of character, are immeasurably superior to anything -of the kind which preceded him. He was the basis, the starting-point of -a new phase in the art of music. And yet, with it all, the great Weber -fell short in one important feature of his art--the consequential -development of his themes. All his chamber music testifies to this. Even -in his three great overtures, "Der Freischtz," "Euryanthe," and -"Oberon," the "working-out" of the subjects is feeble and unskilful, and -only compensated for by the ever gushing forth of new and potent ideas. -Weber had not passed through the crucible of a serious study of the -classical school. In his early period he had treated music more as an -amateur than as an earnest-thinking musician. Nor was he gifted with the -brain power of Beethoven. It was the latter master's causal strength of -brain, combined with his deep, serious studies and his incessant -striving to express exactly what he felt, which have secured for him -that exceptional position in modern tonal art. - -[Sidenote: _STUDY OF INSTRUMENTATION._] - -Coming now to Wagner, we find him possessing, to a truly remarkable -degree, the special powers of both. His wondrous inventive genius was -controlled by a brain power as solid as rare. It enabled him to fuse in -his own work the gifts of the idealist, Weber, and of the thinker, -Beethoven. The latter's mastery of workmanship, his reasoned sequence of -ideas, are vastly surpassed in Wagner's dialectic treatment. As an -instrumental colourist Weber was superior to Beethoven. The deafness of -the latter sometimes led him to mark the wrong instrument in his scores. -He could not hear, and therefore was not fully able to comprehend the -qualities of every instrument, like Weber. The greatness of his power as -an orchestral writer is undeniable, yet many instances could be quoted -where he has misapplied a particular instrument of whose character, -through his deafness, he had lost the exact knowledge. Wagner based his -instrumentation on that of Weber. In spite of an almost unlimited -admiration of Beethoven, Wagner has not refrained from pointing to -certain defects of scoring in him. He shows that whilst Beethoven -modelled his orchestra after Haydn and Mozart, his conceptions went -immeasurably beyond them and clashed with the somewhat inadequate means -of their orchestra. Beethoven had neither the modern keyed brass -instruments to support the wood-wind against the doubled and trebled -strings, nor did he dare to venture beyond the then supposed range of -the wood, brass, and string instruments. Often when reaching what was -thought to be the topmost note on either, he suddenly jumps in an almost -childishly anxious manner to an octave below, interrupting the melody -and producing an irritating effect. Wagner has asserted that had -Beethoven heard the tonal effect of portions of his marking, he would -unquestionably have rewritten them or altered the instruments. But -whilst deploring his great predecessor's deafness as the cause of -certain defective instrumentation he renders unstinted homage to the -general orchestration of the symphonies. The enormous amplification of -deeply reasoned detail in those nine grand works demands from each -individual of the orchestra an attention and refinement of expression -to be expected only from an orchestra composed of virtuosi. - -It was shortly after his return to Leipzic that Wagner began to study -instrumentation. The Gewandhaus concerts and Beethoven's symphonies had -stirred him. He thumped the piano, was conscious of his lack of skill, -but nevertheless bought the scores of the symphonies and studied them -with heart and soul. The magnificent colouring charmed him. To work the -score at the piano, and see where the secret lay, was his careful study, -and then, when he found it, he saw how necessary was individual -excellence of performance. Even the Gewandhaus performances failed to -completely satisfy him. The members of the orchestra were familiar with -the works, yet was the performance far from conveying that lasting -impression which the delineation of the intensely grand ideas were -capable of, and which from his piano-reading he expected. The -dissatisfaction he experienced induced him to seek further for the -explanation, and after careful thought he fixed the blame on the -shortcomings of the conductor. The head of an orchestra, he asserted, -should study the work to be played under him until every phrase, its -meaning, and bearing to the whole composition were thoroughly -assimilated by him. He should, further, have a perfect acquaintance with -the capabilities of every instrument, and an excellent memory. Works -performed under conductors not possessing these qualifications never -produce their legitimate effect. "It was only when I had conducted -Mozart's works myself," says Wagner, "and had made the orchestra execute -every detail as I felt it, that I took real pleasure in their -performance." - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -1832-1836. - - -[Sidenote: _THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD._] - -Had Wagner's youthful enthusiasm been fired at the Dresden Kreuzschule -with love for Germany and hatred of the French oppressor, a feeling -which flew through the land like lightning, had the songs of Krner's -"Lyre and Sword," set to vigorous music by Weber, inspired him, his -patriotism was intensified tenfold when, returning to his native city, -he came into the midst of a population that had suffered all the horrors -and privations of actual war. His study of modern literature, -assimilated with surprising facility in a brain where all was order and -consecutiveness, gave him an insight into the deplorable state of his -beloved country, whilst indicating the direction in which future efforts -should be directed. He found that the revolutionary spasm of the end of -the eighteenth century had shattered time-honoured traditions, roughly -shaken the creeds of the past, and indeed had left nothing untouched, -infiltrating itself into every great and small item of human existence. -The impetus of the time was "revolution!" To throw down the trammels of -moral and physical slavery, to free man and raise him to the throne of -humanity, was the desire of all European peoples. All worked towards one -common goal; there was not one movement of importance then that was not -influenced by the revolution. In literature the tendency was to make -letters a concrete part of the national mind, just as the great French -revolution called into existence the first notion of national life by -investing the people with the controlling power of their country's -interests. All the master-minds of the time of Louis the Fourteenth were -an some measure connected with the king; but with the nineteenth century -revolution a third state was developed, which enriched national life, -and, acting upon literature, drove the hitherto secluded savants and -their works into the vortex of popular life. Before this upheaval, -literature had been the exclusive property of the professional savant -and his high-born protector. The tendency of modern social life was to -enthrone mind and genius. The third state was actually breaking down -social barriers, the line of demarcation between them and so-called -"good society," the monarch and aristocracy. That such a violent change -at the beginning of the century should have unsettled and bewildered -some otherwise remarkably gifted men is not surprising. The turbulent -state of society, and the confused investigation and awkward handling of -important moral questions, led to doubt and despair. Men like the -brothers Schlegel became Roman Catholics, hoping by so doing to cast the -responsibility of their life on a religion which closes every aperture -to the reasoning powers. Ludwig Tieck, another German savant, followed -their example, whilst men like Zacharias Werner, after having given -proofs of the highest capability, destroyed their mental being by -pursuing a most dissolute and reprehensible course; or, like Hoffman, by -an over-indulgence in wine, helped to create an unsthetic phase in -German literature which, alas, serves only to show how sadly distorted -gifted brains can become. Kleist was driven to commit suicide. I could -cite more unhappy victims of that troublous epoch, existences blighted -by the powerful wave of romanticism and freedom that swept over the -land. The only man who remained unaffected by the movement was Goethe. -In his striving for plastic beauty and classicism, he never became -enthusiastic for the romantic school. He even stood somewhat aloof from -Shakespeare; nor would he, in his cold simplicity and placid grandeur, -see in all the romantic movement aught but a remnant of revolution -against his "legitimate" supremacy. - -Those early years of Wagner were passed in a scene of unusual activity -and excitement. His native city a great battle-field the year of his -birth, people hardly recovered from the shock of the 1793 revolution, -when again they are startled by its reverberation in July, 1830. Then -Wagner was seventeen, of an age and thoughtful enough to be impressed by -the struggle carried on around him, or, to quote his own words, "all -that acted more and more on my mind, on my imagination and reason." This -was the spirit which he brought to bear on his study of -orchestration,--ideality controlled by strong reasoning power. He had -studied under the first professor of Leipzic, had had an overture -performed in public, and now, in 1832, he essayed a grand symphony for -orchestra, which ever remained a pleasing work to him, and to which he -would refer with evident satisfaction. Its history is a curious one. - -[Sidenote: _HIS ONLY SYMPHONY._] - -Though not twenty, he, with his usual self-reliance, boldly took the -score and parts to Vienna. He wanted his work to be heard. His daring -ambition was not satisfied with a lesser centre than the Austrian -capital. Vienna was then, as it is now, the city of pleasure and light -Italian music. As Beethoven himself could command but a small section of -adherents among the pleasure-seeking Viennese, it is not surprising that -the untried and unknown young composer was ignored. But undaunted, he -took his treasure to Prague, where Dionys Weber, conductor of the -Conservatorium, performed it to Wagner's unbounded delight. Returning -home, he had the proud satisfaction of hearing it played at the -classical Gewandhaus concerts and also at its rival but lesser -institution, the "Euterpe." This was a promising augury, and to Wagner -amply sufficient for assuming that later his work would be repeated. -Therefore, when in 1834 Mendelssohn was appointed conductor at the -Gewandhaus, Wagner unhesitatingly took the symphony to him. For a long -time nothing was heard of it. Wagner became anxious, and applied to -Mendelssohn, when to his indignation he was informed that the score had -unfortunately been lost. Wagner never alluded to this incident without -indulging in one of those bitter ironical attacks upon Mendelssohn in -which he was such an adept. The incident rankled in the memory of the -over-sensitive composer, and no amount of external amiability at a later -period from Mendelssohn was ever able to efface it. This symphony was -Wagner's first acknowledged work and acknowledged, too, by men of -weight, whose commendation had, not unnaturally, elated him. "My first -symphony!" How often have I heard that phrase? and spoken with such -satisfaction that on several occasions I tried to induce Wagner to play -some reminiscences of it to me. He could not; he had lost all -remembrance of it. Accident or fate willed it that shortly before his -death the orchestral parts were discovered at Dresden. A score was -arranged and the fifty-year-old work performed _en famille_ in 1882, -under the revered old man's bton at Venice. - -[Sidenote: _DIRECTOR OF A CHORUS._] - -Though proud of his success as a musician, the poetic side of his nature -was not repressed. He was a poet as well as musician. Suddenly the poesy -within him leaped forth and impelled him to write words already wedded -in his own heart to sounds. Its appearance was as a revelation -disclosing an allied power which was to exalt him to a pinnacle to which -no other composer in the whole history of art could possibly lay claim. -He wrote a libretto to "The Wedding." This was to be his first opera, -and the same year, 1833, in which he wrote the words he also began the -music. However, he composed but three numbers, still in existence, the -introduction, a chorus, a sextet, and then was dissuaded by his sister -from proceeding further with it. The story and its treatment were both -pronounced ill-adapted for stage representation. The book was the -veriest hyper-romantic scum, a mixture of the gloomy fatalist Werner and -the wildly extravagant Hoffman. The opera was abandoned with regret, and -a living was sought in any form of musical drudgery. He was willing to -"arrange," to "correct proofs," or do anything but teaching, to which he -always had the strongest antipathy. To my knowledge, he never gave a -lesson in his life. When, therefore, the post of chorus master at the -Wrzburg theatre was offered to him, he readily accepted it. His eldest -brother, Albert, was then engaged at Wrzburg as singer, actor, and -stage manager. It was the practice of Albert all through life to assume -the rle of mentor to his younger brother, but against this Richard -strongly rebelled, though at the same time readily admitting his -brother's abilities as a manager and singer. Possessed of a remarkably -high tenor voice, Albert was unfortunately subject to intermittent -attacks of total loss of vocal power. But the singer's loss was the -actor's gain, for to compensate for this defect he exerted himself and -succeeded in shining as an actor. - -This Wrzburg engagement was Richard Wagner's first real active -participation in stage life. He had entered upon his new duties but a -short time when an opportunity presented itself wherein he could exhibit -his practical skill as a musician. Albert was cast for the tenor part in -Marschner's "Vampyre." According to his notion, his chief solo finished -unsatisfactorily. Richard's aid was invoked, and the result was -additional words, some forty lines and music, too, which enabled Albert -to display his unusually fine high tones. - -The life to Wagner was novel, attractive, and full of bright promise. -The friendly relations that existed between the chorus and their -director, the habitual banter of the players, their studied posing, -their concealing home miseries beneath a simulated gaiety, attracted and -charmed the inexperienced neophyte. He was yet blind to all the wiles, -trickeries, and petty infamies that seem inseparable from stage life. In -the theatre the meannesses and jealousies that clog human existence -under all forms are focused and exposed to the glare of publicity, -whereas in the wide world they are lost among the crowd. It was not -long before Wagner began to hate the shams and petty meannesses of the -stage with ten-fold the intensity he had at first been bewitched by it. - -During his stay at Wrzburg, urged by his brother he again thought of -composing an opera. Casting about for a fitting subject, he alighted -upon a volume of legends by Gozzi. One, "La Donna Serpente," attracted -him, and seemed to invite operatic treatment. He resolved to write his -own text, and within the year produced what was his first complete -opera, which he called "The Fairies." The musical treatment was entirely -in the romantic style of Weber and Marschner, but Wagner frankly -confesses it did not realize his expectations. He had thought himself -capable of greater things than his powers were yet equal to. -Nevertheless, he strove to obtain a hearing for it, but without success. -French and Italian opera ruled the German stage, and native productions -were not encouraged. However, an ardent aspirant for fame like Wagner -was not to be discouraged by the cold slights offered to his first stage -work. He returned to Leipzic, 1834, again energetically endeavouring to -get it accepted, but only to be disappointed once more. - -[Sidenote: "_DAS LIEBESVERBOT._"] - -It was during this visit to Leipzic that an event occurred which was -destined to strongly influence his future career. He heard that great -dramatic artist, Schroeder-Devrient. The effect of her performance upon -him was startling, although the operas in which she appeared, "Romeo" -and "Norma" of Bellini, were of the weakest. He saw what a striking -impression could be produced by careful attention to dramatic detail. -The poorest work was elevated into the realms of high art by the grand -style of the inspired artist. For the first time he realized the immense -value of perfection of "style." The lesson was not lost, and the high -point to which Wagner artists have subsequently carried it by the -master's imperative insistence upon the most thorough and exhaustive -attention to every detail of art, has formed the undying Wagner school. - -Fired by enthusiasm, he began the composition of a new opera, in which -he ambitiously hoped the great actress would perform the principal rle. -This was his second music-dramatic work, "Das Liebesverbot" ("The Novice -of Palermo"), founded upon Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure." It took -him about two years to write it. To Wagner this period was one of -transition, alternately dominated by the serious Beethoven, the -"romantic" Weber, Auber, and even the popular Italian school. He was as -a tree through whose branches the winds rushed from all quarters, only -the more firmly to consolidate the roots. He, too, was young, and a not -unnatural desire to acquire some of the world's riches induced him to -write his new work in a "popular" vein. The "Novice of Palermo" has but -very faint indications of the Wagner of after-life, and in the -composer's own judgment was but an indifferent work, although comparing -favourably with the operas of its day. - -[Sidenote: _ART AND NATIONALITY._] - -After the termination of his Wrzburg engagement Wagner went to -Magdeburg, 1834, where he was appointed music director, a post he held -for nearly two years, steadily working, meanwhile, at the "Novice of -Palermo." The Magdeburg company was above the usual level of provincial -troupes. The conductor was young and energetic, and soon secured the -good will of his subordinates. But the Magdeburghers were apathetic in -musical matters, and in the spring of 1836 the theatre announced its -final performances. The "Novice of Palermo" was not then completed. -After some discussion it was decided to perform it. Wagner hurried on -his work, battling with innumerable difficulties which presented -themselves thick and fast. First the theatre was threatened with -bankruptcy. To escape this it was arranged to close the building a month -earlier than the time originally announced. It left Wagner ten days for -rehearsals. His book had not been submitted to the censor, and as it was -now the Lenten season, there was a dread that the title might subject -the libretto to vexatious pruning. The opera was given out as founded on -one of the serious plays of Shakespeare, and by this means escaped all -maltreatment. But what could be done in ten days? Little even where -friendly will was engaged. However, after rehearsal upon rehearsal, the -work was performed. Its reception was moderate. The tenor singer had -been unable to learn his part in the short time and resorted to -unlimited "gag." Perhaps hardly one was perfect in his rle, and the -whole work went badly enough. In after-life Wagner could afford to laugh -at this makeshift performance, but at that time it was terribly real. He -once gave me a representation of the tenor singer and other -impersonators in a manner so ludicrous and mirth-provoking that he said, -"You laugh now, but listen! A second performance was promised for my -benefit. We were assembled and about to begin, when suddenly a -hand-to-hand fight sprung up between two of the characters, and the -performance had to be given up." This put him in sad straits. He had -hoped to receive such a sum of money from this "benefit" as would free -him from all monetary difficulties, but no performance taking place he -was worried in a most uncomfortable manner. - -I suppose that if there be any feature in Wagner's character about which -there is no difference of opinion it is his love for his native land. At -critical junctures, he has not hesitated, by speech or action, to -declare his pronounced feelings. At present, however, my purpose is not -to illustrate this point, but to emphasize a phase of thought in -Wagner's early manhood, which, boldly proclaimed at the time, gathered -strength with increasing years, and forms one of the most important -factors in his art-workings. He contended that the national life of a -people was intimately entwined with their art productions. "The stage," -said Wagner, "is the noblest arena of a nation's mind." This was a very -favourite theme of his. He would descant on it unceasingly. The stage -was the mirror of a people. Shakespeare he worshipped, and gloried that -such an intellect was counted in the republic of letters. England should -be proud of her great man. He thought Carlyle right when he said -Shakespeare was worth more to a nation than ten Indias. But poor -Germany! What could she show? Where was her race of literary giants? The -war of liberation had fired every German heart with the intensest -patriotism. Young Germany had fought with unexampled ardour, and the -hateful Napoleonic yoke was victoriously cast off. Liberty, patriotism, -and fraternity were the watchwords of every German, and they found -their art expression in the inspiriting strains of the soldier-poet, -Krner, and the vigorous melodies of the patriotic Weber. And German -potentates looked on bewildered. Where would this torrent of enthusiasm -end? Were they themselves secure on their thrones? Would it not sap the -foundations of their own rule? And, as history too sadly shows, fear -developed into despotism. The princes turned, and with the iron heel -trampled upon the very men who had valiantly defended them against the -ruthless invader. They were fearful of the German mind awakening to a -sense of its political and social shortcomings. They argued that this -uncontrolled enthusiasm for liberty of speech and person was a menace to -their thrones; therefore they strove to crush it out. Their conduct -Wagner later stigmatized as "replete with the blackest ingratitude," and -their treatment of national art as dictated by "cold, calculating -cruelty." For the stage, alien productions were imported. French -frivolity reigned supreme. Rossini's operas, licentious ballets, were -patronized to the exclusion of Beethoven's works, and now, though half a -century has elapsed, the baneful influence is still discernible. Such -feelings greatly agitated Wagner's early manhood. By 1840 they had -assumed definite shape, and we find him through the public journals -deploring the want of a German national drama. It was his effort to -supply this want. He went to work with a fixed purpose. How far he has -succeeded posterity will judge. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -1836-1839. - - -For nine months, from the Easter of 1836 to the opening of the new year, -1837, Wagner was without engagement. It was a period of hardship and -suffering. In a most miserable plight he went to Leipzic and Berlin, -energetically exerting himself to get his opera, "The Novice of Palermo" -accepted. He met with plenty of promises but no performances. His needs -became more pressing. Debts had been incurred and the prospect of paying -them was of the gloomiest. An ordinary mortal would have sunk under such -overwhelming trouble, but Wagner was made of sterner stuff. His -indomitable self-reliance and pluck, based upon an abnormal self-esteem, -ever kept alight the lamp of hope within him, and sustained him through -sadder times than this. True, he had not proved to the world that he was -a genius, but he, himself, was fully convinced of it. He had written two -operas, a symphony, and other works, and though they did not surpass or -even equal what had been accomplished by other artists, yet for all that -he was strongly imbued with a consciousness of the greatness of his own -power in the tonal and poetic arts. He was convinced that he had a -mission to fulfil, a new art gospel to preach, and, too, that he would -succeed. The death-bed prediction of his step-father that he would be -"something" would be fulfilled. - -As far as his art creations show, this was a period of non-productivity. -But it is impossible to suppose that Wagner was idle. Genius is never -inactive. If not visibly at work the reflective faculties are certain to -be actively employed. Though beset with every conceivable worldly -trouble, depending for daily wants on what he could borrow, he, with -alarming temerity, married. - -It was on the 24th November, 1836; the bride, Frulein Wilhelmina -Planer, leading actress of the Magdeburg company. She was the daughter -of a working spindle-maker. It was not the known possession of any -histrionic gift that caused her to become a professional actress, but a -very natural desire, as the eldest of the family, to increase the -resources of the household. Spindle-making was not a profitable calling, -and with a family, other help was gladly welcomed. But, as necessity has -oft discovered and forced to the front many a talent that would have -lain hidden from the world, so now was Magdeburg astonished by the -presence of an unquestionably gifted artist. Minna Planer played the -leading characters in tragedy and comedy. When off the stage her bearing -was quiet and unobtrusive. No theatrical trick or display indicated the -actress. And, after she had finally quitted stage life, it had been -impossible to suppose that the soft-spoken, retiring, shy little woman -had ever successfully impersonated important tragic rles. - -[Sidenote: _MINNA A HOUSE-WIFE._] - -Minna was handsome, but not strikingly so. Of medium height, slim -figure, she had a pair of soft gazelle-like eyes which were a faithful -index of a tender heart. Her look seemed to bespeak your clemency, and -her gentle speech secured at once your good-will. Her movements in the -house were devoid of everything approaching bustle. Quick to anticipate -your thoughts, your wish was complied with before it had been expressed. -Her bearing was that of the gentle nurse in the sick-chamber. It was joy -to be tended by her. She was full of heart's affection, and Wagner let -himself be loved. Her nature was the opposite of his. He was passionate, -strong-willed, and ambitious: she was gentle, docile, and contented. He -yearned for conquest, to have the world at his feet: she was happy in -her German home, and desired no more than permission to minister to him. -From the first she followed him with bowed head. To his exuberant -speech, his constant discourses on art, and his position in the future, -she lent a willing, attentive ear. She could not follow him, she was not -able to reason his incipient revolutionary art notions, to combat his -seemingly extravagant theories; but to all she was sympathetic, -sanguine, and consoling,--"a perfect woman, nobly planned," as -Wordsworth sweetly sings. As years rolled by and the genius of Wagner -assumed more definite shape and grew in strength, she was less able to -comprehend the might of his intellect. To have written "The Novice of -Palermo" at twenty-three, and to have been received so cordially was to -her unambitious heart the zenith of success. More than that she could -not understand, nor did she ever realize the extent of the wondrous -gifts of her husband. After twenty years of wedded life it was much the -same. We were sitting at lunch in the trimly kept Swiss chalet at Zurich -in the summer of 1856, waiting for the composer of the then completed -"Rienzi," "Dutchman," "Tannhuser," and "Lohengrin" to come down from -his scoring of the "Nibelungen," when in full innocence she asked me, -"Now, honestly, is Richard such a great genius?" On another occasion, -when he was bitterly animadverting on his treatment by the public, she -said, "Well, Richard, why don't you write something for the gallery?" -And yet, notwithstanding her inaptitude, Wagner was ever considerate, -tender, and affectionate towards her. He was not long in discovering her -inability to understand him, but her many good qualities and domestic -virtues endeared her greatly to him. She had one quality of surpassing -value in any household presided over by a man of Wagner's thoughtless -extravagance. She was thrifty and economical. At all periods of his life -Wagner could not control his expenditure. He was heedless, relying -always upon good fortune. But Minna was a skilled financier, and he knew -this. For years their lot was uphill, sometimes a hard struggle for bare -existence, and through all the devotion and homely love of the woman -soothed and cheered the nervous, irritable Wagner. When their means -enabled them to enjoy the comforts of life without first anxiously -counting the cost, Minna was possessed of one thought, her husband and -his happiness. And Wagner knew it and gratefully appreciated the heart's -devotion of the worshipping woman. Home was her paradise, her husband -the king. Love, simple, trusting love, was her religion, and no greater -testimony to the noble work of a genuine woman could be offered than -that of the poet Milton in his "Paradise Lost":-- - - Nothing lovelier can be found - In woman, than to study household good. - -[Sidenote: _DIRECTOR AT KNIGSBERG._] - -Throughout his career Wagner shook off the troubles of daily life with -an elasticity truly remarkable. But now he must do something. He had -incurred the most sacred of all obligations, to provide for his wife, -and employment of some description was a pressing necessity. Viewed from -an artistic point, his lost appointment had been a success. He had -acquired all the skill of an efficient conductor and had familiarized -himself with a large number of opera scores. But what had he done with -his own gifts? The miserable finale of the Magdeburg episode, and his -increased responsibilities, made him seriously reflect on this past year -and a half. True he had composed an entire opera. But of what material -was it made? He had regretfully to acknowledge that it was not as he -would wish it. He had thrown over his household gods to worship Baal. He -had rejected Weber and Beethoven, "his adored idols," to dress his -thoughts in attractive, showy, French attire. He had forsaken heartfelt -truth for a graceful exterior. And what had he gained by imitating Auber -and Rossini? Not even the satisfaction of public success. And why? His -models spoke as they felt, whilst he clothed his thoughts in a borrowed -garb. He was now conscious that he had but to express himself in his own -language to convince others of the truth of his art gospel. - -Some such similar post as at Magdeburg was what he now desired. There he -would be Wagner himself. But in these early years smiling fortune was -not always his happy companion. Nearly a year elapses before he again -finds himself directing an operatic company. This time it is at -Knigsberg. - -[Sidenote: _CONDUCTS ORCHESTRAL CONCERTS._] - -But before accompanying the weary artist to his new home some mature -reflections of Wagner on his Magdeburg period are worthy of notice. His -elevation to the post of music director of the Magdeburg theatre was a -joyful moment. For the first time he would be sole controller of -operatic performances. When a youth he had been revolted by the -slatternly manner in which theatre conductors had led the performances. -Even the Gewandhaus concerts had not been altogether satisfactory. -Something then was lacking in the ensemble. Now was his opportunity. The -mechanical time-beating prevalent among conductors of opera houses would -find no place with the ardent youthful composer. He first secured the -affection of the singers by evincing a personal interest in their public -success. His born actor's skill enabled him to illustrate how such a -character should move, whilst with the orchestra he would sing passages -and rehearse one phrase incessantly until he was satisfied. He was -indefatigable. The secret of his success was his earnestness. He knew -what he wanted, which was half-way to securing it. The company seems to -have been fairly intelligent and to have responded freely to his wishes, -but the audiences were phlegmatic. Magdeburg was a garrison city, and -the audiences were domineered by the cold reserve observed by the -military. Wagner thought of all publics the worst was a military one. -Effusive exhibitions of joy they regard as indecorous and unseemly, and -the absence of spontaneous enthusiasm exercises a depressing effect on -artists. Among the operas he conducted were Auber's "Masaniello" and -Rossini's "William Tell." Both of them were favourites of his. At that -period, 1836, they stood out in bold relief from modern and ancient -operas. Their melodies were fresh and graceful, and a dramatic -truthfulness pervaded them which to the embryo imitator of the Greek -tragedy was a strong recommendation. Further, the revolutionary subjects -were congenial to the outlaw of 1848. But Auber and Rossini were soon to -be eclipsed by the clever Hebrew, Meyerbeer, and it is this last writer -who in a couple of years impels Wagner to leave his fatherland for -Paris. It is Meyerbeer's works that he is now about to conduct at -Knigsberg, where we shall at once follow him. - -The time he spent in Knigsberg was a prolongation of the miserable -existence which had followed the breaking up of the Magdeburg company, -intensified now, alas, by anxiety for his young wife. It was unenlivened -by any gleam of even passing sunlight. The time dragged heavily, and was -never referred to without a shudder. In later years, in the presence of -his first wife, he has compassionately remarked, "Yes, poor Minna had a -hard time of it then, and after the first few months of drudgery no -doubt repented of her bargain." To which the gentle Minna would reply by -a look full of tender affection. Wagner's references to the devotion and -untiring energy of his wife during the Knigsberg year of distress -always affected him. - -He began his public life at Knigsberg by conducting orchestral concerts -in the town theatre. This led to his appointment as music director of -the theatre. The operatic stage was then governed almost entirely by -Meyerbeer, "Robert le Diable" and "Le Prophte," both recent novelties, -being the great attraction. They met with an enormous success -everywhere. Meyerbeer was in Paris, the idol of the populace. A man -possessed of undeniable genuine merit, he bartered it away for gold. -The real merit was over-laden with a thick coat of meretricious glitter. -Attractive and dazzling show was what he set before the light-hearted -public of the French capital, and they mistook the tinsel for pure gold. -But, for all that, Meyerbeer was the hero of the hour, and what was -fashionable in Paris was immediately reproduced in the fatherland towns -and cities. In matters of art Paris was the acknowledged leader of -Germany. From afar, the young ambitious music director of Knigsberg -heard of the fabulous sums which Meyerbeer received for his works. He -was in the direst distress. The troubles of Magdeburg had followed him -to his new home, and he looked with longing eyes towards Paris, the El -Dorado of his dreams. He became haunted with visions of luxurious -independence, startling in their contrast to his present penurious -position. He looked about him and bestirred himself. With his accustomed -boldness, not to say audacity, he promptly wrote to Scribe, hoping by -one effort to emerge from all his trouble. What he sent to the famous -French librettist was a plan he had sketched of a grand five-act opera -based on a novel by Knig, "Die Hohe Braut" ("The Noble Bride"). He was -anxious for the collaboration of Scribe, since in that he saw the _open -sesame_ of the Grand Opera House, Paris. The French writer did not -reply. Wagner felt the slight. This was the second time the assistance -of an acknowledged litterateur had been solicited, and it was the last. -Laube did not satisfy him. Scribe did not notice him. Henceforth he -would rely on himself. - -[Sidenote: _THE LOST OVERTURE._] - -His stay at Knigsberg is marked by an event of peculiar interest to -Englishmen. Wagner had heard "Rule Britannia." He gave me his -impressions of it. He thought the whole song wonderfully descriptive of -the resolute, self-reliant character of the English people. The opening, -ascending passage, which he vigorously shouted in illustration, was, he -thought, unequalled for fearless assertiveness. The dauntless -expressiveness of its themes seemed admirably adapted for orchestral -treatment, and he therefore wrote an overture upon it. This he sent to -Sir George Smart, one of the most prominent of English musicians, justly -appreciated, among other things, for having introduced Mendelssohn's -"Elijah" to England at the Liverpool festival of 1836. When Wagner -related this incident to me in 1855, on his visit to London, he said -that, having received no reply, he inquired and ascertained that the -score seemed to have been insufficiently prepaid for transmission, and -that Sir George Smart had refused to pay the balance, "and for all I -know," continued Wagner, "it must still be lying in the dead-letter -office." - -A digest of Wagner's impressions of the world beyond the footlights, -after his intimate connection with the provincial theatres of Wrzburg, -Magdeburg, and Knigsberg, will explain how so serious a thinker could -adapt himself to the slipshod existence of thoughtless, light-hearted -play-actors. Among modern stage reformers Richard Wagner stands in the -front rank. He was earnest. He was practical. He had experienced all -evils arising from the shortcomings of the theatre, and he knew where to -place his finger on the plague spot. His drawings and prescriptions were -those of the practical worker; and he was enabled to make them so -through the knowledge acquired during his early life behind the scenes. - -What a curious medley stage life introduces one to! "My first contact -with the theatre seems like the fantastic recollection of a masked -ball," was Wagner's vivid description of his early stage experiences. -The stage in Germany has too frequently, for the advance of dramatic -art, been the last resort for gaining a livelihood. People of all ranks, -highly educated, or with no more than the thinnest smattering of -education, as soon as they find themselves without the means of -existence, fly to the stage. To one individual endowed by nature for the -histrionic vocation who thus adopts the profession, there are ten with -absolutely no gifts and whose appearance is due to failure in other -walks of life, or to want. All this motley group is, by the restricted -stage precincts, brought _nolens volens_ into daily contact and cannot -avoid constantly elbowing each other. Their private affairs, their -friendships, are an open secret. A special jargon is current coin among -them. Cant phrases abound and their very occupation familiarizes them -with sententious quotations on almost every subject. In no profession is -there such an ardent catering for momentary praise. It is the food, the -absolute nourishment of the actor; hence jealousy and envy exist -stronger here than anywhere else, and Byron does not exaggerate when he -speaks of "hate found only on the stage!" - -[Sidenote: _READS BULWER'S "RIENZI."_] - -To Wagner's impressionable and pageant-loving nature, the stage -possessed fascinating attractions. The free and easy intercourse that -existed between all the members of the company, actors, singers, and -orchestral performers, the existence of a sort of masonic equality, and -the general light-hearted exterior, was in accordance with the jocular -temperament of the chorus master. He was familiarly joking and laughing -with all his surroundings, a habit he retained to the day of his death. -His self-esteem would at all times insist on a certain deference to his -opinion, nor would he brook with equanimity any infraction of his ruling -as music director. From the age of twenty, when he first ruled the -chorus girls at Wrzburg, down to the Bayreuth rehearsals for -"Parsifal," at which he would illustrate his intention by gesture, -speech, and song, he was eminently the commander of his company. His -lively temperament, his love of fun, and remarkable mimetic gifts made -him a general favourite. In the supervision of operas, musically -distasteful to him, he was earnest and energetic, attending to detail -and appropriate gesture in a manner that demanded the respectful -admiration of all under his bton. Respect and submission to his rule he -exacted as due to his office, and he rarely had difficulty in securing -it. - -From Knigsberg he paid a flying visit to Dresden, the city of his -school-boy days. With his accustomed omnivorous reading, scanning every -book within reach, he fell upon Bulwer Lytton's "Rienzi." Here was a -subject inviting treatment on a large scale. Here was a hero of the -style of William Tell and Masaniello. The spirit was revolution and -moral regeneration of the people. It was a happy chance which led him to -this story, the sentiment of which harmonized so perfectly with his own -aspirations. Visions of Paris and its grand opera house had never left -him. "Rienzi" offered the very situations calculated to impress an -audience accustomed to the gorgeous splendour of the grand opera. -Although his eyes were turned towards the French capital, and his -immediate hope the conquest of the Parisians, it was not his sole nor -ultimate desire. Paris was a means only. He saw that Paris governed -German art, and he felt that only through Paris lay his hope of success -in his fatherland. It was while under such influences that he began to -formulate "Rienzi." - -His stay in Knigsberg was cut short owing to the company becoming -bankrupt. This was the second experience of the kind he had met with in -the provinces, and it helped to intensify his contempt for stage life. -He was again in money troubles. Fortunately, his old friend Dorn was -well placed at Riga and able to secure for him the post of conductor of -the opera there. The company was a good one, and its director, Hotter, -an intelligent and well-known playwright, who understood Wagner's -artistic ambition. The young conductor was very exacting in his demands -at rehearsals. To appeal to him was useless. He was earnest and -inflexible. And yet, notwithstanding his earnestness and the trouble he -took in producing uncongenial operas, he became weary of their flimsy -material. Within him the sap of the future music-drama was beginning to -rise. His own genius and artistic tendencies were in conflict with what -was enacted before him. It was the difference between simulated and real -feeling. What he was forced to conduct was stage sentiment, what he -yearned for was life-blood. And this latter he strove to infuse into his -"Rienzi," which was now assuming definite shape, words and part of the -music being written. - -[Sidenote: _STARTS FOR PARIS._] - -When two acts were finished to his satisfaction, there was no longer any -peace for him. Paris was the only fitting place where it could be -adequately represented. But how to get to Paris? At Riga, as elsewhere, -he lived beyond his means. I have before remarked on his incapability of -controlling his expenses and living within a fixed income. Minna was -thrifty and anxious, but her will was not strong enough to restrain her -self-willed husband. She was in a constant state of nervous worry, but -her devotion to Wagner prevented her making serious resistance. Now -funds were wanting for the projected Paris trip, he had none. However, -such a trivial item was not likely to thwart his ambition and to stand -in his way. He borrowed again. He was without any letters of -recommendation to Paris, spoke but very little French, and yet was full -of buoyancy and hope of the success that awaited him when there. It was -a bold, not to say reckless, venture. But it is characteristic of -Wagner. At all great junctures of his life he risked the whole of his -stakes on one card. His determination to leave Riga, and to turn his -back on the irritating miseries of a provincial theatre, led him to -embark with his wife and an enormous dog, in a small merchant vessel -_Pillau_ for London. Totally unprovided with any convenience for -passengers, badly provisioned and undermanned, the frail trading-craft -took the surprisingly long period of three weeks and a half to reach -London. It encountered severe weather and on two occasions narrowly -escaped foundering. The three passengers, Richard Wagner, his wife, and -dog, were miserably ill. On one occasion the bark was driven into a -Norwegian fiord; the crew and its passengers--there were no others on -board beside the Wagner trio--landed at a point where an old mill stood. -The poor wretches, snatched from the jaws of death, were hospitably -received by the owner, a poor man. He produced his only bottle of rum -and struck joy into all their hearts by brewing a bowl of punch. It was -evidently appreciated by the hapless ship's company, as Wagner was -hilarious when he spoke of what he humorously called his "Adventures at -the Champagne Mill." When the weather had cleared sufficiently the ship -set sail for London and arrived without any further mishap. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -EIGHT DAYS IN LONDON. - -1839. - - -[Sidenote: _LONDON IS TOO LARGE._] - -His first impression of London was not a pleasant one. The day was -wretched, raining heavily, and the streets were thick with mud. At the -Custom House Wagner was helped through the vexatious passport annoyance -by a German Jew--one of those odd men always to be found about the -stations and docks ready to perform any service for a trifling -consideration. He recommended Wagner to a small, uninviting hotel in Old -Compton Street, Soho, much resorted to by needy travellers from the -continent. The hotel, considerably improved, still exists. It is -situated a dozen doors or so from Wardour Street, and is opposite to a -public house known then, as now, as the "King's Arms." Wagner would have -gone straight away to a first-class hotel, but this time, feeling how -very uncertain the immediate future was, he asked to be recommended to a -cheap inn. He hired a cab, one of those curious old two-wheeled -vehicles, where the driver was perilously perched at the side, and with -his big dog, carefully sheltered from the weather under the large apron -which protected the forepart of the vehicle, they started for Old -Compton Street. Arrived there without incident, such of their luggage -as they had been able to bring with them at once was carried upstairs, -and Wagner and his wife sat down gloomily regarding each other. The room -was dingy and poorly furnished, and not of a kind to brighten weary, -seasick travellers. Wagner called his dog. No response. He opened the -door, rushed down the narrow, dark staircase to the street. Alas! -Neither dog nor cab were to be seen. He inquired of every one in broken -English, but could learn nothing hopeful or certain about his dumb -friend, the companion of his journey, and silent receiver of much of his -exuberant talk. Returning to Minna, they came to the conclusion that the -dog had leaped down from underneath the covering while the luggage was -being transported upstairs. But where was he now? They had not the -faintest clue, and knew not in which direction to seek for him. That -evening, their first in London, was one of sorrow and discomfort. The -next morning Wagner went back to the docks and gleaned tidings -sufficient only to dishearten him the more. The dog had been seen the -previous evening. Back to Old Compton Street, disconsolate; he had -scarcely ascended the first flight of stairs when, his step recognised, -loud barks of welcome greeted him from above. The dog was there. It had -found its way into the room where his wife had remained during his -absence. The poor beast was bespattered with mud, but this did not -prevent Wagner affectionately fondling him. To Wagner the return of the -dog was wonderful. How a dumb brute, that had seen absolutely nothing -during the journey from the docks to Old Compton Street, could find its -way back to the old starting-place, and then retrace its steps was a -marvellous instance of canine instinct, and one which endeared the race -to him deeper than ever, a love that endured to the last. - -Wagner remained in London about eight days, time to look round and to -arrange for passage to Boulogne, where Meyerbeer was staying, and from -whom he hoped to receive introductions to Paris. Although Wagner could -read English he was not sufficient master of it to understand it when -spoken. This in some degree accounts for the slight interest he felt in -his London visit. But he made the best use of his time. He was living -within a quarter of an hour's walk of the house in Great Portland Street -where his "adored idol," Weber, had died. To that shrine he made his -first pilgrimage, to reverently gaze upon the hallowed house. He -traversed all London, determining to see everything. The vastness of the -metropolis with its boundless sea of houses oppressed him. He had -strong, decided opinions as to what the dimensions of a town should be, -attributing much of the poverty and misery of large towns to their -overgrowth, and felt that when a township exceeded certain limits it was -beyond the control of a governing body, and that neglect in some form or -another would soon make itself felt. No city, he used to argue, should -be larger than Dresden then was. - -[Sidenote: _FASCINATED BY SHIPS._] - -He was amazed and most disagreeably surprised with the bustle of the -city. It bewildered him, and, as he expressed it, "fretted his artistic -soul out of him." The great extremes of poverty and riches, dwelling in -close proximity to each other, were a sad, unsolvable enigma. His -lodgings were perhaps in one of the worst neighbourhoods of London. Old -Compton Street abutted on the Seven Dials. There he saw misery under -some of its saddest aspects, and then, but a few minutes' walk and he -found himself amidst the luxury of Oxford Street and Regent Street. The -feelings engendered by this glaring inequality in his radical spirit -were never effaced. He thought that the English in their character, -their institutions, and habits were strangely contradictory, and the -impressions of 1839 were confirmed on his subsequent visits to this -country. The grand, extensive parks, open to all, delighted him. In -Germany he had seen no parks, and where public walks or gardens had been -laid out, walking on the grass was prohibited, whilst here no officious -guardian attempted to interfere with the free perambulation of the -visitor. The bearing of the police, too, equally surprised him. Here -they were ready with information, acting as protectors of the public, -whereas in Germany at that period they were aggressive and bureaucratic. -It is curious, but at no time do I remember Wagner speaking of having -visited any of the London theatres in 1839, whilst in 1855, when he was -here for the second time, he went to almost every place of amusement -then open, even those of third-rate order. But if in London he fell upon -"sunny places," compared with his German home, he also was sorely tried. -As I have remarked, his rooms were in a very unaristocratic quarter. The -bane of all studious Englishmen, especially musicians--the imported -organ-grinder, unknown in Germany--worried the excitable composer out of -all patience. The Seven Dials was a favourite haunt of the wandering -minstrel, and the man who retired at night, full of wild imaginings as -to his "Rienzi," was worked into a state of frenzy by two rival organ -men grinding away, one at each end of the street. - -The immensity of the shipping below London Bridge was a wonderful sight -to him. He had come into dock in a tiny, frail sailing craft, the cradle -of "The Flying Dutchman," after a hazardous passage across the North -Sea. The size and number of the trading vessels appealed direct to his -largely developed imaginative faculty. He pictured the mysterious -Vanderdecken in this and that vessel, and was full of strange fancies of -the spectral crew. The sea of sail so fascinated him that he took a -special river trip to Greenwich, the closer to inspect the shipping, and -with the further intent to visit the Naval Pensioners' hospital. - -When it was known at the hotel in Old Compton Street that he was about -starting for Greenwich, he was advised to go over the _Dreadnought_ -hospital-ship, then lying in the river just above Greenwich. He seized -at the suggestion. The _Dreadnought_ was one of the vessels of Nelson's -conquering fleet in the famous battle of Trafalgar, in the year 1805. -Wagner was a devoted worshipper of great men. An opportunity now -presented itself to inspect one of the wooden walls of England. It is a -widely known fact that hero-worship was a salient feature of Wagner's -character. He always referred to Weber as his "adored idol" or "adored -master," and for Beethoven he was equally enthusiastic. The "Dutchman," -that weird story of the sea, had taken possession of him, and a visit to -so celebrated a ship as the _Dreadnought_ was an occasion of some -importance. In his maturer age, when closer acquaintance with the -English people had given him the right to express an opinion as to -their nature, he said that in his judgment they were the most poetic of -European nations. Poetry, with them, lay not on the surface as with the -impetuous Gauls, nor was it sought after and cultivated as with the -Germans; but with the English it was deep in their hearts and associated -with their national institutions in a manner unknown among any other -modern people. No nation has produced such a galaxy of poetic -luminaries. The employment of the disabled battle-ship as a refuge for -worn-out seamen, men who had fought their country's battles, was, he -thought, an incontestable proof of a poetic sentiment founded in the -heart of a nation and fostered by natural love. I am aware how much this -is in opposition to the judgment of the English by a man who enjoyed a -high social standing and intimate acquaintance with the best of Albion's -intellect, viz. Lord Beaconsfield, whose famous dictum it was that the -"English people care for nothing but religion, politics, and commerce," -but the thoughtful opinion of a poet of acknowledged celebrity, Wagner -himself, I have deemed it advisable to set forth. - -[Sidenote: _IN POETS' CORNER._] - -The visit to the _Dreadnought_ left an indelible impression upon Wagner. -Arrived at the ship, he was in the act of ascending the pilot ladder put -over the side of the vessel, by which passengers came on board, when his -snuff-box fell out of his pocket into the water. The snuff-box was the -gift of Schroeder-Devrient. He prized it highly and attempted to clutch -it in its fall. In so doing, it seems he lost his hold of the ladder and -was himself only saved from immersion by his presence of mind and -gymnastic ability. The precious snuff-box was lost, but the composer of -"Parsifal" was saved. From the _Dreadnought_ he went with the nervous -Minna to the Greenwich hospital. Wagner had the habit of talking loudly -in public, and while walking about the building, seeing a pensioner -taking snuff, he said to Minna, "Could I speak English, I would ask him -for a pinch." Wagner was an inveterate snuff-taker from early manhood. -Imagine Wagner's surprise and delight when the Greenwich snuff-taker -accosted him with, "Here you are, my friend," in good German. The -pensioner proved to be a Saxon by birth, and, delighted to hear his -native tongue, was soon at home with his interlocutor. He told him that -he was perfectly contented with his lot, but that his companions, the -English, were dissatisfied and were "a grumbling lot." - -Wagner was filled with admiration at the generosity and beneficence -displayed in the bounteous provision for the comfort of the pensioners. -He told me his thoughts sped back to the German sailors on the East -Prussian coast, their miserably poor and scanty food, their ill-clothed -forms, and the general poverty of their position, when he saw the -apparently unlimited supplies of good, wholesome provisions and -substantial clothing; and yet, he said, the poor Germans are contented, -while the Greenwich pensioners complain. - -Wagner had been but two days in London in 1855, when he took me off to -Westminster. This was not his first visit to the national mausoleum; he -had been there in 1839, and recollections of that occasion induced him -at once to revisit the Abbey. We went specially to pay homage to the -great men in Poets' Corner, Shakespeare's monument being the main -attraction. It will be remembered that his first effort in English had -been a translation from Shakespeare, and I found that with increasing -years such an enthusiasm for the great dramatist had been developed as -was only possible in the ardent brain of an earnest poet. While -contemplating the Shakespeare monument on his first visit, it seems he -was led to a train of thought, the substance of which he related to me -in our 1855 visit. At the time I considered it noteworthy as an -important psychological feature and now relate it here. In reflecting -over the work done by the British genius, and its far-reaching influence -in creating a new form, he was carried back to the classic school of -ancient Greece and its Roman imitator. - -The ancient classic and the modern romantic schools were opposed to each -other. The English founder of the modern school had cast aside all the -rigid rules of the classical writers, which even the powerful efforts of -the three Frenchmen, Corneille, Racine, and Voltaire, had been unable to -revivify. In these reflections, referring to an antecedent period of -sixteen years, I have often thought I could discern the germ of his -daring revolution in musical form. Turning from the serious to the gay, -as was his wont at all times, he added that his reverie had a -commonplace ending. Minna plucked his sleeve, saying, "Komm, Lieber -Richard, du standst hier zwanzig minuten wie eine Bildsaule, ohne ein -Wort zusprechen" (Come, dear Richard, you have been standing here for -twenty minutes like one of these statues, and not uttered a word), and -when he repeated to her the substance of his meditations, he found as -usual she understood but little the serious import of his speech. - -[Sidenote: _MINNA LIKES LONDON._] - -Wagner's anxiety to reach the goal of his ambition left him no peace, -and on the eighth day after his arrival in London he left by steamer for -Boulogne. - -The London visit charmed Minna. The quiet, unobtrusive manner of the -English pleased her, but annoyed Wagner. He was irritated by their -stolidity, and complained always of a want of expansiveness in them. -Their stiff politeness he thought angular, and the impression did not -wear off during his second visit. These first eight days were not wholly -pleasant to him. He was anxious to get to Paris, and all his thoughts -were turned towards the city of the grand opera. Minna carried away -pleasant recollections, but Wagner thought his dog was the happiest of -all, for in London he had been provided daily with special dog's fare, -an institution unknown in Germany. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -BOULOGNE, 1839. - - -[Sidenote: _MEETING WITH MEYERBEER._] - -The passage to Boulogne began pleasantly, but a bad sailor at all times, -he did not escape the invariable discomforts of a channel journey. His -large Newfoundland dog, for whom he had an affection almost parental, -was on board, and excited general interest. Two Jewish ladies, named -Manson, mother and daughter, hearing Wagner speak German to his wife and -dog, soon entered into conversation with him through the medium of the -dog. Speaking a vitiated German with a facility which seems to be the -heirloom of the tribe of Judah, they discussed music, and with a -familiarity also characteristic of the race they told Wagner they were -going to spend a few days in Boulogne before proceeding to Paris. -Interested in music, they at once blundered into the delusion, common to -all the race, that every great composer was a Jew, supporting their -assertion by naming Mendelssohn, Halvy, Rossini, and their personal -intimate, Meyerbeer, including also Haydn, Mozart, and Weber. Wagner -seized with such eagerness at the name of Meyerbeer that he did not stop -to disprove the supposed Israelitic descent of Haydn, Mozart, and Weber. -As the ladies were going to call on Meyerbeer, they promised to apprise -him of Wagner's intended visit. In this opportune meeting, Wagner -thought fate seemed to be stretching out a helping hand to the young -German, he who had abandoned in disgust his post of conductor at Riga, -to compel the admiration of Paris for his genius. With Meyerbeer at -Boulogne and a friendly introduction to the ruler of the Paris Grand -Opera, the future seemed promising. Notwithstanding his wife's -misgivings he did not hesitate to accompany his travelling companions to -their hotel. The expenses were so great, and out of all proportion to -his scanty funds, that in a few days he sought a more humble abode. - -He saw Meyerbeer, and though he was received amicably enough, yet were -his first impressions not altogether agreeable. The ever-present smile -of the composer of the "Huguenots" seemed studied and insincere, as -though it was rather the outcome of simulated affability than of natural -good feeling. Meyerbeer was a polished courtier, his manners bland and -his speech unctuous. Diplomatic, committing himself to nothing, he -seemingly promised everything. The impassioned language of the young -idealist, his fervid outpourings on art, surprised and startled the -worldly-wise Meyerbeer. The earnest expression of honest conviction -rarely fails to excite interest even in the shrewd business man of the -world. Meyerbeer listened attentively to Wagner's story of his early -struggles, and of his hopes for the future, ending by fixing a meeting -for the next day, when the "Rienzi" poem might be read. The subject and -treatment pleased Meyerbeer greatly. From all that is known of him, it -is clear that his great and only gift lay in the treatment of spectacle. -The stage effects which "Rienzi" offered were many, and the situations -powerful. Both features were then adjudged imperative for a successful -grand opera in Paris, and in proportion as the "Rienzi" book promised -spectacular display, so Meyerbeer grew eulogistic and generous in his -promises of help. Wagner was strongly of opinion that Meyerbeer's first -friendly feeling was won entirely by the striking tableaux of the story. -Meyerbeer discussed with Wagner kindred scenes and situations in "Les -Huguenots," and such comparison was made between the two books, that -Wagner was forced to the conclusion that effect was the chief aim of -Meyerbeer, and truth a subordinate consideration. - -[Sidenote: _MEYERBEER HEARS "RIENZI."_] - -But to have won the unstinted praise of the enormously popular opera -composer seemed to promise immediate and certain success. It unduly -elated him, so that when he experienced the difficulties of getting his -work accepted at the Paris Grand Opera House, the shock was more severe -and harder to bear. But in Boulogne everything augured well. Indeed, -Meyerbeer expressed himself so strongly on the libretto as to request -Scribe to write one for him in imitation of it. When talking over this -incident with me, Wagner said that he believed Meyerbeer's lavish praise -of the book was uttered partly with a view to its purchase, but that -Wagner's enthusiasm for his own work prevented Meyerbeer making a direct -offer. However this may have been, from Wagner's plain language to me -there is no doubt at all in my mind that Meyerbeer did feel his way to -purchase the "Rienzi" text for his own purpose. Another meeting was -arranged for trying the music. On leaving Meyerbeer, he went direct to -relate all to the expectant Minna. As was his wont at all times after an -event of unusual import, he made this a cause of festivity. With Minna -he went to dine at a restaurant, and with juvenile exultation ordered -his favourite beverage, a half bottle of champagne. To Wagner champagne -represented the perfection of "terrestrial enjoyment," as he often -phrased it. While sipping their wine they met their newly made -acquaintances, the Mansons. Flushed with his recent success, he -recounted the whole of the morning episode. The Mansons advised him to -stay in Boulogne as long as he could whilst Meyerbeer was there, arguing -that he was such an amiable man, and since his good-will had been won -was sure to do all he could to promote Wagner's success; and they added -significantly, "He has the power to do all." - -The trying over of the "Rienzi" music with Meyerbeer was as successful -as the reading of the book. Two acts only were then completed, but with -these Meyerbeer expressed himself perfectly satisfied. It was just the -music to be successful in Paris, and he prognosticated for Wagner a -triumph with the Parisians. In discussing the incident with me, Wagner -said he believed Meyerbeer's laudation of the music was perfectly -sincere, "for," he cynically added, "the first two acts are just the -very part of the opera which please me least, and which I should like to -disown." It means that Meyerbeer committed the unpardonable fault in -Wagner's eyes of praising the careful and neat writing of the composer -when the score was opened. On all occasions Wagner would become -irritated if his really remarkably neat writing were praised. He would -say it was like praising the frame at the expense of the picture, and a -slight on the intelligence of the composer. - -Wagner took his place at the piano without being asked, and impetuously -attacked the score in his own rough-and-ready manner. Meyerbeer was -astonished at the rough handling of his piano. He was himself a highly -finished performer on the instrument, having begun his public artistic -career as a pianist. Wagner supplied as well as he could the vocal parts -(with as little technical perfection as his piano-playing), whilst -Meyerbeer carefully studied the score over the performer's shoulder. The -opinion of Meyerbeer was most flattering, his admiration for Wagner -intensifying greatly when at a subsequent meeting he went through the -only complete work Wagner had brought with him to conquer Paris--"Das -Liebesverbot." Before such lavish and warm praise Wagner's first -distrust of Meyerbeer melted as snow before the sun's rays. Meyerbeer -pointed to what he considered many admirable stage effects in the "Das -Liebesverbot" libretto, and thought that a man so young who could write -that and the "Rienzi" text was sure of future celebrity as a dramatist. - -Meyerbeer was profuse in his promises of help, and proposed at once to -recommend him to the director of a small Paris theatre and opera house, -though he pointed out to Wagner that letters of recommendation were of -little avail compared to personal introduction. But buoyed with such -testimonials and a letter from the Mansons, he left Boulogne, where he -was known as "le petit homme avec le grand chien," for Paris, again -accompanied by his wife and dumb friend. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -PARIS, 1839-1842. - - -That a young artist but six and twenty years of age, with a wife -dependent on him for existence, unknown to fame, almost penniless, and -even without art works that he could show in evidence of his ability, -should boldly assault the stronghold of European musical criticism, -confident of success, often flitted before Wagner's mind in after-life -as an act of temerity closely allied to insanity. "And ah!" he has added -in tones of bitter pain, "I had to pay for it dearly: my privations and -sufferings were as the tortures in Dante's 'Purgatorio.'" "But why did -you undertake such a seemingly Quixotic expedition?" I asked. "Because -at that time Paris was the resort of almost every artist of note, -whether painter, sculptor, poet, or musician, and even statesmen, when -all Europe clothed itself with the livery of Paris fashion." He felt -within him a power which urged him forward without fear of failure, and -so he came to Paris. - -Germany offered no encouragement to native talent. Paris was the gate to -the fatherland. First achieve success in Paris, and then his German -countrymen would receive him with open arms. It is true, that even a -short residence in Paris invested an artist with a certain superiority -over his confrres. - -As Wagner had but a very imperfect acquaintance with the French -language, he at once sought out the relative of the Mansons to whom he -had been recommended. I have been unable to recall the surname of -Wagner's new friend, but do remember well that he was spoken of as -Louis. This Monsieur Louis was a Jew and a German. He proved an -exceedingly faithful and constant companion of Wagner's during his stay -in Paris, indeed played the part of factotum to the Wagner household. He -must have been quite an exceptional friend, for on one occasion, when -Wagner and I were discussing Judaism _per se_, he turned to me and with -unusual warmth even for him, said, "How can I feel any prejudice against -the Jews as men, when I sincerely believe that it was excess of -friendship of poor Louis for me that killed him,--running about in all -weathers, exerting himself everywhere, undertaking most unpleasant -missions to find me work, and all whilst suffering from consumption. He -did it too from pure love of me without any thought of self." Through -the aid of Louis he found a modest lodging in a dingy house. The future -was so much an uncertainty that with the remembrance of the first days -of the Boulogne expensive hotel before him, he yielded to Minna's -persuasiveness and reconciled himself to the new abode. He was told that -Molire was born there; indeed, a bust of the great Frenchman did, I -believe, adorn the front of the house, and this helped to make him -accept his new quarters with a little more contentment than his own -ambitious notions would have admitted. - -[Sidenote: _TROUBLES IN PARIS._] - -Settled in his scantily furnished rooms, with ready business habits, so -unusual in a genius, he made it his first duty to call wherever he had -been recommended. Difficult as it may be in any European city to gain -access to the houses of prominent men, in Paris the troubles are -greater, if only on account of that terrible Cerberus, the concierge, -who instinctively divines an applicant for favours, and as skilfully -throws obstacles in the way while angling for pourboires. - -Disappointment upon disappointment met Wagner. Nowhere was he -successful. In speech at all times he uttered himself _en prince_, and -for a man seeking the favour and patronage of others this feature -militated against him. Meyerbeer had told him in Boulogne that letters -of introduction would avail him little or nothing, and that only by -personal introduction could he hope to make headway. But though -unsuccessful in every direction, he was not the man to give up without -desperate efforts. In a few months his funds were entirely exhausted. -Where to turn for the necessary money to provide the daily sustenance -was the exciting trouble of the moment. His family in Germany had helped -him at first, but material help soon gave place to sage advice. Barren -criticism on his "mad" Parisian visit, and admonition on his present -mode of existence, Wagner would not brook, and so communications soon -ceased between him and Germany. But how to live was the harrowing -question. It is with feelings of acute pain that I am forced to recall -the deep distress that overwhelmed this mighty genius, and the -humiliating acts to which cruel necessity drove him. After one more -wretched day than the last he suggested to Minna the raising of -temporary loans upon her trinkets. Let the reader try and realize the -proud Wagner's misery and anguish, when Minna confessed that such as she -had were already so disposed of, Louis having performed the wretched -office. - -[Sidenote: _ARRANGING POPULAR MUSIC._] - -This state of sad absolute poverty lasted for months. He could gain no -access to theatres or opera house. He offered himself as chorus master, -he would have taken the meanest appointment, but everything failed him. -With no prospect of succeeding as a musician, he turned to the press. As -he possessed a facile pen and a wide acquaintance with current -literature, he sought for existence as a newspaper hack. Here he -succeeded, and deemed himself fortunate to obtain even that thankless -work. The one man to whom he owed the chief means of existence during -this wretched Paris sojourn was a Jew, Maurice Schlesinger, the great -music publisher and proprietor of the "Gazette Musicale," a weekly -periodical. It is curious to note how again he finds a kind friend in a -Jew. For Schlesinger he wrote critical notices and feuilletons upon art -topics, one, now famous in Wagner's collected writings as "A Pilgrimage -to Beethoven." The pilgrimage is wholly imaginary for as I have already -stated Wagner never saw Beethoven. The paper itself contains some -remarkable foreshadowings of the matured, thinking Wagner and his -revolutionary art principles. He also wrote for other papers, Schumann's -"Die Neue Zeitschrift," for a Dresden journal, and the "Europa," a -fashionable art publication which occasionally printed original tonal -compositions. For this last paper he wrote three romances, "Dors mon -enfant," "Attente," and "Mignonne." He hoped by these to gain some entry -into the Paris fashionable world, but, though he tried to assimilate his -style to the popular drawing-room ballad of the day, his songs were -pronounced "too serious," and met with no success. - -But alas! his literary work was not financially productive enough, and -dire necessity drove him to very uncongenial musical drudgery. For the -same music-seller, Schlesinger, he made "arrangements" from popular -Italian operas, for every kind of instrument. He told me that "La -Favorita" had been arranged by him from the first note to the last. The -whole of this occupation, to a man as intimate with the orchestra as he, -was an easy task, yet very uninteresting and to him humiliating. But -though suffering actual privation, he would not give lessons in music. -Teaching was an occupation which, even in the darkest days, he would not -entertain for a moment. - -Such were the means by which Richard Wagner gained an existence during -his Paris sojourn. But they were not productive enough. Often he was in -absolute want. It was then in this hour of tribulation that the golden -qualities of Minna were proved. Sorrow, the touch-stone of man's worth, -tried her and she was not found wanting. The hitherto quiet and gentle -housewife was transformed into a heroine. Her placid disposition was -healing comfort to the disappointed, wearied musician. The whole of the -Paris period is "a gem of purest ray serene" in the diadem of Minna -Wagner. Thoughts of what the self-denying, devoted little woman did then -has many a time brought tears to Wagner's eyes. The most menial house -duties were performed by her with willing cheerfulness. She cleaned the -house, stood at the wash-tub, did the mending and the cooking. She hid -from the husband as much of the discomforts attaching to their poor -home as was possible. She never complained, and always strove to present -a bright, cheerful face, consoling and upholding him at all times. In -the evening she and his dog, the same that was temporarily lost in -London, were his regular companions on the boulevards. The bustle of -life and the Parisians diverted him from more anxious thoughts, whilst -supplying him with constant food for his ever-ready wit. - -In dress Wagner was at all times scrupulously neat. After nearly a -year's residence in Paris, the clothes he had brought with him from -Germany were showing sad signs of wear. The year had been fruitless from -a money point, and his wardrobe had not been replenished. His -sensitiveness on this topic was of course well known to Minna. To give -him pleasure she hunted Paris to find, if possible, some German tailor -in a small way of business who, swayed by the blandishments of Minna, -provided her with a suit of clothes for her husband for his birthday, -22d May, 1840, agreeing to wait for payment until more favourable times. -This delicate and thoughtful attention on the part of Minna deeply -touched Wagner, and he related the incident to me in illustration of the -loving affection she bore him. He said that during those three years of -pinching poverty and bitter disappointments his temperament was variable -and trying. It was hard to bear with him. Vexed and worn with fruitless -trials to secure a hearing for his "Rienzi," angered at witnessing the -lavish expenditure at the opera house upon works inferior to his own, he -has admitted that his already passionate nature was intensified, and yet -all his outbursts were met by Minna in an uncomplaining, soothing -spirit, which, the first fury over, he was not slow to acknowledge. Her -sacrifices for him and all she did became only known years after, when -their worldly position had changed vastly for the better. He never -forgot her devotion, nor did he ever hide his indebtedness and gratitude -to her from his friends. - -[Sidenote: _FRIENDSHIP WITH JEWS._] - -During the three years that Wagner was in Paris, he was brought into -communication with several prominent men in the world of art, men -eminent in literature, in music, both as composers and as executants, in -painting, and other phases of art. Of the dozen or so of men with whom -he thus became more intimately acquainted, the greater portion were his -own countrymen and about half were Jews. This constant close intimacy of -Wagner with the descendants of Judah is a curious feature in his life, -and shows that when he wrote as strongly as he did of Jews and their art -work, his judgments were based upon close personal knowledge of the -question. As may be supposed, the acquaintance of a young man between -twenty-six and thirty years of age with these several thinkers and -writers, could not fail to influence, more or less, an impressionable -and receptive nature. - -It was an odd freak of fortune that almost immediately after Wagner had -settled in Paris, he should, by accident, meet in the streets an old -friend from Leipzic, Heinrich Laube. It was in a paper edited by Laube -that Richard Wagner's first printed article on the non-existence of -German opera had appeared. That was when Wagner was about one and -twenty. Laube was a political revolutionist who underwent several terms -of imprisonment for daring to utter his thoughts about Germany and its -government through his paper. But prison confinement never controlled -the dauntless courage of the patriot. He was a man of considerable and -varied gifts. It is not only as a political demagogue that he will be -known in future times, but as a philosopher, novelist, and playwright. -In Leipzic he had shown himself very friendly to Wagner, whose sound, -vigorous judgment attracted him, and now after hearing of Wagner's -precarious situation, offered to introduce him to Heine. Such an -opportunity could not be lost, and so the cultured Hebrew poet and -Richard Wagner met. - -[Sidenote: _MEETS HEINRICH HEINE._] - -A curious trio this: Laube, hard-featured and unpleasant to look upon, -with a weirdness begotten possibly of frequent incarcerations,--a -strange contrast to the handsome, regular-featured, soft-spoken Heine; -and then the pale, slim, young Wagner, short in stature, but with -piercing eyes and voluble speech which surprised and amazed the cynical -Heine. When Heinrich Heine heard that Meyerbeer had given Wagner -introductions, he doubted the abilities of the newcomer. Heine was -strongly biassed against Meyerbeer and distrusted his sincerity. -Although the meeting with Laube was a delight to Wagner, as it brought -back to him all his youthful enthusiasm and hope, yet his appreciation -of the accomplished writer, which in Leipzic amounted almost to -reverence, had been by time and events considerably lessened. Wagner's -greatest majesty, earnestness, was wanting in Laube. The litterateur in -Wagner's estimation had no fixed purpose, no ideal. He frittered away -considerable gifts in innumerable directions. Incongruities the most -glaring not unfrequently appeared in his writings. A paragraph of sound -philosophical reasoning would be followed by a page of the merest -bombastic phraseology. In his dramatic efforts tragedy and farce were -placed in amazing juxtaposition. He wrote a large number of novels, but -not one proved entirely satisfactory. "Reisenovellen" was an imitation -of Heine, but it fell immeasurably below the standard attained by his -model. His best literary production was, without doubt, the history of -his life in prison, which interests and touches us by its simplicity. -However, Wagner could not resist the attraction which Laube's -peculiarities possessed for him. The litterateur's unprepossessing -pedantic exterior contrasted strangely with his voluptuous and -imaginative mind. Possessed of a brain specially fitted for the -conception of the noblest schemes for the freedom of human thought, he -often childishly indulged in a roguish _plaisanterie_. From a thoughtful -disquisition on the philosophy of Hegel he glides into the description -of such unworthy topics as a ball-room, love behind the scenes, -coffee-room conversation, etc. But, curiously, his revolutionary -tendencies in all other matters were in strange contrast to his -tenacious clinging to the then existing opera form, and Wagner's -outspoken notions about the regeneration of the opera into that of the -musical drama were vehemently opposed by him. - -In Heinrich Heine Wagner found a more congenial listener to his advanced -theories. Although Heine's appreciation of music was not based on any -more solid ground than that of a general acquaintance with the operas -then in vogue, he was far more affected, and was a greater critic on the -tonal art than his contemporary, Laube. Heine had resided in Paris since -1830, and was thoroughly acclimatized to Parisian taste. He was accepted -as the representative of modern German poetry, and his works, -particularly "Les deux Grenadiers," "Les Polonais de la vraie Pologne," -were popular amongst all classes. Heine was pre-eminently spiritual, a -quality exceedingly appreciated by the French; hence his popularity. -However serious or painful the topic, Heine could enliven it by his -clever Jewish antithetic wit. Heine received Wagner with a certain -amount of reserve. His respect for musicians was not great. He had found -many who, with the exception of their musical knowledge, were -uncultured. Wagner's thorough acquaintance with literature, especially -that of the earlier writers, agreeably surprised him, and the composer's -elevated idea of the sacred mission of music touched the nobler chords -of the poet's nature. His opinion on Wagner, as quoted by Laube, -presents an interesting example of Heine's perspicacity. As a specimen -of unaffected appreciation from a critic like Heine, who rarely sat in -judgment without giving vent to a vitiated vein of sarcasm, it is most -interesting. - -"I cannot help feeling a lively interest in Wagner. He is endowed with -an inexhaustible, productive mind, kept almost uninterruptedly in -activity by a vivacious temperament. From an individuality so replete -with modern culture, it is possible to expect the development of a solid -and powerful modern music." Heine could never refrain from employing a -degenerated imitation of irony, called persiflage, as a weapon for the -purpose of mockery, and for the production of effect. Heine's -imagination is bold, and his language idiosyncratic, though not -affected. His sentiment is deep, but his fault is the want of an ideal -outside the circle of his own ideas. In his poems, effeminate tenderness -is contrasted by a vigorous boldness, the purest sentiment by sensual -frivolity, noble thought by the meanest vulgarity, and lofty aspirations -by painful indifference. Whilst overturning all existing theories and -institutions, he failed to establish any one salutary doctrine. - -[Sidenote: _SCHLESINGER'S ADMIRATION._] - -It was a happy chance for Wagner that a man in the prominent position of -Schlesinger should have interested himself in a young musician, whose -nature was the opposite of his own. A shrewd music-seller, with an eye -always to the main chance, and an art enthusiast in close intimacy, was -a strange spectacle, only to be accounted for by the fact that opposite -natures attract, whereas similar characters repel each other. -Schlesinger admired in Wagner the very qualities of earnestness and -enthusiasm which were lacking in his own being. Meyerbeer was his deity. -It was one day in a mail coach that I found myself the travelling-companion -of Schlesinger. He talked the whole day, of Meyerbeer principally. He -said that Meyerbeer showed a commercial sagacity in composing his works -which was remarkable. Behind the stage he was as painstaking with -artists and the _mise-en scne_ as he was careful in the comfortable -seating of critics. Not the smallest journalist, nor even their -relations, failed to be seated well. Meyerbeer was the embodiment of the -art of _savoir faire_. It seemed to me, then, a curious contradiction in -my companion's character, that he could regard such phases in a man's -character as wonderful, and at the same time have listened to the -intemperate outpourings of the earnest Wagner. But it was so. - -At the back of Schlesinger's music shop was a room where artists -casually met for conversation. Wagner, owing to the "musical -arrangements" for the firm and being writer for Schlesinger's "Gazette -Musicale," was a frequent visitor. He met many known men and noted their -speech. It all tended one way. The French were light-hearted, persiflage -was a principal subject of their composition, and for such a public only -light dainties were to be provided. They wanted the semblance and not -the reality. Amusement first and truth after. His own romances, penned, -as he hoped, in a fittingly light manner, were not light enough and as a -consequence were not pleasing enough. - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER AND BERLIOZ._] - -With Berlioz his relations were less happy. The two men met often, but -were mutually antagonistic. They admired each other always. Both were -serious and earnest, but their friendship was never intimate. In -after-life the same strained bearing towards each other was maintained. -From close observation of the two men under my roof, at the same table, -and under circumstances when they were open heart with each other, I -should say however that the constraint arose purely from their -antagonistic individualities. Berlioz was reserved, self-possessed, and -dignified. His clear, transparent delivery was as the rhythmic cadence -of a fountain. Wagner was boisterous, effusive, and his words leaped -forth as the rushing of a mountain torrent. Wagner undoubtedly in Paris -learned much from Berlioz. The new and refined orchestration taught, or -perhaps I should rather say indicated, to Wagner what could be done with -the orchestra. Indeed, Wagner has said that the instrumentation of -Berlioz influenced him, but disagrees with the use to which the -orchestra was put. To Berlioz it was the end: to Wagner, a means. -Berlioz expended his ideas in special colouristic effects, whilst -Wagner's pre-eminent desire was truthfulness of situation, the orchestra -serving as the medium for the delineation of his ideas. Wagner paid -Berlioz a tribute in Paris by declaring that he was distinguished from -his Parisian colleagues, that he did not compose for money, and then in -the same breath sarcastically asserts that "he lacks all sense of -beauty." This I think unfair, nor do I consider it as representing what -Wagner really wished to convey. Berlioz was undoubtedly possessed of -ideality, his intentions were noble and earnest, but in their execution -he fell short of his conceptions. However, he towers above all French -composers for earnestness of purpose and strength of intellect. - -Although Wagner often and strongly disagreed with Heine's judgment in -matters of art, yet with one, the poet's racy notice dated April, 1840, -published in "Lutce," a miscellaneous collection of letters upon -artistic and social life in Paris, he felt that the pungent criticism -was not altogether wide of the truth. Wagner kept the notice, and when -he and Berlioz were in this country together in 1855, he gave it to me, -remarking that though grotesque it was in the main faithful. As it is -very interesting I reproduce it:-- - - We will begin to-day by Berlioz, whose first concert has served as - the dbut of the musical season, as the overture, so to speak. His - productions, more or less new, which have been performed, found a - just tribute of applause, and even the most indolent present were - aroused by the force of his genius, which revels in creations of - the "grand master." There is a flapping of wings, but it is not of - an ordinary bird, it is a colossal nightingale, a skylark of the - grandeur of the eagle, as it existed, it is said, in the primitive - world. Yes, the music of Berlioz, in general, has for me something - primitive, if not antediluvian, and it makes me think of extinct - gigantic beasts, of mammoths, of fabulous worlds, and of fabulous - sins; indeed, of impossibilities piled one upon another. His magic - accents recall to us Babylon, the suspended gardens of Semiramis, - the marvels of Nineveh, the bold edifices of Mizraim, such as are - seen in the pictures of the Englishman, Martin. Indeed, if we seek - for analogous productions in the realms of the painter's art, we - find a perfect resemblance with the elective Berlioz and the - eccentric Englishman. The same outrageous sentiment of the - prodigious, of the excessive, of material immensity. With one - brilliant effect of light and darkness, with the other thundery - instrumentation: with one little melody, with the other little - colour, in both a perfect absence of beauty and of navet. Their - works are neither antique nor romantic, they recall to us neither - the Greek pagan, nor the medival catholic, but seem to lift us to - the highest point of Assyrico-Babylonio-Egyptian architecture, and - bear us back to those poems in stone which trace in the pyramids - the passion of humanity, the eternal mystery of the world. - -[Sidenote: _A NATIONAL DRAMA._] - -Of the other notabilities in the art world with whom Richard Wagner came -into contact in Paris, the chief were Halvy, Vieuxtemps, Scribe, and -Kietz. For Halvy he had great admiration. His music was honest. It had -a national flavour in it. It was of the French, French. There was a -visible effort to reflect in tones the mind and sentiment of a people -which was highly meritorious. He was the legitimate descendant of Auber, -the founder of a really national French opera. If conventionality proved -too strong for Auber, Halvy made less effort to throw off the thraldom. -The latter was wholly in the hands of opera directors, singers, ballet -masters, etc. Had he been a strong man, an artist of determination, -governed more with the noble desire to elevate his glorious art than of -pleasing popular favourites, he might have done great things. Opera -comique represented truly the national taste of the Gauls. Auber and -Halvy were the men who, assisted by Boildieu, could have laid a sure -foundation, but conventionality proved too powerful for all three. - -It is not difficult to understand why Wagner so constantly made a -"national music-drama" the subject of discourse. In his judgment a drama -reflecting the culture and life of a people was the noblest teacher of -men. It appeals direct to the heart and understanding. It is the mirror -of themselves, purified, idealized, and as such cannot fail to be the -most powerful and effective moral instructor. "National drama" was an -undying subject with Wagner. His constant effort was the founding of a -national art for his own compatriots. It was the ambition of his life, -so that after the first and so grandly successful festival performance -of the "Nibelungen" in the Bayreuth theatre, 1876, his address to the -spectators began, "My children, you have here a really German art." No -wonder, then, that he spoke in Paris with such earnestness of the -absence of a true national opera, and of the destruction of such as -there promised to be through the attention lavished on Rossini and -Donizetti. Halvy's "La Juive," a grand opera, Wagner considered a -particularly praiseworthy work, and thought it promised great things. So -much did he consider it worthy of notice, that when later on he became -conductor of the Dresden Opera House, he devoted great attention to its -production and adequate rendering. - -Vieuxtemps, Wagner met occasionally, but was on less intimate terms with -him. He admired him as a virtuoso on the violin; he had a grand style, -but in his conversation and writings he was without any distinguishing -or attractive ability, adhering so steadfastly to the rigid classical -form that there was little sympathy between them. In Scribe he admired -the skill and esprit of his stage works. He saw that the Frenchman most -accurately gauged the taste of his public and was dexterous in the -manipulation of his matter. Scribe was not then at anything like the -zenith of his power, yet was possessed of a finish and delicacy in -writing that Wagner admired. Lastly, Kietz, a painter from Germany, of a -certain merit, was perhaps one of his most intimate friends. He painted -a portrait of Richard Wagner which is now regarded as very excellent. -Full of fun, his jocularity harmonized completely with Wagner's own -humour, and, united with Louis, the three were ever at their most -comfortable and happy ease. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -PARIS, 1839-1842. _Continued._ - - -Viewed from an art standpoint, those dreary years of misery, spent in -the centre of European gaity, were the crucial epoch of Richard Wagner's -career. Then, for the first time, was he filled with the consciousness -of the complete impossibility of the French operatic stage and its -kindred institutions outside France, ever becoming the platform from -which he could preach his doctrine of earnestness and truth. The Paris -grand opera was the hothouse of spurious art. The master who would -succeed there must abandon his inspiration and make concessions to -artists and to managers. He found the so-called grand opera tainted, an -unreal thing which dealt not with verities, but was the handmaid of -fashion. It had no heart, no living, free-flowing blood, but was a -patchwork of false sentiment rendered attractive by its gorgeous -spectacular frame. - -But it was not at one bound that Wagner arrived at this conclusion. The -turning-point was not reached until after he had himself essayed a grand -opera success, and found how inadequate and imperfect fettered -utterances were to free thoughts. Indeed, by degrees he discovered that -realism, the prime element of the grand historic opera, was completely -antagonistic to the tenderness of his own poetic instinct, idealism. He -looked too, to the grand opera for expression of the feelings of a -people, and found works manacled by a rigid conventionality. - -He had come to Paris with the "Das Liebesverbot" (the manuscript of -which, by the by, I believe passed into the possession of King Ludwig of -Bavaria: it would be interesting to see the score of this early work -written in 1834) and a portion of "Rienzi." His aspirations were to -complete this latter in a manner worthy of the Paris stage. He attended -much the productions of the opera house. He heard Auber, Halvy, -Meyerbeer, Rossini, and Donizetti, and, as the months rolled by he grew -sick in heart at seeing the sumptuous settings devoted to works that -were paltry, mean, and artificial compared with his own. - -[Sidenote: _A CHAMPION OF AUBER._] - -Wagner was now a young man rapidly nearing thirty winters of life. He -was in a foreign land, earning a bare existence, but withal full of -earnest enthusiasm and vigorous work. A thinker always, he set himself -the problem in the midst of pinching poverty, why was it that an -unmistakable and growing aversion for the grand opera had been awakened -in him? He pondered over it. For months it exercised his mind and then, -suddenly, the revolutionary spirit of the age took possession of him, -and he threw over once for all preconceived operatic notions, and -resolved to be no longer the slave of a form walled in by -conventionality, nor the puppet of an institution like the grand opera -house, controlled by innumerable anti-artistic influences. It is from -this time that we date that glorious change in his art work which has -made music an articulate language understood by all, whereas hitherto it -had been but a lisping speech, with occasional beautiful moments -undoubtedly, but for all that, an imperfect art. - -Poor Wagner, what sorrows did he not pass through in 1840 and 1841! Now -he has stolen into the opera house to listen to the sensuous melodies of -Rossini and Meyerbeer, and afterwards wended his way home dejected and -disconsolate, with his heart a prey to the bitterest pangs. He could -vent a little of his imprisoned indignation in the "Gazette Musicale," -and availed himself of this channel of publicity. He fell upon Rossini -and Donizetti. Why should they, aliens, dominate the French stage to the -exclusion of superior native worth and pure national sentiment? In his -opinion Auber was badly treated by the Parisians, "La Muette de -Porticci" (Masaniello), contained germs of a real national French opera. -It was a work of excellence and merited a better reception at the hands -of the composer's countrymen. "Poor Wagner!" I feel myself again and -again unconsciously uttering, when I remember that his championship of -Auber nearly cost him the little emolument his newspaper articles -brought him, for Schlesinger administered a sharp rebuke, and told him -that if he wished to enter the political arena he must write for a -political and not a musical journal. That Wagner's attitude toward Auber -was based on purely artistic grounds will be admitted, I think, when it -is known that during these three years of Paris life the two men never -met. - -But if the grand opera procured him no pleasure he was compensated by -the orchestral performances at the Conservatoire de Musique. Wagner has -often related an incident connected with one of his visits to the -miserable rooms of the Conservatoire in the Rue Bergre, that will never -fail to make affection's chords vibrate with compassionate sympathy for -the beloved master. I remember well Wagner telling the story to me. It -was during his worst hours of poverty. Disappointments had fallen thick -around him. For two whole days his food had been almost nothing. -Hungered and wearied, he silently and unobtrusively entered the -Conservatoire. The orchestra were playing the "Ninth Symphony." What -thoughts did it not recall! It was more than ten years since he had -heard the symphonies of Beethoven. Then he was in his Leipzic home. How -changed were all things now! But the music was the same! The old -enchantment overcame him. The genius of Beethoven again dazzled his -senses, and he left the concert-room broken down with grief, but more -determined and with a fixity of purpose more resolute than he had had at -any time during the Paris period. "It was," he says, "as a blessed -reality in the midst of a maze of shifting, gloomy dreams." He went home -invigorated with the healthy, refreshing draughts of the "Ninth -Symphony," bent upon pouring out the feelings of his early manhood, but -falling sick, his original intentions were abandoned. - -[Sidenote: _HIS OPINION OF THE FRENCH._] - -The concerts at the Conservatoire afforded him genuine pleasure. The -director, Habeneck, seems to have been a zealous, painstaking artist, -all works conducted evidencing the very careful study they had received -at his hands. It was at the Conservatoire that Wagner's soul of music -was fed, his heart and mind satisfied, the eye was gratified by the -magnificent mise-en-scene of the grand opera. These two institutions -exercised a vast and wholesome influence over him, though he rebelled -wholly against the dicta of the grand opera. Perhaps had it not been for -the violent antagonism the Paris opera excited within him, and the deep -feeling of revulsion that it engendered, Richard Wagner would not so -soon have come to that invaluable knowledge of himself, nor the art-fire -within have glowed with such clearness and intensity. - -To Wagner the Gallic character was at once the source of attraction and -repulsion. He admired the light-hearted gaiety, the racy wit, and -agreeable tact which seems to be the birthright of even the lowest and -least educated. Such qualities were akin to his own being. At all times -he sparkled with witty remarks, and as for tact, the times are without -number when I have seen him display a discretion and dexterity of tact -which belong only to the born diplomat. It was not tact in the common -understanding of the term, but a keen sense of perceiving when to -conciliate, when to hit hard, and when to stop. I have been present on -occasions when his language has been so intemperate and severely -sarcastic that I have expected as the only possible consequence an -unpleasant dnouement; but his fine discernment, aided by undoubted -skill and adroitness of speech, have produced a marvellous change, and I -am convinced that the happy termination was only arrived at because of -the tone of conviction in which he expressed himself. His words bore so -plainly the stamp of unadulterated truth, that those who could not agree -with him were captivated by his enthusiasm and earnestness. On the other -hand, he was repelled by the frivolous tone with which the Parisians -characteristically treated serious topics. There was a want of causality -in them. His conception of the world with its duties and obligations was -in complete contrast to theirs. Moreover, he felt they lacked true -poetic sentiment. Their poesy was superficial. It was replete with grace -and charm, nor was beauty occasionally wanting. But it did not well up -from their hearts. They associated it closely with every action of life -but it was more often the veneer than the thing itself that shone. And -again, their proclivities were in favour of realism, whereas his own -sentiments were entwined round a poetic ideal. It was during this Paris -period that the aspiration for the ideal burst forth with an intensity -that never afterwards dimmed. The longing for the ideal was no new -sensation. Flashes had been observed earlier at Leipzic when under the -fascination of Beethoven's symphonies, but, ambition, love of fame, and -a not unnatural youthful desire to acquire wealth had diverted him from -the ideal to the real, and it was not till saddened with disappointments -and sorely tried in the crucible of misfortune that he emerged purified, -with a vision of his ideal beautified and enthroned on high, resolved -henceforth never to tire in his efforts to achieve his purpose. - -[Sidenote: _THE REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT._] - -I should not omit to refer to certain observations Wagner made upon the -military and police element in these early Paris years. He was a keen -scrutinizer of men and manners, and failed not to observe the power -wielded by the army. The French were a pageant-loving people, but were -heavily burdened to maintain their large military force. Poverty was a -natural result, and bitter feelings were engendered towards a -government which employed the army as an awe-inspiring power towards -peaceful citizens. Though the soldier was drawn from the people, yet as -the unit of an army he came to be regarded as an enemy of his class. Nor -was Wagner more satisfied with the police. He said he never could be -brought to regard them as custodians of the peace and protectors of the -rights of citizens. Instead of being well-disposed, they assumed a -hostile attitude towards civilians. Perhaps these may seem items of no -great importance, but to me the shrewd, perceptive Wagner of 1840-41, -with his revolt against an overbearing military and police is the father -of the revolutionist of 1848. It is but a short space of seven years. - -With all its attendant suffering and weariness Wagner was accustomed to -regard his first sojourn in Paris as the most eventful period of his -life in the cause of art. There he burnt the ships of the youthful -aspirant for public renown. Worldly tribulation tried and proved him, -and the art genius emerged from the conflict purified and strengthened. -As he says in his short autobiographical sketch, "The spirit of -revolution took possession of me once forever." As it is not an uncommon -fact in history that great events have often been brought about by most -trifling incidents, so now did the first step in this wondrous -development arise out of an apparently unimportant conversation to which -I shall shortly refer. He had come to Paris sustained by an -over-sanguine conviction of compelling French admiration by a rich -display of its own art proclivities. Omitting for the moment his "Faust" -overture, he first completed "Rienzi," in the all-spectacular spirit -suited to the grand opera house. Then, as far as actual production went, -ensued nearly a year of sterility, only to be followed by the advent of -the poetic ideal which, when once cherished, was never afterwards cast -aside. It was the poet who was now asserting his power. Poesy was -claiming its birthright with the tonal art, and as the holy union of the -twin arts manifested itself before his seer-like vision, so the artist, -Wagner, the creator of a music whose every phase glows with the blood of -life, so the poet-musician clearly perceiving his ideal, strove towards -its attainment and never abated his efforts to realize his object, nor -turned aside from its pursuit. - -It is a matter of vast interest to learn how he was led in this -direction. Some months after he had been in Paris, with little prospect -of obtaining a hearing at the grand opera house, and suffering the -keenest pangs of poverty, he heard the "Ninth Symphony" at the -Conservatoire. He had heard it years ago, but now its story, its -"programme," was clear before him. He too would write a symphony. He -would speak the feelings within him, and music should be a "reality" and -not the language of mysticism. - -[Sidenote: _"EINE FAUST" OVERTURE._] - -Overburdened with such feelings as these, a few days later he entered -the music shop of Schlesinger. There was news for him. The publisher had -a proposition which he thought promised well for Wagner. Deeply -interested in his penniless, enthusiastic compatriot, he had almost -brought to a successful conclusion an arrangement by which Wagner was to -write a piece for a boulevard theatre. The conditions were that the -trifle should be light and showy, nothing serious, but attractive. Such -an offer at any other period prior to this, Wagner said he would have -gladly welcomed. The time, however, was inopportune. Unfortunately for -him, but to the incalculable gain of the art, just now he was under the -magnetic influence of the "Ninth Symphony." He seems to have burst into -an uncontrollable onslaught upon the trivialities that ruled the French -stage. He would have none of them. Music now for him was a "blessed -reality," and the hollow fictions of the boulevard theatres were -unworthy of a true artist. Schlesinger reasoned with him, urged the -wisdom of accepting the offer, though at the same time uncompromising in -his demand that the proposed piece must not be serious, and must be -written to suit the tastes of the uneducated public. But Wagner was not -to be won over, quoting the dictum of Schiller, a great favourite with -him, that "the artist should not be the bantling of his period, but its -teacher." No arrangement come to, Wagner went home. It was raining -heavily. Excited and wet through, he talked wildly to Minna, the result -being that he was put to bed with a severe attack of erysipelas. -Brooding over his position, angered with the world and himself, caring -not for life, his thoughts reverted to the "Ninth Symphony," and he, -with the energy of a sick, strong-willed man, resolved to write -forthwith that which should be the expression of his pent-up rage with -the world, and, as by magic, he fell upon the story of Faust. To Wagner, -then, as to the aged student, "Life was a burden, and death a desired -consummation." And so he plunged with his woes thick upon him into the -composition, superscribing his work with the words of Faust:-- - - Thou God, who reigns within my heart, - Alone can touch my soul. - -[Sidenote: _HEINE'S "FLYING DUTCHMAN."_] - -While writing this, Wagner told me, that then for the first time did -music speak to him in plain language. The subjects poured hot out of his -heart as molten metal from a furnace. It was not music he wrote, but the -sorrows of his soul that transformed themselves into sounds. His illness -lasted for about a week, the erysipelas attacking his face and head. The -forced reflection upon the past that his confinement induced was bitter, -but his floating ideas about the poetic drama were cemented. That -sick-chamber was the hothouse of the "romantic" Wagner. There the -revolutionary views first gathered strength and the germs of the "art of -the future" consolidated themselves. All his thoughts and feelings upon -the future he communicated to his gentle nurse, Minna, who was always a -ready listener to his seemingly random talk. This quality of "a good -listener," of always lending a sympathetic ear, was perhaps more -soothing and valuable than a criticising, discerning companion might -have been to him, especially during his days of sickness. He had also -another ever-ready and attentive auditor, his dog, the companion of his -voyage from Riga to London and thence to Paris. How fond he was of that -dumb brute! The innumerable times he addressed it as if it were a human -being! And Wagner was not forgetful of its memory. During the worst -hours of want he wrote for a newspaper a short story entitled, "The end -of a German Musician in Paris"; in that one sees with what affection he -regarded his devoted friend. The principal character in this realistic -romance is himself, whom he causes to die through starvation. In that -the sorrow and suffering endured by Wagner are set forth in a manner -that touches one to the quick. As soon as he was sufficiently -recovered, he did not, as the majority of natures would have done, rest -from all active mental work, but at once vigorously attacked his -unfinished "Rienzi," the remaining acts of which were completed by the -end of the year 1840. A curious fate Wagner's. He had embarked upon a -hazardous voyage to the French capital with the view of producing -"Rienzi" there, and yet no sooner was the work quite finished than he -despatched it to Germany, hoping to get it performed at Dresden. A -glance at the music reveals the gulf that separates the Wagner of the -first two acts--composed before he came to Paris--from the writer of the -remaining three. Yet another composition, a complete opera, was given to -the world in Paris in the end of 1841. It has the unique distinction of -being the work of Wagner that occupied the shortest time in writing. -From the time of its inception--I am now speaking only of the music--to -its completion, about seven weeks sufficed for the work. The poem had -been completed some months earlier. He had submitted "Rienzi" to the -director of the grand opera, who gave him no tangible hope of its being -accepted, but promised to do his best in producing a shorter opera by -him. This engagement on the part of the director, though not couched in -unequivocal terms, was not to be allowed to drop. Wagner went to Heine -and discussed the situation. Among the subjects proposed for an opera -was Heine's own treatment of the romantic legend of "The Flying -Dutchman" and his spectral crew. The story was not new to Wagner. He had -heard it for the first time from the lips of the sailors on his voyage -to London. Then it had impressed him. Now it took hold of him. - -How this legend of the ill-fated mariner came to form the basis of an -opera text is curious and interesting. There are few, perhaps, who have -any notions from what crude material the significant "Dutchman," as we -know it, was fashioned. - -There existed in England, and a copy can still be obtained from French, -the Strand theatrical publisher, a melodramatic burlesque by Fitzball, a -prolific writer for the English stage, entitled "Vanderdecken, or The -Phantom Ship." To mention the names of three of the original dramatis -personae, Captain Peppersal, the father of the Senta, Von Swiggs, a -drunken Dutchman in love with Senta, and Smutta, a black servant, the -character and mode of treatment of the story will be at once perceived. -Vanderdecken retains much of the legendary lore with which we are -accustomed to surround him, except that Fitzball causes him occasionally -to appear and disappear in blue and red fire. Vanderdecken too is under -a spell; the utterance of a single word though it be joy at his -acceptance by Senta, will consign him again to his terrible fate for -another thousand years. - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER'S "FLYING DUTCHMAN."_] - -It was a perusal of this medley, of the spectral and burlesque, which -led Heine to treat the story after his own heart, and it was the -discussion with the poet that determined Wagner in his choice of -subject. The libretto was finished and delivered to the director, who, -whilst expressing entire satisfaction at the work, only asked its price -so that he might deliver it to a composer to whom a text had been -promised, and whose opera had the next right of being accepted. The poem -was not sold, and Wagner turned again to his "arranging" drudgery. -Later, however, he retook his text. The subject-legend was in the -highest manner adapted for musical treatment. Whilst writing the poem he -had felt in a very different mood than when writing the "Rienzi" text. -In the latter, his object was a story so arranged as would admit of the -then orthodox operatic treatment with its set forms of solos, choruses, -ensembles, etc., etc. Wagner was a man of thought. He did not perform -things in a haphazard manner. He saw his mark and flew to it. The -historic opera, he reasoned, demanded a precise and careful treatment of -detail incidents. This was not the province of music. The tonal art was -a medium for the expression of feelings, to illustrate the workings of -the heart. Now with legend the conditions are entirely opposite to those -demanded by the historic opera. It is of no consequence among what -people a particular legend originated. Place and period are equally -unimportant. Romantic legends possess this superlative advantage over -historical subjects; no matter when the period, or where the place, or -who the people, the legends are invested with none of the trammelling -conditions of nationality or epoch, but treat exclusively of that which -is human. This is an immense gain to both poet and musician. By this -process of reasoning, Wagner gradually came to exclude word-repetition. -In the "Dutchman" much verbal reiteration is still indulged in; but the -story and treatment show us the real Wagner of the future. - -As to the composition of the music, I have heard so much from Wagner on -this particular opera, to convince me that, though it occupied but a few -weeks, it was not done without much careful thought. The scaffolding -upon which it was constructed is very clear. Indeed, the "make" of the -whole work is most transparent. There are three chief subjects. (1) -Senta's song, (2) Sailor's and (3) Spinning chorus, and those have been -woven into an organic whole by thoughtful work. - -In the summer of 1866, I was sitting with Wagner at dinner in his house -at Munich. It chanced that the conversation turned upon the weary -mariner, his yearning for land and love, and Wagner's own longing for -his fatherland at the time he composed the "Dutchman," when going to a -piano that stood near him, he said, "The pent-up anguish, the -homesickness that then held complete possession of me, were poured out -in this phrase,"--playing the short cadence of two bars thrice repeated -that preludes Vanderdecken's recital to Daland of his woeful wanderings. -"At the end of the phrase, on the diminished seventh, in my mind I -paused and brooded over the past, the repetitions, each higher, -interpreting the increased intensity of my sufferings," and, Wagner went -on, that with each note he originally intended that Vanderdecken should -move but one step, and move only in time with the music. Now this -careful premeditated tonal working in the young man of twenty-eight is -indicative, as much as any portion of Wagner is, of his _style_, a word -of pregnant meaning when used in relation to Wagner's works. - -[Sidenote: _HE LEAVES PARIS._] - -The "Dutchman" was written at Mendon, a village about five miles from -Paris. It was composed at the piano. This incident is of importance, -since for several months he had not written a note, and knew not whether -he still possessed the power of composing. He had left Paris because of -the noise and bustle, and to his horror discovered that his new landlord -was a collector of musical instruments, so there was little likelihood -of securing the quietude he so much desired. When the work was finished, -conscious that realistic France was not the place where he could produce -his poetic ideal, he despatched it to Meyerbeer, then in Germany, whose -aid he solicited in getting it performed. Replies were not encouraging. -Meanwhile, sorely harassed how to provide life's necessities, he sold, -under pressure, his manuscript of the poem for 20. - -The sole ray of hope, the one chance of rescue from this sad plight, lay -in "Rienzi." It had been accepted at Dresden and in the spring of 1842 -he was informed that it was about to be put into preparation and his -presence would be desirable. He therefore left Paris for Germany after -nearly three years of absence. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -DRESDEN, 1842-1843. - - -From now begins a new epoch in Wagner's life. The call he had received -from Dresden filled him with delirious joy. The world was not large -enough to hold him. He trod on air. That Dresden, the hallowed scene of -Weber's labours, possessing the then first theatre in Germany, famed -alike for its productions, style, and artists, should accept his work, -and request his presence to supervise the rehearsals, was an -acknowledgment which transformed, as by magic, a sombre, cruel outlook -into a gloriously bright and warm future. - -He was very sanguine of succeeding with "Rienzi." It was completely in -the style of the foreign operas then in vogue among his countrymen. -Germany had no opera of her own. Mozart and Gluck both composed in the -French and Italian style, and Meyerbeer, the then ruler of the German -operatic stage, fashioned his popular works on the spectacular style of -the grand French opera. "Rienzi" was spectacular, with plenty of the -same description of material as "Les Huguenots." So Wagner's hopes ran -high, and a vista of happiness spread itself before him as an enchanted -fairy-land. - -[Sidenote: _THE CHOSEN OF DRESDEN._] - -With joy he took leave of Schlesinger and his few Parisian intimates, -and set out for Germany, his fatherland. His fatherland! what a sea of -tumultuous feelings did that thought of returning home produce in him. -He was going back a conqueror. The creative artist was at last -recognized; he was rescued from desperate distress at the very moment it -seemed as if he were going to succumb to the conflict. It is difficult -to at all thoroughly understand what Wagner went through after he had -been summoned to Germany. The transformation scene in his life's drama -was taking place. Again and again has he expatiated upon it with an -honesty characteristic of him, and with a volubility that laid bare all -his heart's hopes and emotions at the time. - -Paris had not accepted him. He came, he saw, but had not conquered. His -soul had swelled with artistic ambition; he was enthusiastic, desiring a -platform from which to expound his cherished tenets; and Paris ignored -him, treated his projects and himself as nought, and for all it cared, -he might have perished unheeded, with none but his dog to mourn his -loss. And now, from an unacknowledged artist, he was the chosen of -celebrated Dresden, still warm with the inspired accents of his -"beloved" Weber. Well might he become delirious with joy. - -His homeward journey was full of happy incident and profit. He heard his -native language again as the common tongue. Of German as a language -Wagner was always enamoured. He possessed a large vocabulary himself, -was a poet of no mean rank, and had always a wealth of illustration -ready at command. Now to hear German spoken about him was delight. He -was in a happy frame, ready to be touched with whatever he saw. The -Rhine unusually excited him. In later years, when writing of the period, -he tells us that at sight of the Rhine he vowed eternal fidelity to his -country. He remarked to me, in his poetic language, that its eddying -wavelets seemed to be telling him its legends, and dolefully inquiring, -Why did you leave us? He was happy to come home. His escape from -feverish, sensuous Paris, to his healthy, honest fatherland, was, to use -his own graphic analogy, as Tannhuser emerging from the Venus grotto to -breathe the invigorating, bracing atmosphere of the German mountains. It -was the awakening from an oppressive nightmare. The unvarnished -straightforwardness of the German character welcomed him with the -affection of fond parents. With all its rude plainness and stolidity, he -loved the German mind. It was sincere, true, and made the French -courteous polish, which he had just quitted, seem as a thing unreal, a -lacquer, an affection that became offensive. - -The return of Wagner and his wife to Dresden was particularly agreeable -to the latter. In Dresden, she had a reputation as an actress, though -not in the first rank, yet she was somebody, and would be so recognized. -Besides, there she could have the respect paid to her due to the wife of -the composer of "Rienzi." Poor Minna! what a patient and gentle woman -she was. To hear her unaffected talk of the change in her own position, -on their coming to live in Dresden, was touching, indeed. In Paris she -had been a drudge, and no one knew but Wagner the half of her heroism, -self-denial, and suffering. Now for her, too, the horizon was clearing, -and it was with difficulty that she endeavoured to restrain the -overflowing hopefulness of Richard. But he would not be repressed, and -on nearing Dresden the two who had suffered together consoled and -encouraged each other with visions of prospective prosperity. - -[Sidenote: _A VISIT TO REISSIGER._] - -A change of scene was always conducive to happiness in Wagner. For the -first few days he visited well-remembered spots. He had a veritable -passion for at once setting off to see familiar places. The joy of -Dresden homely life contrasted with the Paris mode of living, acted like -a charm on him. His spirits were at their best, his health good, and the -kindly greetings he met everywhere worked together to make him -thoroughly enjoy life. His sister Rosalie, the actress, was dead, so -that all that was really known of him when he came to Dresden was that -he was born at Leipzic, had been educated at the Dresden Schule, and had -wholly written and composed two operas, and was the brother of the late -Rosalie Wagner. - -One of his first visits was to Reissiger, chief conductor at the Royal -Opera (where Wagner's "Rienzi" was to be performed), and of the Royal -Chapel. Reissiger was some fifteen years older than Richard Wagner. He -had been trained in the school of strict fugue and counterpoint at -Leipzic, and as a musician was prolific and clever, but lacked poetical -inspiration and intellectual power. He was eminently a professor. He -received Wagner politely, praised the "Rienzi," the score of which he -knew, but with it all maintained an attitude of reserve. Wagner, who was -on the best terms with himself and the world, ready to embrace -everybody, was cooled by his reception, and felt that he could never be -intimate with Reissiger, who occupied the greater part of their first -interview with complaints about his own non-success on the operatic -stage, all of which he peevishly attributed to the shortcomings of the -_libretti_. - -If, however, Wagner was disappointed with his probable standing with -Reissiger, he was amply compensated by the warmth and spontaneity of -Fischer's greeting. Fischer was stage manager and chorus director. He -was a musician of superior attainments, a man of sound reflection, and -felt that theirs was to be a friendship for life. He was enthusiastic -about "Rienzi," foretold a certain success, and showed his earnestness -by untiring activity in training the chorus, so important in the new -work. He proved of invaluable service to Wagner by describing the -character and temperament of the many individuals connected with the -theatre with whom he would come into contact. - -There was yet another friend who affectionately greeted Wagner. -Tichatschek, the "Rienzi" of the forthcoming performance. Tichatschek -was of heroic stature, finely proportioned, and dignified in bearing. He -was enraptured with his part. He saw in it one which fitted him to -perfection, both as to physical appearance and vocal powers, which, in -his case, were strong and enduring. - -A passing cloud was the absence of the "Adriano," his womanly ideal, -Schroeder-Devrient. But she soon came to Dresden and was present at the -"Rienzi" rehearsals. Wagner related to her the episode of the -_Dreadnought_, and the fate of her precious gift, the snuff-box, when -she pleasantly rejoined that "Rienzi" would produce him a shower of -golden snuff-boxes from all the potentates of Germany, so convinced was -she of its success. - -[Sidenote: _PRODUCTION OF "RIENZI."_] - -"Rienzi" was performed at the end of 1842. An unquestioned success, -everybody enthusiastic, the orchestra played with an energy that went -quite beyond the phlegmatic Reissiger who conducted. Apart from the -effective situations, the well-treated story and verve with which the -chief characters worked, there is no doubt that a great portion of the -success was due to the splendid appearance of Tichatschek. Commanding in -stature and clad in glittering armour, possessing a powerful voice which -he used to advantage, the audience were enraptured with the hero and -cheered him lustily. The processions, the conflagrations, and all those -stage effects so skilfully calculated by Wagner and intended for the -grand opera house, Paris, appealed to the spectacle-loving portion of -the playgoers. The plot, the revolt of an oppressed people, was -unquestionably in harmony with the spirit of the period, for revolution -was in the air; all over Germany there were disquieting signs. It has -often been suggested that "Rienzi" was a confession of faith of Wagner's -political, so-called revolutionary, principles, and was a forecast of -the democratic storm of 1848, but it need scarcely be said that it was -mere coincidence. - -I have now arrived at the time when my own acquaintance with Richard -Wagner began. It was in the beginning of the spring of 1843. Wagner had -been appointed in January of that year co-chief conductor at the opera -with Reissiger, but the superiority of his intellectual and artistic -abilities over the homespun plebeian Reissiger soon gave him the first -position in Dresden. Their second in command was August Roeckel. Roeckel -was my most intimate friend. We were of the same age, and had but one -judgment upon music. He was the nephew of Nepomuck Hummel and possessed -much of the talent of that celebrated pianist. He was also a composer of -merit; indeed, it was by reason of the sound musicianly skill displayed -in his opera "Farinelli" that he was appointed second music director at -Dresden, similarly as Wagner had been appointed chief director through -the success of "Rienzi." The director of the opera had accepted -"Farinelli" and announced a performance, but so dazzled was Roeckel by -the brilliancy of Wagner's genius that he withdrew "Farinelli" and would -under no circumstances permit its production. This act of -self-effacement accurately paints the character of the over-modest man. -Between Wagner and Roeckel the closest intimacy sprang up. Through all -that stormy period of the revolution, Wagner thought and spoke of none -other as he did of Roeckel. They were twin souls. For range of -knowledge, active intelligence, and similarity of thought, Wagner had -met with no one more congenial to him, and, I must add, none worshipped -Wagner as August Roeckel did. He had resided in London and Paris, and -the literature of both countries was as familiar to him as that of his -native land. The first description I had of Richard Wagner was from -August Roeckel. I had such complete confidence in his perception and -judgment that I was at once won over to Wagner's side by the tone of -hero-worship that pervaded the letter. Happily it has been preserved and -I now reproduce it:-- - -[Sidenote: _INFLUENCE OF ROECKEL._] - - At last fortune smiles on me. Think, I have been appointed - Sachsischer music director, at the head of the most celebrated - orchestra of Germany, no longer doomed to give lessons, my horror - and abomination. "Farinelli," after all, was the right thing, but - what chiefly reminds me of your perspicacity was the encouragement - in regard to my pianoforte playing. Now that is of the greatest - importance in helping me to establishing a name here. It was but - natural that I doubted my gift as a pianist, when Edward (his - brother) was the favourite of uncle "Hummel," but when at Vienna, - I remembered your prophecy, and worked at the piano harder than - ever, and now it stands me in good stead. Henceforth, I drop myself - into a well, because I am going to speak of the man whose greatness - overshadows that of all other men I have met, either in France or - England,--our new friend, Richard Wagner. I say advisedly, our - friend, for he knows you from my description as well as I do. You - cannot imagine how the daily intercourse with him develops my - admiration for his genius. His earnestness in art is religious; he - looks upon the drama as the pulpit from which the people should be - taught, and his views on a combination of the different arts for - that purpose opens up an exciting theory, as new as it is ideal. - You would love him, aye, worship him as I do, for to gigantic - powers of intellect he unites the sportive playfulness of a child. - I have a great advantage over him in piano-playing. It seems - strange, but his playing is ludicrously defective; so much so, that - when anything is to be tried I take the piano and my sight-reading - seems to please him vastly. - - DRESDEN, March, 1843. - -My correspondence with August Roeckel was at this period a large one. He -had a religious reverence for the gift, intellectual attainments, and -eloquence of his new friend, topics which constitute the main theme of -his letters. That Roeckel had an equal sway over Wagner in another -direction, viz. politics, arose, too, from that same earnest enthusiasm, -the parent of Wagner's own successful art efforts. It is necessary that -I should explain that Roeckel was Wagner's shadow. They were -inseparable, visiting each other during the day and at the theatre -together at night. They had, so Wagner told me afterwards, a life in -common. He was as much fired by Roeckel's wealth of literary lore, his -heroic notions of life and duty, and the claim of a people to be well -governed, as Roeckel was sympathetic and appreciative of those art -theories which, according to Wagner, formed the upper stratum of man's -existence. Roeckel's view is therefore the judgment of Wagner's other -self, and as such has a right of existence here. It is full of warm -interest about Wagner, who, in later years, greatly enjoyed the perusal -of the correspondence. The absolute worship of Roeckel for his chief -shows itself in the following letter written under the influence of -early relations:-- - - I have the most affectionate letter from Bamberg. They want me back - there, offer me greater advantages, urging that I was the first and - only conductor there, whilst at Dresden I am but second. But can - they understand to whom I am second? Such a man as Richard Wagner I - never yet met, and you know I am not inclined to Caesar's maxim, - that it were better to be the first in a village than the second in - Rome. I have begun to rescore my opera under Wagner's supervision; - his frank criticism has opened my eyes to some very important - instrumental defects. His notions of scoring are most novel, most - daring, and altogether marvellous; but not more so than his - elevated notions about the high purpose of the dramatic art; - indeed, they foreshadow a new era in the history of art. - - DRESDEN. - -[Sidenote: _BERLIOZ AND WAGNER._] - -An incident of interest in the first part of 1843 was a visit of Hector -Berlioz to Wagner. The great Frenchman came to hear "Rienzi." Satisfied -he was not; about the only number that he thought meritorious was the -prayer. With the "Dutchman," which he also heard, he was even still less -contented. He complained of the excess of instrumentation. This is -curious, to put it gently, that a composer who employs four orchestras -with twelve kettledrums in one work, whose own scoring is noted for -excessive employment of means, should make such a charge. It is -inexplicable. The truth is, Berlioz was jealous of Wagner. Roeckel had -been intimate with Berlioz in Paris. The father of Roeckel was the -impressario who introduced the first complete German opera troupe to -Paris and London. He had been an intimate friend of Beethoven, had -impersonated "Florestan" in "Fidelio," and, indeed, had been tutored by -the composer for the tenor part. The elder Roeckel's company included -Schroeder-Devrient when he went to Paris. August Roeckel was therefore -well known to Berlioz, and Schroeder-Devrient, having travelled with -Roeckel's father, and being known intimately by August, was also a link -between Wagner and himself. When, therefore, Berlioz came to Dresden, -August was delighted, and was always present at the friendly meetings of -the two composers. He wrote to me that their meetings were embarrassed. -Wagner was first attracted, but the cold, austere, though always -polished demeanour of Berlioz checked Wagner's enthusiasm. He had the -air of patronizing Wagner; his speech was bitter, freezing the -boisterous expansiveness of Wagner. At times the conversation was so -strained that Roeckel was of opinion that Berlioz intentionally slighted -Wagner. The more they were together, the less they appeared to -understand each other; and yet, notwithstanding the fastidious -criticism, the constant fault-finding of Berlioz, he took pains to -arrange meetings with Wagner, naturally fascinated by the vigour with -which Wagner discussed art. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -1843-1844. - - -[Sidenote: _A TOUCH OF HIS HUMOUR._] - -However inclined the Dresden musical press may have been to be captious -and antagonistic towards Wagner, there were certain decided evidences of -gifts whose existence they could not deny, and which they were -reluctantly compelled to acknowledge, in spite of their openly -pronounced hostility. The rehearsing and conducting of "Rienzi" and the -"Dutchman" had established Wagner's reputation as a conductor of unusual -ability. "But," said his censorious critics, "that proves nothing, for -he worked with heart and soul to secure success, just because the operas -were his own. Wait until he is called upon to produce a classic; then we -shall see." They had not to wait long. Within a month, Gluck's "Armide" -and Mozart's "Don Giovanni" were performed under his bton. His reading -of both was original. He had, first, his individual conception of the -opera as an organic art work, and then very pronounced views as to the -manner in which each should be studied and performed. He spared not the -orchestra. This not unnaturally created among the less intelligent some -amount of irritation. Custom had sanctioned a certain slovenly -rendering, and they revolted at the revolutionary spirit of the new -conductor. But the openly expressed appreciation of the unquestioned -abilities of the conductor by the leading members of the orchestra, was -not without effect upon the malcontents. The friction did not last long; -a marked improvement was felt by all, and Wagner's irrepressible animal -spirits and jocularity won over even the drudges. I have it from August -Roeckel, his colleague at the desk, that the intelligent members of the -orchestra idolized Wagner, and never wearied under his bton. - -Wagner was possessed of a keen sense of euphonic balance. The -predominance of one section of the orchestra over another, except where -specially required to produce certain effects, he would not tolerate, be -the defaulting instrument ever so difficult to control. On one occasion -the trombones were excessively noisy at a "Rienzi" rehearsal in the -overture, where they should accompany the violins _piano_. Their braying -aroused Wagner's anger; however, with ready wit, instead of a reproof, a -joke, and turning good-humouredly to the culprits, he laughingly said, -"Gentlemen, if I mistake not, we are in Dresden, and not marching round -Jericho, where your ancestors, strong of lung, blew down the city -walls." The humour of the admonition was not lost, and after a moment's -general hilarity Wagner obtained the desired effect. - -[Sidenote: _SPOHR'S KINDLY DEED._] - -Wagner was a born disciplinarian. He held the orchestra completely in -the palm of his hand. The members were so many pawns which he moved at -will, responding to his slightest expressed wish. The rigid enforcement -of his will upon the players became talked of outside the doors of the -theatre. The critics could not understand why he should wish to change -the order of things, have a greater number and longer rehearsals than -any one else, and have the works performed in his heterodox way; and so, -they first ridiculed him, and then uncompromisingly attacked him, -attacks which, it is regrettable to add, lasted all the years he -remained in Dresden. But for all this, he was not to be deterred from -his purpose. He knew what he wanted, and meant to have it, and in this -Wagner has again and again acknowledged to me his indebtedness to August -Roeckel, who so ably seconded his chief. According to Wagner's notions -the masterpieces of German musicians could never be properly understood -by the music-loving public, owing to their imperfect and faulty -rendering under conductors who were so many automaton time-beaters. -Great works of all descriptions were produced in a styleless manner, no -regard, indeed, but very little effort, being made to discover the -intention of the composer. All were rendered in the same pointless -manner. This was revolting to his sense of artistic probity, therefore -when he held the office of conductor he altered this almost dishonest -state of things, for it was dishonest not to seek to reproduce a -composer's intention. Thus the works of all masters suffered. Therefore -Wagner made it a rule that whatever he conducted should be, when -possible, entirely committed to memory. His earnestness became -infectious, until players and singers became animated by one feeling. -They felt that he, at the desk, was as much a worker as any of them, and -the result was a performance hitherto unknown for perfection. It -happened, therefore, that when "Don Giovanni" was given, according to -his feelings and as he willed it, the critics fell upon him fiercely, -going so far even as to declare he did not understand Mozart, so -unexpectedly new did they find his conception. The contest waged hotly. -A large and important body of directors of art opinion selected the -phlegmatic Reissiger as their idol, and lauded him indiscriminately. It -is, to say the least, strange that there should have been found any one -to prefer a man of the diminutive talents of Reissiger to Richard -Wagner. The former was a pure mechanic, respectable in his way, but -completely overshadowed by the mighty genius of Wagner. This study of -conductors and conducting was a phase of his art to which Wagner devoted -much careful thought, embodying at a later period his views in a -pamphlet on the subject, which will be found invaluable by orchestral -conductors of every degree. - -An incident of this year, 1843, his first at Dresden, to which Wagner -referred with pleasure, was the performance of the "Dutchman" at Cassel -by Spohr. It was done entirely on its merits, without any solicitation -from Wagner, the pleasure being intensified by reason of the ripe age of -the conductor and his well-known reverence for the orthodox. Spohr was -sixty-nine, and Richard Wagner thirty. Wagner felt and expressed himself -as deeply touched at the interest a musician of such opposite tendencies -should take in his work, particularly, too, on receiving later a letter -from Spohr expressing the delight he experienced on making the -acquaintance of a young artist who showed in all he did such earnestness -and striving after truth. When Wagner related this to me, wondering at -the curious contradiction in Spohr's character, I remarked that the -solution seemed to lie in the gentle, almost effeminate nature of Spohr, -which found its completion in the robust, manly vigour of Wagner's own -conceptions. - -How Spohr could have been attracted by Wagner, and repulsed by the "last -period" of Beethoven, is a contradiction difficult to account for; but -that it existed is beyond doubt, for the last time he was in London, -about 1850-51, I put the question direct to him whether it was true, as -asserted, that he had stigmatized the third period of Beethoven as -"barbarous music," to which he promptly and emphatically replied, "Yes, -I do think it barbarous music." After the performance at Cassel, Wagner -endeavoured to get the "Dutchman" accepted elsewhere, but signally -failed; from Munich, where a quarter of a century later he was to be the -ruling spirit, came the discouraging response that "it was not German -enough," though the composer thought this its distinguishing merit. - -[Sidenote: _HIS PECULIAR DRESS._] - -The acrimoniously bitter attacks that were made upon Wagner, during his -first year at Dresden, increased in poignancy, as he showed himself -uncontrolled by custom's laws. He affected a careless, defiant attitude -towards all criticism, whereas he was abnormally sensitive to -journalistic opinion. He could scoff, play the cynic, treat his opponent -with derisive scorn, but it was all simulated; the iron entered into his -soul, and he chafed and grew irritable under it. It was as though he -suffered a bodily castigation. He brooded over the attacks, and there -can be no doubt that they caused him moments of acute pain. It is true -that in combat he could parry and thrust with as much vigour as his -opponents; that the sting of his reproof was as torturing as any he -suffered; perhaps even that his assaults were more annihilating than -the occasion demanded; yet with it all, though he emerged from the -contest victorious, he suffered deeply, acutely. There can be no doubt -that the genesis of this hostile criticism was directed more against the -man than his art work, and that wounded personality played an important -part in it. Richard Wagner was seen to be a man of artistic taste, with -proclivities which were exhibited in his domestic surroundings, novel, -perhaps, to the somewhat heavy Dresdenites. First, Wagner's attire was -different from that of the ordinary individual. He persisted in wearing -in the house a velvet dressing-gown and a biretta, truly an uncommon -head-gear. His apartments were asserted to be upholstered luxuriously. -And in these things the art critics (?) saw a target for ridicule and -sarcasm. Now that his apartments were furnished in a costly manner is -absolutely untrue. Wagner had a keen appreciation of the beautiful, and -loved tasty decoration, but it was secured at the minimum of cost. The -thrifty Minna contrived and invented, to gratify Wagner's fancies, at an -outlay which does credit to German thrift. And yet there were found -Dresden journals that went so far as to discuss his mode of living, -attributing all the apparent extravagance to gratification of an -over-rated self-esteem, the appeasing of an inordinate vanity. - -A year of vexation! a year of consolidation was 1844! From Wagner I have -often heard it: "My failures were the stepping-stones to success"; and -this year, when the hot blood of ambition coursed violently through his -youthful veins, when he aimed as high as the heavens, and met with -failures everywhere, when directors of German opera houses returned his -scores "unopened" or pronounced them unripe and lacking in melody, -truly, it was an epoch of bitter disappointment. Attacked relentlessly -by journalistic hacks, imbued with the bitter feeling that he was the -rejected of his countrymen; that for him there was not a glimmer of hope -of success on the German stage, and yet convinced of his own exceptional -gifts, and the living truth of the mission he was destined to -accomplish, he, broken down in spirit, angered with the world, and -fractious with himself, retired from all intercourse with his -fellow-men, shunned society as the plague, appeared at the Dresden -theatre only when absolutely necessary, and went into seclusion, -accessible to none except August Roeckel. Of this gloomy period, and the -devotion of his friend, Wagner has left it on record. "I left the world, -retired from public life, and lived in the closest communion with one -intimate companion only, one friend, who was so full of sympathy for me, -so wholly engrossed in my artistic development, that he ignored his own -unquestioned talents, artistic instinct, and inventive powers, and cast -to the winds his own chances of worldly success. This companion of my -gloom was Roeckel." In referring to his friend's self-abnegation, Wagner -evidently alludes to Roeckel's opera, "Farinelli," which the composer -had withdrawn from the Dresden repertoire through excess of modesty, -over-awed, as he was, by his conception of Richard Wagner's genius. - -[Sidenote: _HE PRODUCES "ARMIDE."_] - -This tribute to the constancy and humble workship of August Roeckel is -not a whit too much. Roeckel idolized Wagner. The two men were the -complement of each other; whilst the vivacious imagination of Wagner -inspired admiration in Roeckel, the latter's placid, closely-reasoned -logic soothed the excitable poet-musician. All Roeckel's letters to me -of this period--and he was an excellent correspondent--might be summed -up in the word "Wagner." The minutest incidents of work and details of -their conversations are related. This poor Roeckel suffered thirteen -years imprisonment, from May, 1849, when his friend Wagner escaped. At -the termination of his confinement, the two friends met with a warmth of -affection difficult to describe. Seeing, then, the intimacy of the men -during this year of retirement, it is the letters of August Roeckel -which will supply the faithfullest record of Wagner's life and work. - -He tells me that Wagner spoke of himself as "one crying in the desert." -But few sympathized with him, his breaking away from the "Rienzi" period -being frowned upon, but that through all disappointment Wagner's -inexhaustible animal spirits never left him. The following letter is -dated March, 1844:-- - - Wagner has returned from Berlin, very morose in temper; the "Flying - Dutchman" did not touch the scoffing Berliners, who certainly have - less poetical feeling than most Germans; they only saw in - Schroeder-Devrient a star, and in the touching drama an opera like - other operas; yet they pose as profound art critics. Bah! they are - simply stupid! - - Since then we have had "Hans Heiling" and "Vampyr." Wagner thinks - much of Marschner's natural gifts, but finds that his general - intelligence is not on a level with his musical gifts, and that - this is often painfully evident in his recourse to commonplace - padding.... I wish you could have witnessed the work of the old - Gluck "Armide," most tenderly cared for by Wagner. I doubt that it - ever was rendered with such reverence,--nay, not even in Paris. We - have also had what Wagner considers the masterwork of Mendelssohn, - "Midsummer Night's Dream," with which he also took considerable - pains, although fully aware of the composer's unfriendly feeling - towards himself. - -Later I find the following:-- - - You cannot conceive what a system of espionage has grown up about - Wagner, how keenly all his actions are criticised. He deemed it - advisable to rearrange the seating of the band (I send you a plan); - but oh! the hubbub it has produced is dreadful. "What! change that - which satisfied Morlacchi and Reissiger?" They charge Wagner with - want of reverence for tradition and with taking delight in - upsetting the established order of things. - -In the middle of the year it seems the "Faust" overture was performed; -the reception was disheartening. It was another disappointment, and -showed Wagner how little the public was in sympathy with his art ideal. -Although performed twice, it produced no effect. - -[Sidenote: _SPONTINI AND "LA VESTALE."_] - - This is not to be wondered at [writes Roeckel]; for in the judgment - of some here it compares favourably with the grandest efforts of - Beethoven. Such a work ought to be heard several times before its - beauties can be fully perceived. - - Wagner day by day becomes to me the beacon-light of the future; his - depth of thought, his daring philosophical investigations, his - unrestrained criticism, startle one out of the every-day optimism - of the Dresden surroundings. The only ready ear besides myself is - Semper, who, however, agrees with Wagner's outbursts only so far as - they are applicable to his own art, architecture, as in music he is - but a dilettante. Much of Wagner's earnestness in his demands for - improvement in art matters is attributed by the opposition to - self-glorification. At the head of it stands Reissiger, who can not - and will not accept the success of "Rienzi" as _bona fide_. He is - forever hinting at some nefarious means, and cannot understand why - his own operas should fail with the same public, unless, indeed, - he stupidly adds, it is because he neglected to surround himself - with a "life-guard of claqueurs"; but he was a true German, and - against such malpractices. You can imagine how such things annoy - Wagner; and although he eventually laughs, it is not until they - have left a scar somewhere. For myself, I wonder how he can mind - such stuff. I keep it always from him, but nevertheless it always - seems to reach him; and Minna is not capable of withholding either - praise or blame from him, although I have tried hard to prove to - her that it affects her husband deeply, whose health is none of the - strongest. Another annoyance is the Leipzic clique, with - Mendelssohn at the head, or, to put the matter into the right - light, as the ruling spirit. He gives the watchword to the clique, - and then sneaks out of sight, as if he lived in regions too refined - and sublime to bother himself about terrestrial affairs. But the - worst sore is that coming from our intendant. He has not the shadow - of an idea upon music; takes all his initiative from current - phrases learnt by heart; he is the veriest type of a courtier, and - hates nothing so much as "revolutionary" suggestions from a - subordinate, for as such he rates the conductors, nor has he a - glimpse of discernment as to their relative merits, and finding - Reissiger always ready to bow to his aristocratic acumen, he - evidently thinks him the more gifted. The matter is not made better - by the bitter tone of the press, which, arrogating to itself the - office of defenders of true art, smites heavily the "iconoclast - Wagner." Schladebach leads them, and unfortunately, his prominent - position inspires courage in scribblers. - - * * * * * - - We have had a very interesting event here. Spontini came to conduct - his "Vestal." It was done twice. He is a composer who has said what - he had to say in his own manner. He commands respect, is full of - dignity and amiability. Wagner had trained the orchestra well; his - respectful bearing to the veteran composer incited them to exert - themselves heart and soul. The result was a very satisfactory - rendering. But after the second performance, a peremptory order - came from Luttichorn, that the "Vestal" was not to be repeated, and - Wagner was to convey the decision to Spontini. Wagner prayed me to - accompany him; first, because he does not speak French so fluently - as I do; and secondly, since Spontini had shown himself very - friendly towards me, and it was hoped my presence might calm the - composer's expected anger, for Spontini is known for his - irritability on such occasions. We went. The time was most - opportune, for as a new dignity had just been conferred upon him by - the Pope, his vanity was so flattered that he listened with - unruffled temper to what was, for him, unpleasant news. - - DECEMBER, 1844. - -Perhaps the event of the year was the removal of the remains of Weber -from London to Dresden. An earnest committee had been working some time -towards this end; concerts and operatic performances had been given in -Germany and subscription lists opened to provide the necessary funds. -Wagner was truly enthusiastic in the matter, but August Roeckel merits -equal tribute. It was arranged that the deceased musician's eldest son, -Max von Weber, should come to London to carry out the necessary -arrangements. He came in June, 1844, and was the guest of Edward -Roeckel. We met daily. Max von Weber was a bright, intelligent man. -Enthusiastic for the cause, I accompanied him everywhere, soliciting -subscriptions from compatriots in this country and interviewing the -authorities to facilitate the removal. - -August Roeckel writes:-- - -[Sidenote: _AT THE GRAVE OF WEBER._] - - All Dresden was in excitement; the event produced a profound - sensation. The body was received by us all. We had been rehearsing - for some time a funeral march arranged by Wagner from themes in - "Euryanthe." The loving care bestowed by Wagner on the rehearsals - touched every one. It was clear that his whole heart was in the - work. His own opinion is that he never succeeded in anything as in - this. The soft, appealing tones of the wood-wind were wonderfully - pathetic, and when the march was performed in the open air, - accompanying the body, not a member of the cortge or bystander but - was moved. And then the scene at the grave! Schulz delivered an - oration, and Richard Wagner too. Wagner had composed and written - his out. Think of the care! He wished to avoid being led away at - the sight of the mourners' grief, and the great concourse which was - sure to be present, and so he learned his speech by heart. The - impression produced upon me was such a one as I never before - experienced. Deep sympathy reigned everywhere; all the musicians - adored Weber; and the towns-people, members of whom had known that - lovable man personally, did honour to Germany's great son, for - national sentiment played an important part in the matter. You know - that in ordinary conversation, the strong accent of the Leipzic - dialect is the common speech of Richard Wagner, but when delivering - his oration, his utterance was pure German, his measured periods - were declaimed in slow, clear, ringing tones, showing unmistakable - evidence of histrionic power. As an effort of will it was - remarkable, and surprised all his intimate friends. - -This curious and interesting feature of dropping the somewhat harsh -Leipzic accent and delivering himself in the purest German remained with -Wagner to the last. On all what might be termed state occasions, when -addressing an assembly his speech was clear, measured, and dignified; -not a trace of his Leipzic accent was observable. It should be explained -that the Leipzic accent is a sort of sing-song, almost whining -utterance, with as strongly marked a pronunciation compared to pure -German as that of a broad Somerset dialect to pure English. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -1845. - - -The story of the composition of "Tannhuser," poem and music, is a -forcible illustration of the proverb, that the life of a man is -reflected in his works. Of the music and the performance of "Tannhuser" -in October, 1845, at Dresden, I wrote a notice for a London periodical, -called the "English Gentleman." This was the first time, I believe, that -Wagner's name was mentioned in England. They were exciting times, and it -is of exceptional interest at this epoch to reflect upon the judgment of -the composer at the birth of "Tannhuser." - -When the legend first engaged Wagner's attention, with a view to its -composition, he was not thirty years old. It will be remembered that the -transformation from Paris poverty to a comparative Dresden luxury -infused new life into him. He tells me, "I resolved to throw myself into -a world of excitement, to enjoy life, and taste fully its pleasures." -And he did. It was in this mood of feverish excitation that the Venus -love invaded him. His state was one of intense nervous tension. The poem -was worked out, but not in the shape we now have it. The end was -subsequently changed. The poetry and music simmered in his brain for -three years. He began elated, filled with sensations of ecstasy. He -ended dejected, fearing that death would intervene before the last notes -were written. - -[Sidenote: _THE WRITING OF "TANNHUSER."_] - -Now wherein lies the explanation of this? Let me recount briefly his -life during these three years, and the reason will at once be perceived. -He had opened his Dresden career with brilliancy. "Rienzi" had proved a -great success; he had been appointed conductor to the court, a -competence of 1500 thalers or 225 yearly was guaranteed him, and his -horizon seemed brighter;--but the reverse soon began to show itself. The -"Dutchman," by which he had hoped to increase his reputation, proved a -failure; even "Rienzi" was refused outside Dresden, and the press was -violently inimical. His excited sanguine temperament had received a -grievous shock. At Berlin, the "Dutchman" proved so abortive, that he -took counsel with himself, and resolved that this "Tannhuser" should -not be written for the world, but for those who had shown themselves in -sympathy with him. As "Tannhuser" neared its completion, his state grew -more morbid and desponding. His only solace, outside Roeckel, was his -dog. It was a common saying with Wagner that his dog helped him to -compose "Tannhuser." It seems that when at the piano, at which he -always composed, singing with his accustomed boisterousness, the dog, -whose constant place was at his master's feet, would occasionally leap -to the table, peer into his face, and howl piteously. Then Wagner would -address his "eloquent critic" with, "What? it does not suit you?" and -shaking the animal's paw, would say, quoting Puck, "Well, I will do thy -bidding gently." - -[Sidenote: _THE REVOLUTION OF 1849._] - -During the composition Tichatschek, who was to impersonate the hero, -practised such portions as were already written. His enthusiasm was -unbounded, and with Roeckel, he urged the Dresden management to provide -special scenery. The appeal was responded to, and painters were even -brought from Paris. On the 19th October, 1845, the opera was performed, -Johanna Wagner, aged nineteen, the daughter of his brother Albert, -singing the part of Elizabeth. As an illustration of Richard Wagner's -thoroughness and attention to detail, I would mention that for this -performance he wrote a prefatory notice to the book of words, in which -he explained the purport of the story, with the object of ensuring a -better understanding of the drama by the public. The performance, alas, -was only a partial success, nor was a second representation, given -within a fortnight, any more successful. The music was unlike anything -heard before. It was noised abroad that passages had been written for -the first violins which were unplayable, and the audience listened -expectantly for the "scramble." No doubt there were violin passages as -difficult as original, but the heart of the leader, Lipenski, was in his -work, and he set himself so earnestly to teach individually each -violinist difficult phrases, even carefully noting the fingering, that -the performance was anything but a "scramble." Then the critics -ridiculed the hundred and forty-two bars of repetition in the overture -for the violins. This confession of superficial intellect was not -confined to Dresden critics; a dozen years later, that sound musician, -Lindpaintner, expressed the opinion to me that the first eight bars of -the overture were "sublime," but that the remainder was all "erratic -fiddling." Such were the criticisms (?) passed upon the work. Wagner saw -there was no hope of its acceptation elsewhere, and thinking to bring it -prominently before Germany, wrote in the following year for permission -to dedicate the work to the king of Prussia. The reply was to the effect -that if he would arrange portions of it for military performance, it -might in that manner be brought to the notice of the king, and perhaps -his request complied with. It is needless to say Wagner did nothing of -the kind, and "Tannhuser" sank temporarily into oblivion. - -As the part which Richard Wagner played in the Revolution of 1848-49 is -of absorbing interest, the incidents which led up to it are of -importance to be carefully noted. The first sign of the coming -opposition to the government appeared in 1845. In itself it was slight, -when we think of the terrible struggle that was shortly to be carried on -with such desperation, but it shows the embers of revolt in Wagner, -which were later fanned into a glowing flame by the patriot, August -Roeckel. Wagner's heart, as that of all men, revolted at the cause, but -had it not been for the "companion of my solitude," as Wagner calls -Roeckel, he would never have taken so active a part in the struggle for -liberty. Upon this part, I cannot lay too much stress. - -Throughout Saxony, a feeling had been growing against the restraint of -the Roman Catholic ritual. One Wronger, a Roman Catholic priest, -proposed certain revisions and modifications. To this the Dresden court, -steadfastly ultramontane, offered violent opposition, and Duke Johann, -brother of the king, showed himself a prominent defender of the faith. - -The struggle was precipitated by the following incident. In his capacity -as general commandant of the Communal guard, the Duke entered Leipzic -one day in August, to review the troops. He and his staff were -received, on the parade ground, by a large concourse of spectators with -such chilling silence that, losing command of himself, the Duke at once -broke off the projected review. Later in the day, while at an hotel on -the city boulevard, some street urchins marched up and down singing, -"Long live Wronger." In a moment a tumult arose, upon which the royal -guard stationed outside the hotel, by whose order is not known, fired -upon the citizens promenading in the town. "The street," writes Roeckel, -"was bathed in blood." This caused a tremendous stir throughout Saxony. -This wanton act of butchery was openly denounced by Roeckel and Wagner, -in terms so emphatic that they were called upon to offer some sort of -apology to the court. The two friends arranged a meeting with Reissiger, -Fisher, and Semper, when the subject was discussed, with the result that -it was deemed advisable, while holding service under the court, to -express regret at the exuberance of the language, and the matter was -allowed to drop. But it rankled in Wagner. His position of a servitor -was irksome; he became restive in his royal harness, and vented his -annoyance in anonymous letters to the papers. From this time his -interest in the political situation increased; continually stimulated by -Roeckel, his sympathies were always with the people, his pen ready to -support his feelings. And so the time wore on till the outbreak of 1848. - -[Sidenote: _BEETHOVEN'S "NINTH SYMPHONY."_] - -In the spring of 1846 an event occurred which had a great deal to do -with my subsequent introduction of Wagner to the London public. It was -his conducting of the "Ninth Symphony." A custom existed in Dresden, of -giving annual performances on Palm Sunday for the benefit of the -pension fund of the musicians of the royal opera. Two works were usually -produced, one a symphony, the two conductors dividing the office of -conductor. This year the symphony fell to Wagner, and he elected to -perform the "Choral." When a youth he had copied it entirely at Leipzic, -knew it almost by heart, and regarded it as the greatest of Beethoven's -works, the one in which the great master had felt the inadequacy of -instrumental music to express what he wished to convey, and that the -accents of the human voice were imperatively necessary for its full and -complete realization. When it became known what symphony had been -selected the orchestra revolted. They implored Wagner to produce -another. The ninth had been done under Reissiger and proved a failure, -in which verdict Reissiger had agreed, himself going so far as to -describe that sublime work as "pure nonsense." But Wagner was -inexorable. The band, fearing poor receipts, sought the aid of Intendant -Luttichorn: to no purpose, however. Wagner's mind was made up, and he -set to work with his usual thoroughness and earnestness. To avoid -expense he borrowed the orchestral parts from Leipzic, learned the -symphony by heart, and went through all the band parts himself, marking -the nuances and tempi. As to rehearsals, he was unrelenting. For the -double basses he had special meetings, would sing and scream the parts -at them. He increased the chorus by choir-boys from neighbouring -churches, and worked for the success of the performance with an energy -hitherto unknown. To Roeckel he detailed the practice of the best -portion of the band, whilst he persisted with the less skilful. The -result was a performance as successful financially as artistically. -More money was taken than at any previous concert, and the fame of -Richard Wagner increased mightily. This performance brings out -prominently certain features in Wagner's character which enable us to -see how, through subsequent reverses, he was able to achieve success. -First, witness his courage and indomitable will in overcoming the -obstacles of Luttichorn's opposition and the ill-will of the orchestra, -the want of funds; then his earnestness and care in committing the score -to memory, his energy at rehearsals, his forethought and wondrous grasp -of detail evident in the programme he wrote explaining the symphony, and -his untiring efforts to succeed. Such points of character show of what -material the man was made, how in all he did he was thorough, and how -firmly impressed with the conviction that he must succeed. - -[Sidenote: _THE FASHIONABLE OPERA._] - -The analytical remarks he appended to the symphony were not those that -the musical world now know as Richard Wagner's programme, but a shorter -and more discursive exposition. The year was 1846, but two from the -revolution. The spirit of the brotherhood of nations was in the air, and -the references of Schiller to this world's bond of union were seized by -Wagner as presenting the means of contemplating Beethoven's work from a -more exalted elevation than that of an ordinary symphony. It was -currently known that the poet had originally addressed his "Ode to -Liberty! the beautiful spark of heaven," but that the censor of the -press had struck out "Freiheit" (liberty), and Schiller had substituted -"Freude" (joy). The sentiment, then, was one shared by all, and there -can be no question that the success of the final chorus was as much -owing to the inspiriting language as to the tonal interpretation. - -Of recent years much has been said of Wagner's attitude towards the -opinions upon Italian opera. The years he served at the conductor's desk -at Dresden, at the period when the sap of his art ambition was rising -rapidly, truly brought him into intimate acquaintance enough with the -fashionable works of French and Italian masters, but his resentment, I -can vouch, was not directed against the composer. He often and often -pointed out to me what, in his opinion, were passages which seemed to -betoken the presence of real gift. What he did regret was that their -faithful adherence to an illogical structure should have crippled their -natural spontaneity. That the talent of the orchestra, too, should be -thrown away on puerile productions annoyed him. But Wagner was nothing -if not practical, and after a season of light opera, the conducting of -which was shared by Reissiger and Roeckel, he writes, "After all, the -management are wise in providing just that commodity for which there is -demand." When his own "Tannhuser" was produced with its new ending, he -was charged in the press with being governed too much by reflection, -that his work lacked natural flow, that he was domineered by reasoning -at the expense of feeling. To this Wagner replied in very weighty words, -significant of the thought which always governed the earnest artist, -"The period of an unconscious productivity has long passed: an art work -to endure the process of time, and to satisfy the high culture which is -around us, must be solidly rooted in reason and reflection." Such -utterances are clearly traceable to his elevated appreciation of poetry -and keen reasoning faculties. - -"Lohengrin," beyond contradiction the most popular of all Wagner's -operas, or music-dramas, for it should be well remembered that Wagner in -all his literary works up to the last persistently applies the term -"opera" to "Lohengrin," and its two immediate predecessors, whilst -music-drama was not employed until 1851, and then only for compositions -subsequent to that period. The popularity of "Lohengrin" is not confined -to its native soil, Germany, but all Europe, England, Russia, Italy, -Spain, Portugal, and Denmark (shameful to add, France alone excepted), -and America and Australia, have received it with acclamations. And why? -The secret of it? For learned musicians too, anti-Wagnerians though they -be, accepted it. From notes in my possession, I think the explanation -becomes clear. Wagner writes at that time, "Music is love, and in my -projected opera melody shall stream from one end to the other." The -form, too, does not break from traditions. It is the border between the -old and new. When "Lohengrin" was composed, not one of his theoretical -works had been penned. He was untrammelled then. The principles upon -which his subsequent works were based can only be applied, he says, to -the first three operas "with very extensive limitations." Hence he -satisfies the orthodox in their two fundamental principles, "form and -melody." "Lohengrin" is a love-poem; to Wagner, then, music was love, -and he was intent on writing melody as then understood throughout the -new work. - -[Sidenote: _AT WORK ON "LOHENGRIN."_] - -The network of connection that exists between Wagner's opera texts, is -but one of the many examples which might be adduced of the sequential -thought characteristic of the composer. Each was suggested by its -predecessor. The contest of the Minnesingers' "Tannhuser" was naturally -followed by the story of the Mastersingers, first sketched in 1845, the -year of the "Tannhuser" performance, and then Elsa the love-pendant of -innocence and purity to the material, voluptuous Venus. - -In this story of "Lohengrin," Wagner wavered for a time whether the hero -should not remain on earth with Elsa. This ending he was going to adopt, -Roeckel informs me, out of deference to friends and critics, but Wagner -told me that Roeckel argued so eloquently for the return of Lohengrin to -his state of semi-divinity, that to permit the hero to lead the life of -a citizen would clash harshly with the poetic aspect, and so Wagner, -strengthened in his original intention, reverted to his first -conception. Allusion is made to this by Wagner in "A Commutation to my -Friends," written in Switzerland, 1851; the friend there referred to is -August Roeckel. - -During the composition of "Lohengrin" Wagner was at deadly strife with -the world. He flattered where he despised. He borrowed money where he -could. Just then the world was all black to Wagner. Of no period of his -life can it be said that Wagner managed his finances with even ordinary -care. He always lived beyond his means. Though he was in receipt of 225 -a year from the Dresden theatre, a respectable income for that period be -it remembered, he did not restrict his expenses. And so his naturally -irritable temperament was intensified and he resolutely threw himself -into the "Lohengrin" work, determined not to write for a public whose -taste was vitiated by "theatres having no other purpose but amusement," -but to pour his soul out in the love-strains with which his heart was -bursting. The original score shows that the order of composition was Act -III, I, II, and the prelude last, the whole covering a period of eleven -months, from September, 1846, to August, 1847. It was unusual for Wagner -to compose in this manner; indeed, as far as I am aware, it was the only -work so written. - -At the time Wagner was meditating upon the "Lohengrin" music, when it -was beginning to assume a definite shape in his mind, weighed down with -the feeling of being "rejected" by his countrymen and depressed in -general circumstances, the following letter, written to his mother, -throws a charming sidelight upon Wagner, the man. The deep filial -tenderness and poetic sentiment that breathe throughout it, touch and -enchant us. - -[Sidenote: _A LETTER TO HIS MOTHER._] - - MY DARLING MOTHER: It is so long since I have congratulated you on - your birthday, that I feel quite happy to remember it once at the - right time, which I have, alas, in the pressure of circumstances, - so often overlooked. To tell you how intensely it delights me to - know you body and soul among us; to press your hand from time to - time; and to recall the memory of my own youth so lovingly tended - by you. It is the consciousness that you are with us that makes - your children feel one family. Thrown hither and thither by fate, - forming new ties, they think of you, dearest mother, who have no - other ties in this world than those which bind you to your - children. And so we are all united in you: we are all your - children. May God grant thee this happiness for years yet to come, - and keep you in health and strength to see your children prosper - until the end of your time. - - When I feel myself oppressed and hindered by the world, always - striving, rarely enjoying complete success, oft a prey to - annoyances through failure, and wounded by the rough contact with - the outer world, which, alas, so rarely responds to my inner wish, - nothing remains to me but the enjoyment of nature. I throw myself - weeping into her arms. She consoles me, and elevates me, whilst - showing how imaginary are all those sufferings that trouble us. If - we strive too high, Nature shows us that we belong to her, are her - outgrowth, like the trees and plants, which, developing themselves - from her, grow and warm themselves in the sun of heaven, enjoy the - strengthening freshness, and do not fade or die till they have - thrown out the seed which again produces germs and plants, so that - the once created lives an eternity of youth. - - When I feel how wholly I belong also to nature, then vanishes every - selfish thought, and I long to shake every brother-man by the hand. - How can I then help yearning for that mother from whose womb I came - forth, and who grows weaker while I increase in strength? How do I - smile at those societies which seek to discover why the loving ties - of nature are so often bruised and torn asunder. - - My darling mother, whatever dissonances may have sounded between - us, how quickly and completely have they disappeared. It is like - leaving the mist of the city to enter into the calm retreat of the - wooded valley, where, throwing myself upon mossy earth, with eyes - turned towards heaven, listening to the songsters of the air, with - heart full, the tear unchecked starts forth, and I involuntarily - stretch my hand towards you, exclaiming, "God protect thee, my - darling mother; and when He takes thee to Himself, may it be done - mildly and gently." But death is not here: you live on through us; - and a richer and more eventful life perhaps awaits you through us - than yours ever could have been. Therefore, thank God who has so - plentifully blessed you. - - Farewell, my darling mother, - -Your son, - -RICHARD. - - DRESDEN, 19th September, 1846. - -It was well for Wagner that his mind was occupied with the composition -of "Lohengrin" during 1846-47, for by the summer of the latter year the -pressure of circumstances had become so acute that notwithstanding his -exceptional elasticity of spirits the mental worry must have resulted in -a more distressing depression than that which we know did take hold of -him. This exuberance of youthful frolic is an important characteristic -of Wagner. It was his sheet anchor, a refuge from annoyances that would -have incisively irritated or crushed another. True, he would burst into -a passion at first,--there is no denying his passionate nature,--but it -was of short duration and once over the boisterous merriment of a -high-spirited school-boy succeeded. Though deeply wounded, as only -finely strung sensitive natures can be, he was quick to recover, and -whilst animadverting upon the denseness of those who slighted his art, -he distorted the incident and treated it as worthy of affording fun -only. Wagner identified himself with his art body and soul, his breath -of life was art, his pulse throbbed for art, and to wound him was -insulting art. His success was the triumph of art, and the sacrifices -his friends made of mental energy, wealth, and time were regarded by him -but as votive offerings to the altar of the divine art, honouring the -donor. Then when his scores of "Rienzi," the "Dutchman," and -"Tannhuser" were returned unopened by managers, he turned with -undiminished ardour upon "Lohengrin," doubting his capacity to realize -in tones his feelings, but with dauntless fortitude to write his -"love-music" for the glory of art, conscious that its scenic -interpretation was, for the present at least, a very improbable -circumstance. - -[Sidenote: _PUBLISHING THREE OPERAS._] - -What, in Wagner's character at all times, inspires our admiration is his -courage. "He never knew when he was beaten." Weighed down with monetary -difficulties,--though his poor means were made rich by the wealth of -love and ready invention of Minna, whose patience and self-denial he was -always ready to extol,--with a cloudy art horizon, he sought to approach -the great public in a more direct manner than by stage representations, -by publishing the three operas already composed. It was not a difficult -matter; he was a local celebrity, and on the strength of his reputation -he entered into an engagement with a Dresden firm, Messrs. Meser and Co. -The large initial cost was borne by the firm, but the liability was -Wagner's. Messrs. Meser and Co. predicted a success, and risking -nothing, or comparatively nothing, urged the issue of "Rienzi," -"Dutchman," and "Tannhuser." The contract was signed, the works were -produced, but alas, the forecast was pleasant to the ear but breaking in -the hope. There was absolutely no sale, and claims were soon preferred -on the luckless composer for the cost of production. Of course they -could not be met. Wagner had no available funds, his income was -insufficient for his daily needs, and so he borrowed, borrowed where he -could, sufficient to temporarily appease the publishers. This debt, paid -by instalments, hung over him as a black cloud for years, always -breaking when he was least equal to meet it. How he has stormed at his -folly, and regretted his heedlessness of the future, but the demand met, -his tribulation was immediately forgotten. A brother of mine, passing -through Dresden in 1847, wrote to me of his surprise at the state of -Wagner's finances, and of the sum that was necessary to keep him afloat, -which under my direction was immediately supplied. - -It was then that Wagner wrote to me: "Try and negotiate for the sale of -my opera 'Tannhuser' in London. If there be no possibility of -concluding a bargain, and gaining a tangible remuneration for me, -arrange that some firm shall take it so as to secure the English -copyright." I went off at once to my friend Frederick Beale, the head of -the house Cramer, Beale and Co., now Cramer and Co. Though Frederick -Beale was an enthusiast in art, with a sense beyond that of the ordinary -speculator in other men's talent, yet "he could not see his way to -publishing 'Tannhuser.'" I knew Beale would have done much for me, our -relations being of so intimate a character, but the times "were out of -joint," his geniality had just then led him to accept much that proved a -financial loss to the firm, and so the work which, as time now shows, -would have produced a future, was rejected, yes, rejected, though on -behalf of Wagner I offered it _for nothing_. It is the old, old story; -Carlyle offering his "Sartor Resartus" for nothing, Schubert his songs, -etc., etc., and rejected as valueless by the purblind publisher. The -publisher invariably is the man of his period; he is incapable of seeing -beyond his age, and thrusts aside the genius who writes for futurity. -"Wouldst thou plant for eternity?" asks Carlyle, "then plant into the -deep, infinite faculties of man, his fantasy and heart; wouldst thou -plant for a year and a day? then plant into his shallow, superficial -faculties, his self-love and arithmetical understanding." - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -1848. - - -I now come to perhaps the most important period in Richard Wagner's -life, full of deep interest in itself, and pregnant with future good to -our art. Additional interest is further attached to it because of the -incomplete or inaccurate accounts given by the many Wagner biographers. -For this shortcoming, this unsatisfactory treatment, Wagner is himself -to blame. He has left behind him rich materials for an almost exhaustive -biography; he was a man of great literary power, a clear and full -writer, and yet, with reference to the part he played in the revolution -in Saxony, of 1848-49, he is singularly, I could almost say -significantly, silent, or, when he does allude to it, his references are -either incomplete or misleading. - -Wagner was an active participator in the so-called Revolution of 1849, -notwithstanding his late-day statements to the contrary. During the -first few of his eleven years of exile his talk was incessantly about -the outbreak, and the active aid he rendered at the time, and of his -services to the cause by speech, and by pen, prior to the 1849 May days; -and yet in after-life, in his talk with me, I, who held documentary -evidence, under his own hand, of his participation, he in petulant tones -sought either to minimize the part he played, or to explain it away -altogether. This change of front I first noticed about 1864, at Munich. -But before stating what I know, on the incontestable evidence of his own -handwriting, his explicit utterances to me, the evidence of -eyewitnesses, and the present criminal official records in the -procs-verbal Richard Wagner, of his relations with the reform movement -(misnamed the Revolution); I will at once cite one instance of his--to -me--apparent desire to forget the part he enacted during a trying and -excited period. - -Wagner was a member of a reform union; before this body he read, in -June, 1848, a paper of revolutionary tendencies, the gist of which was -abolition of the monarchy, and the constitution of a republic. This -document, of somewhat lengthy proportions, harmless in itself, which was -printed by the union, constituted part of the Saxon government -indictment against Richard Wagner. From 1871-1883 Wagner edited his -"Collected Writings," published by Fritsch, of Leipzic, in eleven -volumes; these include short sketches on less important topics, written -in Paris, in 1841, but this important and interesting statement of his -political opinions is significantly omitted. Comment is needless. - -[Sidenote: _THE REVOLUTION AGAIN._] - -To help in forming an accurate judgment of Richard Wagner's -"revolutionary tendencies" (?) a slight sketch of the outbreak, its -objects, and the means employed, will be of assistance. Secondly, as the -head and front of Wagner's offending, according to the government, -rested on a letter he had written from Dresden to August Roeckel at -Prague, on the first day of the rise, which letter was unfortunately -found on Roeckel when taken prisoner, references to Roeckel's -participation will be necessary. Indeed, from an intimate knowledge of -the two men, I place my strong conviction on record, that had it not -been for August Roeckel, the patriot, Wagner, revolutionary demagogue, -would never have existed nor have been expatriated. True and undoubted -it is, that Richard Wagner's nature was of the radical reformer's type, -but in these matters he was cautious, and would not have played the -prominent part he did, had it not been for the stirring appeals of "the -friend who sacrificed his art future for my sake." The feeling already -existed in him; it was fanned into a glowing flame by his colleague, -Roeckel. When aroused, Wagner was not the spirit to falter. - -Wagner has often been charged with base ingratitude towards his king. -The accusation is absurd, and proceeds solely from ignorance, forsooth, -indeed, it is disproved emphatically in the very revolutionary paper -which forms part of the official government indictment against him. -Although he therein argues in favour of a republic, his personal -references to the king of Saxony are inspired by feelings of reverential -affection. Wagner was no common trickster, or prevaricator, and when he -speaks of the "pure virtues" of the king, "his honourable, just, and -gentle character," of the "noblest of sovereigns," we may unhesitatingly -acquit him of any personal animosity. He even seems to have had a -prophetic instinct of this charge, and meets it by, "He who speaks this -to-day, and ... is most firmly convinced that he never proved his -fidelity to the oath of allegiance he took to the king, on accepting -office, more than on the day he penned this address." - -[Sidenote: _HIS INCENDIARY PAPER._] - -In the year 1848 the kingdom of Saxony, and other German principalities, -were in a state of much unrest. The outbreak of the French Revolution -caused an onward movement, and the German people clamoured for -constitutional government, and demanded (1) freedom of the press, (2) -trial by jury, (3) national armies, and (4) political representatives. A -deputation set out from Leipzic, in February, 1848, and pleaded -personally before the king of Saxony. He replied by a more rigorous -press censorship. The people congregated in thousands before the Leipzic -town hall, to hear the royal reply read. Enraged at the refusal of their -requests, and at the tone of that refusal, they determined on sending a -second deputation. Wagner was present when this arrived. They no longer -prayed, but plainly told the king that the press was free, demanded -another minister, and intimated that if the freedom was not officially -recognized, Leipzic would march _en masse_ on Dresden. Six other towns -then sent deputations; the king was advised not to receive them, but -they forced their way to the presence chamber, which the king left by -another door, exclaiming, "I will not listen--go!" As a reply to such -unwise treatment, Wagner's townsmen prepared to make good their words, -and marched on Dresden. Prussian aid was sought, and promptly given, -troops mobilizing on the northern frontier, the Saxon soldiery being -despatched to surround Leipzic. Other towns arranged mass deputations to -the king, who despatched a minister to report on the attitude of -Leipzic. The report came, "The people are determined and orderly." The -whole report was favourable to the town; upon which, the king changed -his ministers, abolished the press censorship, instituted trial by jury, -and promised a reform of the electoral laws. The people became -delirious with joy, and received the king everywhere with acclamations. - -It was during these stirring times that Wagner and Roeckel became -members of the "Fatherland Union," a reform institution with a modest -propaganda. The Union was really a federation of existing reform and -political institutions, adopting for its motto, "The will of the people -is law," leaving the question of a republic or a monarchy an open one. - -There was plenty of enthusiasm and strong determination among members of -the Union, but they lacked organization. The drift of the government's -attitude was clear, seemingly conciliatory, but really more oppressive. -The Union felt that until the electoral laws were altered and national -armies instituted, the people would never be in a position to cope with -the government. It was not that they desired the abolition of the -monarchy so much as the acknowledgment that capable, law-abiding -citizens had a right to a voice in the selection of their rulers. The -Union had its own printing-press, and distributed largely political -leaflets, a proceeding carried on openly, though the members knew -themselves exposed to every hazard. - -It is a fact that one of the best papers read before the members of the -Union was written by Richard Wagner. It was not possible that a man of -Wagner's excitable temperament, with his love of freedom, his -deep-rooted sympathy with the masses, would have joined such a society -without actively exerting himself to further its objects. In his heart -he was not a revolutionist, he had no wish to overturn governments, but -his principles were decidedly utilitarian, and to secure these he did -not scruple to urge the abolition of the monarchy, although represented -by a prince he dearly loved. His argument was delivered against the -office and not against the man. Among the many reforms he advocates in -this paper are two to which democratic England has not yet attained: (1) -manhood suffrage without limitation or restriction of any kind, and (2) -the abolition of the second chamber. Though he urges the substitution of -a republic for a monarchy, he strives at the impossible task of proving -that the king can still be the first, the head of a republic, and that -the name only would be changed, and that he would enjoy the heart's love -of a whole people in place of a varnished demeanour of courtiers. His -paper was read on the 16th June, 1848, before the Fatherland Union. It -was ordered to be printed and circulated among the various federated -societies. A copy of this paper was sent to me, of which I give a -translation here. It will be noted that it is not signed Richard Wagner -but only "A Member of the Fatherland Union." This mattered not, as the -author was well known, and when Wagner was numbered among those accused -by the government, this paper was filed as part of the indictment -against him. It is entitled:-- - -"What is the Relation that our Efforts bear to the Monarchy?" and is as -follows:-- - -[Sidenote: "_STRIP HIM OF HIS TINSEL._"] - - As it is desirable that we become perfectly clear on this point, - let us first closely examine the essence of republican - requirements. Do you honestly believe that by marching resolutely - onward from our present basis we should very soon reach a true - republic, one without a king? Is this your deliberate opinion, or - do you say so only to delude the timorous? Are you so ignorant, or - do you intentionally purpose to mislead? - - Let me tell you to what goal our republican efforts are tending. - - Our efforts are for the good of all and are directed towards a - future in which our present achievements will be but as the first - streak of moonlight. With this object kept steadily in view, we - should insist on the overthrow of the last remaining glitter of - aristocracy. As the aristocracy no longer consists of feudal lords - and masters who can enslave and bodily chastise us at their will, - they would do wisely to obliterate old grievances by relinquishing - the last remnants of class distinction which, at any moment, might - become a Nessus shirt, consuming them if not cast off in time. - - Should they answer us that the memory of their ancestors would - render it impious to resign any privileges inherited by them, then - let them remember also that we too have forefathers, whose noble - deeds of heroism, though not inscribed on genealogical trees, are - yet inscribed--their sufferings, bondage, oppression, and slavery - of every kind--in letters of blood in the unfalsified archives of - the history of the last thousand years. - - To the aristocracy I would say, forget your ancestors, throw away - your titles and every outward sign of courtly favour, and we will - promise you to be generous and efface every remembrance of our - ancestors. Let us be children of one father, brothers of one - family! Listen to the warning--follow it freely and with a good - will, for it is not to be slighted. Christ says, "If thy right eye - offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee, for it is better - that one of thy members should perish than that thy whole body - should be cast into hell." - - And now another point. Once for all, resign the exclusive honour of - ever being in the presence of our monarch. Pray him to cease - investing you with a medley of useless court offices, distinctions, - and privileges; in our time they make the court a subject for - unpleasant reflection. Discontinue to be lords of the chamber and - lords of the robes, whose only utterance is "our king,"--strip him - of his tinsel, lackeys, and flunkeys, frivolous excrescences of a - bad time--the time of Louis the Fourteenth, when all princes sought - to imitate the French monarch. Withdraw from a court which is an - almshouse for idle nobility, and exert yourselves, that it may - become the court of a whole and happy people, which every - individual will enjoy and will be ready to defend, and smile on a - sovereign who is the father of a whole contented people. - - Therefore, do away with the first chamber. There is but one people, - not a first and a second, and they need but one house for their - representation. This house, let it be a simple, noble building, - with an elevated roof, resting on tall and strong pillars. Why - would you disfigure the building by dividing it with a mean - partition, thus causing two confined spaces? - - We further insist upon the unconditional right of every - natural-born subject, when of age, to a vote. The more needy he be, - the more his right, and the more earnestly will he aid in keeping - the laws which he himself assisted in framing and which, - henceforth, are to protect him from any similar future state of - need and misery. Our republican programme further includes a new - system of national defence, in which every citizen capable of - bearing arms shall be enrolled. No standing army. It shall be - neither a standing army nor a militia, nor yet a reduction of the - one nor an increase of the other. It must be a new creation, which - in its process of development, will do away with the necessity of a - standing army as well as a militia. - - [Sidenote: _NOT THREATS, BUT WARNING._] - - And when all who draw breath in our dear German land are united - into one great free people, when class prejudices shall have ceased - to exist, then do you suppose we have reached our goal? Oh, no; we - are just equipped for the beginning. Then will it be our duty to - investigate boldly, with all our reasoning power, the cause of - misery of our present social status, and determine whether man, the - crown of creation, with his high mental abilities and his wonderful - physical development, can have been destined by God to be the - servile slave of inert base metal. We must decide whether money - shall exert such degrading power over the image of God--man--as to - render him the despicable slave of the passions of usury and - avarice. The war against this existing evil will cause neither - tears nor blood. The result of the foregone victory will be a - universal conviction that the highest attainable happiness is - commonwealth, a state in which as many active men as Mother Earth - can supply with food will join in the well-ordered republic, - supporting it by a fair exchange of labor, mutually supplying each - other's wants, and contributing to the universal happiness. Society - must be in a diseased state when the activity of individuals is - restrained and the existing laws imperfectly administered. In the - coming contest we shall find that society will be maintained by - the physical activity of individuals, and we shall destroy the - nebulous notion that money possesses any inherent power. And heaven - will help us to discover the true law by which this shall be - proved, and dispel the false halo with which the unthinking mind - invests this demon money. Then shall we root out the miseries - engendered and nourished by public and secret usury, deceptive - paper money and fraudulent speculations. This will tend to promote - the emancipation of the human race (whilst fulfilling the teachings - of Christ, a simple and clear truism which it is ever sought to - hide behind the glamour of dogma, once invented to appeal to the - feeble understanding of simple-minded barbarians), and to prepare - it for a state towards the highest development of which we are now - tending with clear vision and reason. - - Do you think that you scent in this the teachings of communism? - - Are you then so stupid or wicked as to confound a theory so - senseless as that of communism with that which is absolutely - necessary to the salvation of the human race from its degraded - servitude? Are you not capable of perceiving that the very attempt, - even though it were allowed, of dividing mathematically the goods - of this world, would be a senseless solution of a burning question, - but which attempt, fortunately however, in its complete - impossibility, carries its own death-warrant. But though communism - fails to supply the remedy, will you on that account deny the - disease? Have a care! Notwithstanding that we have enjoyed peace - for thirty-three years now, what do you see around you? Dejection - and pitiful poverty; everywhere the horrid pallor of hunger and - want. Look to it while there is yet time and before it becomes too - late to act! - - Think not to solve the question by the giving of alms; acknowledge - at once the inalienable rights of humanity, rights vouchsafed by - the Omnipotent, or else you may live to see the day that cruel - scorn will be met by vengeance and brute force. Then the wild cry - of victory might be that of communism, and although the - impossibility of any lengthened duration of its principles as a - ruling power can be boldly predicted, yet even the briefest reign - of such a thraldom might be sufficient to expunge for a long time - to come all the advantages of a civilization of two thousand years - old. - - Do you believe I threaten? No; I warn! When by our republican - efforts we shall have solved this most important problem for the - weal of society, and have established the dignity of the freed man, - and established his claim to what we consider his rights, shall we - then rest satisfied? No; then only are we reinvigorated for our - great effort. For when we have succeeded in solving the - emancipation question, thereby assisting in the regeneration of - society, then will arise a new, free, and active race, then shall - we have gained a new mean to aid us towards the attainments of the - highest benefits, and then shall we actively disseminate our - republican principles. - - Then shall we traverse the ocean in our ships, and found here and - there a new young Germany, enriching it with the fruits of our - achievements, and educating our children in our principles of human - rights, so that they may be propagated everywhere. We shall do - otherwise than the Spaniards, who made the new world into a - papistic slaughter-house; we shall do otherwise than the English, - who convert their colonies into huge shops for their own individual - profit. Our colonies shall be truly German, and from sunrise to - sunset we shall contemplate a beautiful, free Germany, inhabited, - as in the mother country, by a free people. The sun of German - freedom and German gentleness shall alike warm and elevate Cossack, - Frenchmen, Bushmen, and Chinese. You see our republican zeal in - this respect has no termination; it pushes on further and further - from century to century, to confer happiness on the whole of the - human race! Do you call this a Utopian dream? When we once set to - work with a good will, and act courageously, then every year shall - throw its light on a good deed of progress. - - But you ask, will all this be achieved under a monarchy? My answer - is that throughout I have persistently kept it in view, but if you - have any doubts of such a possibility, then it is you who pronounce - the monarchical death-warrant. But if you agree with me, and - consider it possible as I realize it, then a republic is the exact - and right thing, and we should but have to petition the king to - become the first and most genuine republican. - - [Sidenote: _THE QUESTION TO BE SOLVED._] - - And who is more called upon to be the most genuine republican than - the king? _Res-publica_ means the affairs of the people. What - individual can be destined more than the king to belong with his - whole soul and mind to the people's affairs? When he has been - convinced of this undeniable truth, what is there possible that - could induce him to lower himself from his exalted position to - become the head of a special and small section only of his people. - - However deeply any republican may feel for the general good, he - never can emulate the feelings of the king, nor become so genuine a - republican, for the king's anxiety is for his people as a whole, - whilst every one of us is, in the nature of things, compelled to - divide his attention between private and public affairs. And in - what would consist a sacrifice, which it might be supposed the king - would have to make in order to effect so grand and noble a change? - Can it be considered a sacrifice for a king to see his free - citizens no longer subjects? This right has been acknowledged and - granted by the new constitution, and he who confirms its justice - and adopts it with fidelity, cannot see a sacrifice in the - abolition of subjects, and the substitution of "free men." Would it - be possible that a monarch could view the loss of the idle, vapid - court attendance, with its surfeit of extinct titles and obsolete - offices, as a sacrifice? What a contemptuous notion we should have - of one of the most gentle-minded, true-hearted princes of our - period, were we to assume that the fulfilment of our wishes - entailed a sacrifice on his part, when we feel convinced that even - a real sacrifice might with safety be expected from him, and the - more so, when it is proved to him that the love of his people - depended on the removal of an obstacle. What gives us the right to - suppose this? that by our interpretation of the feelings of so - exceptional a prince, we are able to infer that he would grant our - request when we could not dare act thus with one of our body? It is - the spirit of our time, the new state of things, that has grown up, - which seems to give to the simplest among us the power of prophecy. - There is a decided pressure for a decision. There are two camps - amongst the civilized nations of Europe; from one we hear the cry - of monarchy; republic, is the cry of the other. - - Will you deny that the time has come when a solution of this - question must be arrived at, a question, the reply to which - embodies all that which, at the present moment, excites human - sympathies down to their lowest depths? Do you mean to say that you - do not recognize the hour as inspired by God, that all this had - been said and attempted before, and would again pass off like a fit - of inebriation, and would fall back into its old place? Well, - then, it would seem as though the heavens had stricken you with - blindness. No; at the present moment we clearly perceive the - necessity of distinguishing between truth and falsehood, and - monarchy as the embodiment of autocracy is a falsehood--our - constitution has proved it to be so. - - All who despair of a reconciliation throw yourselves boldly into - the arms of the republic; those still willing to hope, lift their - eyes for the last time to the points of existing circumstances to - find a solution. The latter see that if the contest be against - monarchy, it is only in isolated cases against the person of the - prince, whilst everywhere war is being waged against the party that - lifts the monarch on a shield, under the cover of which they fight - for their own selfish ends. This is the party that has to be thrown - down and conquered, however bloody the fight. And if all - reconciliation fail, party and prince will simultaneously be hit. - But the means of peace are in the hands of the prince; if he be the - genuine father of his people, and by one single noble resolution he - can plant the standard of peace, there where war seems otherwise - inevitable peace will reign. Let us then cast our glance around, - and seek among the European monarchs those said to be the chosen - instruments of heaven for the great work of paternal government, - and what do we see? A degenerated race, unfit for any noble - calling! What a sight we find in Spain, Portugal, or Naples. What - heartache fills us when we look in Germany, on Hanover, Hesse, - Bavaria. Let us look away from these! God has judged the weak and - wicked; their evils extend from branch to branch. Let us turn our - eyes towards home. There we meet a prince beloved by his people, - not in the old traditional sense, but from a genuine acknowledgment - of his real self, his pure virtues, his honourable, just, and - gentle character; therefore, we cry aloud, "This is the man - Providence has chosen!" - - [Sidenote: _A SELF-DEPOSING KING._] - - If Prussia insists on monarchy, it is to suit its notion of - Prussian destiny, a vain idea that cannot fail to pale soon. If - Austria is of the same mind, it is because she sees in her dynasty - the only means of keeping together a conglomeration of people and - lands thrown into an unnatural whole and which cannot by any - possibility hold together much longer. But if a Saxon chooses - monarchy, it is because he loves his king, is happy in calling such - a prince his own, not from a cold, calculating spirit of - advantage, but from genuine affection. This pure affection shall be - our beacon-light, our guide not only during this troubled state of - things, but for the future and forever. Filled with this - unspeakably grand and important thought, we with inspired - conviction courageously exclaim, "We are republicans!" - - By what we have achieved we are rapidly nearing our goal,--the - republic,--and although much anger and deception attach themselves - still to the name, all doubts can be dispelled by one word from our - sovereign. It is not we who shall proclaim the republic; it will be - our king, the noblest of sovereigns; he shall say:-- - - "I declare Saxony to be a free state, and the first of this free - state shall give to every one the fullest security of his station, - and we further proclaim that the highest power in the land of - Saxony is invested in the royal house of Wettin to descend from - branch to branch by the right of the firstborn. And we swear to - keep the oath that the law shall never be broken, not that our - taking it will be the safeguard of its being kept, for how many - oaths are continually broken to such covenants! No; its safeguard - will be the conviction we had before we took the oath, that the law - will be the beginning of a new era of unchangeable happiness, not - only for Saxony, but the whole of Germany, aye, to all Europe will - it carry the beneficent message." - - He who speaks this to-day, emboldened by inspired hope, is most - firmly convinced that he never proved his fidelity to the oath of - allegiance he took to the king on accepting office more than on the - day he penned this address. Does it appear to you that by this - proposition, _monarchy would be altogether abolished? Yes, so it - would!_ But the kingdom would thereby be emancipated. Do not - deceive yourselves, ye who clamour for "a constitutional monarchy - on the broadest basis." - - You are either not honest in reference to that basis, or if you are - in real earnest, you will torture your artificial monarchy to - death, for every step you take in advancing on that democratic - basis will be an encroachment on the power of the monarch, viz.: - his autocracy; and in this light only can a monarchy be understood, - therefore every step you take in a democratic direction will be a - humiliation to the monarch, since it will bespeak a distrust of his - rule. How can love and confidence prosper in a continual conflict - between totally opposed principles? A monarch cannot fail to be - thwarted and annoyed in a contest in which very often undignified - measures are employed that cannot but produce an unhealthy state of - things. Let us save the monarch from such an unhappy half-life. - _Therefore, let us abolish monarchy altogether_, as autocracy, - _i.e._ sole-reigning, becomes impossible by the strong opposition - of democracy,--the reign of the many,--but, on the other hand, let - us set against this the complete emancipation of royalty. - - At the head of the free state--the republic, the king by lineal - descent, will be what he in the noblest sense should be, viz. the - first of the people, the freest of the free! - - Would this not be the grandest realization of Christ's teaching, - "the highest among you shall be the servant of all," for in serving - and upholding the liberty of all, he raises in himself the - conception of liberty to the highest pinnacle, the divine. The more - earnestly we dive into the annals of German history, the more we - become convinced that the signification of sovereignty, as we have - given it, is but a resuscitated one. The circle of historical - development will be closed when we have adopted it, and its - greatest aberration will be found in the present un-German - conception of monarchy. - - Should we wish to formulate our heartfelt wishes into a petition, - then I am convinced we should have to count our petitions by the - hundred thousands, for their contents would lead to a - reconciliation of contesting parties, at least of all of them that - mean well. But only one signature is wanted here to be conclusive, - that is, the signature of our beloved king, whom from the innermost - depth of our hearts we wish a happier lot than he can at present - enjoy! - -A MEMBER OF THE FATHERLAND UNION. - - 16TH JUNE, 1848. - -[Sidenote: _HE BECOMES A MASKED MAN._] - -It may be supposed with such documents scattered broadcast by a great -political institution, that the government would have shown discretion -and endeavoured to conciliate the people by judicious concessions. Their -action, however, was in the contrary direction. They were well aware -they could crush the people at the first appearance of an outbreak, and -cared not. As long as they had control of the army they felt secure. -This question of natural armies was for the moment pressing. Wagner had -endeavoured to solve it in his paper, but his were more suggestions than -a detailed plan, so his talk with his friend, August Roeckel, led to the -latter attempting a solution. Roeckel took for his basis the various -military organizations in force in Switzerland. His paper was read -before the Fatherland Union, and Wagner told me, he was loudly -applauded. Like his own paper it was printed, and in thousands. He, too, -signed his scheme, "A Member of the Fatherland Union," but it was an -open secret who was the author. The result was that he was dismissed -from his post of assistant court conductor, after five years of service. -The Union then resolved to hold themselves in readiness for extreme -measures, and with that view directed Roeckel to amplify his plan. As -this was a question of technical skill and practical experience, the aid -of officers in the army was sought. The movement was popular with the -troops, and advice was readily forthcoming. The government, becoming -aware of this, at once dismissed all military men who had aided in -formulating the plan. From this time Wagner was what might be termed a -marked man. It was known that "the companion of my solitude" was his -offending assistant director, and means were taken to indicate the -disapprobation of the court. August Roeckel was dismissed in the autumn -of 1848, just at the time all Dresden was celebrating the three-hundred -years' jubilee of its theatre. Among the favours bestowed by the king -were decorations for Chapel Master Reissiger, (a man vastly the inferior -of Wagner) and other subordinates, but Wagner was passed over. The -slight was intentional. - -But a few weeks later Liszt was going to produce "Tannhuser" at Vienna. -To secure as perfect a representation as possible, Jenasst, the Vienna -stage manager, visited Richard Wagner, for consultation, and he relates -how Wagner took him to a meeting of republicans where the men all wore -large hats, and behaved themselves generally in a wild, excited fashion. - -No longer a musician by profession, but engaged entirely in the cause of -the people, August Roeckel founded a small weekly paper called the -"Volksblatte" (People's Paper), naturally supported by the Union; it was -narrowly watched by the government. Occasionally seizures were made, but -no charge was brought against Roeckel. In this Wagner wrote, and I know -that the tenour of his articles was, "Destroy an interested clique of -flatterers who surround the King; and let the royal ear be open to the -prayers of all the people." The government contemplated a prosecution of -Roeckel, but refrained solely because of the difficulty of securing a -conviction. - -[Sidenote: _ROECKEL'S PROMINENCE._] - -In November the _Prussian National Gathering_ was dissolved. This -procedure exasperated the people, upon which Berlin openly announced -that any exhibition of revolt would be at once put down mercilessly by -bayonet and cannon. August Roeckel was appealed to, and he wrote a -letter to the Prussian military authorities on the subject, copies of -which he sent to the public journals. For this the government arrested -him and put him in prison, where he remained three days without trial; -a generous unknown friend, putting ten thousand dollars as bail, secured -his release. Shortly after, he was tried and acquitted, but to this day -it is not known who was the benefactor on that occasion. So popular was -August Roeckel with the people, that on his acquittal, he was met by a -large concourse of friends, to which joined a detachment of Life Guards, -some two dozen, from the barracks close at hand, and headed a procession -through the town. As may be expected, the whole of the troop of soldiers -were tried, punished, and dismissed from the army. I mention this -incident as bearing upon the prominence of Roeckel in the eyes of the -government; and because the charges against Wagner rested on his -friendship with Roeckel, and on papers found at Roeckel's house, -implicating Richard Wagner. - -In the opening winter months of 1848, the air was thick with reform. A -new chamber was to be elected; every one was straining his utmost for -the cause. It was felt that on the result of the elections the fate of -the people rested. The Fatherland Union determined to run as many -candidates of their own as possible, and Roeckel was of the chosen -number. He was elected deputy for Limbach, near Chemnitz, the electors -purchasing and presenting him with the freehold property, which it was -required all members should possess. The result of the elections gave an -overwhelming majority for what were termed the people's candidates. -Roeckel wrote me the result, which was as follows:-- - - Government party, nil seats. - Moderate liberals, one-tenth. - Democratic party, nine-tenths. - -[Sidenote: _A GERMAN NATIONAL THEATRE._] - -The democratic party as a body had pledged itself to a revision of -taxation. It was felt that the new chamber would not trifle with an -iniquitously large court list, nor would it tolerate luxuries on the -civil list. This was openly talked about. Wagner was in distress. The -subsidy granted by the government to the theatre was one of the items of -the civil list; was this to go? He saw Roeckel; there was the man most -fitted to urge the wisdom of retaining the charge. His devotion to the -cause of the masses was unhesitatingly admitted on all hands, and he -knew the theatre and its necessary expenditure better than any one. It -was decided that while Roeckel should work in the chamber, Wagner -should, as conductor, draw out a scheme and submit it to ministers, -independently of his coadjutor. The plan once begun assumed much larger -proportions than was intended for the occasion. It was delivered, and he -heard nothing of it for months, officially, but he knew that the -discussion was being shirked. When it was returned to him, there was -evidence in the shape of pencil-marks that he had been laughed at as a -visionary, anticipating a great measure of reform when it was intended -none should be granted. Communications had been opened up secretly with -the Prussian government, who promised on the first show of discontent to -enter Saxony with their troops and very effectively stamp it out; and so -the king's advisers had no intention of considering any plan the newly -elected chamber might submit. In itself the plan is a marvel of -administrative and constructive ability. He entitled it, "Scheme for the -Organization of a German National Theatre." There are many propositions -advanced in it which are very moot points, in urging which Wagner, in -my judgment, was in error; _e.g._ private enterprise was to be -discountenanced for the reason that an impressario might produce immoral -pieces. To him the theatre was a great educator of a nation, and he -would insist on all theatres being under the direct control of the -government. But apart from this, which is a matter of opinion, the -scheme is a logical and exhaustive treatment of the whole question of -dramatic and vocal art, from the training-school for girls and boys to -their retirement on a pension to be allowed by the government. I will -briefly mention the main features of his plan: (1) Girls to enter -training-schools at fourteen, boys at sixteen, for three years; (2) -curriculum to embrace dancing, fencing, and general culture; (3) pupils -to first appear in the provinces; (4) pensions to be guaranteed, and -innumerable details as to construction of chorus, orchestra, -qualification of directors and instructors, practice, etc. - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -1849-1851. - - -The year of the Revolution, Wagner's flight and exile,--to comprehend -the full significance of these three incidents of magnitude, the -condition of society, the determination of the masses, and the unwise -prevarication of the ministry must be understood. Before stating what I -know of Wagner's active participation during the next few exciting -months, I will describe the events themselves, and then treat of Wagner. - -[Sidenote: _LEANING ON A REED._] - -The newly elected chamber met on the 10th January. For weeks they -struggled to make headway. Whatever measure they passed was vetoed or -postponed by the king's advisers. The excuse ever was, "Wait until the -constitution of the Frankfort diet has been promulgated"; or, when the -chamber insisted on reforms as regards the jury system and law -procedure, they were hung up on the miserable plea that the minister of -justice was ill, and could not devote himself to a careful study of the -changes proposed. The constitution as laid down by the federated German -parliament at Frankfort gave to every native German equal civil rights -and freedom of speech and press. Special civil privileges for the -nobility were not recognized; all Germans were to be governed by the -same laws. Out of the thirty-four principalities, twenty-nine had -accepted the enactment wholly, but Saxony held out. The Dresden chamber -resolved on coming to close quarters; they insisted on its official -recognition. Matters were assuming a cloudy aspect, but the king had no -intention of granting what a representative parliament of the whole -German people held to be the just rights of every man. The ministry, -therefore, at the wish of the king, resigned on the 24th February. This -purchased a short period of tranquillity. The new ministry would require -time to examine the question. False hopes were held out, but nothing was -done in the shape of advance or concession. The people refrained from -breaking out, expecting the Frankfort diet to insist on the Saxon -monarch acknowledging the constitution. But they leaned on a reed. The -king of Prussia, aware of the disturbed state of Saxony, sent a note to -the king, intimating that at a word from him he was ready to overrun -Saxony with his soldiers. Thus supported, there was no hope of any -reform passing into Saxon law. And so, on the 23d April, August Roeckel -writes to me, "This day we have passed a vote of want of confidence in -the king's advisers." Five days later, the 28th, I hear again that "the -ministry had the temerity to demand the imposition of a new tax." This -was fiercely resisted, and the king, to bring his unfaithful commons to -their senses, issued a proclamation dissolving the chamber. This -unconstitutional and high-handed act was protested against with -vehemence, and was denounced in plain terms by Roeckel. The chambers -would not dissolve then, but arranged a final meeting two days hence. -Rough work was expected by the ministry; orders were given to confine -all troops to barracks on the 29th April, the day before the final -meeting arranged for; armaments were to be held ready for use. - -On the 3Oth April the angered and excited chambers met. The debate was -stormy, for the members were aware that troops and police were held in -readiness to seize certain of their members, immediately on the rising -of the house. Richard Wagner still held his office under the government. -In a sketch of these exciting days, written and published by Roeckel, at -my instigation, he states that Wagner, by some means, became aware that -his friend Roeckel was to be taken prisoner; at once making his way to -the house, he called Roeckel out, while the debate was in progress. -Deputies had an immunity from arrest while the house was sitting, a -privilege similarly enjoyed by English members of Parliament. - -[Sidenote: _MICHAEL BAKUNIN._] - -Roeckel desired to stay till the end of the sitting. He had long felt, -he says, that the government wished to force a decision by an appeal to -arms, and he was anxious to remain to the last, to hear what the -intentions of the government were. To this Wagner would not listen, but -finding his own entreaties not strong enough, he quickly brought a few -friends together, Hainberger, Bakunin, and Semper, and to their -unanimous decision he gave way. They urged that he should not even go -home to take farewell of his wife and five young children, but escape at -once. The question then was--where? Roeckel proposed Berlin, as he -thought there the revolt would first break out, but Bakunin advised -Prague, where the cause had some staunch friends, as safer. It was -decided then for Prague. Roeckel was to be recalled immediately there -was need for his presence. - -The men who advised this temporary flight were important leaders of the -people during the outbreak. First, Hainberger, son of Herr von -Hainberger, one of the eight imperial councillors of the emperor of -Austria. A musician of gift, his father wished him to enter the law, his -studies in which drove him into the ranks of democracy. He came to -Dresden, and took up his abode with August Roeckel, was a member of the -Fatherland Union, addressed public gatherings, and though but twenty -years of age, was of invaluable service in the organizing (such as it -was) and controlling of the people. He was on the staff, too, of -Roeckel's paper. - -Michael Bakunin, an historic revolutionary figure, was, by birth, a -Russian. Driven into exile by the severity of the laws in his own -country, he had taken refuge in Dresden, where he was hidden by Roeckel. -A man of imposing personality, high and noble-minded, of impassioned -speech, he was one of the greatest figures during those terrible May -days. As gentle and inoffensive as a lamb, his intellect and energy were -called into action by the unjust treatment of the people. He -unfortunately gave Roeckel a letter addressed to the heads of the -movement in Prague, urging no precipitation, but combination, unity of -action. - -Here, for a moment, I must turn aside to the most prominent of Wagner's -biographers, Glasenapp. In vol. I, p. 267, it is stated that Roeckel had -left Dresden to escape the consequences of a law-suit. This is totally -inaccurate. My information is derived from manuscript now before me, -under Roeckel's own hand, and I will produce textually what he says:-- - - I had scarcely been three days in Prague, when a premature outbreak - recalled me. Richard Wagner, whose later long years of persecution - can but find their explanation in that he dared to distinguish - between his duties as a court conductor and his conscience as a - citizen, he who as conductor insisted on being unfettered, had long - since been wearied out in bitter disappointment, by the - non-fulfilment of the promises of 1848. Wagner wrote to me during - the feverish excitement of 3d May. "Return immediately. For the - moment you are not threatened with any danger, but there is a fear - that the excitement will precipitate a premature outbreak." These - last words [Roeckel goes on to add], were held by his judges to - imply a preconcerted plot to overthrow all German princes, whereas - his letter had reference solely to Dresden. The inference was - erroneous. As you know, no organization existed by which the - principalities could be united. - -[Sidenote: _HE MUST HAVE ICE._] - -Simultaneously with this incriminating note from Wagner, a messenger -arrived from Bakunin urging Roeckel to return with all possible speed, -as directing heads were sorely needed, and particularly popular men. -This was on the 4th. He left Prague immediately, arriving outside -Dresden on Sunday, the 6th May, whence he heard the booming of guns, -ringing of church bells, fusillading of musketry, and saw two columns of -fire rising to the sky. From his position, he discerned that one was -from the site of the old opera house. His heart sank. Had the people -grown wild? Were they reckless, and was the grand cause to be lost in -fury and ill-directed efforts? The gates of the town were held open to -him by citizens. He made his way at once to the town hall. In his -patriotism he thought not of wife or children. The streets presented an -appearance akin to the sickening, horrible sight he had seen in Paris -during the July Revolution of 1830,--shops closed, paving-stones doing -duty as barricades, strengthened by overturned carts, etc., etc., a -miscellaneous collection of domestic articles. - -Hurrying along, he came suddenly upon Hainberger. The incident is -curious and characteristic. Rapid inquiries and answers passed. It -appeared that Hainberger was at the same barricades as Richard Wagner, -who, he said, had just returned to the town in charge of a convoy of -provisions, and a strong detachment of peasants, and Hainberger was sent -in search of an ice for the parched Wagner. The significance of this -incident should not be lost sight of. The character of "Wagner as I knew -him" is herein painted accurately in a few lines. He was fond of luxury; -a sort of Oriental craving possessed him; and, whether weighed down with -debt and the horizon obscure, or in the midst of a nation's throes for -liberty, he would appease his luxurious senses. Hainberger was the -messenger, first, because of his devotion, and secondly, because of his -long legs, which enabled him to step over the barricades. - -At the town hall he found the members of the provisional -government--Heubner, Todt, Tzchirner--that had been appointed on the -flight of the king, 4th May. With them were Bakunin and Heinze, a first -lieutenant in the army, who had thrown in his lot with the people, and -took the military lead during the outbreak. Heinze had no means of -communicating his orders to anybody. Every man guarded the post he -thought best, and left it at his discretion. The commander had no notion -how many men he commanded; it was a chaos, a seething medley of -uncontrolled enthusiasm. Up to the 5th May no one had realized the -serious nature of the conflict; masses streamed hither and thither, were -in a rough sort of manner marshalled and directed to defend certain -streets; but it was a terribly unorganized mass, each man fighting as he -thought best. - -[Sidenote: _THE ARREST OF ROECKEL._] - -Roeckel placed himself at the disposal of the provisional government, -and was appointed director of a district,--that in which Wagner worked. -Roeckel visited the barricades, encouraged the people, and to open up -communications with comrades in neighbouring streets, he had walls -broken down and passages made through houses. But his chief crime, -according to the government, was the making of pitch rings to be flung -burning into public buildings held by the soldiers. The actual facts of -the case were these: The barricades were too low; men could with little -effort step over them. He hurriedly consulted Wagner, and it was agreed -that a storming by the soldiers could only be prevented by covering the -top of the barricades with some substance easy of ignition. Then Roeckel -suggested tar or pitch rings; and while Wagner went off to his convoy -supervision, Roeckel, with a body of men, set to work making these rings -in the yard opposite the town hall. The work had only proceeded an hour -when he received a message from the provisional government. His presence -was urgently required elsewhere, so the ring-making was discontinued at -once. This was on the Monday, or but one day after he had entered -Dresden. That evening information was received that a convoy of -provisions and a detachment of peasants were a few miles outside the -city waiting to enter. It was raining hard, and very dark; only some -person acquainted with the road and place would be of service. Roeckel -knew both, and started with Hainberger. As their mission was of such -importance, they deemed it advisable to wait until night had completely -set in. The rain and darkness increasing, the utmost caution was -imperative; but alas! they were met by a patrol of the Saxon troops, and -Roeckel was taken prisoner, his companion Hainberger escaping, owing to -his nimbleness. Roeckel was immediately taken before an officer and -searched. On him were found papers inculpating Wagner and others. A few -lines, too, from Commander Heinze as to the conduct of the people in the -event of a sortie taking place, caused him considerable discomfort. His -hands were tied behind him with rope which cut the flesh, and for the -night he was left in a barn. Next morning, still tied, he was sent down -the Elbe to Dresden under a strong escort, for the importance of the -capture was soon known. On his way down, he passed his own house; his -wife was at the window, and his children, attracted by the helmets of -the troops, were on the banks, unconscious that their father was a -prisoner on board. He was confined in a narrow, dark room, in his wet -clothes, and saw no one for two days, by which time the firing in the -town had ceased, and he knew then that the outbreak was at an end. - -And now, to measure accurately the extent of Wagner's culpability or his -claim to eulogy, the precise nature of the revolt should be understood, -the class and character of the insurgents, and their avowed purpose, -plainly stated. Further, the source of the government indictment against -Wagner and the reason of their relentless persecution should both be -fully comprehended. - -First, the revolt. It began through pure accident. Naturally the -townspeople were excited at the knowledge of the military being held in -readiness to suppress, by force of arms, any public expression at the -arbitrary dissolution of the chambers. They gathered in groups about the -streets, the pressure being greatest near the town hall. As the crowd -swayed, a wooden gate, opening upon a military magazine, gave way. The -troops were turned out, and defenceless people fired upon,--men, women -and children dying in the streets. This was May 3d. Then began that -loose organization. And who took part in it? Let the official records -supply the answer. I find that when the insurrection was suppressed the -government indicted twelve thousand persons, this lamentably lengthy -list including thirty mayors of different towns, about two-thirds of the -members of the dissolved chambers, government officials, town -councillors, lawyers, clergy, school-masters, officers and privates of -the army, men of culture, position, and social influence. - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER'S SEDITION._] - -Well might Herr von Beust, the king of Saxony's chosen prime minister -during March and April, 1849, when speaking in the Dresden chamber on -the 15th August, 1864, or fifteen years after the terrible May days of -1849 that condemned Richard Wagner to exile, describe this revolt as an -"insurrection that embraced the whole of the people of Saxony." After -such striking, conclusive testimony to the character of the revolt, from -the highest minister of the crown, no stigma can attach to Wagner or any -member who united in defence of the liberty of the subject, but rather -is such action to be commended. - -One more fact from the official report now before me: of Prussian and -Saxon troops thirty-four are recorded dead and a hundred wounded; -whereas, of the people, or "insurgents," one hundred and ninety men, -seven women killed, and a hundred and eleven men and four women wounded, -besides "about fifty more" of the people admittedly killed by the -soldiery, and then thrown into the Elbe, or a gross total of a hundred -and thirty-four soldiers killed and wounded against three hundred and -sixty-two people. - -And now as to the source of the government charge and the reason of its -intolerant bearing for thirteen years towards Richard Wagner. I have -already referred to the note taken upon Roeckel, which Wagner wrote and -addressed to him at Prague, urging his immediate return. Further, I have -reproduced the revolutionary paper which Wagner read before the -Fatherland Union, a copy of which figures in the official indictment -_re_ Wagner. There yet remain other incriminating documents, and -occasional words uttered by prisoners under examination, besides the -knowledge the government possessed of his close intimacy with that -revolutionary directing spirit, Bakunin, and also with August Roeckel; -and further, his membership in the Union. But the chief materials for -the government accusation were furnished by poor Roeckel himself. There -was, first, the letter taken upon him--"Return immediately ... -excitement may precipitate a premature outbreak." Then his house was -sacked. He was the editor and proprietor of the "Volksblatte," the -people's paper. Naturally, therefore, documents and papers of every -description were found in profusion, held to incriminate several -persons. Here copies were found of the June, 1848, paper, by Richard -Wagner, on the "Abolition of the Monarchy," and articles written by him -for the "Volksblatte," then minutes of meetings of the Fatherland Union -and of the sub-committee. In a letter from his wife to me, detailing the -incidents of the sacking of his house in Dresden, she says, "Every -paper, printed and in manuscript, was taken away by the police officer -who accompanied the military guard"; and, further, she says, "When I was -ordered to leave Dresden I went first to Leipzic and Halle, thence to -Weimar, and at each town, when it became known who we were, I and my -five children were received with every sign of affection; at Leipzic the -townspeople coming out in a body to welcome us." - -[Sidenote: _A CHIEF OF INSURRECTION._] - -Roeckel's wife was ordered to quit Dresden so that she might not witness -the execution of her husband. Both Bakunin and Roeckel were, by order of -the Prussian commander, to be shot in the market place, an order only -countermanded when it was thought that further information could be -extracted from them. Ten days after Roeckel's capture he was brought up -for investigation, in company with Heubner, the head of the provincial -government, Heinze, the military commander of the people, and Bakunin, -directing spirit. These four men were all chained. From this time each -was examined and interrogated separately. Roeckel's investigations were -endless. He could not at the time perceive why he was repeatedly -cross-questioned on the same point. Alas, it was too cruelly potent -when, on the 14th January, 1850, or nineteen months after he was taken -prisoner, for the first time he heard specifically with what he was -charged, and his sentence,--death. He saw then clearly that the last -part of Wagner's note to him had been interpreted as implying a general -organized rising throughout Saxony at a moment to be decided upon by the -leaders, Bakunin, Heubner, Todt, Wagner, and Roeckel--"return -immediately ... the excitement will precipitate a premature outbreak." -The official interpretation was entirely wrong. No decision of the kind -had been arrived at. There was a complete lack of organization. They -wished to be prepared for emergencies, but a deliberate attack was not -contemplated. However, it sufficed to include Wagner among the chiefs of -the insurrection. - -Then there were Bakunin's letters to the sympathizers at Prague, -unaddressed. By all manner of cunning questions that legal ingenuity -could suggest was it sought to drag out from Roeckel in his cell, the -names of the leaders at Prague. The addresses of several personages were -found in the sacking of Roeckel's house, and these were all arraigned. -For a year these secret investigations were carried on, in June, July, -and August at Dresden, and subsequently at the fortress of Knigstein. -On the last day of August, 1849, Heubner, Bakunin, and Roeckel seem to -have been confronted separately by a witness who swore to the part -actually played by Wagner during the rising. Refusing to utter a word -that should incriminate their friend, they were transported that night -in three separate wagons to the impregnable fortress of Knigstein. -Officers with loaded revolvers sat inside each conveyance, a troop of -mounted soldiery forming the van and rear of the cavalcade. The night -had been chosen, as these men were known to be beloved of the people; -they were martyrs in a nation's cause, and it was feared that, should it -become known who were the prisoners being conveyed, a rescue might be -attempted. Inside the prison house, Roeckel met with kind treatment and -was permitted to receive letters from his friends. The nobility of his -character, his integrity, fearlessness, and unselfishness had rendered -him so popular that the directors of the Royal Library at Dresden placed -their whole store of books at his disposal. Within the walls of his -prison he was equally popular, warders and soldiers uniting to form a -plan for his escape, and that of Heubner and Bakunin. Roeckel and -Bakunin declared themselves ready, but Heubner refused, whereupon -Roeckel and Bakunin declined to hazard the attempt without their friend. -It is to these efforts of the soldiers that Wagner refers in a letter to -Edward Roeckel, brother of August, which appears later on. The -friendliness of the warders being perceived by the authorities, Roeckel -was removed to that Bastille of Saxony, the fortress of Waldheim, and -Bakunin to Prague. - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER'S ACTIVE PART._] - -And now for the first time was Roeckel brought before a properly -constituted tribunal. It was on the morning of the 14th January, 1850, -that he heard for the first time the charge formulated against him and -the sentence. The official accusation of my friend is before me, and as -Richard Wagner is concerned, I will summarize the charge. It consists of -eight distinct counts to the effect that he, Roeckel, had placed himself -at the disposal of the provisional government, constructed barricades, -was present at military councils, received the convoys of men and -provisions that were brought into Dresden by Wagner and others, prepared -tar brands, was concerned in a plot for a general uprising in the -principalities to overthrow the lawful rulers, as proved by the letter -from Richard Wagner taken upon him, etc., etc. The sentence passed upon -Roeckel was death, Heubner and Bakunin having been brought up for trial -and sentenced at the same time. The friends shook hands for the last -time. - -Outside a party had arisen demanding a second trial. The clamour was -strong, so that a rehearing was conceded, but the second court, on 16th -April, 1850, only confirmed the judgment of the first, the extreme -penalty, however, being commuted by the king, who had under all -circumstances shown himself averse to capital punishment, to -imprisonment for life. Roeckel was, however, reprieved after having been -incarcerated nearly thirteen years. - -And now for the actual part played by Wagner. Throughout he was most -active. He was, as he says, "everywhere." His genius for organizing and -directing, which we have seen carried to such perfection on the stage, -proved of infinite value during those anxious days. An outbreak had long -been expected, but not at the moment it actually took place, and when it -came he was found ready to carry out the work appointed him. Though not -on the executive of the provisional government, he was consulted -regularly by the heads, and as he says, "it was pure accident" he was -not taken prisoner with Heubner and Bakunin, as he had but "left them -the night before their arrest to meet them in the morning for -consultation." - -[Sidenote: _LEAD FROM THE HOUSE-TOPS._] - -His temperament, all who have come into contact with him well know, was -very excitable, and under such a strain as he then endured it was at -fever pitch. Hainberger related to me a dramatic episode which thrilled -Wagner's frame and stirred the whole of the eye-witnesses. I recounted -it subsequently to Wagner, and he agreed entirely as to the truth of -Hainberger's recital. It was in the morning about eight o'clock, the -barricade at which Wagner and Hainberger were stationed was about to -receive such morning meal as had been prepared, the outposts being kept -by a few men and women. Amongst the latter was a young girl of eighteen, -the daughter of a baker belonging to this particular barricade. She -stood in sight of all, when to their amazement a shot was suddenly -heard, a piercing shriek, followed by the fall of the girlish patriot. -The miscreant Prussian soldier, one of a detachment in the -neighbourhood, was caught redhanded and hurried to the barricade. Wagner -seized a musket and mounting a cart called out aloud to all, "Men, will -you see your wives and daughters fall in the cause of our beloved -country, and not avenge their cowardly murder? All who have hearts, all -who have the blood and spirit of their forefathers, and love their -country follow me, and death to the tyrant." So saying he seized a -musket, and heading the barricade they came quickly upon the few -Prussians who had strayed too far into the town, and who, perceiving -they were outnumbered, gave themselves up as prisoners. This is but one -of those many examples of what a timid man will do under excitement, for -I give it as my decided opinion, and I have no fear of lack of -corroboration, that Richard Wagner was not personally brave. I have -closely observed him upon many occasions, and though entering into a -quarrel readily enough,--once in the London streets with a grocer who -had cruelly beaten his horse,--he always moved away when it looked like -coming to blows. This might be termed discretion; well, he was discreet, -there are no two opinions about that, but I distinctly affirm that what -is commonly understood by personal bravery, Wagner possessed none of it. - -He was ever ready to harangue the people; his volubility, excitability, -and unquenchable love of freedom instigating him at all times. This was -well known to the government, as also the foregoing incident, I am -convinced, for, be it remembered, Wagner and his companions only made -the Prussian soldiers prisoners, and it is not supposing the impossible -that on release they would have reported fully who it was that led, -musket in hand, the people against them. - -Another incident of the campaign, and this time the author is Wagner. -When it was reported that the ammunition was running short, the not very -original idea sprang from him in this instance to use the lead from the -house-tops. That Wagner's very active participation was fully reported -to the government, is proved by their attitude towards him. They -expected to take him prisoner with Heubner and Bakunin, for he was -constantly with them, and they were betrayed by the Prussians; and, as -Wagner says, it was "pure accident" only that he was not taken with -them. - -As soon as the leaders were taken, and Wagner saw there was no use in -continuing the conflict, he fled. He knew not in what direction to turn, -but the thought of his precious manuscripts which he had with him -determined his course--Weimar, Liszt. And so it fell out. Liszt was good -and sheltered him, and interested himself so far as to go to the police -official at Weimar to try and discover whether any warrant had been -issued for his apprehension. Wagner remained below while Liszt entered -to inquire. He was not kept in suspense long. Liszt hurried out -breathless and excited. "For the love of God, stay not a moment; a -warrant has been issued and is upstairs now waiting to be executed, but -I have prevailed upon H----, who out of friendship will not put it into -execution for an hour." Under Liszt's advice he left for Paris, the -Weimar virtuoso being intrusted with Wagner's precious manuscripts. He -went to Paris, but remained a few weeks only, seeking an asylum in -Zurich, of which city in the October following he became a naturalized -subject. - -In the summer of 1853 he thought of quitting Zurich, information which -was soon conveyed to the Dresden government, who at once issued the -following proclamation. I draw attention to the words "most prominent," -and further to the date, June, 1853; or, it should be borne in mind, -four years after the Revolution. It ran as follows:-- - -[Sidenote: _A HAPPY ACCIDENT._] - - Wagner, Richard, late chapel master of Dresden, one of the most - prominent supporters of the party of insurrection, who by reason of - his participation in the Revolution of May, 1849, in Dresden, has - been pursued by police warrant, this is to give notice that it - having transpired he intends to leave Zurich, where he at present - resides, in order to enter Germany, he should be arrested; whereby, - for the better purpose of apprehension, a portrait of the said - Richard Wagner is hereby given, so that should he touch German land - he may at once be delivered over to the police authorities at - Dresden. - -The question then arises, is it to be supposed that a man thus pursued -by the Saxon government had taken little or no part in the insurrection? -There cannot be any doubt as to the answer. As I have before stated, -Richard Wagner was deeply implicated in revolutionary proceedings before -the May days of 1849, facts within the cognizance of the government. -They knew he was a member of the political society, Fatherland Union, -the centre of Saxon discontent; it was notorious that the conductor, -Wagner, had written and read a celebrated paper in June, 1848, before -the society, advocating the abolition of the monarchy; his most intimate -companion and confidant was the second conductor, Roeckel, dismissed -from office by reason of his revolutionary (?) practices, and he, -Wagner, had already expressed his regret for hasty language condemnatory -of the powers, and what was even still more convincing evidence, did he -not stand convicted by his own handwriting--the short note taken on the -person of August Roeckel, besides the evidence of his having contributed -articles to Roeckel's paper? It is then a matter of universal rejoicing, -that the "pure accident" did prevent his meeting Bakunin and Heubner, -for, judging from the sentence of death passed upon those two, and upon -Roeckel, it is more than probable that the same sentence would have been -pronounced against him. - -That the government regarded Roeckel and Wagner in much the same light, -is to my mind further shown by the similarity in time of their -respective imprisonment and exile--August Roeckel serving nearly -thirteen years, and Richard Wagner's amnesty dating March, 1862. Several -persons of high rank interceded for him, among them Napoleon the Third, -who, after the "Tannhuser" fiasco in Paris of 1861, expressed himself -amazed at the fatherland exiling so great a son. After the perusal of -the following letter, dated by Wagner, Enge, near Zurich, 15th March, -1851, future biographers can no longer ignobly treat the patriotism of -Wagner by striving to whitewash or gloss over the part he played during -those sad days. It is addressed to my life-long friend, Edward Roeckel -(the brother of August), now living at Bath, where he has resided since -1849.[2] - -[Sidenote: _LETTER TO EDWARD ROECKEL._] - - -ENGE, NEAR ZURICH, 15th March, 1851. - - MY DEAR FRIEND: Many a time have I longed to write to you, but have - been compelled to desist, uncertain as to your address. But now I - must take my chance in sending you a letter, as the occasion is - pressing, and I have to claim your kindness in the interest of - another. I will, therefore, at once explain matters, and so have - done with the immediate cause of this letter. - - A young man, Hainberger, still very young, half German, half Pole, - at present my exile companion in Switzerland, originally found - refuge in the Canton Berne. This canton has expelled all political - refugees, refusing to harbour them any longer, and, indeed, no - canton will now receive another exile, at most keeping those - already domiciled there; thus Hainberger is obliged to seek - sanctuary either in England or America. Being a good violinist, I - had already secured for him several months' engagement in the - Zurich orchestra. His present intention, if possible, is to go next - winter to Brussels, in order to profit by lessons from de Beriot, - but alas! for him, his most reactionary Austrian parents and - relations are as yet too angry with him to permit him to hope of - their furnishing the necessary money for that plan. Until he can - expect a change in that quarter, he does not wish to go as far as - America, but prefers London, there to await that happy - reconciliation with his relations. Meanwhile, and in order to - ensure the means of subsistence, he would much like to find an - engagement in one of the London orchestras. As he does not know a - soul in London to whom he could apply for help in this case, I turn - to you in friendship, to assist in procuring him such an - engagement. And, further, besides knowing no one in London, my - young friend does not speak English. If, therefore, you could - indicate any house where he could live moderately, and make himself - understood, you would confer a great favour on me. Could we not - direct him at once to Praeger? I take a deep interest in this young - man, as he is of an amiable disposition, and I have become closely - acquainted with him at Dresden, where indeed he stayed for some - long time, with August. He is really a talented violinist, and - possesses letters of recommendation from his masters, Helmsberger - and David (in the first instance, he was a pupil of Jansa), which - he wishes to be known, as he believes the name of Helmsberger a - guarantee. If you are willing to do me this service I beg, in my - name, that he may be sustained in all power. - - Now to another matter. During the last few years much has occurred - of a most painful nature, and oft have I thought of your sorely - tried brotherly devotion. We were all compelled to be prepared for - extremes during those times, for it was no longer possible to - endure the state of things in which we lived, unless we had become - unfaithful to ourselves. I, for my part, long before the outbreak - of the Revolution, was incapable of anything but contemplating that - inevitable catastrophe. What in me was a mixture of contemplation, - was with August all action. His whole being was impelled to - energetic activity. It was not until the fourth day of the outbreak - at Dresden that I saw him on a Monday morning for the first and - last time. For some time after he was captured, I could get no news - of him but what I gathered from the public journals. Although I had - not accepted a special rle, yet I was present everywhere, actively - superintending the bringing in of convoys, and indeed, I only - returned with one from the Erzgebirge[3] to the town hall, Dresden, - on the eve of the last day. Then I was immediately asked on all - sides after August, of whom since Monday evening no tidings had - been received, and so, to our distress, we were forced to conclude - that he had either been taken prisoner or shot. - - [Sidenote: _A CONVENIENT MEMORY._] - - I was actively engaged in the revolutionary movement up to its - final struggle, and it was a pure accident that I, too, was not - taken prisoner in company with Heubner and Bakunin, as I had but - taken leave of them for the night to meet in consultation again the - next morning. When all was lost, I fled first to Weimar, where, - after a few days, I was informed that a warrant of apprehension was - to be put in motion after me. I consulted Liszt about my next - movements. He took me to a house to make inquiries on my behalf. - While awaiting his return in the street, I suddenly caught sight of - Lullu,[4] who told me her mother had arrived at Weimar, was living - close by, and gave me their address, I promising to call at once; - but on Liszt returning he told me that not a moment was to be lost, - the warrant of apprehension had been received, and I must quit - Weimar at once. It became, therefore, impossible to call on - August's wife; and only now, as I am writing, does it strike me - that "Linchen"[5] might perhaps think my behaviour unfeeling. I beg - of you, then, when you have an opportunity, if she may have - considered me wanting in sympathy, to explain how the matter then - stood, as I should feel deeply distressed at such a belief - existing. I heard from Dresden that, thanks to your brotherly - devotion, the family of the unhappy August have been well provided - for. Where they at present reside I do not know. As regards August, - from whom, alas, I have not yet received any detailed information, - I can, thinking of the terrible trial he is now undergoing, have - only one profound anxiety, that is, his health. Should he lose - this, it would be the worst possible thing; for his imprisonment - cannot last eternally, of that there is no doubt. I cannot speak of - "plots," as of them I know nothing authoritatively, and most likely - they even do not exist, but a glance at the affairs of Europe - clearly shows that the present state of things can be but - shortlived. Good health and patience are most to be desired for - those who suffer the keenest under existing circumstances. Happily, - August's constitution is of the kind that gives every hope for him. - I know, from his manner of living, that neither an active nor a - sedentary life affect him deeply. But one thing is to be feared, - viz. that his patience will not last him; and alas, in this respect - I have heard, to my sorrow, that he has been incautious, and - suffers in consequence stricter discipline. Altogether, however, I - believe that the political prisoners in Saxony are treated - humanely, and we must hope that by prudent behaviour August will - soon experience milder treatment, could we but influence him in - respect to his easily understood passionate outbreaks. - - I live here very retired with my wife, receiving from certain - friends in Germany just sufficient monetary assistance. My special - grief is my art, which, though I had my freedom of action, I could - not unfold. I was in Paris, intended even going to London, but the - feeling of nausea, engendered by such art excursions, drove me back - here; and so I have taken to write books, amongst others, "Das - Kunstwerk der Zukunft," and, on a larger scale, "Oper und Drama," - my last work. I could also turn again to composing "Siegfried's - Tod," but after all, it would only be for myself, and that in the - end is too mournful. Dear Edward, write to me. Perhaps I may hear - much news from you, and I would greatly like to hear how you are - getting on. Farewell. Be assured of my heartiest devotion. - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -And now for a few closing remarks upon this revolutionary epoch. I have -alluded to the whitewashing, as it were, of Wagner by his biographers -when treating of this period. If it were asked who is to blame, the -answer might fairly be, "Imperfect or inadequate knowledge of the -facts," fostered, I regret to add, by Wagner's own later utterances and -writings upon the point. When Wagner visited London in 1855, the -Revolution and the thousand and one episodes connected therewith were -related and discussed fully and dwelt upon with affection, but as the -years rolled on he exhibited a decided aversion towards any reference to -his participation. Perhaps we should not judge harshly in the matter; he -had suffered much and there were not wanting, and I fear it may be said -there are still not wanting, those who speak in ungenerous, malignant -tones about the court conductor being false to his oath of allegiance, -of the demagogue luxuriating in the wealth of a royal patron. Wagner's -art popularity was increasing and his music-dramas were gradually -forcing themselves upon the stage, and he did not wish his chance of -success to be marred by the everlastingly silly and spiteful references -to the revolutionist. But whether he was justified in writing as he did, -in permitting almost an untruth to be inferred and history falsified, I -should not care to decide. As, however, I am of opinion that the lives -of great men (their public actions at least) are the property of -posterity, I have stated what I know to have been the true facts, and -will bring my remarks to a close by appending a few extracts from -Wagner's early and later writings upon this point which, read by the -light of the uncontrovertible facts, I leave for each to form his own -opinion:-- - - (1) Paper on the "Abolition of the Monarchy," read before the - Fatherland Union, dated 16th June, 1848. - - (2) Note to August Roeckel: "Return immediately; a premature - outbreak is feared."--May, 1849. - - (3) Letter to Edward Roeckel: March, 1851: - - (_a_) "It was no longer possible to endure the state of things in - which we lived." - - (_b_) "I was present everywhere, actively superintending the - bringing in of convoys, etc." - - (_c_) "I was actively engaged in the revolutionary movement up to - its final struggle." - - (4) His active participation, related by himself to me, - corroborated by Hainberger's testimony. (I should add that - Hainberger came to London in April, 1851, stayed with me, and that - I secured for him lessons and a place in the orchestra of the New - Philharmonic.) - - (5) Max von Weber, son of Carl Maria von Weber, told me that he was - present during the Revolution, and saw Wagner shoulder his musket. - -[Sidenote: _A SIGNIFICANT OMISSION._] - -As I have stated, the general drift of Wagner's references to the -Revolution is to minimize his share; I content myself with two extracts -only:-- - - 1. From "Eine Mittheilung an meine Freunde" (a communication to my - friends), vol. IV. of his collected writings, and dated 1851: "I - never had occupied myself really with politics." - - 2. "The Work and Mission of my Life," the latest of Wagner's - published writings, written in 1876 for America: "In my innermost - nature I really had nothing in common with its political side," - _i.e._ of the Revolution. - -The significant omission of "The Abolition of the Monarchy" paper from -his eleven volumes of "Collected Writings," a collection which includes -shorter papers written too at earlier periods than the above, may also -be noted. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -1850-1854. - - -[Sidenote: "_TERRIBLY IN EARNEST._"] - -Pursued by a police warrant, Wagner first sought refuge and a home in -Paris. The French capital possessed alluring attractions for him, but -his reception, in 1849, was no brighter or more promising than it had -been ten years earlier. He therefore left Paris, after a few weeks, and -went to Zurich. Here he found a true home and hearty friends, and felt, -as far as was possible, so contented that in the autumn following he -became a naturalized subject. And yet Wagner used to say his forced -exile pressed sore upon him, and there is no doubt he did chafe under -it, and strove hard to free himself from its galling chains. He could -not settle to work. He endeavoured to open communications with August -Roeckel, through influential friends in Dresden, but was unsuccessful. -When in Paris, and whilst still under the influence of the -multitudinous, unsettling thoughts that had pressed him into the ranks -of liberty, making him one of its most energetic champions, he -endeavoured to negotiate with the editor of a newspaper of standing, for -a series of letters, on the interesting and timely topic of "The -Revolution, and its Relation to Art." But the proposal came to nothing. -He was told the time was inopportune. "Strange and silly people," was -his comment, and he left the Parisians for the more homely, though -heavier folk, of Zurich. - -And still he could not tear himself away from Paris. The city and people -fascinated him then and at all times, and he returned, in the early part -of 1850, to make another effort in the cause of art. Though his -invectives were frequent and bitter, yet I have seen enough, and know -enough, of the inner Wagner, to state positively that he highly esteemed -the French intellect and judgment in matters of art. This is one of -those curious paradoxes in Richard Wagner's character. He could never -refer to the French without some sarcastic allusion to their frivolity. -At all times Wagner was "terribly in earnest," and he almost took it as -a personal insult to see the French full of sensuous enjoyment, and -regarding art as a pleasant, agreeable relaxation, at the end of the -day's labour. And yet he strove to succeed there for all that; even in -1860, when he was again in Paris, his feelings were precisely the same. -Writing on this point, some sixteen years later, he says: "I thought -that it was there (_i.e._ Paris) only that I could find the atmosphere -so necessary to the success of my art,[6] that element of which I so -much stood in need." - -His success in 1849-50, however, was no more than it had been hitherto. -His vanity was piqued at his reception. He visited old acquaintances, -and was received with a patronizing friendship, as one who had come to -Paris, an aspirant for fame. They would not see in him the "Tannhuser" -composer, the prophet who had come to baptize them with the pure, holy -water of the true in art. His pride was wounded. - -He was envious, too, of that smooth, highly polished gracefulness which -the French possess in the small matters of every-day life, and which he -was conscious he lacked. Though refined in intellect, courteous in -bearing, carrying himself with majestic dignity when occasion demanded, -yet Richard Wagner's natural characteristic was a plainness and -directness of speech, which often took the form of abruptness. -"Amiability usually runs into insincerity," says Mr. Froude, when -describing Carlyle's character in the "Reminiscences," and Wagner was at -all times sincere. Sensitive, too, as artists commonly are, he saw the -Parisians resolving life and art into a pastime, and doing it with an -elegant, natural gracefulness that was absent in his own serious -utterances of the heart. Impatient of incapacity, blunt in speech, and -vehement in declamation, even with bursts of occasional rudeness, he was -angered and jealous, that a people--his intellectual inferior--should -take life so easily. - -[Sidenote: _NOT FOND OF EXILE._] - -Sick in heart, he soon became sick in body; seriously ill indeed. On his -recovery, feeling naught congenial to him in Paris, he left again for -Zurich, via Bordeaux and Geneva. At Bordeaux an episode occurred similar -to one which happened later at Zurich, about which the press of the day -made a good deal of unnecessary commotion and ungenerous comment. I -mention the incident to show the man as he was. The Opposition have not -spared his failings, and over the Zurich incident were hypercritically -censorious. The Bordeaux story I am alluding to, is, that the wife of a -friend, Mrs. H----, having followed Wagner to the south, called on him -at his hotel, and throwing herself at his feet, passionately told of -her affection. Wagner's action in the matter was to telegraph to the -husband to come and take his wife home. On telling me the story, Wagner -jocosely remarked that poor Beethoven, so full of love, never had his -affection returned, and lived and died, so it is said, a hermit. - -Another adventure of this description took place at Berlin, which to my -mind is a verification of the homeopathic doctrine, _similia similibus -curantur_, for I often taunted him with possessing, though in -homeopathic doses, just those very failings he denounced in others, viz. -amorousness, Hebraic shrewdness, and the Gallic love of enjoyment. When -he was in a jocular mood he would laugh heartily at my endeavour to -prove the truth of my opinions by the citation of instances, and -occasionally he would admit the impeachment, whereas, at other times, he -would become irritated, and put an end to any such conversation by -charging me with having lost all my German feeling under the pernicious -influence of a London fog. - -Back in Zurich, he could not force himself to compose. He could not, and -never did, take kindly to his compulsory exile, even appealing himself -to the authorities more than ten years later for permission to re-enter -his fatherland. And yet I have no hesitation in asserting that the world -should regard it as a boon for art that he was thus driven into exile. -Away from the theatre and the busy activity connected with his office of -conductor, he had time to reflect over the many schemes for the -elevation of art that constantly held communion with his inner self. -Freed from the contact of that vortex of petty agitation which -constitutes the active life of the stage, and of which every -individual, no matter how inferior his grade, thinks himself the chief -attraction, he gained that repose which enabled him to see art matters -in their just proportion. His state, he described to me, as that spoken -of by both Aristotle and Plato: "One of the highest happinesses attained -through the pleasures of the intellect by the contemplative life." -Indeed, it can be maintained, that all the great works of his after-life -were either completed or sketched during those years of exile. - -[Sidenote: _THE VILLA AT ZURICH._] - -To begin with his literary work. In this branch of thought he was -remarkably active. For five whole years, the first five of his Zurich -life, I remember he said he did not compose a bar; all was literary -outpouring, and so much was he given to reflection on the strange -position in which he found himself in the art world, and the manner in -which his operas had been received, that he even seriously considered -the question whether music was his province, whether he should not -reject tonal composition entirely in favour of the spoken drama. In a -letter of that period he says, "I spend my time in walking, reading, and -literary work." And when one considers what Wagner did during those -years of banishment, it will be seen how hard a worker he was. His exile -lasted for something like twelve years, and during that time he wrote -those masterly expositions: "Art and Revolution," "The Art Work of the -Future," "Art and Climate," "Judaism in Music," and "Opera and Drama," -whilst, as regards the music-drama, he wrote the whole of the words and -music of the "Nibelung's Ring," "Tristan and Isolde," the -"Mastersingers" (1861-62), and a fragment of music subsequently -embodied and amplified in "Parsifal." - -Wagner met with many reverses in the early portion of his career, but he -also, on occasions, enjoyed exceptionally good fortune. Though caged, as -he said, like an angry, irritable lion in Zurich, longing to burst his -prison door, yet he met everywhere with troops of friends. The personnel -of the opera house united to do him honour, and individually he was -treated with hearty good will. One of his ardent admirers and intimate -friends was Madame Wesendonck, the wife of a wealthy retired merchant -who had come, with her husband, to take up her abode in Zurich. -Wesendonck was a musical amateur, but not so gifted as his wife, who was -enthusiastic for Wagner. Wesendonck had purchased some land overlooking -the beautiful lake, and was building himself a house there. For that -purpose he had brought architects and upholsterers from Paris. While the -building was in course of erection, a very pretty chalt adjoining the -property became untenanted, which it was stated was about to be used as -an asylum. Such information was not pleasant to Wesendonck, and at the -suggestion and wish of his wife he purchased it and rented it to Wagner -for a nominal sum. This really charming villa was an immense delight to -Wagner. Hitherto, living in the town, he had grown fractious under the -infliction of noises and cries inseparable from the bustle of civic -life, and the "Retreat," as he called the chalt, afforded him a -pleasure, and procured that quiet comfort invaluable to him at that -period of thought. - -At the house of his friends there were frequent gatherings of musicians -from Zurich and neighbouring towns, at which, it seems, he often -delivered himself of lengthy harangues on his view of art, to find that -one only of those who applauded him comprehended the heart of the thing -he spoke of. He said it was with him, just as it had been with the -unfortunate Hegel, the philosopher, who with facetious cynicism -remarked, that "nobody understands me, except one disciple, and he -misunderstands me." Perhaps the fault was partly his own. His fervid -perorations were ambitious, and he spoke above the heads of his hearers. -They saw in him only the composer of "Tannhuser" and "Lohengrin," -whereas he felt within himself the embryo of the colossal tetralogy; and -how could they comprehend, then, a man who addressed his inward -clamourings rather than his auditors. When I say the embryo of the -tetralogy, I include the musical sketch of certain of the leading ideas, -for the whole of the Nibelung poem was completed, and a few copies -printed in 1853 for his intimate friends, of one copy of which I am the -fortunate possessor. - -[Sidenote: _CONDUCTING THE OPERA._] - -On recalling the occasion, when in 1855 Wagner gave me a bound copy of -his "Nibelung lied," one incident stands out prominently. On studying -the poem I had been struck with the keen dramatic insight displayed by -Wagner throughout his treatment of the old Norse sagas: the laying out -of the ground plan, the sequence of the story, the exclusion of -extraneous and subsidiary matter, the many powerful and striking -tableaux presented, the crisp dialogue and scholarly retention of the -alliterative verse, the merit of these features being increased by the -high literary standard attained throughout the work. Now when I -congratulated Wagner on the literary skill he had shown, he grew -peevish; and indeed he resented at all times praise of his poetic -ability, seeming to think that in some measure it was a denial of his -musical power. - -Some portion of the Nibelung poem Wagner read to his small circle of -intimates in London. At that time Richard Wagner was forty-two years of -age, and his histrionic powers, at all times great, were perhaps then at -their best. With his head well thrown back, he declaimed his poem with a -majestic earnestness that cast a spell over all. But of his histrionic -and mimetic powers I shall have something to say later on. - -At Zurich he interested himself largely in the opera house. He sought to -control the local taste, but the directors were governed with one -thought and that, that only such works as bore the hall-mark of Paris -success could succeed in Zurich. Accepting the state of things, he -conducted performances of "Robert le Diable," "Les Huguenots," -"Guillaume Tell," Halvy's "La Juive," Donizetti's "La Fille du -Regiment," and other works of similar type. He even conducted the -rehearsals, attending and exerting himself at these for the benefit, -however, of Hans von Blow, who had become his pupil. I know he was -deeply attached to Blow; he spoke of him with enthusiasm, praised his -wonderful reading at sight, and was much impressed by his general -culture. There is no doubt that Blow merited the high opinion Wagner -held of him, as subsequent events have proved. - -On Richard Wagner's fortieth birthday, 22 May, 1853, a grand Wagner -festival was held at Zurich, musicians from neighbouring towns being -invited. All the principal theatres responded with the exception of -Munich, which through its conductor, Lachner, refused to permit -orchestral members of the theatre to attend, giving as the flimsy -pretext that journeymen, _i.e._ orchestral performers, could not be -granted passports. Lachner as a composer has found his level, and there -it is wise to leave him. I will only note the curious fate which later -made Wagner supreme at Munich and, further, how odd it was that when -Wagner was conducting the Philharmonic concerts in London, Mr. Anderson -informed him that it was the wish of the directors he should produce a -prize symphony of Lachner. The proposition startled Wagner and perhaps, -somewhat contemptuously, he exclaimed, "What! have I come all this way -to conduct a prize symphony by Lachner? No! no!" and he would not -either, not because the composition was superscribed "Lachner," but -because of the really wretched Kapellmeister music it was. - -The Wagner festival at Zurich was very gratifying to him. For a whole -week he was fted, and at the close received an ovation that took all -his self-control. He addressed the audience in faltering accents, and on -bidding his friends farewell he broke down entirely--that they should -return to the fatherland and he an exile. Such a wail of anguish went -out from his heart as only those who have known the sensitive character -of the man can understand. - -[Sidenote: _LOVE FOR HIS DOG._] - -From the time Wagner went into exile his health generally gave way. -Constant brooding over his enforced isolation from his countrymen -induced melancholia, and in its train a malignant attack of his old -enemy, dyspepsia. His wife, fortunately, was of a homely nature with a -buoyancy of spirits, the value of which cannot be over-estimated, nor, -must I add, was Wagner insensible to her worth. But with these terrible -fits of dyspepsia which prostrated him for days, there also came, as one -ill upon another, attacks of erysipelas. When he had the strength, he -fought against them, but more often he succumbed. He sought relief at -hydropathic establishments, for which form of prevention and cure he -retained a fancy for many years. The bracing air of the mountains, too, -he sought as a means of removing the ills under which he suffered. He -was fond, too, of taking "Peps" with him in these rambles. "Peps," it -will be remembered, was the dog who, he used to assert, helped him to -compose "Tannhuser." He was passionately fond of his dog, referred to -him in his letters with affection, and ascribed to him feelings and a -perceptiveness only possible from a man loving the animal kingdom as he -did. All who remember the last sad incidents connected with the -interment at Wahnfried will think of the faithful canine creature (a -successor of "Peps"), who came to lie on the grave, and could not be -induced to quit the spot where his master was buried. As it was there, -so it was at Zurich. He loved "Peps" with a human love. Taking his -constitutional on the Zurich mountains, "Peps" his companion, reflecting -upon his treatment by his fatherland, he would declaim against imaginary -enemies, gesticulate, and vent his irascible excitement in loud -speeches, when "Peps," "the human Peps," as he called him, with the -sympathy of the intelligent dumb creation, would rush forward, bark and -snap loudly as if aiding Wagner in destroying his enemies, and then -return, plainly asking for friendly recognition for the demolition. Such -an expression of sympathy delighted Wagner, and he was very pleased to -rehearse it all to his friends, calling in "Peps" to go through the -performance, and I must say the dog seemed to understand and appreciate -it all. Numerous anecdotes of this kind he could tell, and he generally -capped them with such a remark as, "'Peps' has more sense than your -wooden contrapuntists," pointing his speech by naming the authors of -some concocted Kappelmeister music who were specially objectionable to -him. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -"JUDAISM IN MUSIC." - - -As regards his literary productions, that which provoked most discussion -and engendered a good deal of acrimonious hostility towards him was -"Judaism in Music." No one knowing Wagner, and writing any reminiscences -of him, no matter how slight, could omit reference to this subject. Any -such treatment would be incomplete, though it would be easy to -understand such omission, for no friend of Richard Wagner would elect to -put him in the wrong, nor care to admit that his attitude towards the -descendants of Abraham, in certain phases, was as unreasoned, and -perhaps as ungenerous, as that of earlier anti-Semitic agitators of the -fatherland. However, an impartial critic must confess that in Wagner's -attacks on the Jews and their treatment of art, he has, in much that he -says, force and truth on his side. Unfortunately, much of the cogency of -his reasoning is weakened in the eyes of many by the introduction of the -names of two of his prominent contemporaries, Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, -both of Hebraic descent. His attack is put down to personal spite, -jealousy born of anger at the success of his rivals. Never was charge -more groundless. Richard Wagner was high above such small-minded enmity. -His was a nature incapable of mean, paltry envy. Rancour was not in -him. Yet how could an attack upon "Judaism in music" be maintained -without indicating Semitic composers, in whose works supposed -shortcomings and spurious art were to be found? That he was not animated -by any personal motive I am convinced, and that the things he wrote of -lay deep, deep in his heart, I am equally persuaded. Finding in me a -partial antagonist, he debated the question freely. Perhaps, too, it was -a subject impossible of exclusion from our discussion, since, when he -came here (London) in 1855, or three years after his Jew pamphlet had -been published, the press spared not its sneers and satire for a man who -only saw in the grand composer of "Elijah" "a Jew,"[7] the man Wagner, -whom "it would be a scandal to compare with the men of reputation this -country (England) possesses, and whom the most ordinary ballad writer -would shame in the creation of melody, and of whose harmony no English -harmonist of more than one year's growth could be found sufficiently -without ears or education to pen such vile things." - -[Sidenote: _TROUBLE FOR BRENDEL._] - -To understand this "Jew" question thoroughly, one should remember the -admiration, the just admiration, in which Mendelssohn was held in this -country. He was the idol of English musicians. That he should have been -"assailed" by Wagner because of his Hebraic descent was unpardonable. -This was the spirit of hostility with which the larger proportion of the -press received him, seeing in him the personal enemy of the "Jew" -Mendelssohn. And thus it happened that references to this question were -continually being made, and discussions, occasionally of an angry -character, were thrust upon us. What Richard Wagner wrote in 1852, the -date the paper was first published, he adhered to in 1855, and what is -more, in 1869, when he was master of the situation, he somewhat -pertinaciously appended a letter to the original indictment, from which -he did not recede one step. - -When Wagner had almost attained the zenith of his fame, at a time when -his weight and genius were admitted, he then deliberately placed on -record that years of his earlier suppression and ostracism from great -musical centres were due, and due alone, to the power wielded by the -Jews, and their determination to keep his works out of sight where -possible. - -The article, "Judaism in Music," was originally published in "Die Neue -Zeitschrift," under the nom de plume of "Freethought." At the time the -journal was edited by Franz Brendel, and when the subject-matter of the -article is known, it will be admitted that the editor was courageous, -and perhaps no one will be surprised at the hostile acts which followed. -Poor Wagner seems to have been much troubled at the difficult position -in which he had placed his friend. No sooner had the article appeared, -he told me, than about a dozen of Brendel's co-professors at the Leipzic -conservatoire sent forward a petition to the directors of the Institute -urging the dismissal of the editor, but, though the signatories of the -document were such names as Moritz Hauptmann, David, Joachim, Rietz, -Moschelles (all Jews), Brendel retained his post. Of course there was no -attempt at withholding the name of the real author; it was at once -admitted. It was a bold act to first publish the paper in Leipzic, for -though Richard Wagner's birthplace, it had received, as it were, a -Jewish baptism from the lengthened sojourn of Mendelssohn there. - -Certainly the article contained enough to create enmity on the part of -the Jews. It opened with an assertion that one has an involuntary and -inexplicable revulsion of feeling towards the Jews; that, as a people, -there is something objectionable in them, their person repellant, and -manner obnoxious. Now when it is remembered that Wagner's daily visitor -during his first sojourn in Paris was Dessauer, a Jew, that the man who -brought about his own death for love of Wagner was a Jew, and that the -music-publisher Schlesinger, his friend, was also a Jew, it will be -confessed that this was a startling charge to come from him. I must add -that Wagner always insisted it was not a personal question, and pointed -out that some of his staunchest friends were Jews. - -Then he further asserted, in the "Judaism" pamphlet, that it mattered -not among what European people the Jew lived, he was always a foreigner, -and our wish was to have nothing to do with him. This, again, was -surprising, for Wagner was not slow to admit the loyalty of the people -of Shiloh to the government of the country in which they were domiciled, -and there is no doubt they are eminently patriotic, calling themselves -by the name of the country in which they live. Indeed, it cannot be -contended that the Jews are one nation; they are many. - -[Sidenote: _FOR AND AGAINST JEWS._] - -Wagner's antipathy towards the Hebrew people was, he felt, partly -inherited by him as a German. He knew them to be observant, discerning, -energetic, and ambitious, yet he could not put away from him an -instinctive feeling of repugnance, and could not understand why the -"Musical World" and the London press should so severely flagellate him -because of his attitude towards the Jews. He found the Semitic race -regarded here in an entirely different manner from what it was in -Germany. Here it was much the same as in France. Civil disabilities had -been removed, and the Israelites had proved themselves as great patriots -as English Christians, one, Mr. Solomons, filling the post of alderman -of the city of London at the time Wagner was here. This Mr. Solomons had -been, with others of his co-religionists, previously elected a member of -Parliament, and Wagner used often to express his wonder how a man -waiting for the advent of the Messiah could sit in a house of Gentiles. -Wagner marvelled, too, how the citizens of London could permit the Jews -to amass such a large proportion of the wealth of the country, but he -soon came to admit the force of the argument, that special laws having -been enacted against them, preventing the acquisition of land, denying -them the professions, and restricting them to certain trades, it was -unreasonable, after having driven them to mean occupations, to reproach -them for not having embraced honourable professions. I pointed out to -him that in bygone centuries, when the Germans were barbarians, this -much-despised people had produced poets, men of letters, statesmen, -historians, and philosophers, all, too, of such brilliant genius as -would add lustre to any galaxy of modern luminaries. He was struck by -this, and, as his bent was art, fully admitted the poetic fancy and -genius of the harpist David, the imagination of Solomon, and other of -the old Hebraic writers. - -And yet he would insist on the truth of his own assertion in the -pamphlet. "If in the plastic art a Jew has to be represented," he said, -"the artist models after an ideal, or, if working from life, omits or -softens those very details in the features which are the characteristic -of the countrymen of Isaiah." - -As regards the histrionic art, he laid it down that it is impossible to -picture a Jew impersonating a hero or lover without forcing a sense of -the ridiculous upon us. And this feeling he felt of an actor, -irrespective of sex. It would not be difficult to destroy this argument -now: the names of Rachel, Sarah Bernhardt, Patti at once cross the mind. -He asserted that their strength in art lay in imitation and not in -creation. - -[Sidenote: _MAKING STRANGE STATEMENTS._] - -In speech, too, the Jew was offensive to him. The accent was always that -of a foreigner, and not of a native. The language was spoken as if it -had been acquired, as something alien, and had not the ring of -naturalness in it; for language, he argued, was the historic growth of a -nation, and the Jew's mother tongue, Hebrew, was a dead language. To the -Jew, our entire civilization and art had remained a foreign language. He -could only imitate it; the product, therefore, was artificial; and as in -speech, so in song. "Notwithstanding two thousand years of contact with -European peoples, as soon as a Jew spoke our ear was offended by a -peculiar hissing and shrill manner of intonation." Moreover, he -contended, in their speech and writing there was a wilful transposition -of words and construction of phrases, characteristics of an alien -people, also discernible in their music. These racial characteristics -which Wagner asserted were repugnant, were intensified in their -offensiveness in his eyes by an absence of genuine passion, _i.e._ -strong emotion coming deep from the heart. In the family circle he -allowed the probability of the Jews being earnest and impassioned, yet -in their works it was absent. On the stage he would have it that the -passion of a child of Israel was always ridiculous. He was incapable of -artistic expression in speech, and therefore less capable of its -expression in song; for true song is speech raised to the highest -intensity of emotion. - -It will not be difficult to call to the mind the names of celebrated -Hebrews, great as histrionic artists, who at once appear to confute this -statement; and for my part, one name is sufficient, viz. Pauline Viardot -Garcia, though it will be admitted, on closely examining Wagner's -feeling, there is a vein of truth in it, which grows upon one on -reflection. - -And then Wagner turns towards the plastic art, and examines the position -of the Jew under that art aspect. He states as his opinion that the -Hebrew people lack the sense of balance and proportion, and in this he -sees the explanation of the non-existence of Jewish sculptors and -architects. Now it is regrettable that Wagner should have committed -himself to so faulty a statement. The sculptor's art was not practised -by the Jews, because it was prohibited by the Mosaic law, and to this -day strict Hebrews would not fashion "any graven image, nor the likeness -of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the -waters under the earth." But Wagner was of opinion that the Jew was too -practical to employ himself with beauty, and yet he was unable to -explain the Jew's acknowledged supremacy as a connoisseur in works of -art. - -In such a general indictment, it is hardly to be expected that Wagner -would have omitted the vulgar charge of usury, nay, he even went so far -as to assert that it was their chief craft. This, I told Wagner, was -hardly generous or fair on his part. By persecution and restriction of -the Jew to certain trades we had driven him to the tables of the -money-changers, and then charged, as crime, the very vice persecution -had engendered. - -Nor was he less severe towards the cultivated Jew, charging him with a -desire to disown his descent, and wipe out his nationality, by embracing -Christianity, but whatever his efforts, he remained isolated in a -society he did not understand, with whose strivings and likings he had -no sympathy, and whose history and development had remained indifferent -to him. - -[Sidenote: _MUSIC OF THE SYNAGOGUE._] - -With such convictions, strong and deep, it follows that Wagner would not -allow that Hebraic tonal art could be acceptable to European peoples. -The Jew, he said, was unable to fathom the heart of our civilized life; -he could not feel for or with the masses. He was an alien, and at the -utmost, the cultured Jew could only create that which was trivial and -indifferent to us. Not having assimilated our civilization, he could not -sing in our heart's tones. He could compose something pleasant, slight, -and even harmonious, since the possibility of babbling agreeably, -without singing anything in particular, is easier in music than in any -other art. When the Jew musician tried to be serious, the creative -faculty was entirely absent; all he could do was to imitate the earnest, -impressive speech of others, and then the imitation was of the parrot -kind, tones, without the purport being understood, and occasionally -exhibiting an unconscious gibberishness of utterance. Now this seemed to -me the denial of pure feeling to the Jew, and so I sought to get from -Wagner precisely what he did mean by his charges on this point in the -"Judaism" pamphlet. Music, I urged, was the art of expressing feelings -by sounds; did he deny feelings to the Semitic people? "No." Then it is -only the mode of utterance, I urged, to which you so strongly object. -But he would not wholly subscribe to this view, though he confessed it -was an important element in the question. His view was, that the true -tone poet, the genius, was he who transfixed in immortal tones the joys -and sorrows of the people. "Now," said he, "where is the Jew's people to -be found, where would you go to see the Hebrew people, in the practice, -as it were, of unrestrained Judaism, which Christianity and civilization -have left untouched, and where the traditions of the people are -preserved in their purity? Why, to the synagogue." Now if this be -admitted, Wagner has certainly made out a strong case. Truly, the folk -melody proper of the Hebrews is to be found in the song service of the -synagogue, and a dreadful tortuous exhibition it is. As Wagner said, "it -is a sort of 'gargling or jodelling,' which no caricature could make -more nauseous than it is in its nave seriousness." There was the proper -sphere for the Hebrew musician, wherein to exercise his art, and when he -attempted to work outside his own people's world he was engaged in an -alien occupation. The melodies and rythmical cadences of the synagogue -are already discernible in the music of Jewish composers, as our folk -melodies and rhythm are in ours. If the Jew listened to our music and -sought so dissect its heart and nerves, he would find it so opposed to -his own cult, that it were impossible for him to create its like from -his own heart; he could only imitate it. Following up this reasoning, -Wagner argued that the Hebrew composer only imitated the external of our -great composers, and that his reproductions were cold and false, just as -if a poem by Goethe were delivered in Jewish jargon. The Hebrew musician -threw the most opposed styles and forms about, regardless of period, -making what Wagner called, with his usual jocularity, a Mosaic of his -composition. A real impulse will be sure to find its natural expression, -but a Jew could not have that, since his impulse would not be rooted in -the sympathies of the Christian people. Then he enters into a -description of Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, or of the men and their music. -Of Mendelssohn he says:-- - - In this man we see that a Jew may be gifted with the most refined - and great talent, that he may have received a most careful and - extensive education, that he may possess the greatest and noblest - ambition, and yet, with the aid of all these advantages, be unable, - even once, to impress on our mind and heart that profound sensation - we look for in music, and which we have so many times experienced - as soon as a hero of our art intones one single chord for us. Those - who specially occupy themselves with musical criticism, and who - share our opinion, will, on analyzing the works of Mendelssohn, be - able to prove the truthfulness of this statement, which, indeed, - can hardly be contested. - - [Sidenote: _COLD WORDS FOR MEYERBEER._] - - In order to explain the general impression which the music of this - composer makes upon us, it will be sufficient to state that it - interests us only when our imagination, always more or less eager - for distraction, is excited in following in its many shapes, a - series of forms most refined, and most carefully and artistically - worked. These several forms only interest us, in the same manner as - the combinations of colour in a kaleidoscope. But when these forms - ought to express the profoundest and most forcible emotions of the - human heart, they entirely fail to satisfy us. - -No one, judging dispassionately, will contend that Wagner has exceeded -the legitimate limits of criticism. It is not dogmatism, since he -appealed to the reasoning faculty and adduced proof in favour of his -deduction. The context of the article naturally imparts additional force -to his statements. Mendelssohn is credited with the highest gifts, -natural and acquired, and yet falls short in the production of a -masterpiece that appeals direct to the heart, because by ancestry and -surroundings he has stood without the pale of our European civilization, -and consequently has not assimilated the feelings of the masses. - -In his observations upon Meyerbeer he says:-- - - A musical artist of this race, whose fame in our time has spread - everywhere, writes his works to suit that portion of the public - whose musical taste has been so vitiated by those only desiring to - make capital out of the art. The opera-going public has for a long - time omitted to demand from the dramatic art that which one has a - right to look for from it. - - This celebrated composer of operas to whom we are making allusion, - has taken upon himself to supply the public with this deception, - this sham art. It would be superfluous to enter upon a profound - examination of the artistic means which this artist employs with - profusion to achieve his aim; it will be sufficient to say that he - understands perfectly how to deceive the public. His successes are - the proof of it. He succeeds particularly in making the bored - audience accept that jargon which we have characterized as a - modern, piquant expression of all the trivialities already served - up to them so many times in their primitive absurdity. One will not - be astonished that this composer equally takes care to introduce - into his works those grand catastrophes of the soul which so - profoundly stir an audience, for one knows how much those people - who are the victims of boredom seek such emotions. Whoever reflects - upon the reasons which insure success under such circumstances, - will not be surprised to see that this artist succeeds so - completely. - - The faculty of deceiving is so great with this artist, that he - deceives himself. Perhaps, indeed, he wishes it as much for himself - as for the public. We verily believe that he would like to create - works of art, but that he knows he is not able of doing so. In - order to escape from this painful conflict between his wish and his - ability, he composes operas for Paris, and has them produced in - other countries, which in these days is the surest means of - acquiring the reputation of an artist without being one. When we - see him thus overwhelmed by the trouble he gives himself in - practising self-deception, he almost assumes, in our eyes, a - tragical figure, were there not in him too much personal interest - and self at work, the amalgamation of which reduces it to the - comic. Besides the Judaism which reigns generally in art, and which - this composer represents in music, he is distinguished by an - impotence to touch us, and further by the ridiculous which is - inherent in him. - -[Sidenote: _OFFENDING THE CRITICS._] - -This criticism upon Meyerbeer is caustic and unsparing. Yet even now -public opinion has testified to its veracity. It is not making too bold -a statement to say that no musician of taste, no musician--it matters -not of what nationality or school--of to-day will accord Meyerbeer that -exalted position he occupied when Wagner had the temerity to show the -sham and unreal art in the man. At that time, now nearly forty years -ago, Richard Wagner suffered severely for his fearless and outspoken -criticism. Personal jealousy was freely hurled at him as the paltry -incentive of his article. I frankly admit, with an intimate acquaintance -of Wagner's feelings regarding Meyerbeer, that he despised the -"mountebank," hating cordially the thousand commercial incidents -Meyerbeer associated with the production of his works. Schlesinger told -me indeed of well-authenticated instances where Meyerbeer had gone so -far as to conciliate the mistresses of critics to secure a favourable -verdict. It can easily be understood that Wagner could not help feeling -contempt for such a man, for when he himself came to London in 1855, he -absolutely refused to call on any single critic, notwithstanding I -impressed upon him how necessary and habitual such custom was. The -result we know. He offended them all. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -1855. - - -[Sidenote: _THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC._] - -The story of the invitation of Richard Wagner, the then dreaded -iconoclast of music, to London, to conduct the concerts of the -conservative Philharmonic Society, is both curious and interesting, in -the history of the tonal art. Costa, the previous conductor, had -resigned. The pressing question was, who could succeed so popular a man? -The names of many German notabilities were proposed, and as soon -dismissed. In England there was Sterndale Bennett, but he had quarrelled -with the directors; the field was therefore open. It was then that the -appointment of Wagner was suggested and agreed to. The circumstances -were as follows. Prosper Sainton, the eminent violinist, was both leader -of the orchestra of the Philharmonic, and one of the seven directors of -the society. He was and is[8] an intimate friend of mine, and to him I -proposed Richard Wagner. At that time Sainton was living with Charles -Lders, a dear, lovable German musician, with whom he had travelled on -concert tours throughout Europe. From the time the two men met in -Russia, they lived together for twenty-five years, until the marriage of -Sainton with Miss Dolby, since which time Lders was a daily visitor at -his friend's house, Sainton administering always to his comfort, and -tending him on his death-bed, in the summer of 1884. Lders and I were -heart and soul, and catching my enthusiasm he pressed Sainton so warmly, -that the name of Wagner was at once proposed. Richard Wagner was then -but a myth to the average English musician. However, as Sainton was a -general favourite with his colleagues, and was, further, held in high -esteem on account of his artistic perception, I was requested, through -his influence, to appear before the directors. I had then been a -resident in the metropolis for twenty-one years; I attended at a -directors' meeting in Hanover Square, and stated my views. - -Up to the present time, I have never been able to discover how it was -that seven sedate gentlemen could have been so influenced by my red-hot -enthusiasm as to have been led to offer the appointment to Richard -Wagner. I found that they either knew very little of him or nothing at -all, nor did I know him personally; I was but the reflection of August -Roeckel; as a composer, however, I had become so wholly his partisan as -to regard him the genius of the age. The crusade in favour of Richard -Wagner, upon which I then entered with so much fervour, will be best -understood by an article contributed by me at the time to the "New York -Musical Gazette,"[9] parts of which I think it advisable to reproduce -here, even at the expense of repeating an incident or two. The article -was summarized in the London musical papers, and immediately a shower of -virulent abuse fell upon me which, however, at no period affected in the -slightest my ardour for Wagner's cause. - -[Sidenote: _AN EDITOR AGITATED._] - - The musical public of London is in a state of excitement which - cannot be described. Costa, the autocrat of London conductors, is - just now writing an oratorio, and no longer cares for what he would - have sacrificed anything for before he got possession of it, - namely, the conductorship of the Old Philharmonic; and whom to have - in his place, has for some time sorely puzzled the directors of the - said society. No Englishman would do, that is certain, for the - orchestra adores Costa; and besides, it belongs to Covent Garden, - where Costa reigns supreme (and where he really does wonders; being - musical conductor and stage manager; looking after the _mise en - scne_ and everything else with remarkable intelligence). Whom to - seek for, the government knew not. They made overtures to Berlioz, - but he had already signed an engagement with the New Philharmonic, - their presumptuous and hated rival. Things looked serious, - appalling, to the Old Philharmonic; they were in danger of losing - many subscribers, and a strong tide was setting in against them. At - last, seeing themselves on the verge of dissolution, and the New - Philharmonic ready to act as pall-bearers, they resolved upon a - risk-all, life-or-death remedy, and Richard Wagner was engaged! - Yes; this red republican of music is to preside over the Old - Philharmonic of London, the most classical, orthodox, and exclusive - society on this globe. - - Mr. Anderson, the conductor of the queen's private band, and acting - director of the Old Philharmonic, was despatched as minister - plenipotentiary and envoy extraordinary to Zurich, where Wagner is - staying, to open negotiations and conclude arrangements, and - happily succeeded in his mission. Wagner agreed to give up certain - previously made conditions (some correspondence had taken place on - the subject), which required a second conductor for the vocal part - of the concerts, and unlimited rehearsals. In regard to pecuniary - considerations, Wagner rather astonished the entire John Bull; he - coolly told Mr. Anderson that he was too much occupied to give that - point much thought, and only desired to know at what time he - (Wagner) would be wanted in London. The society has requested - Wagner to have some of his works performed here. He, however, has - written nothing for concerts on former occasions; he has arranged a - suite of morceaux from each of his three operas, and these give a - public, unacquainted with his works, some idea of his - peculiarities. - - To see Wagner and Berlioz, the two most ultra red republicans - existing in music, occupying the two most prominent positions in - the musical world of this classical, staid, sober, proper, - exclusive, conservative London, is an unmitigatedly "stunning" - fact. We are now ready for anything, and nothing more can astonish - us. Some of our real old cast-iron conservatives will never recover - from this shock--among others, the editor of the London "Musical - World." This estimable gentleman is in a truly deplorable state, - whereby his friends are caused much concern. The engagement of - Wagner seems to have affected his brain, and from the most amiable - of men and truthful of critics, he has changed to the--well, see - his journal. He lavishes abuse, in language no less violent than - vehement, upon Wagner and all who will not condemn "poor Richard" - without hearing him. Wagner once wrote an article, "Das Judenthum - in der Musik" ("Judaism in Music"), in which he conclusively proves - that a Jew is not a Christian, and neither looks nor "feels," nor - talks nor moves like one, and consequently does not compose like a - Christian; and in that same article, which is written with - exceeding cleverness, Wagner makes a severe onslaught upon - Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, on Judaistic grounds. The editor of the - London "Musical World," considering himself one of Mendelssohn's - heirs, and Mendelssohn having (so it is said) hated Wagner, _ergo_, - must the enraged editor also hate him? He certainly seems to do so, - "con molto gusto." - - * * * * * - - Wagner is at Zurich, quietly industrious, and does not even know or - care about the hue and cry concerning him, which is raised by a set - of idlers, who wish to identify themselves with something new and - great; being nothing themselves, nor likely ever to be anything. - -It having been decided that the directors were to make proposals to -Richard Wagner, I wrote to him detailing the events that had occurred, -and stating that he might expect at any moment to receive a -communication from the society. He did hear almost immediately, and on -the 8th January, 1855, he wrote to me from Zurich. - -[Sidenote: _HE ACCEPTS THE POSITION._] - - I enter into correspondence with you, my dear Praeger, as with an - old friend. My heartiest thanks are due to you, my ardent champion - in a strange land and among a conservative people. Your first - espousal of my cause, ten years ago, when August[10] read to me a - vigorous article, from some English journal,[11] by you on the - "Tannhuser" performance at Dresden, and the several evidences you - have given subsequently of a devotion to my efforts, induce me to - unhesitatingly throw the burden of somewhat wearisome arrangements - upon your shoulders, as papa Roeckel[12] urges me in a letter which - I inclose. - - I must tell you that before concluding arrangements with the - directors of the Philharmonic, I imposed two conditions: first, an - under conductor; secondly, the engagement of the orchestra for - several rehearsals for each concert. You may imagine how enchanted - I am at the promised break of this irritating exile, and with what - joy I look forward to an engagement wherein my views might find - adequate expression; but frankly, I should not care to undertake a - journey all the way to London only to find my freedom of action - restricted, my energies cramped by a directorate that might refuse - what I deem the imperatively necessary number of rehearsals; - therefore, am I willing to agree with what papa Roeckel advises, if - it meets, too, with your support, viz. to forego the engagement of - a second conductor. In such an event, I would beg of you to talk - over, in my name, this affair with Mr. Hogarth,[13] and so far to - arrange that only the question of honorarium be left open for - settlement, for which I would then ask your friendly counsel. - Altogether, what specially decides me to come to London, is the - certainty of your help in the matter, for, being totally incapable - to do that which may be necessary there, I shall be compelled in - many more respects to have recourse to your decision. If you will - venture to burden yourself with me, then tell me in friendship, and - take your chance how you fare with me. My position forces me to - wish again to undertake something desirable, but in how far that is - possible, without lending myself to anything unworthy, I have to - find out. - - Be not angry with me that I have thus bluntly cast myself upon you. - If you receive my entreaty, then act in my name as you consider - good. Heartily shall I be glad of such an opportunity of becoming - more intimate with you. - -With best greeting to you, yours heartily, - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ZURICH, 8th January, 1855. - - P.S. Hogarth's letter I received twelve days ago, and I answered - immediately, but up till to-day I have had no reply, most likely - for the reason which papa Roeckel surmises. - -The inclosure to Wagner's letter was a long epistle from papa Roeckel, -advising him to accept the Philharmonic engagement as a means of -introducing some of Wagner's own works to a London public in a worthy -manner, the orchestra of the Philharmonic having acquired a continental -reputation. Wagner had respect for the opinion of old Mr. Roeckel, -taking counsel with him immediately the Philharmonic conductorship was -proposed to him. - -[Sidenote: _HIS WORKS NOT WELCOMED._] - -The next letter is dated-- - - -ZURICH, 18th January, 1855. - - Hearty thanks, dear Praeger. You show yourself in your letter - exactly as I expected, and that gives me great courage for London. - You no doubt know that I have given my word to Mr. Anderson. He was - anxious to telegraph it at once to London in order to have the - advertisement printed. I received your letter after Mr. Anderson - had left. I was glad to find from you that you had been informed - officially of my having accepted the engagement. What I think of - this engagement I cannot briefly explain to you. I feel positive, - however, that I make a sacrifice. I felt that either I must - renounce the public and all relations with it once and for all, and - turn my back upon it, or else, if but the slightest hope were yet - within me, I must accept the hand which is now held out to me. I - have repeatedly experienced, however, that where I was most - sanguine I have ever been most positively in error; and although I - have again and again felt this, yet I have been induced by this - offer to make a last attempt, and as such I look upon the whole - transaction. That the directors of the Philharmonic have no idea - whom they have engaged, I am perfectly sure; but they will soon - discover. They might have been more generous, for if these - gentlemen intentionally go abroad to find a celebrity, they ought - to have been inclined to spend a little extra. As to the question - of emolument, I answered Mr. Anderson with tolerable indifference. - They seem to attach great importance to the performance of my - works. You no doubt are aware that I have never written anything - for concert performances, and only on special occasions have I - arranged characteristic movements from my three last operas, and - even those which might perhaps give a concerted impression would - occupy a whole concert. By these means I have been enabled to give - to a public unacquainted with the peculiarities of my music an - intelligent first impression. I might have wished to have begun - with such a concert in London, but as this would entail somewhat - heavy expenses at first starting, the concert might be repeated. Do - you think this is practicable, or do you think I, myself, could - undertake it as an enterprise? In which case I would keep back my - compositions from the Philharmonic. I surmise, however, that such a - speculation would encounter insurmountable difficulties in London, - and therefore I shall be obliged after all to give detached - selections in the concerts of the Philharmonic, whereby my meaning - will be considerably weakened. If you think it worth while to give - me an answer on this point, I beg of you to tell me whether I - should have the parts of my compositions copied out here (Zurich), - or whether I should only bring the scores, or, perhaps, should I - previously send them to you so that they might be copied in London. - Of course you can only inform me as to this after an official - interview with the directors of the Philharmonic. In any case the - choral sections would have to be translated. As regards my lodgings - and London diet, Mr. Anderson mumbled something that this could be - arranged to be free for me. I was, however, so preoccupied that I - did not pay much attention to it. Have I, after all, correctly - understood? He spoke, I think, of a pleasant residence near - Regent's Park which could be procured for me. Would you have the - amiability, when opportunity presents itself, to question Mr. - Anderson on this point? If they could provide me such a pretty, - friendly, and quiet lodging, with a good piano, from the 1st - March, it would suit me well, for I would then save you trouble, - and it would free me from all anxiety on that score, especially - about my supposed daintiness. Now I presume I shall soon have - something more to say about this. Meanwhile, I pity you beforehand - on account of my acquaintanceship, and for the trouble I shall be - to you. May heaven help that I shall have something good and noble - to offer you. - -Yours, - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -On reading this letter, admiration for the fearless courage of Wagner -grows upon one. A whole concert devoted to his own works! He little knew -with whom he was dealing. Wagner's temper was quick, and I feared to -irritate him by conveying the certain refusal of the directors, but it -had to be done. It was a difficult and delicate matter to prevent -friction between Richard Wagner, possessed with the exalted notion of -his mission, on the one hand, and the steady-going time-serving -directors on the other. I saw Mr. Anderson. Timorous of the leap in the -dark he and his colleagues had made in engaging Wagner, they feared -hazarding the reputation of their concerts by the devotion of a whole -evening to Wagner's works, but a compromise--that some selections should -be given--was readily effected. The conveyance of this news to Wagner -brought from him the following letter:-- - - My best thanks to you for so amiably taking such trouble. That you - sounded the directors of the Philharmonic as to the question - whether they would fill up a whole evening with selections from - those of my operas which I have arranged specially for concert - performances, although fully authorized to do so, produced a - somewhat disagreeable effect upon me. Heaven knows how strange it - is to me that I should force myself upon any body, and originally, - I only wished your opinion whether I had any chance to have one - concert set apart for my works, for in such case I should have held - back the various selections. I had a similar intimation from - Hogarth, to whom I briefly answered that I would conduct the - classical works only, and that if the directors later on wished to - perform any of my compositions, they might tell me so, when I - should select such as I deemed most appropriate, for which - contingency I should bring the orchestral parts with me, some of - which, no doubt, would require additional copies, the expense of - which, in London, could not be of much account. I am quite - satisfied with this arrangement, and the people will learn to know - me there. On the whole, I have really no special plan for my London - expedition, except to essay what can be done with a celebrated - orchestra, and further, a little change for me is desirable, but - under no circumstances can London even be a home for me. As you - open your hospitable doors to me, I shall avail myself of your - kindness, and if you will let me stay until I have found a suitable - apartment, I shall be grateful to you, and shall heartily beg - pardon of your amiable wife for my intrusion. I shall be in London - in the first days of March. I sincerely repeat to you that I have - no great expectations, for really I do not count any more upon - anything in this world. But I shall be delighted to gain your - closer friendship. The English language I do not know, and I am - totally without gift for modern languages, and at present am averse - to learn any on account of the strain on my memory. I must help - myself through with French. Now for mutual personal acquaintance, - -Yours very faithfully, - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ZURICH, 1st February, 1855. - -[Sidenote: _HE STARTS FOR LONDON._] - -The following incident, as showing the enmity towards Wagner prior to -his landing on these shores, should be noted. It was after receiving the -previous letter that I met James Davison, the editor of the London -"Musical World," and also musical critic of the "Times," at the house of -Leopold de Meyer, the pianist. We had hitherto been on terms of -friendship. The power of this gentleman was enormous. He told me, "I -have read some of Richard Wagner's literary works; in his books he is a -god, but as long as I hold the sceptre of musical criticism, I'll not -let him have any chance here." He did his utmost. With what result is -matter of history. - -The next letter from Wagner is dated Zurich, 12th February. In it he -speaks of "wishing for some quiet room, free from annoying visitors, -where no one but yourself, knowing of my existence, will come to pester -me while scoring part of my tetralogy. Your house I will gladly make as -my own, but as a number of strangers are likely to call, I hope to -escape them in solitude of unknown regions. You must not think this -strange, as I isolate myself at home the whole morning, and do not -permit a soul to come near me when at work, unless it be 'Peps.' You -will remember, too, when I did something similar to this at Dresden, and -left the world to go into retirement with August Roeckel." - -A few days after he left Zurich for London, his next letter being -dated-- - - -PARIS, 2d March, 1855. - - I am on the road to you. I expect to leave here Sunday morning - early, and shall accordingly arrive in London in the evening, - probably somewhat late. If, therefore, without further notice, I - must be so unceremonious with you, the friend, whom, alas, I am not - yet personally acquainted with, as to tumble right into the house, - then must I beg of you to expect me on Sunday night. Trusting that - I shall not ill-use your friendly hospitality, if only for this - night, for I suppose we shall succeed in trying to find on Monday - morning an agreeable lodging, in which I might at once install - myself, for from the many exertions, I fear I shall come very - fatigued to you. I do not doubt that you will have the kindness to - inform Hogarth that, dating from Monday morning early, I shall be - at the disposition of the directors of the Philharmonic. In so - doing I keep my promise to be in London a week before the first - concert. With the entreaty to best excuse me to your wife, and in - hearty joy of your personal acquaintanceship, - -I am yours very faithful, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -Wagner arrived at midnight precisely on Sunday, the fifth of March. - -[Sidenote: _HIS HAT WOULD NOT DO._] - -If I had not already acquired through the graphic letters of August -Roeckel an insight into the peculiarities of Richard Wagner's habits of -thought, power of grasping profound questions of mental speculation, -whilst relieving the severity of serious discourse by the intermingling -of jocular ebulitions of fancy, I was soon to have a fair specimen of -these wondrous qualities. One of the many points in which we found -ourselves at home, was the habit of citing phrases from Schiller or -Goethe, as applicable to our subjects of discussion, as often ironically -as seriously. To these we added an almost interminable dictionary of -quotations from the plays and operas of the early part of the century. -These mental links were, in the course of a long and intimate -friendship, augmented by references to striking qualities, defects, or -oddities, our circle of acquaintances forming a means of communication -between us which might not inaptly be likened to mental shorthand. -Nothing could have exceeded the hilarity, when, upon showing him, at an -advanced hour, to his bedroom, he enthusiastically said, "August was -right; we shall understand each other thoroughly!" I felt in an exalted -position, and dreamed that, like Spontini, I had received a new -decoration from some potentate which delighted me, but the pleasant -dream soon turned to nightmare, when I could find no room on my coat to -place the newly acquired bauble. The next morning I found the -signification of the dream. Exalted positions have their duties as well -as their pleasures, and it became my duty to acquaint Wagner that a -so-called "Necker" hat (_i.e._ a slouched one) was not becoming for the -conductor of so conservative a society as the Philharmonic, and that it -was necessary that he should provide himself with a tall hat, indeed, -such headgear as would efface all remembrance of the social class to -which his soft felt hat was judicially assigned, for, be it known, in -some parts of Germany the soft slouched felt hat had been interdicted by -police order as being the emblem of revolutionary principles. I think it -was on the strength of the accuracy of this last statement that Wagner -gave way, and I at once followed up the success by taking the composer -of "Tannhuser" to the best West End hatter, where, after an onslaught -on the sons of Britannia and their manias, we succeeded in fitting a hat -on that wondrous head of the great thinker. I could not help -sarcastically joking Wagner on his compulsory leave-taking with the -"revolutionary" hat for four months,--the time he was to sojourn amongst -us,--by citing from Schiller's "Fiesco" the passage about the fall of -the hero's cloak into the water, upon which Verina pushes him after it -with the sinister words, "When the purple falls, the duke must follow." -As to Richard Wagner's democratic principles, I observed that the -solitude of exile had considerably modified them. This I noticed to my -surprise and no less pain, for, when I anxiously inquired after our poor -friend, August Roeckel, he shrugged his shoulders and said, "Perhaps he -tries to revolutionize the prison warders, for the 'Wuhlers'" -(uprooters, a name of the period) "are never at rest in their -self-elected role of reformers!" I, who knew the unambitious, -self-sacrificing nature of the poor prisoner, felt a pang of -disappointment at Wagner's remark, and had often to suffer the same when -the year 1849 was mentioned. - -[Sidenote: _A DIFFICULT INTERVIEW._] - -We drove from the hatmaker straight to the city to inquire after a box -containing the compositions Wagner had been requested to bring over with -him. The box had arrived, and then we continued our peregrination back -to the West, alighting at Nottingham Place, the residence of Mr. -Anderson. The old gentleman possessed all the suave, gentle manner of -the courtier, and all went well during the preliminary conversation -about the projected programme, until Mr. Anderson mentioned a prize -symphony of Lachner as one of the intended works to be performed. Wagner -sprang from his seat, as if shot from a gun, exclaiming loudly and -angrily, "Have I therefore left my quiet seclusion in Switzerland to -cross the sea to conduct a prize symphony by Lachner? no; never! If that -be a condition of the bargain I at once reject it, and will return. What -brought me away was the eagerness to head a far-famed orchestra and to -perform worthily the works of the great masters, but no Kapellmeister -music; and that of a 'Lachner,' bah!" Mr. Anderson sat aghast in his -chair, looking with bewildered surprise on this unexpected outbreak of -passion, delivered with extraordinary volubility and heat by Wagner, -partly in French and partly in German. I interposed a more -tranquillizing report of the harangue and succeeded in assuring Mr. -Anderson that the matter might be arranged by striking out the "prize" -composition, to which he directly most urbanely acceded. Wagner, who did -not fail to perceive the startling effect his derisive attack on the -proposed work had produced on poor Mr. Anderson, whose knowledge of the -French language was fairly efficient in an Andante movement, but quite -incapable of following such a _presto agitato_ as the Wagner speech had -assumed, begged me to explain the dubious position of prize compositions -in all cases, and certainly no less in the case of the Lachner -composition, and Wagner himself laughingly turned the conversation into -a more general and quiet channel. After thus having tranquillized the -storm, the interview ended more agreeably than the startling episode had -promised. I, however, then clearly foresaw the many difficulties likely -to occur during the conductorship of a man of Wagner's Vesuvius-like -temper, and the sequel amply proved that I had not been unduly -prejudiced in this respect. Yet in all his bursts of excitability, a -sudden veering round was always to be expected, should it chance that -the angry poet-musician perceived any ludicrous feature in the -controversy, when he would turn to that as a means of subduing his -ebullition of temper, and falling into a jocular vein, would plainly -show he was conscious of having exceeded the bounds of moderation. I was -glad that we had passed the Rubicon of our difficulties for the present, -for I was fully aware that whatever difficulties might arise with regard -to Wagner's relation to the other directors, they would be easily -overcome by Mr. Anderson's support, for it was he who unquestionably -ruled the "Camarilla," or secret Spanish council, as Wagner styled the -"seven," when any work proposed by them for performance met with -disapproval. I never could well understand how the Lachner episode -became known, but it is certain that it did, for the German opposition -journals, and there were many, made great capital out of the refusal of -Wagner to conduct a prize symphony. - -[Sidenote: _HIS CHILDLIKE JOLLITY._] - -Our next visit was an unclouded one. We went to call on Sainton, who was -as refined a soloist as he was an intelligent and energetic orchestral -leader. His jovial temperament, Gasconic fun (born at Toulouse), his -good and frank nature, pleased Wagner at once. Charles Lders, a German -musician, "le frre intime" of Sainton, formed the oddest contrast to -his friend's character. Quiet, reflective, and somewhat old-fashioned, -he nevertheless became an ardent admirer of Wagner's music, and proved -that "extremes meet," for in his compositions, and they are many, known -in Germany and in France, the good Lders tenaciously clung to the -traditions of a past period. We soon identified him in gentle fun with -the "contrapuntista." Notwithstanding the marked contrast of the -quartette, Wagner, Sainton, Lders, and myself, we harmonized remarkably -well, and many were our pleasant, convivial meetings during the time of -Wagner's stay in London. As Sainton had always been very intimate with -Costa, and was his recognized deputy in his absence, he accompanied us -on the first visit to the Neapolitan conductor, Wagner expressing a wish -to make Costa's acquaintance. This was the only visit of etiquette -Wagner paid. He sternly refused to pay any more, no matter to whom, and -I gladly desisted from advocating any, though he suffered severely in -consequence from a press which stigmatized him as proud and unsociable. - -We went home to dine. What a pleasant impression did the master give us -of his childlike jollity. Full of fun, he exhibited his remarkable power -of imitation. He was a born actor, and it was impossible not to -recognize immediately who was the individual caricatured, for Wagner's -power of observation led him at all times to notice the most minute -characteristics of all whom he encountered. A repast in his society -might well be described as a "feast of reason and flow of soul," for, -mixed in odd ways, were the most solid remarks of deep, logical -intuition, with the sprightliest, frolicsome humour. Wagner ate very -quickly, and I soon had occasion to notice the fatal consequences of -such unwise procedure, for although a moderate eater, he did not fail to -suffer severely from such a pernicious practice. This first day afforded -a side-light upon the master's peculiarities. Never having been used to -the society of children, he was plainly awkward in his treatment of -them, which we did not fail to perceive whenever my little boy was -brought in to say "good-night." - -As soon as we had discovered a fitting apartment at Portland Place, -Regent's Park, within a few minutes' walk of my house, the first thing -he wanted was an easel for his work, so that he might stand up to score. -No sooner was that desire satisfied than he insisted on an eider-down -quilt for his bed. Both these satisfied desires are illustrative of -Wagner. He knew not self-denial. It was sufficient that he wished, that -his wish should be gratified. When he arrived in London his means were -limited, but nevertheless the satisfaction of the desires was what he -ever adhered to. - -He had not been here a day before his determined character was made -strikingly apparent to me. In the matter of crossing a crowded -thoroughfare his intrepidity bordered close upon the reckless. He would -go straight across a road; safe on the other side, he was almost boyish -in his laugh at the nervousness of others. But this was Wagner. It was -this deliberate attacking everything that made him what he was; -timorousness was not in his character; dauntless fearlessness, perhaps -not under proper control, naturally gave birth to an iconoclast, who -struck with vigour at all opposition, heedless of destroying the penates -worshipped by others. - -[Sidenote: _HIS FIRST LONDON CONCERT._] - -The rehearsal and the introduction of the band of the Philharmonic was a -nervous moment for me. I knew the spirit of opposition had found its way -among a few members of the orchestra; indeed, it numbered one at least, -who felt himself displaced by Wagner's appointment. However, Wagner -came. He addressed the band in a brotherly manner, as co-workers for the -glory of art; made an apt reference to their idol, his predecessor, and -secured the good-will at once of the majority. I say advisedly the -majority only, because they had not long set to work when he was gently -admonished by some that "they had not been in the habit of taking this -movement so slowly, and that, perhaps, the next had been taken a trifle -too fast." Wagner was diplomatic; his words were conciliatory, but, for -all that, he went on his way, and would have the _tempi_ according to -his will. At the end he was applauded heartily, and henceforth the band -apparently followed implicitly his directions. - -The first concert took place on the 12th March; the programme was as -follows:-- - - Symphony Hadyn. - Operatic terzetto (vocal) Mozart. - Violin Concerto Spohr. - Scena ("Ocean, Thou Mighty Monster") Weber. - Overture ("The Isle of Fingal") Mendelssohn. - The "Eroica" Beethoven. - Duet ("O My Father") Marschner. - Overture ("Zauberflte") Mozart. - -The effect of the concert will be best understood by the following -notice, which I contributed at the time for the "New York Musical -Gazette":-- - - The eagerly looked for event has taken place. Costa's bton, so - lately swayed with such majestical and even tyrannical ardour, this - self-same bton was taken on Monday last (12th March) by Richard - Wagner. The audience rose almost _en masse_ to see the man first, - and whispers ran from one to another: "He is a small man, but what - a beautiful and intelligent forehead he has!" Haydn's symphony, No. - 7 (grand) began the concert, and opened the eyes of the audience to - a state of things hitherto unknown, as regards conducting. Wagner - does not beat in the old-fashioned, automato-metronomic manner. He - leaves off beating at times--then resumes again--to lead the - orchestra up to a climax, or to let them soften down to a - _pianissimo_, as if a thousand invisible threads tied them to his - bton. His is the beau ideal of conducting. He treats the orchestra - like the instrument on which he pours forth his soul-inspired - strains. Haydn's well-known symphony seemed a new work through his - inexpressibly intelligent and poetical conception. Beethoven's - "Eroica," the first movement of which used to be taken always with - narcotic slowness by previous conductors, and in return the funeral - march always much too fast, so as to rob it of all the magnificent - _gran'dolore_; the scherzo, which always came out clumsily and - heavily; and the finale, which never was understood.--Beethoven's - "Eroica" may be said to have been heard for the first time here, - and produced a wonderful effect. As if to beat the Mendelssohnian - hypercritics on their own field, Wagner gave a reading of - Mendelssohn's "Isle of Fingal" that would have delighted the - composer himself, and even the overture of "Die Zauberflte" - ("Magic Flute") was invested with something not noticed before. Let - it be well understood that Wagner takes no liberties with the works - of the great masters; but his poetico-musical genius gives him, as - it were, a second sight into their hidden treasures; his worship - for them and his intense study are amply proved by his conducting - them all without the score, and the musicians of the orchestra, so - lately bound to Costa's reign at Covent Garden, and prejudiced to a - degree against the new man, who had been so much abused before he - came, and judged before he was heard (by those who are not capable - of judging him when they do hear him!)--this very orchestra already - adores Wagner, who, notwithstanding his republican politics, is - decidedly a despot with the orchestra. In short, Wagner has - conquered, and an important influence on musical progress may be - predicted for him. The next concert will bring us the "Ninth - Symphony" and a selection of "Lohengrin," which the directors would - insist on, notwithstanding the refusal of the composer. The "Times" - abuses Wagner and revenges the neglected English conductors; mixes - up his music with the Revolution, 1848, and falsely states that he - hates Mozart, Beethoven, etc., etc., and furthermore asserts, just - as falsely, that he wrote his books in defence of his operas; but - is so virulent against the man, and says so little about his - conducting, that it strikes us the article must have been written - some years ago, as an answer to "Judaism in Music." The "Morning - Post" agrees perfectly with us as to Wagner being the conductor of - whom musicians have dreamed, when they sought for perfection, - hitherto unbelieved. - -[Sidenote: _SUPPER AFTER THE CONCERT._] - -After the first concert, we went by arrangement to spend a few hours at -his rooms. Dear me, what an evening of excitement that was! There were -Wagner, Sainton, Lders, Klindworth (whom I had introduced to Wagner as -a pupil of Liszt), myself and wife. Animal spirits ran high. Wagner was -in ecstasies. The concert had been a marked success artistically, and -Richard Wagner's reception flattering. On arriving at his rooms, he -found it necessary to change his dress from "top to toe." He had -perspired so freely from excitement that his collar was as though it had -that moment been dipped into a basin of water. So while he went to -change his attire and don a somewhat handsome dressing-robe made by -Minna, Sainton prepared a mayonnaise for the lobster, and Lders rum -punch made after a Danish method, and one particularly appreciated by -Wagner, who, indeed, loved everything unusual of that description. -Wagner had chosen the lobster salad, I should mention, because crab fish -were either not to be got at all in Germany, or were very expensive. -When he returned he put himself at the piano. His memory was excellent, -and innumerable "bits" or references of the most varied description were -rattled off in a sprightly manner; but more excellent was his running -commentary of observations as to the intention of the composer. These -observations showed the thinker and discerning critic, and in themselves -were of value in helping others to comprehend the meaning of the music. -What he said has mostly found its way into print; indeed, it may be -affirmed that the greater part of his literary productions was only the -transcription of what he uttered incessantly in ordinary conversation. -Then, too, he sang; and what singing it was! It was, as I told him then, -just like the barking of a big Newfoundland dog. He laughed heartily, -but kept on nevertheless. He cared not. Yet though his "singing" was -but howling, he sang with his whole heart, and held you, as it were, -spellbound. There was the real musician. He felt what he was doing. He -was earnest, and that was, and is, the cause of his greatness. Then when -we sat at supper he was in his liveliest mood. Richard Wagner a German? -Why, he behaved then with all that uncontrolled expansion of the -Frenchman. But this is only another instance of those contradictions in -Wagner's life. His volubility at the table knew no bounds. Anecdotes and -reminiscences of his early life poured forth with a freshness, a vigour, -and sparkling vivacity just like some mountain cataract leaping -impetuously forward. He spoke with evident pleasure of his reception by -the audience; praised the orchestra, remarking how faithfully they had -borne in mind and reproduced the impressions he had sought to give them -at the rehearsal. On this point he was only regretful that the -inspiration, the divination, the artistic electricity, as it were, which -is in the air among German or French executants, should be wanting here; -or, as he phrased it, "Ils jouent parfaitement, mais le feu sacr leur -manque." - -[Sidenote: _CONDUCTING WEBER'S MUSIC._] - -Then followed his abuse of fashion. White kid gloves on the hands of a -conductor he scoffed at. "Who can do anything fettered with these -things?" he pettishly insisted; and it was only after considerable -pressure, and pointing out the aristocratic antecedents of the -Philharmonic and the class of its supporters, that he had consented to -wear a pair just to walk up the steps of the orchestra on first -appearing, to be taken off immediately he got to his desk. That evening, -at Wagner's request, we drank with much acclamation eternal -"brotherhood," henceforth to "tutoyer" each other, and broke up our -high-spirited meeting at two in the morning. - -But the second concert, 26th March, 1855, the programme was after -Wagner's own heart. It was, perhaps, the _one_ of the whole eight which -delighted him the most, embracing as it did the overture to "Der -Freischtz," the prelude and a selection from "Lohengrin," and -Beethoven's "Ninth Symphony." It was the first time any of Wagner's -music was to be performed in England, and Wagner was anxious. But the -rehearsal was reassuring. At first the orchestra could not understand -the _pianissimo_ required in the opening of the "Lohengrin" prelude; and -then the crescendos and diminuendos which Wagner insisted upon having -surprised the executants. They turned inquiringly to each other, -seemingly annoyed at his fastidiousness. But the conductor knew what he -wanted and would have it. Then came the overture to "Der Freischtz." -Now this was exceedingly popular in England, and it was thought nothing -could be altered in the mode of rendering it. Traditions, however, of -the "adored idol," Weber, were strong in Wagner, and he took it in the -composer's way; the result was, that at the concert the applause was so -boisterous, and the demands of the audience so emphatic, that a -repetition was at once given. That the overture was repeated will show -how insistent were the audience, for Wagner then, as afterwards, was -decidedly opposed to encores; however, upon this occasion there was no -way of avoiding the repeat. Though, as I have said, the overture was -extremely popular, yet the reading was so new and striking, the phrasing -and _nuances_ marked with such decision, that the people were startled, -and expressed their appreciation heartily. - -The reception of the "Lohengrin" selection, too, was unmistakably -favourable. The delicately fragile orchestration of the sweetly melodic -prelude, followed by the bright and attractive rhythmical phrases of the -bridal chorus, caused a bewildered, pleased surprise among the audience, -who had expected something totally different. The "music of the future -was noise and fury," so said the leading English musical journal, and -this authority counted for something; but the "Lohengrin" prelude was -very inaccurately described, if that had been included, and Wagner felt -pleased and contented at the impression which the first performance of -any of his music had created in this country. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -1855. _Continued._ - - -On the "Ninth Symphony," that colossal work, Richard Wagner expended -commensurate pains. I remember how surprised the vocalists were at the -rehearsal, when he stopped them, inquiring did they understand the -meaning of what they were singing, and then he briefly explained in -emphatic language what he thought about it. The bass solo was especially -odd: the vocalist was taking it as though it were an ordinary ballad, -when Wagner burst in fiery song, natural and falsetto, illustrating how -it should go, singing the whole of the solo of Mr. Weiss (the bass -vocalist) in such a decided, clean cut manner that it was impossible for -the singer to help imitating him, and with marked effect too. As for the -band, that rehearsal was a revelation to them. That symphony was a -stupendous work, yet the conductor knew it by heart and was conducting -without score. They felt they were in the hands of a man whose artistic -soul was fired with enthusiasm; his earnestness infected them; they -caught it quickly and responded with a zealousness that only sympathetic -artists can put forth, ably supported by Sainton, whom the Prince -Consort complimented to Wagner as a splendid "Chef d'attaque." The -concert performance created, too, such a stir that even the most violent -of all the anti-Wagner critics spoke of it as an "intellectual and -elevated conception." This concert placed Wagner permanently in the -heart of his band; they loved to be under the command of such an earnest -art worker and yielded willingly to his inspirations. - -That evening after the concert, at our now established gathering, Wagner -was positively jubilant. He had been able to produce the "Ninth -Symphony" in London as he wished, and he hoped the "traditions" would -remain. He emphasized "traditions" in a slyly sarcastic manner, and well -had he reason to do so. Traditions of Mendelssohn and Spohr were -omnipotent, and omnipotent with the orchestra, and Wagner hoped the -conservative English mind would retain "his" traditions of the "Choral -Symphony," among which would be found how he had sung the long -recitative for the strings,--double-basses,--that ushers in the choral -portion of the work. When Wagner first sang this part to the orchestra, -they all engaged in a good-humoured titter, which speedily gave way to -respect; for Wagner certainly was marvellously successful in explaining -how he wanted a phrase played by first singing it,--a gift it -undoubtedly was. - -[Sidenote: _A VISIT TO ST. PAUL'S._] - -He said he would not do any work next day, and arranged that we should -visit the city. We went first to the Guildhall. It was astonishing how -he absorbed everything to himself, to his purposes, how his fancy freely -exercised itself. Gog and Magog! they were his Fafner and Fasolt; then -his humour leaped in advance of the period, and he laughingly asked me -whether there was a "Gtterdmmerung" in store for the City Fathers, and -whether Guildhall, their Walhalla, supported by the giants Gog and -Magog, would also crumble away through the curse of gold. We next went -to the Mint. There, too, the central figure was Wagner; the main theme -of discussion, Wagner. When the attendant put into his hands, as was the -custom, a roll of cancelled bank notes, amounting to thousands of pounds -sterling, he turned to me and said, "The hundredth part of this would -build my theatre, and posterity would bless me." His speech certainly -savoured of the consciousness of genius. I do not think this is a -euphemistic way of saying he had a good opinion of himself. I say it, -because I feel it to be the truth. It was through this very -consciousness that he triumphed over the many difficulties that beset -him. Without it he could not have achieved what he did. The buoyancy of -hope begotten of conscious strength is a powerful factor in the securing -of success. The theatre he had in his mind then, I thought to be that -which he had urged the Saxon authorities to establish, the scheme for -which I was then well acquainted with, but his latter discourse showed -how, during his exile, that original thought had amplified itself. Of -our visit to St. Paul's Cathedral I can recall but one observation of -Wagner, to the effect that it was as cold and uninspiring as the -Protestant creed--a strange remark from one whose own religious -tendencies were Lutheran, and who could express his religious -convictions so powerfully and poetically in his last work, "Parsifal." - -Richard Wagner's intense attachment to the canine species led him to -make friends with our dog, a large, young, black Norwegian beast, given -me by Hainberger, the companion of Wagner in the forward movement of -1848-9, and sharer of his exile. The dog showed in return a decided -affection for his newly made acquaintance. After a few days, when Wagner -found that the dog was kept in a small back yard, he expostulated -against such "cruelty," and proposed to take the dog's necessary -out-door exercise under his own special care--a task he never shirked -during the whole of his London stay. Whenever he went for his daily -promenade, a habit never relinquished at any period of his life, the dog -was his companion, no matter who else might be of the party. Nor was the -control of the dog an easy task. It was a curious sight to witness -Wagner's patience in following the wild gyrations of the spirited -animal, who, in his exultation of that semi-freedom, tugged at his -chain, dragging the Nibelung composer hither and thither. - -[Sidenote: _ANIMALS ON THE STAGE._] - -Part of Wagner's daily constitutional was to the Regent's Park, entering -by the Hanover Gate. There, at the small bridge over the ornamental -water, would he stand regularly and feed the ducks, having previously -provided himself for the purpose with a number of French rolls--rolls -ordered each day for the occasion. There was a swan, too, that came in -for much of Wagner's affection. It was a regal bird, and fit, as the -master said, to draw the chariot of Lohengrin. The childlike happiness, -full to overflowing, with which this innocent occupation filled Wagner, -was an impressive sight never to be forgotten. It was Wagner you saw -before you, the natural man, affectionate, gentle, and mirthful. His -genuine affection for the brute creation, united to a keen power of -observation, gave birth to numberless anecdotes, and the account of the -Regent's Park peregrinations often formed a most pleasant subject of -after-dinner conversation. I should explain that though Wagner had rooms -in Portland Place, St. John's Chapel, Regent's Park, he only took his -breakfast there, and did such work in the matter of scoring in the -morning, coming directly after to my house for his dog and rolls, -returning for dinner and to spend the rest of the day under my roof, -where also a room was provided for him. - -[Sidenote: _THAT UNHAPPY DRAGON._] - -In our friendly talks upon the animal kingdom, we soon came to a decided -dissension. I casually remarked on the ludicrous effects animals produce -at times, and under all circumstances on the stage; here I found myself -in direct opposition to Wagner's notions on the subject. Had he not the -dragon Fafner, the young bear in "Siegfried," the Grne, the steed of -the Valkyrie, even the fluttering bird in the tetralogy? Was not the -swan in "Lohengrin" another proof of his predilection for realistic -representation of animals on the stage? It was in vain that I cited the -lamentable failure of the serpent in Mozart's "Magic Flute," which, even -at the best theatres in Germany, never produced other than a burst of -hilarity at its wriggling in the pangs of death, when pierced by the -three donnas; or again the two lions in the same opera which are rolled -on to the stage like children's wooden horses; or Weber's mistake of -introducing a serpent in his "Euryanthe," which always mars that scene! -But I found myself obliged to cease quoting examples, and seek a basis -for establishing principles for my argument against the introduction of -animals on the stage. Here more success awaited me on the strength of -Wagner's own exalted notion of the histrionic art; viz. that an actor, -to be worthy of the name, must possess the creative power of a poet, and -become, as it were, inspired into the state impersonated, which might -not inaptly be likened to that of mesmerism. The actor must believe -himself another being, must be unconscious of aught else. One such -artist, he asserted, was Garrick, in the delivery of monologues, when -the great tragedian was said to have isolated himself to such a degree, -that though with his eyes wide open, he became, as it were, visionless. -It was on this ground that I attempted my argument against Wagner's -illogical and intemperate introduction of the brute creation into his -dramas. If, I argued, you will not accept an actor properly so-called, a -reasoning man, unless his poetic creative fancy can enable him to -transport his identity into a character entirely different from his own, -how still less can you expect any animal to impersonate a set rle in -any performance? Whatever actions may be required from it, a dog will -always represent a dog; a horse, a horse. Wagner saw the argument, but -reluctant as at all times to confess himself beaten, he advanced -"training" as a defence. This, however, served only to destroy his case -the more; for he had previously reasoned, and with much force, that all -training for the stage as a profession was useless, and but so much -mis-directed effort and waste of time, unless the student had given -evidence of a genius, which nature, alas! is chary in bestowing. So much -for the introduction of real animals upon the stage; there the case is -bad enough, and the results occasionally disastrous and ludicrous; but -when one has to make shift with imitation, the matter is still worse. -Here, too, however, Wagner was reluctant to forego the semblance as -much as he was the reality. Yet, let the case be tested by oneself. -Recall the bear Siegfried brings with him into the smithy, think of the -ridiculous effect produced by the actor's antics in his vain efforts to -worthily perform his part and seem a real bear. There is no margin left -for the imagination, and the sad attempt at a mistaken realism defeats -its own purpose. It is an extraordinary feature in a poetic brain like -that of Wagner, that he would cling persistently to such a realism. This -subject remained always one on which we dissented, and I never failed to -prognosticate a failure for his pets in the Nibelung tetralogy, which to -my mind was fully proved even under his own supervision, and on the -hallowed ground of Bayreuth at the performances there, which were, in -all other respects, so marvellously perfect. Who is there that was -terribly impressed by the sight of the dragon, or who could divest -himself of the thought that a recital of the combat would have proved -infinitely more impressive than the slaying of the snorting monster, -however well Siegfried bears himself towards the pasteboard pitiful -imitation of a fabulous beast? Who, again, would not sooner have heard a -description of the wild, spirited steed, Grne, than witness the nervous -anxiety of Brnhilde in mounting and dismounting a funeral charger, -which is the cynosure of all eyes while on the stage, to the loss of the -music-dramatic setting? The attention of the dramatis person and -audience is distracted from the action of the drama, and centred on the -probable next movement of an animal unable to grasp the situation. This -question of realism is a debatable point; but if it be not kept within -strictly defined limits, I fear there will be danger of the ludicrous -triumphing over the serious. - -An inquiry into the probable causes of an exaggerated tendency to -realism, in a man like Wagner, cannot but be interesting to those who, -without bias, accept him as a master-mind. After many years of an ardent -study of his character, compelled by his commanding genius, I am forced -to a conclusion, the key to many of his actions, which is equally the -explanation in the present instance, is the lack of self-denial. He -yearned for unlimited means to achieve his purpose, and would have the -most gorgeous and costly trappings, to set off his pictures of the -imagination. It was the same in every-day matters of life. Nor, must I -add, did he ever care from whence the means came. That this was the case -in real life, all who know him will testify. How much more, then, would -such a tendency be fed in realizing the vivid impressions with which his -active poetical fancy so freely provided him. Unlimited means! that was -the dream of his life, and up to a late period, when these means at last -realized themselves by the astounding success of his works and the -enormous sums they produced, his inability to curb his wants down to his -actual means kept him in a state of constant trouble and yearning for -freedom from those shackles. - -[Sidenote: _THE THIRD LONDON CONCERT._] - -He accepted his humble descent, fully convinced from earliest time of -having the patent of nobility in his brain--in his genius! He ever bore -himself with the consciousness of superiority, but as for titles and -decorative distinctions, he disdained them all. Were they not bestowed -on numskulls? therefore, he has loudly proclaimed genius should not -dishonour its lofty intelligence in accepting empty baubles. But riches -and the profuse luxurious splendour that can be purchased thereby would -not have seemed too much for him, had they equalled the fabulous -possessions of a Monte Cristo. The traditional humble state of the great -composers, if not actual poverty, as compared with the fortunes amassed -in other arts, was a continual source of complaint with him. - -The programme of the third concert was as follows:-- - - THIRD CONCERT, 16TH APRIL. - - Symphony in A Mendelssohn. - Aria from "Faust" Spohr. - Concerto, pianoforte Beethoven. - Aria Mozart. - Overture ("Euryanthe") Weber. - Symphony in C minor, No. 5 Beethoven. - Recitative and Aria Spohr. - Overture ("Les deux journes") Cherubini. - -That evening, the 16th April, there was a stir among the Mendelssohnian -supporters. They mustered in force; for it had been rumoured that at the -rehearsal Wagner had not stopped the orchestra once. But however Wagner -may have regarded the works of the composer of "Elijah," he was -straightforward enough to do with all his might what he put his hand to, -as the sequel proved, since the "Daily News" reported that it "never -heard the 'Italian' Symphony go so well." That there were some whose -prejudice was not appeased, is to be accepted as a matter of course, and -Wagner was taunted in the "Times," "with a coarse and rigorously frigid" -performance. - -As for the overture to "Euryanthe," it is not too much to say the -audience was startled out of itself; there was a dead silence for a -moment on the work being brought to a close, and the enthusiasm, -vigorous and hearty, burst forth. It was a new reading. Such was the -surprise with which we witnessed the rapturous applause, that at the -convivial gathering after the concert Wagner set himself at the piano, -and from memory poured forth numerous excerpts from "Euryanthe." Then we -learned that that opera was intensely admired by Wagner. He thought it -"logical" and "philosophical," and throughout showed that Weber was a -reflective musician, and, as he himself forcibly argued, that only works -of reflection could ever be immortal. The plot, its treatment, and the -language employed were, he felt, the causes of the opera's -non-popularity, and that these wretched drawbacks dreadfully changed the -intrinsically beautiful music. - -[Sidenote: _A FONDNESS FOR SNUFF._] - -Reflections upon the habits and customs of a past generation sometimes -introduce us to situations that produce in the mind wonder and perhaps a -feeling of disgust. Who can picture the composer of that colossal work -of intellect, the "Nibelung Ring," sitting at the piano, in an elegant, -loose robe-de-chambre, singing, with full heart, snatches and scenes -from his "adored" idol, Weber's "Euryanthe," and at intervals of every -three or four minutes indulging in large quantities of scented snuff. -The snuff-taking scene of the evening is the deeper graven on my memory, -because Wagner abruptly stopped singing, on finding his snuff-box empty, -and got into a childish, pettish fit of anger. He turned to us in -deepest concern, with "Kein schnupf tabac mehr also Kein gesang mehr" -(no more snuff, no more song); and though we had reached the small hours -of early morn, would have some one start in search of this "necessary -adjunct." When singing, the more impassioned he became, the more -frequent the snuff-taking. Now, this practice of Wagner's, one -cultivated from early manhood, in my opinion pointedly illustrates a -phase in the man's character. He did not care for snuff, and even -allowed the indelicacy of the habit, but it was that insatiable nature -of his that yearned for the enjoyment of all the "supposed" luxuries of -life. It was precisely the same with smoking. He indulged in this, to -me, barbarous acquirement more moderately, but experienced not the -slightest pleasure from it. I have seen him puffing from the mild and -inoffensive cheroot, to the luxurious hookah--the latter, too, as he -confessed, only because it was an Oriental growth, and the luxury of -Eastern people harmonized with his own fondness for unlimited profusion. -"Other people find pleasure in smoking; then why should not I?" This is, -briefly, the only explanation Wagner ever offered in defence of the -practice--a practice which he was fully aware increased the malignity of -his terrible dyspepsia. - -There was in Wagner a nervous excitability which not infrequently led to -outbreaks of passion, which it would be difficult to understand or -explain, were it not that there existed a positive physical cause. -First, he suffered, as I have stated earlier, from occasional attacks of -erysipelas; then his nervous system was delicate, sensitive,--nay, I -should say, irritable. Spasmodic displays of temper were often the -result, I firmly feel, of purely physical suffering. His skin was so -sensitive that he wore silk next to the body, and that at a time when -he was not the favoured of fortune. In London he bought the silk, and -had shirts made for him; so, too, it was with his other garments. We -went together to a fashionable tailor in Regent Street, where he ordered -that his pockets and the back of his vest should be of silk, as also the -lining of his frock-coat sleeves; for Wagner could not endure the touch -of cotton, as it produced a shuddering sensation throughout the body -that distressed him. I remember well the tailor's surprise and -explanation that silk for the back of the vest and lining of the sleeves -was not at all necessary, and that the richest people never had silk -linings; besides, it was not seen. This last observation brought Wagner -up to one of his indignant bursts, "Never seen! yes; that's the tendency -of this century; sham, sham in everything; that which is not seen may be -paltry and mean, provided only that the exterior be richly gilded." - -On the matter of dress he had, as on most things, decided opinions! The -waistcoat he condemned as superfluous, and thought a garment akin to the -medival doublet in every way more suitable and comely, and was strongly -inclined at one time to revert to that style of costume himself. He did -go so far as to wear an uncommon headgear, one sanctioned by antiquity, -the _biretta_, which few people of to-day would have courage to don. -Thus it was that from physical causes Wagner preferred silks and -velvets, and so a constitutional defect produced widespread and -ungenerous charges of affected originality and sumptuous luxuriousness. - -[Sidenote: _TOO MUCH GOOD MUSIC._] - -Wagner was greatly amused at the references to him in the London -Charivari "Punch," wherein his "music of the future" was described as -"Promissory Notes," and on a second occasion when it was asserted that -"Lord John Russell is in treaty with Dr. Wagner to compose some music of -the future for his Reform Bill." - -The fourth concert on the 30th April nearly led to a rupture between -Wagner and the directors. The programme was as follows:-- - - Symphony in B flat Lucas. - Romanza ("Huguenots") Meyerbeer. - Nonetto for string and wind instruments Spohr. - Recitative and Aria Beethoven. - Overture ("Ruler of the Spirits") Weber. - Symphony No. 7 Beethoven. - Duetto ("cosi fan Tutti") Mozart. - Overture ("l'Alcade de la Velga") Onslow. - -Wagner had a decided objection to long programmes. The London public, he -said, "overfeed themselves with music; they cannot healthily digest the -lengthy menu provided for them." This programme was distasteful, and -what a scene did it produce! During the aria from "Les Huguenots," the -tenor, Herr Reichardt, after a few bars' rest, did not retake his part -at the proper moment, upon which Wagner turned to him,--of course -without stopping the band,--whereupon the singer made gestures to the -audience indicating that the error lay with Wagner. At the end of the -vocal piece a slight consternation ensued. Wagner was well aware of the -unfriendliness of a section of the critics, and in all probability -capital would be made out of this. At the end of the first part of the -concert I went to him in the artists' room. His high-pitched excitement -and uncontrolled utterances, it was easy to foresee, boded no good. And -so when we reached home after the concert there ensued a positive storm -of passion. Wagner at his best was impulsive and vehement; suffering -from a miserable insinuation as to his incapacity, he grew furious. On -one point he was emphatic,--he would return to Switzerland the next day. -All entreaties and protestations were unavailing. Sainton, Lders, and -myself actually hung upon him, so ungovernable was his anger. He knew -how I had suffered in the press for championing his cause. -"Chef-de-claque," "madman," and "tutto quanti" were the elegant epithets -bestowed upon me in print; and if Wagner left now, the enemy would have -some show of truth in charging him with admitted incompetence: however, -after two or three hours' talking he engaged to stay and see whether he -could not win success with the "Tannhuser" overture, which was to be -performed at the next concert. - -A distorted report of this event appearing in certain German musical -papers, he wrote an explanatory letter to Dresden, in which he stated, -"I need not tell you that it was only the entreaties of Ferdinand -Praeger and those friends who accompanied me home, that dissuaded me -from my somewhat impulsive determination." - -At the fifth concert, 14th May, the "Tannhuser" overture was performed. -It came at the end of the first part of another of those long programmes -which Wagner disliked so much. In a letter to me to Brighton, where I -had gone for a few days, he writes: "These endless programmes, with -these interminable masses of instrumental and vocal pieces, torture me." -The programme of the fifth concert was:-- - -[Sidenote: _THE "TANNHUSER" OVERTURE._] - - Symphony Mozart. - Aria Paer. - Concerto (pianoforte) Chopin. - Aria Mozart. - Overture ("Tannhuser") Wagner. - Symphony ("Pastorale") Beethoven. - Romance Meyerbeer. - Barcarola (vocal) Ricci. - Overture ("Preciosa") Weber. - -How those violin passages on the fourth string in the "Tannhuser" -overture worried the instrumentalists! But as Lipinski had done at -Dresden, so Sainton did now in London, and fingered the passages for -each individual performer. The concert room was well filled. At the -close of the overture tumultuous applause followed, the audience rising -and waving handkerchiefs; indeed, Mr. Anderson informed me that he had -never known such a display of excitement at a Philharmonic concert where -everything was so staid and decorous. As this overture has become -perhaps one of the most popular of Wagner excerpts, it will be -interesting to read what the two acknowledged leading musical critics in -London, i.e. of the "Musical World" (who was also the critic of the -"Times") and the "Athenum," said with reference to it. The former -wrote: "The instrumentation is always heavy and thick"; and the -"Athenum" said: "Yawning chromatic progressions ... a scramble; ... a -hackneyed eight-bar phrase, the commonplace of which is not disguised by -an accidental sharp; ... the instrumentation is ill-balanced, -ineffective, thin, and noisy." - -On the morning of the 22d May, Wagner came to Milton Street very early. -It was his birthday; he was forty-two, and the good, devoted Minna had -so carefully timed the arrival of her congratulatory letter, that Wagner -had received it that morning. He was informed that her gift was a -dressing-gown of violet velvet, lined with satin of similar colour, -headgear--the _biretta_, so well known--to match,--articles of apparel -which furnished his enemies with so much opportunity for charges of -ostentation, egregious vanity, etc. Minna knew her husband well; the -gift was entirely after his heart. He read us the letter. The only -portion of it which I can remember referred to the animal world,--the -dog, Peps, who had been presented with a new collar; and of his parrot, -who had repeated unceasingly, "Richard Wagner, du bist ein grosser mann" -(Richard Wagner, you are a great man). Wagner's imitation of the parrot -was very amusing. That day the banquet was spread for Richard Wagner. -How he did talk! It was the never-ending fountain leaping from the rock, -sparkling and bright, clear and refreshing. He told us episodes of his -early career at Magdeburg and Riga. How he impressed me then with his -energy! Truly, he was a man whose onward progress no obstacles could -arrest. The indomitable will, and the excision of "impossible" from his -vocabulary, were prominent during the recital of the stirring events of -his early manhood. Certainly it was but a birthday feast, and the talk -was genial and merry; yet there went out from me, unbidden and -unchecked, "Truly, that is a great man." Yes, though it was but -after-dinner conversation, the reflections were those of a man born to -occupy a high position in the world of thought and to compel the -submission of others to his intellectual vigour. - -[Sidenote: "_THE PHILHARMONIC OMNIBUS._"] - -At the sixth concert, 28th May, another of those lengthy programmes was -gone through, and comprised-- - - Symphony in G minor C. Potter. - Aria ("Il Seraglio") Mozart. - Concerto, violin, Mr. Sainton Beethoven. - Sicilienne Pergolesi. - Overture ("Leonora") Beethoven. - Symphony, A minor Mendelssohn. - Aria ("Non mi dir") Mozart. - Song, "O ruddier than the cherry" Handel. - Overture ("Der Berg-geist") Spohr. - -Think of the anger of Wagner! two symphonies and two overtures in the -same evening, besides the vocal music and concerto! This was the fourth -concert at which a double dose of symphony and overture was administered -to an audience incapable of digesting such a surfeit; it was these -"full" programmes, reminding him of the cry of the London omnibus -conductors, "full inside," which led him humorously to speak of himself -as "conductor of the Philharmonic Omnibus." In the subjoined letter -addressed to my wife, anent their daily promenade for the "banquetting," -as he called it, of the ducks in the Regent's Park, he subscribes -himself as above. - - CARISSIMA SORELLA: Croyez-vous le temps assez bon, pour - entreprendre notre promenade? Si vous avez le moindre doute, et - comme l'affaire ne presse pas du tout, je vous prie de vous en - dispenser pour aujourd'hui. Faites-moi une toute petite reponse si - je dois venir vous chercher dans un Hansom, ou non? - - En tous cas je gouterai des 4 heures des delices de votre table! - -Votre cordialement, dvo frre, - -RICHARD WAGNER, -_Conductor d'omnibus de la Socit -Philharmonique, 1855_. - - - - -The letter was sent by hand, as his rooms were but ten minutes from my -house. Perhaps I may here reproduce another short note from Wagner to my -wife, with no other intention than showing the degree of close -friendship that existed between him and us:-- - - MA TRS CHRE SOEUR LONIE: Si vous voulez je viendrai demain - (Samedi) diver avec vous 6 heures le soir. Pour Dimanche il m'a - fallu accepter une invitation pour Camberwell, que je ne pouvais - absolument pas refuser. Serez-vous contente de me voir demain? - -Votre trs oblig frre, - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - VENDREDI SOIR, 1865. - -[Sidenote: _MR. POTTER MADE HAPPY._] - -Reverting to the concert, the universal criticism was that Wagner had -achieved great things with Cipriani Potter's symphony. The music Wagner -thought the exact reflection of the man, antiquated but respectable. -Potter was a charming man in daily intercourse, of short stature, thin, -ample features, huge shaggy eyebrows, stand-up collars behind whose -points the old man could hide half his face, and a coat copied from a -Viennese pattern of last century. Wagner was genuinely drawn to the man; -and as the inimical "Musical World" said, "took great pains with the -symphony" (p. 347). Wagner used to declaim greatly against -Mendelssohnian tradition, in the orchestra,--that no movement should be -taken too slow, for fear of wearying the audience. However, being a man -of strong independent character, he would have his way, and movements -were taken as slow as the spirit appeared to require. The critics abused -him heartily; indeed, to such an extent that when the Mozart symphony in -E flat was to be done, the directors implored Wagner to allow the -orchestra to take the slow movement in the quick _tempo_ taught by -Mendelssohn. Similarly, when Potter's symphony was to be done, Mr. -Potter particularly requested Wagner to take the _andante_ somewhat -fast, otherwise he feared a failure. But Wagner, who, with his -accustomed earnestness had almost the whole by heart, told the composer -that the _andante_ was an extremely pretty, nave movement, and that no -matter the speed, if the expression were omitted or slurred, the whole -would fall flat; but, added Wagner, it should go thus: Then he sang part -to Mr. Potter, who was so touched that he grasped Wagner's hand, saying, -"I never dreamed a conductor could take a new work so much to heart as -you have; and as you sing it, just so I meant it." After the concert Mr. -Potter was very delighted. - -But the work of the evening was the "Leonora" overture. Here again -Wagner had his reading, one which the orchestra fell in with -immediately, for they perceived the truth, the earnestness of what -Wagner taught. - -At the seventh concert, 11th June, the "Tannhuser" overture was -repeated, by royal command. The programme, again "full," included three -overtures and two symphonies. - - Overture ("Chevy Chase") Macfarren. - Air ("Jessonda") Spohr. - Symphony ("Jupiter") Mozart. - Scena ("Oberon") Weber. - Overture ("Tannhuser") Wagner. - Symphony (No. 8) Beethoven. - Song ("Ave Maria") Cherubini. - Duet Paer. - Overture ("Anacreon") Cherubini. - -The press did Wagner the justice to state that he showed himself earnest -in the matter of Macfarren's "Chevy Chase." His own overture, -"Tannhuser," was again a brilliant success. The queen sent for him into -the royal salon, and, congratulating him, said that the Prince Consort -was "a most ardent admirer of his." Richard Wagner was pleased at the -unaffected and "winning" manner of Her Majesty, who spoke German to him, -but as his own account of the interview, written to a friend at Dresden -two days after the concert, is now before me, I will reproduce it. - -...It was therefore the more pleasing to me that the queen (which - very seldom happens, and not every year) had signified her - intention of being present at the seventh concert, and ordered a - repetition of the overture. It was in itself a very pleasant thing - that the queen overlooked my exceedingly compromised political - position (which with great malignity was openly alluded to in the - "Times"), and without fear attended a public performance which I - directed. Her further conduct towards me, moreover, infinitely - compensated for all the disagreeable circumstances and coarse - enmities which hitherto I had encountered. She and Prince Albert, - who sat in front before the orchestra, applauded after "Tannhuser" - overture, which closed the first part, with such hearty warmth that - the public broke forth into lively and sustained applause. During - the interval the queen sent for me into the drawing-room, receiving - me in the presence of her suite with these words: "I am most happy - to make your acquaintance. Your composition has charmed me." She - thereupon made inquiries, during a long conversation, in which - Prince Albert took part, as to my other compositions; and asked if - it were not possible to translate my operas into Italian. I had, of - course, to give the negative to this, and state that my stay here - could only be temporary, as the only position open was that of - director of a concert-institute which was not properly my sphere. - At the end of the concert the queen and the prince again applauded - me.... - -[Sidenote: _BURLESQUE OF HIS OWN SONG._] - -That evening after the concert our usual meeting included Berlioz and -his wife. Berlioz had arrived shortly before this concert. Between him -and Wagner I knew an awkward constraint existed, which I hardly saw how -to bridge over, but I was desirous to bring the two together, and -discussing the matter with Wagner, he agreed that perhaps the convivial -union after the concert afforded the very opportunity. And so Berlioz -came. But his wife was sickly; she lay on the sofa and engrossed the -whole of her husband's attention, causing Berlioz to leave somewhat -early. He came alone to the next gathering. - -After such a triumph as Wagner had had that evening with the overture, -he was unusually excited. Hector Berlioz, too, was of an excitable -temperament, but could repress it. Not so Wagner. He presented a -striking contrast to the polished, refined Frenchman, whose speech was -almost classic, through his careful selection of words. Wagner went to -the piano, and sang the "Star of Eve," with harmonies which Chellard, a -German composer of little note (he had composed "Macbeth" as an opera), -said "must be intended." The effect was extremely mirth-provoking, for -Wagner could ape the ridiculous with irresistible humour. - -That evening Wagner, who was always fond of "tasty" dinners, spoke so -glowingly of the French, and their culinary art powers, that we arranged -a whitebait dinner at Greenwich at the Ship, one such as the ministers -sat down to. Edward Roeckel, the brother of August, came up from Bath -for the occasion, and was the giver of the feast. We went by boat. I -remember well the journey, for poor Wagner had an attack of -_malde-mer_, as though he actually were at sea; the wind was blowing -hard, and the water rough. He appreciated highly the whitebait, -especially the dish of devilled ones, and the much-decried cooking of -the British ascended several degrees in his opinion. - -The attitude of the bulk of the London press towards Wagner I have -spoken of as unfriendly; they condemned him, indeed, before he was -heard. Not content with writing bitterly against him, some persons were -in the habit of sending him every scurrilous article that appeared about -him. Who was the instigator I could not positively say. On one occasion, -a letter was addressed to Wagner by an English composer, whom I will not -do the honour of naming, who had sought by every possible means to -achieve notoriety, stating that it was said Wagner had spoken -disparagingly of his name and music, and desiring an explanation with -complete satisfaction. Wagner was excessively angry. He had never heard -the name of the composer, wanted to write an indignant remonstrance, but -was dissuaded by me, for I saw both in this and the regular receipt of -the anonymously sent papers, an attempt to draw Wagner into a dispute. -Of course the writer was but the tool of others. In these matters Wagner -yielded himself entirely into my hands, though he was often desirous of -wielding a fluent and effective pen against his ungenerous enemies. - -[Sidenote: _HIS FONDNESS FOR LUXURY._] - -At that time I had in London a friend on a visit from Paris, a musical -amateur of gift, named Kraus. He was in the confidence of the emperor of -the French, holding the position of steward to a branch of the Bonaparte -family. I invited him to meet Wagner, of whom he was an admirer. Now -listen to what took place. Wagner did all that was possible by -persuasive language to induce Kraus to move the emperor to do something -for Berlioz. It was to no purpose that we were told the emperor was not -enthusiastic for music, and that so many impossible difficulties were in -the way. Wagner kept to his point; Berlioz was poor, had been compelled -to resort to pledging trinkets, etc., whereby to live, and that it was a -crime to the art which he, Kraus, professed to love, that Berlioz should -be in want. I have thought this incident worthy of notice, as showing -the good-will of Wagner for a brother artist was stronger than the icy -restraint that existed between them when they met. - -Much has been written and said of Wagner's extravagance, his prodigality -of luxury. Well, 'tis true, Wagner knew not self-denial, and that his -taste was ever for the beautiful and costly. With such characteristics, -his indulgence in the choice and elegant can be understood. Should -something pretty attract his attention in the street, say in a shop -window, he would stop suddenly and exclaim aloud what he thought, -heedless of the people standing by. Wagner was not wealthy when in -London, yet he spent freely; silk for shirts for ordinary wear, and -costly Irish laces for Minna. In these shopping expeditions my wife was -his companion, and Wagner showed he possessed that kindly tact born of -natural goodness of heart, in discovering what might be considered -pretty, when it was straightway purchased and presented to her. - -I now come to the last concert, the eighth, which took place on the 25th -June. Again the programme included two symphonies and two overtures:-- - - Symphony (No. 3, C minor) Spohr. - Scena ("Der Freischtz") Weber. - Concerto (pianoforte) Hummel. - Song Haydn. - Overture ("Midsummer Night's Dream") Mendelssohn. - Symphony (No. 4, B flat) Beethoven. - Duet ("Prophte") Meyerbeer. - Overture ("Oberon") Weber. - -At the close of this concert he met with applause, hearty from a -section, but I cannot say it was universal. He had won many friends and -had made many enemies, but on the whole, Wagner was satisfied. That -evening our last festive gathering was very jovial. Wagner expressed -himself with all the enthusiasm his warm, impulsive nature was capable -of; he was deeply sensible of the value of his stay here. He had almost -retired from the world, but now Paris and Germany would again be brought -to hear of him. He regretted much the spiteful criticism that had fallen -upon me, and which I was likely to meet with still more. We remained -with Wagner until about three in the morning, helping him to prepare for -his departure from London that 26th June. - -[Sidenote: "_NOT A MUSICIAN AT ALL._"] - -I have refrained from making any quotations about myself. Those who are -interested enough to know how a pioneer is treated by his contemporaries -will discover many silly, impotent reflections upon me in the musical -journals of the period. I will content myself with reproducing a few -extracts about Richard Wagner and his music. The principal papers in -London, those that directed public opinion in musical matters, were the -"Musical World," "Times," "Athenum," and "Sunday Times." Four days -after Wagner had left, the following sad specimens appeared. The -"Musical World," 30th June, 1855:-- - - We hold that Herr Richard Wagner _is not a musician at all_ ... - this excommunication of pure melody, this utter contempt of time - and rhythmic definition, so notorious in Herr Wagner's compositions - (we were about to say Herr Wagner's music), is also one of the most - important points of his system, as developed at great length in the - book of "Oper und Drama." ... It is clear to us that Herr Wagner - wants to upset both opera and drama. Let him then avow it without - all this mystification of words--this tortuous and sophisticated - systematizing.... He is just now cleansing the Augean stables of - the musical drama, and meanwhile, with a fierce iconoclasm, is - knocking down imaginary images, and levelling temples that are but - the creations of his own brain. When he has done this to his own - satisfaction, he will have to grope disconsolate among the ruins of - his contrivance, like Marius on the crumbled walls of Carthage, and - in a brown study begin to reflect, "What next?" For he, Wagner, can - build up nothing himself. He can destroy, but not reconstruct. He - can kill, but not give life.... What do we find there in the shape - of Wagnerian "Art Drama." So far as music is concerned, nothing - better than chaos--"absolute" chaos. The symmetry of form--ignored - or else abandoned; the consistency of keys and their - relations--overthrown, contemned, demolished; the charm of rhythmic - measure, the whole art of phrase and cadence, the true basis of - harmony and the indispensable government of modulation, cast away - for a reckless, wild, extravagant, and demagogic cacophony, the - symbol of profligate libertinage!... Look at "Lohengrin"--that - "_best_ piece"; hearken to "Lohengrin"--that "_best_ piece." Your - answer is there written and sung. Cast that book upon the waters; - it tastes bitter, as the little volume to the prophet. It is - poison--_rank poison_.... - - This man, this Wagner, this author of "Tannhuser," of "Lohengrin," - and so many other hideous things--and above all, the overture to - "Der Fliegende Hollnder," the most hideous and detestable of the - whole--this preacher of the "future," was born to feed spiders - with flies, not to make happy the heart of man with beautiful - melody and harmony. What is music to him, or he to music?... Who - are the men that go about as his apostles? Men like Liszt--the - apostle of Weimar and Professor Praeger, madmen, enemies of music - to the knife, who, not born for music, and conscious of their - impotence, revenge themselves by endeavouring to annihilate it.... - Wagner's theories are impious. No words can be strong enough to - condemn them; no arraignment before the judgment-seat of truth too - stern and summary; no verdict of condemnation too sweeping and - severe.... Not to compare things earthly with things heavenly, has - Mendelssohn lived among us in vain?... All we can make out of - "Lohengrin," by the flaming torch of truth, is an incoherent mass - of rubbish, with no more real pretension to be called music than - the jangling and clashing of gongs and other uneuphonious - instruments.... Wagner, on the contrary, who, though a mythical - dramatist, is no musician and very little poet.... He cannot write - music himself, and for that reason arraigns it. His contempt for - Mendelssohn is simply ludicrous; and we would grant him forty years - to produce one melodious phrase like any of those so profusely - scattered about in the operas of Rossini, Weber, Auber, and - Meyerbeer.... Wagner is as unable to invent genuine tune as pure - harmony, and he knows it. Hence "the books." ... Richard Wagner and - his followers--sham prophets.... Listen to their wily eloquence, - and you find yourself in the coils of rattle-snakes.... There is as - much difference between "Guillaume Tell" and "Lohengrin" as between - the sun and ashes. - -From the "Sunday Times," May, 1855:-- - -[Sidenote: _GEMS OF CRITICISM._] - - Music is not his special birthgift--is not for him an articulate - language or a beautiful form of expression.... Richard Wagner is a - desperate charlatan, endowed with worldly skill and vigorous - purpose enough to persuade a gaping crowd that the nauseous - compound he manufactures has some precious inner virtue, that they - must live and ponder yet ere they perceive.... Anything more - rambling, incoherent, unmasterly, cannot well be conceived. In - composition it would be a scandal to compare him with the men of - reputation this country possesses. Scarcely the most ordinary - ballad writer but would shame him in the creation of melody, and no - English harmonist of more than one year's growth could be found - sufficiently without ears and education to pen such vile things. - -The "Athenum," upon the fifth concert says:-- - - The overture to "Tannhuser" is one of the most curious pieces of - patchwork ever passed off by self-delusion for a complete and - significant creation. - -The critic, after finding a plagiarism of Mendelssohn and Cherubini, -continues:-- - - The instrumentation is ill-balanced, ineffective, thin and noisy. - -The "Musical World" of 13th October, 1855, says:-- - - TANNHUSER--We never before heard an opera in which the orchestra - made such a fuss; the cacophony, noise, and inartistic - elaborations! We can detect little in "Tannhuser" not positively - commonplace. It is tedious beyond endurance. We are made aware, by - a few bars, that he has never learned how to handle the implements; - and that, if it were given him as a task to compose the overture to - "Tancredi," he would be at straits to accomplish anything so easy, - clear, and natural. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -1855-1856. - - -Richard Wagner left London for Paris, from whence he wrote immediately -the following letter. The humorously descriptive reference to the -Channel passage is characteristic. - - DEAREST FRIENDS: Heartiest thanks for your love, which after all is - the one thing which has made the dull London lastingly dear to me. - I wish you joy and happiness, and, if possible, to be spared the - dreariness of the London pavement. Were it not that I regret to - have left you, I would speak of the delightful feeling which has - taken possession of me since I have returned to the continent. Here - the weather is beautiful, the air balmy and invigorating. The past - night's rest has somewhat recruited my strength after the recent - fatigue. At present I am enjoying peace and quiet, which I hope - will soon enable me to resume work, the only enjoyment in life - still left to me. - - I have not much to tell of adventures, except that when I went on - board I felt rather queer. I lay down in the cabin and had just - succeeded in getting into a comfortable position for sleep, hoping - thereby to keep off the sea-sickness, when the steward shook me, - wanting to look at my ticket. To comply, I had to turn over so as - to get to my pocket. This movement caused me to feel unwell; and - then the unhappy man claiming his steward's fee, I was obliged to - sit up in order to find my money. This new movement brought on the - sea-sickness, so that just as he thankfully received his gratuity, - he also received the whole of my supper. Yet he still seemed quite - content, notwithstanding, whilst I had such a fit of laughter that - drove away both sickness and drowsiness so that I entered Calais in - tolerably good spirits. - - The custom-house visiting only took place in Paris. It was well - for me that the lace I had secreted for Minna was not discovered. - Here I soon found my friend Kietz, to whom I poured out my heart - about you, dear friends. To-morrow I leave with a Zurich friend, - who has waited for me. From Zurich you shall have news. As I write - to you all, I beg you to divide my greetings, and do this from the - depth of your hearts. To my sister Lonie, give her as well a - hearty kiss for me. - - Adieu, good lovable humankind, think with love of thy - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - PARIS, 28th June, 1855. - -From Paris he went direct to Zurich, where Minna was waiting for him. He -had scarcely arrived when he sent me the following. It is noteworthy, as -it illustrates how a great man could interest himself in the small -concerns of home life. His affection for domestic pets is once more -touched upon, and that humour, which but rarely forsook him even in his -pessimistic Schopenhauerian utterances, again playfully laughs -throughout the letter. - -[Sidenote: _GRIEF OVER HIS DOG._] - - Best greetings from Switzerland. - - I hope you have already received tidings of me from Lders. From - you, however, I have not yet heard anything. You might at least - have written to say you were glad to have got rid of me, how sister - Lonie fares, and how Henry is, whether "Gypsy" (the dog) has made - his appearance in society, whether the cat has still its bad cough. - Heaven! how many things there are of which I ought to be informed - in order to be perfectly at ease. As for me, I am still idle. My - wife has made me a new dressing-gown, and what is more, wonderfully - fine silk trousers for home wear, so that all the work I do is to - loll about in this costume, first on one sofa and then on another. - - On Monday next I go with my wife, the dog, and bird, to Seelisberg; - there I think I shall at last get straight! If you could but visit - me there. My address for the present is Kurhaus, Sonnenberg, - Seelisberg, Canton Uri. I do not know how I can sufficiently - express the pleasure which my wife wishes me to convey to you. - Whilst I unpacked I chatted, and kept on chatting and unpacking. - Several times she was deeply moved, particularly when we came to - the carefully marked and neatly folded socks. Again and again she - called out, "What a good woman that Lonie must be!" and then when - the needle-case came out and that beautiful thimble, both she and I - were mightily pleased. We wish your wife the happiest confinement - that woman ever had, and at least six healthy children all at once - with heavenly organized brains, every one to be born with a pocket - containing ten thousand pounds each, and further, that your wife - shall be able on the same evening of the confinement to dance a - polka in the Praeger drawing-room. May it please heaven that this - reverential wish shall be tenfold fulfilled, then your love for - children will be fully satisfied. - - In a few days you will receive a box with three medallions in - plaster of Paris. These were modelled by the daughter of "the - Princess Lichtenstein," and are to be divided thus: one for the - Praeger family, one for the family Sainton and Lders (who I - sincerely trust will never separate, and who are regarded by me as - one family), and the other for the poor fellow of Manchester - Street, Klindworth, the invalid, from whom I am expecting news - about his performance of last Wednesday. I trust he is already at - Richmond enjoying the benefit of hydropathy. I purpose writing to - him as soon as I know his address. For the present greet the poor - fellow heartily for me, and in my name try to console him for me. I - will soon write to Sainton, and for that occasion I will pull - together all the French I learned in London, so that I might be - able to express to him my opinion that he is a splendid fellow. And - what is dear Lders about? I hear that he has headed the riot in - Hyde Park. Is that true?[14] I hope he has not used my letter to - Prince Albert in making lobster salad. I have often been unlucky - with letters of mine. Even yesterday I found reproduced in - Brendel's "Neue Zeitschrift" a letter I had written to my old - friend, Fischer, at Dresden. It has most disagreeably affected me, - for if I had wished to express myself about the London annoyances I - should have done it in a different manner, but I had not the - slightest wish to do anything of the kind. However, I am heartily - glad my time of penance is past, and forgive with my whole heart - Englishmen for being what they are; still I am resolved, even in - thought, never to have anything more whatsoever to do with them. - But you, my dear friends, I will ever cherish in remembrance, and - if all that is agreeable be but a negative of pain, then by the - memory of your love and friendship is the period of my London - tribulation blotted out. - - A thousand hearty thanks for your love! Now you will, I hope, give - me the joy of good news, and say that you love me still. To dear - Edward[15] give my best greetings. It was a great pity I did not - see him again. - - Farewell, my dear Ferdinand; all happiness to yours, and to the - dear wife good wishes. - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ZURICH, 7th July, 1855. - -The next letter, dated eight days later than the preceding, will be -admitted a jewel in Wagner's crown. Picture this great intellect, the -creator of the colossal Nibelung tetralogy (with its Grne, the steed of -the Valkyrie), crying "incessantly" over the grave of a dead dog, -postponing the removal of his household to nurse the dying creature -until its last moments, and then himself burying it in the garden. The -whole of this touching recital bespeaks a tenderness, a wealth of human -love and large-heartedness, which show Wagner, the man! - -[Sidenote: _ILL-HEALTH OF MINNA._] - - DEAREST FRIEND FERDINANDUS: A thousand hearty congratulations to - the newly born. Right gladly I agree to become god-father and, if - you think it will bring fortune, add my surname as well. - - I arrived here in this paradise a few days ago. I read your letter - on the left corner of the balcony of the hotel, the picture of - which heads this letter. Occasionally, while reading, I raised my - eyes and looked beyond upon the magnificent Alps, which you cannot - fail to notice at the side of the hotel. I say that I looked from - the letter occasionally, since its contents afforded me matter for - reflection, and I found solace and comfort in the contemplation of - the sacred and noble surroundings. You have no conception how - beautiful it is here, how pure the air that one breathes, and how - beneficially this wonderful spectacle acts on me. I fancy you would - become delirious with joy at the prospect, so that the return to - London would be a sad event; yet you must undertake this trip next - year with your dear wife. - - But how strange that the same incident should have happened to us - both at about the same moment! You remember that I expected to see - my old and faithful dog, "Peps."[16] Well, shortly before my - arrival he had been taken ill, but nevertheless he received me with - the greatest delight, and soon began to improve somewhat in health. - The day of our departure for Seelisberg was already fixed, where, - as I wrote to you, I was going with my wife, my dog, and bird.[17] - Suddenly dangerous symptoms showed themselves in "Peps," in - consequence of which we put off our journey for two days so as to - nurse the poor dying dog. Up to the last moment "Peps" showed me a - love as touching as to be almost heartrending; kept his eyes fixed - on me, and, though I chanced to move but a few steps from him, - continued to follow me with his eyes. He died in my arms on the - night of the 9th-10th of the month, passing away without a sound, - quietly and peacefully. On the morrow, midday, we buried him in the - garden beside the house. I cried incessantly, and since then have - felt bitter pain and sorrow for the dear friend of the past - thirteen years, who ever worked and walked with me. It has clearly - taught me that the world exists only in our hearts and conception. - That the same fate should befall your young dog at almost the same - moment has deeply affected me. I have often thought of "Gypsy,"[18] - and wished I had taken him with me, and now that fiery creature too - is also suddenly dead!! There is something terrible in all this!!! - And yet there are those who would scoff at our feeling in such a - matter! - - Alas! I am often tired of life, yet life is ever returning in a new - guise, alluring us anew to pain and sorrow. With me now it is - sublime nature which ever impels me to cling to life as a new love, - and thus it is I have begun once more to work. You have again been - presented with a new-born life. I wish you happiness with all my - heart. I feel as though I had some claim to the boy, for it was - during the last four months prior to his entering the world that I - came a new member into your household. The affection I sought was - vouchsafed to me in the highest degree; the mother's mind was no - doubt much occupied with that strange, whimsical individual, whom, - to his great joy, she so heartily welcomed. May it not be, perhaps, - that before he saw the light, this may have influenced the little - stranger! if so, my heartiest wish is that it may bring him - blessings. Now give my best greetings to sister Lonie, and thank - her heartily for all the kindness she showed me. I can but wish her - the happiest motherly joys; remember me to Henry; he is to care for - his little brother as if it were a sister. - - Farewell, and let me soon know how you all are, Keep up, and above - all, see well that you come to visit me next year; kindly remember - me also to my few London friends. Lders and Sainton I thank for - their friendly letter; you will soon hear from me. Farewell, dear - brother, - -Your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - P.S. Liszt will not come until October. Ask Klindworth to write to - me. Thousand kind things from my wife. - - SEELISBERG, CANTON URI, 15th July, 1855. - -In the next letter he speaks sorrowfully of the demon of ill-health -which had settled in his house. Poor Minna suffered with heart-disease, -an illness to which she eventually succumbed, whilst he, too, was -somewhat broken down, and shortly to be laid upon a sick-bed. His only -relief from worry and trouble was work. Indeed, the major portion of his -work was done at times when the horizon was dark for him. - -[Sidenote: _"TANNHUSER" AT MUNICH._] - - Best thanks, dear friend, for your letter, which was, alas, sad - enough to make me sad too. The worst of misfortune in a life like - yours is that in surveying all circumstances, it is positively - unrectifiable: to revolt against it, even at the best, has still - something ridiculous in it. To him, who like you suffers keenly - (and amongst your surroundings must perforce suffer the most), all - I can say is, think, dear friend, no man is happy except he who is - foolish enough to think that he is. You and I are not fit for this - life except to be tired of it; he who becomes so the soonest - finishes his task the quickest. All so-called "fortunate events" - are but deceptive palliations, making the evil worse. I know this - is capable of being understood in a double sense, so that it might - be interpreted either as a trivial commonplace or the deepest - possible reflection. I must leave it to chance how you will - understand it. The only ray of light in the dark night of our life - is that which sympathy affords us. We only lose consciousness of - our own misery when we feel that of others. Entire freedom from - one's own sorrow is only possible if one could live solely for the - sorrows of others, but the evil of it is, that one cannot do this - continually, as one's own troubles always return the stronger to - attack the feelings. I, for my part, must say that since in London - I have never had my mind free from troubles. The demon of sickness - has come to lodge in my house. My wife, particularly, causes me - great anxieties. Her ever-increasing ill-health helps to render me - very sad. Worried and troubled, I resumed work. I struggle at it, - as work is the only power that brings to me oblivion and makes me - free. Only look to it that next year you come to Switzerland; - meanwhile amuse yourself as much as you can in your polemical war - against London music-artists and critics, not on my account, - however, but only as I believe it is a good channel to absorb your - otherwise sad thoughts. - - From New York I have just received an invitation to go over and - conduct there for six months; it would be well paid. It is - fortunate, however, that the emolument is not after all so very - large, or else, perhaps, I might myself be obliged to seriously - consider the matter. But of course I shall not accept the - invitation. I had enough in London. I am somewhat fidgety that you - have not yet acknowledged my three medallions, one for you, one for - Sainton and Lders, and one for Klindworth. I paid freight for them - some time ago, and thought they would have been in your hands long - before this. If you have not yet received them, I beg of you to - make inquiries at the post-office, since I sent the little box from - Basle by the mail, and your address was correctly written. Do not - forget to speedily inform me of its arrival. - - Please send at once to Berlin the box which I left at your house, - containing my manuscripts, and address it to the Royal Music - Director, Julius Stern, Dessauer Strasse No. 2. Do not prepay it. - You may have some expense on my account which I will settle with - you when we meet. Do not forget to mention it. - - Perhaps you have heard already that "Tannhuser" has created a - perfect furore at Munich. I felt constrained to laugh at the sudden - veering round in my favour when I remembered that only two years - ago Lachner contrived that the performance of the overture to - "Tannhuser" should be a complete fiasco. On the whole, I live - almost entirely isolated. Working, walking, and a little reading - constitute my present existence. At present, I am expecting Liszt - at Christmas. How fares my sister Leonie? Well, I hope. You write - so ambiguously about it that I cannot make out the exact thing. How - is the boy? Is he really called Richard Wagner? Are you not right - glad to have him? Greet your dear wife for me with all my heart, - and tell her I often think of her with pleasure, and of the - friendly interest she took in me. My love to the poor - hypochondriacal Lders. How well I ought to have felt myself in - London. When he became excited, he was irresistible. I will write - to Sainton soon. He is happy, and finds himself best where he is. - - Farewell, dear Ferdinand. A thousand thanks for your friendship. - When things go badly with you, laugh at them. - - Adieu, - -Your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ZURICH, 14th September, 1855. - -The next letter shows Wagner in a new light. It is addressed to my wife -in her native language, French. Wagner has freely admitted in his -published writings that he had no gift for languages, still he spoke -French well, truly, not as a born Frenchman, yet, as a thoughtful man, -and moreover as an earnest student he was able to express himself with -clearness and freedom, and to a degree was master of the idiom. -Intellect, combined with earnestness, will forge a path through -difficulties where education alone would halt. Berlioz was an educated -Frenchman, and expressed himself in elegant and polished diction--it was -like music to hear him speak--yet he soon succumbed to Wagner's torrent -of enthusiasm. Of course this in part finds its natural explanation in -Wagner ever having something new to say, and "Wagner eloquent" was -irresistible. But as he ever depreciated his ability in French, I have -inserted the following in the original (with translation) so as to -enable the reader to form his own judgment. - -[Sidenote: _HE WRITES IN FRENCH._] - -This letter is a well-drawn portrait of Wagner by himself. It shows the -boy in the man. Picture this man, after a serious illness of some weeks, -which must have been terribly irksome to a man of his active -temperament, setting himself the task the first day of his convalescence -to write in French and at such length. Instead of grumbling at the -mental miseries such an illness must have caused him, through the -interruption of that work so dear to him, he roused himself, in order to -amuse by his boyish, humorous chat, "his sister Lonie," whom he knew -was all sympathy for him. The boy's affectionate heart is plainly -discernible in the man, tried and battered as he was by the world. It -makes one think of the boy's gentle love for his "little mother," as he -endearingly spoke of his mother. In him there were always glimpses of -sunshine which would burst forth, aye, in the midst of the storms which, -caused by disappointment and ill-usage, raged within himself or round -about him. It was impossible for those who knew Wagner not to love him, -notwithstanding those defects of character which he possessed; they -disappeared entirely in the love one bore him, and the worship his -mighty genius compelled. The sun itself has spots, which, -notwithstanding, do not prevent it from glittering with radiance. Why -should not Wagner be allowed the privilege of the sun? - -[Sidenote: _LIFE IS BURDENSOME._] - - -ANSICHT VOM KURHAUSE SONNENBERG AUF -SEELISBERG, CT. URI. - - MA TRS CHRE SOEUR! Allons donc! Je vais vous crire en - franais. Dieu donne que vous en entendiez quelques mots--ce qui ne - sera pas chose facile. Mais je ne serai pas si absurde de me donner - de la peine, pour faire de bonnes phrases; cela sera l'affaire du - Dr. Wylde, qui s'y entend probablement aussi bien qu' la musique! - Plutt je porterai sur ce papier quelques btises de mon genre, qui - ne toucheront au caractre d'aucune langue, ni vivante, ni morte. - - Enfin, je vous flicit, ma soeur, d'tre doublement mre! - L'vnement que Ferdinand m'a annonc il y a quelque temps, tait - prvu par moi moyennant d'un pressentiment prophtique, qui me - naissait pendant mon sjour Londres; car, pendant que je me - souhaitais au diable--c'est dire: hors du monde--je m'avisais, - que le bon Dieu se preparait remplir la lacune attendue, en - mettant au monde un remplaant pour moi. Mais ce bon Dieu s'est - tromp, comme il lui arriv quelques fois (en toute confiance soit - dit!); le diable ne m'a pas encore accept; je suis rest au monde, - par obstination seulement, comme vous allez voir--et mon remplaant - est arriv pendant que je vis encore, de la sorte qu'il y a - maintenant deux Richard Wagner. Ainsi, je ne suis pas surpris de - cet vnement, que j'ai plutt prpar en quelque sorte (et sans la - moindre offense pour Ferdinand!) seulement par ma rsolution de - quitter la terre, rsolution, dont le changement me procure - maintenant le plaisir passablement rare, de vivre ensemble avec mon - remplaant future, de faire sa connaissance personelle, de - m'entende avec lui sur la direction des concerts de la Socit - Philharmonique, enfin sur mille choses d'une importance extrme, - qui ne s'arrangent pas si bien par une distance si norme que celle - de la mort la vie.--Cette affaire a donc bien russie. Seulement - je plains de vous avoir caus tout de dsagrements et de - souffrances, comme vous les avez d subir pour cela (je le dis vous - savez toujours sans la moindre offense pour Ferdinand!). Jugez donc - de la grande et intime satisfaction, que je viens d'eprouver la - nouvelle de votre rtablissement complt, et croyez la sincrit - bien cordiale des flicitations, que je vous addresse. - - Maintenant je n'ai pas d'autre soin, que de m'entendre aussitt que - possible avec ma doublette sur nos dmarches runies pour conqurir - le monde avant de le quitter de ma part c'est--dire: de la part de - Richard Wagner l'an. Ainsi je vous prie de me donner toujours des - nouvelles bien promptes et exactes sur l'tat du dveloppement de - mon remplaant. J'ai dj trs besoin de ses fonctions auxiliares. - On m'a invit de venir en Amrique, pour faire de la musique New - York et Boston on m'a promis des recettes trs fortes, et mille - autres choses. Mais il m'est impossible d'y aller: cela serait - alors l'affaire de Richard Wagner le jeune; quand pourra-t-il - accepter l'invitation? Expliquez-vous, je vous en prie, trs - clairement sur ce point l. Aussi j'ai une multitude de projets de - sujets d'opras dans ma tte: Ferdinand les crot sous le tot de - ma maison; il se trompe, ma maison c'est moi, et le tot c'est mon - crne. Je n'ai ni le temps, ni la tranquillit ncessaire pour les - ter de leur cage, l, o ils sont encore enferms: ainsi, ce sera - l'affaire de mon remplaant de delivrer ces plans d'opras et d'en - donner ce qui lui plat son petit pre pour qu'il en fasse la - musique. Quand sera-t-il assez dvelopp pour ce travail bien - pressant? Rpondez-moi avec promptitude sur cette demande; demandez - Ferdinand si elle est importante! Ah! mon dieu! il y a encore - tant d'autres choses arranger ensemble qu'une confrence - prochaine me parait indispensable. Connaissez-vous le Dr. Wylde? Eh - bien! j'attends son invitation pour lui donner des leons de - "musique du future." Richard Wagner le jeune ne serait-il pas - encore mieux avanc que moi pour instruire ce genre de musique, - puis qu'il est encore plus du future que moi? Que voulez-vous? Il - n'y a pas de temps perdu. Dpechez-vous du peu d'education qu'il - faudra pour mrir les facults de mon remplaant, et crivez moi - aussitt tlgraphe quand le moment sera venu, ce moment de - dveloppement accompli que j'attends avec impatience. N'est-ce pas, - chre soeur Lonie? N'est-ce pas, ma mre (entendez-bien!!) - n'est-ce pas, vous n'oublierez pas cela par hasard? Et surtout vous - ne manquerez pas d'instruire mon "alter-ego" de gagner de l'argent? - le seul talent (entre autres) que, par une faute incomprehensible - dans mon education, je n'ai pas cultiv dutout ce qui me cause - quelquefois, _i.e._ toujours--des peines horribles, puisque je suis - luxurieux, prodigue et dpensier par nature, beaucoup plus que - Sardanapale et tous les empereurs Romains pris ensemble. J'ai donc - besoin d'un autre moi! ("passez-moi le mot") qui gagne normment - d'argent pour moi. Vous n'oubliez pas cela, et m'enverrez sous peu - de temps quelques millions, vols par mon remplaant aux - admirateurs innombrables que j'ai l'aiss en Angleterre. J'y pense - bien, je trouve que c'est l le point dcisif, de la sorte que je - vous donne le conseil final, de faire apprendre mon remplaant - seulement ce que je n'ai jamais appris-moi; cela veut dire faire de - l'argent--"make money"--mais beaucoup! Beaucoup! Enormment - beaucoup! - - Voil ma bndiction:--que Dieu m'exance!! - - Quant Richard Wagner l'an, je ne puis vous donner que des - nouvelles peu agrables: il se trane travers la vie comme un - fardeau. Sa seule rjouissance est son travail; son plus grand - dplaisir est quand il perd l'envie de travailler; mais la cause de - sa mort sera un jour le sort terrible auquel il lui faut livrer ses - travaux, la mutilation et la destruction parfaite par des - excutants btes ou mrchants; contre lesquels il lui est dfendu - de protger son oeuvre, puisqui'il est exil de l, o il est - excut. (Pensez donc mon remplaant!) Tout autre malheur ne me - touche plus fortement: mais celui-l me touche au coeur et aux - entrailles. Sous de telles influences je perds quelques fois, - l'envie de travailler parfaitement et pour longtemps: ces poques - sont terribles, car alors il ne me resto rien, rien pour me - soulager. Aux derniers mois j'ai regagn heureusement un peu mon - ancien zle, et je travaillais assez bien au second de nos drames - musicals; que je voulais finir Londres (so't que j'tais!) - Malheureusement j'tais forc de passer les dernires sermaines au - lit, en proie d'une maladie, long temps cache en moi, et enfin - clate--j'espre mon salut. Je viens de quitter le lit hier, et - me voil aujourdhui la table pour vous crire. Soyez indulgent, - et pardonnez-moi le tas de btises que je vous envoie avec cette - lettre; mon crit ne sera pas probablement mieux que ma - conversation, qui tait bien triste et bto. Mais nanmoins vous - m'avez vou votre amiti, car vous savez lire entre les lignes de - ma conversation. Soyez bien cordialement remerci pour ce - bien-fait! Maintenant soyez heureuse, ce qu'on est qu'au milieu de - dsagrements et de souffrances de toute sorte--par un coeur plein - de compassion, de cette compassion qui s'gaie aussi - l'apperception d'un sourire de l'autrui, mme si ce n'tait que le - sourire exalt de la mlancolie. Par example:-- - - Vive le punch et la salade de hommard! Vive Lders qui la - prparait! Vive Ferdinand qui devorait les os! Vive Sainton qui - venait tard, mais qui venait! Vive Klindworth, quine mangeait et ne - buvait pas, mais qui assistait! Vive, vive Lonie, qui riait de - compassion de notre hilarit! Cela n'tait pas si mal! Soyons - reconnaissants, et restons amis! Et vous ma chre mre? restez ma - soeur! - -Adieu. -Votre -RICHARD WAGNER l'an. - - P.S. La prochaine lettre sera Sainton. Je ne puis pas dpenser - autant de Franais dans un jour!-- - - 3^{D} Novembre, 1855. - -[Sidenote: _INVITED TO AMERICA._] - - -ANSICHT VON KIRHAUSE SONNENBERG AUF -SEELISBERG, CT. URI. - - MY DEAR SISTER: Now, then, I am going to write to you in French. - May heaven help you to understand something of it, for I fear it - will not be an easy matter. I shall not, however, be foolish enough - to give myself the trouble of making fine phrases. That I leave to - Dr. Wylde,[19] who, no doubt, understands that much better than he - does composing. Rather do I prefer to put down on paper some - stupidities of my own, which will have no relation either to a dead - or living language. - - Now, I congratulate you, my sister, in being doubly mother.[20] - The event, Ferdinand had announced to me some time ago, I had - foreseen, by means of prophetic vision generated during my stay in - London; for whilst I was wishing myself to the devil--that is to - say, out of the world--I perceived that Providence was preparing to - fill the gap, by sending into the world a substitute. But the same - Providence made a mistake, as He occasionally does (this, remember, - is quite confidential!); the devil has not yet wanted me; I have - remained in the world, as you shall see, through sheer obstinacy, - and my other self has arrived whilst I am still living, so that now - there are two Richard Wagners!! - - I am not surprised, then, at the event, which, by my resolve to - quit the world, I had in some measure prepared (this without the - slightest offence to Ferdinand); but fate having ordained - otherwise, I have the rare pleasure of living at the same time with - my future substitute, of making his personal acquaintance, of - coming to some understanding with him about conducting the concerts - of the Philharmonic Society; in short, upon a thousand things of - the greatest importance, which could not conveniently be arranged - at such an enormous distance as that of the other world to this. So - the event has been quite a success. But I must ever regret to have - caused you so much pain and suffering on that account. I say it, - you know, always without any offence to Ferdinand. Think, then, of - the great personal relief I have just experienced at the news of - your convalescence, and believe in the warm-hearted sincerity of my - congratulations. - - I have no other care now but to come to an understanding as quickly - as possible with my other self, respecting our united efforts to - conquer the world before I myself (_i.e._ Richard Wagner the elder) - leave it. I therefore entreat you to keep me well informed of the - exact state of the development of my substitute. Even at this very - moment I very much need his help. - - I have received an invitation from America to conduct at New York - and Boston. In addition to a thousand other things I have been - promised very large receipts. It is, however, quite impossible for - me to accept; that must be the province of Richard Wagner the - younger. When will he be able to accept the invitation? I beg of - you to be very explicit on this point. Further, I have a multitude - of projects and subjects for operas in my head. Ferdinand imagines - them under the roof of my house; he is mistaken, my house is - myself, the roof my skull. But, alas, I have neither the time nor - the requisite tranquillity to release them from the prison-house in - which they are confined: that also, then, must be the work of my - other self; and when he has liberated them he may give what he - likes of them to his father to set to music. When will he be - developed enough for this pressing work? Be prompt in your reply on - this point. Ask Ferdinand if it is not important! Ah! good heavens! - there are such a number of other things which we must arrange - together that an early conference is imperative. - - Do you know Dr. Wylde? Well, I am expecting an invitation from him - to give him lessons in the "music of the future." But will not - Richard Wagner the younger be better fitted than I to teach that - kind of music, since he is still more closely connected with the - future? What think you? There is no time to lose. Make haste with - the little education absolutely necessary for ripening the - faculties of my _alter ego_, and telegraph to me the moment the - time has arrived--that time of complete development so anxiously - waited for by me. Is it not so, dear sister Lonie? Eh! my mother - (you understand!) Now you must not fail to remember this. - - But above all, you must not omit to teach my _alter ego_ to make - money, the one talent of all others which, by some incomprehensible - fault in my education, has never been cultivated. And this causes - me sometimes (_i.e._ always) horrible anxieties, since by nature I - am luxurious, prodigal, and extravagant, much more than - Sardanapalus and all the old Roman emperors put together. In this I - am sadly in want of another self (pardon me for saying so), who - will gain money enormously. Now be sure and do not forget this and - send me as soon as possible a few millions, stolen by my double - from the innumerable admirers I have left behind in England! On - pondering over the situation, I perceive that herein lies the - crucial point, so that my last entreaty is that you instruct my - other self in that which I have never learnt, viz. making - money--make money--but much! Much! Enormously much! - - This is my prayer; may heaven hearken to me! - - [Sidenote: _AFTER A LONG ILLNESS._] - - Of Richard Wagner the elder I can only give you poor news. He drags - himself through life as a burden. His only delight is his work. His - greatest sorrow, the loss of desire to work. The cause of his - death will one day be the terrible fate to which he cannot help - exposing his works, _i.e._ to their mutilation and complete - destruction by stupid or wicked executants, from whom he is - powerless of protecting them, since he is an exile from that land - where they are being performed. (Think, therefore, of my _alter - ego_!) No other misfortune affects me so keenly. This touches me to - the heart, to the very core. It is when under such feelings that I - occasionally lose completely--yes, even for a long time--the desire - to work. These periods are terrible, for then nothing remains, - nothing to comfort me. During the last few months I had happily - regained a little of my old enthusiasm, and I had been working - pretty well at the second of my musical dramas, which I had hoped - to finish in London (fool that I was!). But alas, I have been - confined, during the last few weeks, to my bed, a prey to a long - latent illness, which, having at last broken out, I hope has been - the saving of my life. I only left my sick-bed yesterday, and here - I am to-day at my table, writing to you. Be indulgent, and excuse - the mass of nonsense I am sending you in this letter. My - correspondence will probably be no better than my conversation, - which was very dull and stupid. But nevertheless, you vowed to me - your friendship, for you know how to read between the lines of my - conversation. I thank you very heartily for that kindness! - - Now be happy, although one lives in the midst of annoyances and - sufferings of all kinds--for it is only by a heart full of - compassion which brightens up even at the perception of a smile - from another, though it be but the forced smile of melancholy. - - Three cheers for the punch and lobster salad! Long live Lders, who - prepared it! Long live Ferdinand, who devoured the bones! Long live - Sainton, who came late, but who came! Long live Klindworth, who - neither ate nor drank, but who was present! Long live, long live - Lonie, who laughed sympathetically at our boisterousness! That was - not so bad. Let us be grateful, and let us remain friends. And you, - my dear mother, remain my sister. - -Adieu. -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER THE ELDER. - - NOVEMBER 3d, 1855. - - P.S. The next letter will be to Sainton. I cannot dole out so much - French in one day. - -The next letter, written three months after the preceding, is of -interest in showing that Wagner kept up the practice of his daily -promenade. - - DEAREST FRIEND: Thanks for your beautiful London notice, which I - have just read in Brendel's "Zeitschrift." As I am thoroughly - acquainted with all the circumstances, I pronounce it excellent; in - short, so important, and so always hitting the mark, that were I - not the leading subject I should have much less restraint in - praising it. - - Be assured that the remembrance I seem to have left with you will - always remain one of my most cherished thoughts. That I was so - fortunate to create a good opinion in you, is to me exhilarating - and touching. After all, what a lot of trouble we both had to - endure. Be content with these few words, written immediately after - reading your notice, and just before taking my accustomed stroll, - and be assured that they contain much joy. - - Farewell, dearest Ferdinand, and continue to love me. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - Many, many hearty greetings for sister Lonie and the god-child! - - Adieu. - - ZURICH, 15th January, 1856. - -Again was Wagner laid upon a sick-bed. One anxiety seems to have -possessed his mind--the longing to complete the "Walkre." The following -letter is of importance, since it shows the composer's frame of mind -during the composition of the above work, a state of "pure despair" -which, says Wagner, could alone have created it:-- - -[Sidenote: _THE "WALKRE" POETRY._] - - Best thanks, dearest friend for your letters. You are right; I have - again been laid on a sick-bed, and when at last I became - convalescent I was in a perfect rage to get to the score of my - "Walkre" (in the composition of which I have been hindered for - the last year). So much do I long to finish it that I have entirely - ceased letter-writing. Altogether, the older one grows, that is to - say, in sense and reason, the more the worldly events of every-day - life dwindle away into nothingness. That which one experiences in - the inward heart becomes more and more difficult to explain. I do - not mean to say that the events one has passed through, and which - have touched you most intimately, cease to exist to live on; no, - no; therefore I assure you that you and your family are ever - vividly before me, yet as soon as one commences to write one finds - after all there is nothing of real worth to put down. On the whole, - we can only agree with each other, then there remains nothing but - actual occurrences, views, and intentions to discuss. In these my - life at present is as poor as my art creations are prolific, and - which, indeed, are surging to the surface and becoming richer and - richer. When you come to me, and I play my works to you, you will - agree with me. In so far as the world has a claim upon me I can - point solely to my work. I have nothing else to offer to it. - - If you read the poetry of the "Walkre" again, you will find such a - superlative of sorrow, pain, and despair expressed therein, that - you will understand me when I say the music terribly excites me. I - could not again accomplish a similar work. When it is once - finished, much will then appear quite different (looking at the - work as an art whole), and will afford enjoyment, whereas nothing - but pure despair could have created it. But we shall see! - - Altogether I live so secluded and retired that I feel at a loss - when I am anxious to talk to you about it. I look forward to the - time of Liszt's coming to me as a bracing up of my heart. Alas! on - account of illness, I was compelled last winter to put off the - visit. About the illness in your little family I take a hearty - interest. In your new garden I picture you gambolling with your - children. How I wish that I had a little house with a little garden - attached; alas! an enjoyment hitherto unattainable. - - At first I was tolerably indifferent about the sad - conflagration,[21] but when I thought of Sainton it became painful - to me. Now I hear that Gye has managed to continue his opera - notwithstanding, and therefore Sainton's income, no doubt, will not - be endangered, and the misfortune overcome! That he now plays - under Wylde amuses me much. It was ridiculous that he had to resign - the Old Philharmonic. After all, Costa has succeeded in this! When - I recall my London visit, I find I do not remember much except the - friends I left there; they are all that remind me of it--happily! - - But now try and come to visit me. For my operas wait until you hear - them produced by me. Now you can get a very inadequate impression - of them. If, therefore, you desire more of me, come to me yourself; - in so doing you will give me great pleasure. I remain here during - the summer. If I can arrange it, I intend going in the autumn with - Semper to Rome; at least, such is my present hope. But continue to - give me frequent news of you, and be assured that in so doing you - give the greatest gratification to - -Your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - Greet your dear wife heartily for me; she is to continue to hold me - in good remembrance. Happiness and prosperity to my godchild! - - Kiss poor Lders a thousand times; I shall soon inquire more - precisely after Bumpus. - -Adieu, -R. W. - - ZURICH, 28th March, 1856. - -[Sidenote: _TROUBLED BY SCHOPENHAUER._] - -The next letter is again dated from Zurich:-- - - That's right, dearest Ferdinandus, to determine to leave Richard - Wagner of the future to come to the R. W. of the present. My _alter - ego_ will not regret it. When you are here I will hammer out the - "Walkre" to you, and I hope it will force its way from ear to - heart. Then there is a bit of the "Siegfried," and that, too, must - I sing to you. How my head is full of projects for work! - - Minna is very delighted at the prospect of seeing you, and says she - will treat you as a brother. I have told her how heartily you enter - into the mysteries of household matters, and are of just that - temperament to agree with her, and appreciate that domestic skill - for which I am totally unfitted. To me also your presence will be a - delight, for I can talk to you with open heart, and have much to - say to you. Now see that you do not let anything intervene that - shall prevent your coming. I am just now full of work, and when you - are here I shall work all the same. Some hours during the morning - shall be devoted to work while you shall be sent upstairs to deeply - study Schopenhauer, and then shall we not argue and discuss like - orators in the old Athenian lyceum! Two months, and you will be - with me! ah! that is good! Then bring all your brain-power, all - your keen penetration, for you shall explain to me some obscure - passages in that best of writers, Schopenhauer, which now torment - me exceedingly. He will, perhaps, cause you many researches of the - heart, so you must come fully equipped with all your intellectual - faculties in the full vigorous glow of health, and then I promise - myself some happy hours. And what shall be your reward? Well, the - "Walkre" shall entreat you, and man, the original man, "Siegfried" - shall show you what he is! Now, good, dear friend, come! - - Mind, now, no English restraint and propriety; bother that - invisible old lady, Mrs. Grundy, that hovers over the English - horizon, ruling with a rod of iron what is supposed to be proper - and virtuous! - - Heartiest greetings to dear sister Lonie, and tell her that her - son, Richard Wagner the elder, sends his best affection to the - younger, and inquires whether he has yet been taught how to make - money. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - P.S. Ferdinand, bring me a packet of snuff from that shop in Oxford - Street, you know, where you got it before for me. - -R. W. - - ZURICH, May, 1856. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -ZURICH, 1856. - - -In the summer of 1856 I spent two months under Wagner's roof at Zurich. -As it was holiday time for me, and Wagner had no engagements of any -importance, we passed the whole period in each other's society debating, -in a most earnest, philosophical, logical manner, art matters, most of -our discussions taking place during our rambles upon the mountains. - -One figure I found in that quiet, tastily arranged chalet, who filled a -large portion of Wagner's life; to whom, first, Wagner owed an unpayable -debt, and then that wide world of countless ones which has been enriched -by the artist's creations. But that solitary, heroic Minna is, it -seems--judging from the many writings which have appeared of the -master--likely to be forgotten. Her glory is obscured by the more -brilliant luminary that succeeded her. Still a domestic picture of the -creator of the "Walkyrie," whilst that work was actually in hand, is of -interest, as herein we see the man, the actual man, the human being, -with his irritabilities and good humour, all under the gentle sway of a -soft-hearted, brave woman. - -[Sidenote: _CHARACTER OF MINNA._] - -Nor should the reader think that the worth of Wagner's first wife is -here over-estimated through partiality. There is another witness to her -good qualities, who certainly will not be suspected of friendly -feeling, viz. Count von Beust, the Saxon minister, who vigorously and -unrelentingly persecuted the so-called revolutionist in 1849. Beust knew -Minna in Dresden, and what he then learnt of the chapel master's wife -was not obliterated by forty years active participation in the -diplomatic subtleties of European politics. In his autobiography,[22] -published the latter end of 1886, he speaks of Minna's amiable -character, and describes her as an excellent woman. - -Minna may be spoken of as a comely woman. Gentle and active in her -movements, unobtrusive in speech and bearing, possessing a forethought -akin to divination, she administered to her husband's wants before he -knew them himself. It was this lovable foresight of the woman which -caused such a horrible vacancy in Wagner's life when, later, Minna left -him, a break which he so bitterly bemoaned, and which all the adoration -and wealth of Louis of Bavaria could not atone for. As a housewife she -was most efficient. In their days of distress she cheerfully performed -what are vulgarly termed menial services. In this she is as fitting a -parallel of Mrs. Carlyle, as Wagner is of Carlyle. Both the men were -thinkers, aye, and "original" thinkers (which in Carlyle's estimation -was "the event of all others," a fact of superlative importance). They -both elected hard fare, nay, actual deprivation, to submission to the -unrealities, and both are educators of our teachers: and Minna's efforts -in the house and sustaining Wagner in the dark days is the pendant of -Mrs. Carlyle's scrubbing the floors of the little house at Scotsbrig in -the wilds of Scottish moors. But though Minna was not the intellectual -equal of this cultured Scottish lady, she is not to be confounded with -the German housewife, so often erroneously spoken of as a sort of head -cook. She was eminently practical, and full of remedies for sickness. - -[Sidenote: _NOT A TRUE PESSIMIST._] - -In art, however, Minna could not comprehend the gifts of her husband. He -was an idealist; she, a woman alive to our mundane existence and its -necessities. She worshipped afar off, receiving all he said without -inquiry. In their early years their common youth glossed over -difficulties. Moreover, Wagner was not in the full possession of his -wings. He knew not his own power. For him exile was the turning-point of -his greatness, the crucible wherein was destroyed the dross of his art, -the fire from which he emerged, the teacher of a purified art. Exile was -the period of his literary achievements. There was the test of his -greatness. "A man thinks he has something to say. He indulges in an -abundance of spoken language, but when in the quiet of his study he -seeks to transfix on paper the fleeting theories of his brain, then is -he face to face with himself, with actualities. And in exile Wagner -first sought to set down in writing the theories which hitherto, in a -limited manner only, had governed his work."[23] From this -self-examination Wagner rose up nobler and stronger. And here it was -that Minna failed to keep pace with him. She had been a singer and an -actress, and could, in a manner, interpret his work, but the meaning of -it lay deep, hidden from her. It was not her fault, yet she was to -suffer for it. Still I must point out that all Wagner's works were -created during the period of his first marriage. His union with Cosima -von Blow is dated 25th August, 1870, since which time "Gtterdmmerung" -(a poem written in 1848) and "Parsifal" only, have been given to the -world. - -While I was with Wagner it was his invariable habit to rise at the good -hour of half-past six in the morning. If Minna was not about, he would -go to the piano, and soon would be heard, at first softly, then with odd -harmonies, full orchestral effects, as it were, "Get up, get up, thou -merry Swiss-boy." That was his fun. Early breakfast would be served in -the garden, after which Wagner would hand me "Schopenhauer," with my -allotted task for the morning study. This plan, though Wagner's, was one -which coincided happily with my own inclinations. I was, as it were, -ordered up to my room, there to ponder over the arguments of the -pessimistic philosopher, and so be well prepared for discussion at the -dinner-table, or later, during our regular daily stroll. - -Now to me Schopenhauer was not the original great thinker that Wagner -considered him. Some of his most prominent points I had found enunciated -already by Burke, that eloquent and vigorous writer, in his "Enquiring -into the Origin of our Ideas on the Sublime and Beautiful." The -personally well attested statement that "the ideas of pain are much more -powerful than those which enter on the part of pleasure," was so well -reasoned by Burke, that Wagner induced me to read the whole of that -author's work to him. - -Wagner a pessimist! So he would have had every one believe then, and for -some time later too. But my impression then and now is that, as with a -good many people, pessimism is only pre-eminent when fortune fails to -favour. This feeling is confirmed by an extract recently published from -certain manuscripts found after Wagner's death: "He who does not strive -to find joy in life is unworthy to live." Certainly this was not the -utterance of Wagner in the dark days of his work. While on this subject -I may recall one incident which has remained prominently with me because -of the locality where it occurred. We were on the top of one of the -heights overlooking the Zurich Lake, discussing the much debated -Schopenhauer, when I observed that pessimism, in a well-balanced mind, -could only lead to optimism, on the ground that, "what cannot be cured -must be endured," and jocularly cited from Brant's "Narrenschiff," -written in the quaint language of the fifteenth century:-- - - Wer sorget ob die genss gaut blos, - Und fegen will all goss und stross, - Und eben machen berg und tal - Der hat keyn freyd, raw beral. - - He who shall fret that the geese have no dress, - The sweeper will be of street, road and mess. - He who would level both valley and hill - Shall have of life's gifts no joy, but the ill. - -Wagner stopped, shouted with exultation, and then commenced probing my -knowledge of one of our earliest German poets. He assumed the part, as -it were, of a schoolmaster, and so when we arrived home, in a boyish -manner, he, delighted, called aloud to Minna before the garden gate was -opened, "Ach, Ferdinand knows all about my pet poets." - -[Sidenote: _THE BIRTH OF "TRISTAN."_] - -Every morning after breakfast he would read to Minna her favourite -newspaper, "Das Leipziger Tageblatt," a paper renowned for its prosy -character. Imagination and improvisation played her some woeful tricks. -With a countenance blameless of any indication of the improviser, he -would recite a story, embellishing the incidents until their colouring -became so overcharged with the ludicrous, that Minna would exclaim, "Ah, -Richard, you have again been inventing." - -He had spoken to me of Godfrey von Strassburg, saying, "To-morrow I will -read you something good." He did next day read me "Tristan" in his -study, and we spoke long and earnestly as to its adaptability for -operatic treatment. Events have shown it to have been the ground-work of -the music-drama of the same name. But at the time he spoke, it appeared -to me he had no thought of utilizing it as a libretto. This intention -only presented itself to his mind while we three were at breakfast on -the following day. He was reading the notices in the Leipzic paper with -customary variation, when, without any indication, he dropped the paper -onto his knees, gazed into space, and seemed as though he were in a -trance, nervously moving his lips. What did this portend? Minna had -observed the movement, and was about to break the silence by addressing -Wagner. Happily, she caught my warning glance and the spell remained -unbroken. We waited until Wagner should move. When he did, I said, "I -know what you have been doing." "No," he answered, somewhat abruptly, -"how can you?" "Yes; you have been composing the love-song we were -speaking of yesterday, and the story is going to shape itself into a -drama!" "You are right as to the composition, but--the libretto--I will -reflect." Such is the history of the first promptings of that wondrous -creation, "Tristan and Isolde." - -But how, how did this Titanic genius compose? Did he, like dear old papa -Haydn, perform an elaborate toilet, donning his best coat, and pray to -be inspired before setting himself to his writing-table away from the -piano? or were his surroundings and method akin to those of -Beethoven?--a room given over to muddle and confusion, the Bonn master -writing, erasing, re-writing, and again scratching out, while _at_ the -piano! Well, distinctly, Wagner had nothing in common with Haydn. The -style of Beethoven is far removed from him as regards the state of his -working-room. I am desirous there should be no misunderstanding on -Wagner's method of composing, because I find that my testimony is in -conflict with some published statements on this subject, from those -whose names carry some weight. - -[Sidenote: _WORKING AT THE PIANO._] - -Wagner composed at the piano, in an elegantly well arranged study. With -him composing was a work of excitement and much labour. He did not shake -the notes from his pen as pepper from a caster. How could it be -otherwise than labour with a man holding such views as his? Listen to -what he says: "For a work to live, to go down to future generations, it -must be reflective," and again in "Opera and Drama," written about this -time, "A composer, in planning and working out a great idea, must pass -through a kind of parturition." Mark the word "parturition." Such it was -with him. He laboured excessively. Not to find or make up a phrase; no, -he did not seek his ideas at the piano. He went to the piano with his -idea already composed, and made the piano his sketch-book, wherein he -worked and reworked his subject, steadily modelling his matter until it -assumed the shape he had in his mind. The subject of representative -themes was discussed much by us, and he explained to me that he felt -chained to the piano until he had found precisely that which shaped -itself before his mental vision. I had one morning retired to my room -for the Schopenhauer study, when the piano was pounded--yes, pounded is -the exact word--more vigorously than usual. The incessant repetition of -one theme arrested my attention. Schopenhauer was discarded. I came down -stairs. The theme was being played with another rhythm. I entered the -room. "Ah!" he exclaimed, "you have been listening!" "Who could help -it?" was my answer. "Your vigorous playing fascinated me more than -skilful philosophical dialectics!" And then I inquired as to the reason -of the change of rhythm. The explanation astonished me. Wagner was -engaged on a portion of "Siegfried," the scene where Mime tells -Siegfried of his murderous intentions whilst under the magic influence -of the tarn helm. "But how did you come to change the rhythm?" "Oh," he -said, "I tried and tried, thought and thought, until I got just what I -wanted." And that it was perseverance with him, and not spontaneity, is -borne out by another incident. The Wesendoncks were at the chalet. -Wagner was at the piano, anxious to shine, doubtless, in the presence of -a lady who caused such unpleasantness in his career later on. He was -improvising, when, in the midst of a flowing movement, he suddenly -stopped, unable to finish. I laughed. Wagner became angry, but I -jocularly said, "Ah, you got into a _cul-de-sac_ and finished _en queue -de poisson_." He could not be angry long, and joined in the laugh too, -confessing to me that he was only at his best when reflecting. - -The morning's work over, Wagner's practice was to take a bath -immediately. His old complaint, erysipelas, had induced him to try the -water cure, for which purpose he had been to hydropathic establishments, -and he continued the treatment with as much success as possible in the -chalet. - -[Sidenote: _THE RHINE MAIDENS' MUSIC._] - -The animal spirits and physical activity of Wagner have before been -referred to by me. He really possessed an unusual amount of physical -energy, which, at times, led him to perform reckless actions. One day he -said to Minna, "We must do something to give Praeger some pleasure, to -give him a joyful memento of his visit; let us take him to -Schaffhausen," and though I remonstrated with him on account of his -work, he insisted, and so we went. We stayed there the night. Breakfast -was to be in the garden of the hotel. The hour arrived, but Wagner was -not to be found. Search in all directions, without results. We hear a -shout from a height. Behold! Wagner, the agile, mounted on the back of a -plaster lion, placed on the top of a giddy eminence! And how he came -down! The recklessness of a school-boy was in all his movements. We were -in fear; he laughed heartily, saying he had gone up there to get an -appetite for breakfast. The whole incident was a repetition of Wagner's -climbing the roof of the Dresden school-house when he was a lad. Going -to and returning from Schaffhausen, Wagner took first-class railway -tickets. Now in Switzerland, first-class travelling is confined to a -very few, and those only the wealthiest, so that Minna expostulated with -him. This was typical. As he described himself, he was more luxurious -than Sardanapalus, though he lived then on the generosity of his friends -to enjoy such comfort. Minna was the housewife, and strove to curb the -unlimited desires of a man who had not the wherewithal to purchase his -excess. And Wagner was not to be controlled, for he not only travelled -first-class, but also telegraphed to Zurich to have a carriage in -waiting for us. - -At Zurich Wagner had a sense of his growing power, and he cared not for -references to his early youthful struggles. I remember an old Magdeburg -singer, with her two daughters, calling to see her old comrade. The -mother and her daughters sang the music of the Rhine maidens, Wagner -accompanying, and they acquitted themselves admirably. But when the old -actress familiarly insisted on taking a pinch of snuff from Wagner's -box, and told stories of the Magdeburg days, then did Wagner resent the -familiarity in a marked manner. - -When they finished singing, Minna asked me: "Is it really so beautiful -as you say? It does not seem so to me, and I am afraid it would not -sound so to others." Such observations as these show where Minna was -unable to follow Wagner, and the estrangement arising from -uncongeniality of artistic temperament. - -When I was at Zurich, Wagner showed me two letters from august -personages. First, the Duke of Coburg offered him a thousand dollars and -two months' residence in the palace, if he would score an opera for him. -The offer was refused, for he said, "Look, now, though I want the money -sadly, yet I cannot and will not score the duke's opera." - -The second letter was from a count, favourite of the emperor of Brazil. -The emperor was an unknown admirer of Wagner's, it appears, and was -desirous of commissioning Wagner to compose an opera, which he would -undertake should be performed at the Italian opera house, Rio Janeiro, -under his own special direction. Wagner did not care to expatriate -himself to this extent, but the offer spurred him on to compose an -opera, which he said, "shall be full of melody." He did write his opera, -and it was "Tristan and Isolde." - -How was Wagner as a revolutionist at this time? Well, one of his old -Dresden friends came to see him, Gottfried Semper. We spoke of the sad -May days, and poor August Roeckel. Again did Wagner evade the topic, or -speak slightly of it. The truth is, he was ready to pose as the saviour -of a people, but was not equally ready to suffer exile for patriotic -actions, and so he sought to minimize the part he had played in 1849. It -appears from "The Memoires of Count Beust," to which I have before -alluded, that Wagner also sought to minimize his May doings, by speaking -of them as unfortunate, when he called upon the minister after his exile -had been removed, on which Beust retorted, "How unfortunate! Are you not -aware that the Saxon government possesses a letter wherein you propose -burning the prince's palace?" I am forced to the conclusion that Wagner -would have torn out that page from his life's history had it been -possible. - -[Sidenote: _DOMESTIC TROUBLES GATHERING._] - -During my stay I saw Minna's jealousy of another. She refused to see in -the sympathy of Madame Wesendonck for Wagner as a composer, that for -the artist only. It eventually broke out into a public scandal, and -filled the opposition papers with indignant reproaches about Wagner's -ingratitude toward his friend. On leaving Zurich I went to Paris. There -I wrote to Wagner an expostulatory letter, alluding to a couple of plays -with which we were both familiar, viz. "The Dangerous Neighbourhood" and -"The Public Secret," with a view of warning him privately in such a -manner that Minna should not understand should she chance to read my -letter. The storm burst but too soon. Wagner wrote to me while I was -still in Paris: "The devil is loose. I shall leave Zurich at once and -come to you in Paris. Meet me at the Strassburg station." ... But two -days after, this was cancelled by another letter, an extract from which -I give. - - Matters have been smoothed over, so that I am not compelled to - leave here. I hope we shall be quite free from annoyance in a short - time; but ach, the virulence, the cruel maliciousness of some of my - enemies.... - -I can testify Wagner suffered severely from thoughtlessness. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -1857-1861. - - -[Sidenote: _A STAY IN VENICE._] - -From the time I left Zurich in the autumn of 1856, to the untoward fate -of "Tannhuser," at Paris, in March, 1861, of the several letters which -passed between Richard Wagner and me I reproduce the few following, as -possessing more than a personal interest. - -On the 17th July he writes:-- - - Hard have I toiled at "Siegfried," for work, work, is my only - comfort. Unable to return to the fatherland! Cruel! cruel! and why? - The efforts of the grand duke[24] are fruitless; one hopes for the - best, but that best comes not. Eh! is not Schopenhauer right? Is - not the degree of my torment more intense than that of any joy I - have experienced? Here I am working alone, with no seeming - probability of my compositions ever being performed as I yearn for. - My efforts are in vain, and then when I look round and see what is - being done at the theatres,--the list of their representations - _fills me with rage_,--such unrealities! - - You tell me that Goethe says, "The genius cannot help himself, and - that the demon of fate seizes him by the nape of the neck, and - forces him to work _nolens volens_." And must I work on without a - chance of being heard? _Nous verrons_.... - - But listen, Ferdinandus! I am pondering over the Tristan legend. It - is marvellous how that work constantly leaps from out the darkness - into full life, before my mental vision. Wait until next summer, - and then you shall "hear something"! But now my health is poor, and - I am out of spirits.... - - Keep me in thy love. - -Thine, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -Not long after the above reached me, Wagner's health did begin to give -way, so that his next letter is dated:-- - - -VENICE, October, 1858. - - Yes; I have been long in writing, but you are a second me and - understand the cause. Since I have been here I have been very ill. - I have sought to avoid all correspondence, and have endeavoured to - restore my somewhat shattered self. Thank sister Lonie for her - account of my _alter ego_. Poor little fellow! he is in terribly - wondrous sympathy with me. Perhaps, were he here, we might together - come through our pains triumphantly.... What was good news for me - was that "Lohengrin" was done at Vienna, though I cannot understand - how it can be adequately given without me. Only "hearty love and - good-will could conquer.... - -Your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - [Sidenote: _THE TRIALS OF GENIUS._] - - - -Wagner appears to have stayed at Venice through the winter of 1858-59, -going in the spring of 1859 to Lucerne. It was from this latter place he -wrote to me that he meant to go to Paris. - -Strange the fascination Paris possessed for Wagner! He always spoke -against it, yet when his fortunes were at the lowest, it was towards -Paris that he turned for succour. He has told me that he felt the French -were in a manner gifted in art as no other European people; that they -inherited a perception of the beautiful and sense of the delicate -refinement to a degree beyond that of other nations, though he saw it in -an artificiality which gave it an unsound basis. And thinking of -Meyerbeer, he felt the French to be generous in their treatment of -aliens. So, in the autumn of 1859, again he attempts the conquest of -Paris. He wrote to me, asking for an introduction to certain friends who -would assist him in securing the legal copyright of his compositions. I -took steps to put him into communication with the desired advisers, and -he then did his best to make friends in all directions. He became -popular; gave musical parties, inviting art celebrities, beside -musicians. Minna was with him. They brought some of the furniture and -hangings from their Swiss chalet, and transformed the house of Octave -Feuillet, which Richard Wagner had taken, into the same agreeable and -pleasant abode as at Zurich. Of course there was the usual opposition -party, and they made the most out of the upholstery, charging Wagner in -the press with keeping his house like that of a _lorette_, and behaving -altogether with the vanity and ostentation of an Eastern potentate. - -"Look here," said he to me, when I was with him in Paris, "now you know -this furniture, and how carefully Minna has preserved it, and yet see -how I am treated." He was desirous of replying to the press notices, but -I endeavoured to dissuade him. He went to the Rue Newton, a street -situated on the left hand of the Champs Elyse, beyond the Rondpoint, -because it was quieter than the Rue Martignan, and he had trees near -him. The Rue Martignan was the first he went to on returning to Paris, -and where I visited him. It was in the Rue Newton, however, that his -reunions took place. - -And who were present at these gatherings? Well, occasionally men of -note: Villot, famed as the recipient of that lengthy exposition of -Wagner's views in the shape of a letter; Gasparini, a medical gentleman -from the south of France; Champfleury, an enthusiastic pamphleteer who -wrote then, and published his views of Wagner; and Olivier, the husband -of Cosima Blow's eldest sister. There doubtless were others, but I do -not know. What I do know is that I marvelled much at some of the -visitors who found themselves in Wagner's salon. A very mixed assembly. -At one of his receptions, while Wagner was singing (in his way) and -accompanying himself at the piano, I remember an old lady (a Jewess) who -snored painfully audibly while Wagner was at the piano. Aroused by the -applause of the others, she suddenly burst into grunts of approval, -clapping her hands at the same time. I expostulated with Wagner. How -could he sing and play before such an audience? "How could he help it," -was his reply; to that lady he was under obligations for 200. She -resided in Manchester, and had been introduced to him by a German -friend, a Bayreuth figure, known to all pilgrims to Wahnfried. His -singing was like that of a composer who tries over at the piano all the -parts of his score. What among musicians and composers would be regarded -as a grand boon seemed to me, before the uninitiated, as a profanation. -He hardly liked such references to his performance, but conscious of -their sincerity, he fully explained his position to me. The trials which -a genius is sometimes compelled to undergo are bitter, very. - -I was one day discussing with Wagner, when he was called away by a -visitor. On his return, he told me I should never guess who it was. M. -Badjocki, chamberlain of the Emperor Napoleon III., had been directed -to arrange for a performance of "Tannhuser" at the grand opera. The -story of the "Tannhuser" disaster is now known to almost every one. I -therefore shall touch upon certain points, only particularly those with -which I am acquainted as an eyewitness, and which have not been spoken -of elsewhere. Richard Wagner told me that one day, at a reception, the -emperor had asked the Princess Metternich whether she had seen the last -opera of Prince Poniatowski. She replied, contemptuously, "I do not care -for such music." "But is it not good?" doubtingly observed the emperor. -"No," she said, curtly. "But where is better music to be got, then?" -"Why, Your Majesty, you have at the present moment the greatest German -composer that ever lived in your capital." "Who is he?" "Richard -Wagner." "Then why do they not give his operas?" "Because he is in -earnest, and would require all kinds of concessions and much money." -"Very well; he shall have _carte blanche_." This is the whole story. - -After many fluctuations, as to whether the performance would take place -or no, the translation was begun. On this were engaged at first one -Lindau and Roche, who shaped it in the rough, but so badly that it had -to be redone. This time Nuitre, a well-known poet, did it. Connected -with Roche is an incident which Wagner related to me, and perhaps has an -interest for all. - -[Sidenote: _"TANNHUSER" IN PARIS._] - -On Wagner's return to Paris, in 1859, he had some difficulty with his -luggage at the custom-house. He spoke to an officer who seemed in -command. "What is your name?" the officer inquired. "Richard Wagner." -The French officer threw himself on his knees, and embraced Wagner, -exclaiming, "Are you the Richard Wagner whose 'Tannhuser' I know so -well?" It appears Roche was an amateur, and, alighting upon Wagner's -"Tannhuser," had studied it closely. This was a good beginning in Paris -for Wagner. - -Well, Nuiter was the poet. The translation was in progress while I was -in Paris, and I was a daily witness of the combined efforts of Nuiter -and Wagner at the translation. How Wagner stormed while it was being -done. "Tannhuser" teems with references to "love," and every time such -words or references were to be rendered into French, Nuiter was -compelled to say, "No, master, it cannot be done like that,"--so many -were the possible double interpretations likely to be put upon such by -the public. To all Wagner's anger Nuiter posed a soft answer. "It shall -be all right, master; it shall be done well, if I sit up all night;" and -this was the frequent response of the poor poet. - -The rehearsal began in September, 1860, and ended the first week in -March, 1861. Wagner applied to the authorities for permission to conduct -himself. The answer came: "The general regulations connected with the -performances at the grand opera house cannot be interfered with for the -proposed representation of 'Tannhuser.'" This was communicated -officially to Wagner, and he sent the letter to me. What did happen was -that Dietsch, the composer for whom Wagner's poem, the "Flying -Dutchman," had been purchased, conducted instead. Dietsch received -Wagner's suggestions and hints in a good-natured manner, and worked as -well as he could for the success of the performance. Before the -rehearsals came to an end Wagner had become quite indifferent as to the -possible reception of "Tannhuser." The first public representation was -to take place on the 13th March, 1861. On the 12th February Wagner wrote -me the following:-- - - Come, dear old friend, now is the time when I want all my friends - about me. The opposition is malicious; fair play is no part of the - critic's stock in trade.... I have had pressure put upon me from - high quarters, urging me to give way, and that unless I bend before - the storm my proud self-will will be snapped in twain.... But I - will have none of it. I hear David[25] has been subsidized by the - members of the Jockey Club to purchase tickets of admission for - himself and gang of hirelings, who are going to protest vigorously - against their exclusion. We may, therefore, expect much rough work, - and so I want you and others to be about me. I care not for all the - mercenaries in Paris. The work of my brain, the thought and labour - I have in solitude anxiously bestowed upon it, shall not (by my - will, at any rate) be left to the mercy of a semi-inebriated, - sensual herd. Here are artists working zealously for the success of - my work, men and women really exerting themselves in an astonishing - manner. There are truly some annoyances both on the stage and in - the orchestra; but on the whole, the energy shown is wonderful.... - My indignation was at a boiling-point when Monsieur Royer - insolently observed that if Monsieur Meyerbeer contrived a ballet - for half-past eight he saw no reason why I could not follow so - popular a composer. I!... Meyerbeer! Never! Fail me not then, - Ferdinand. You will find me in the most jubilant spirits, and well - supported, but in the moment of trial it is the old faces one longs - to see about. Bring "ma mre Lonie" to witness the downfall of her - son, and to console him in his anger. If good old Lders could only - come, his quaint humour would be irresistible. Now come. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -[Sidenote: _THE JOCKEY CLUB CABAL._] - -I returned, therefore, to Paris, and went with Wagner to the final -rehearsals. At the last, the dress rehearsal, one of the chief -characters ... walked on the stage in ordinary morning attire, creating -a laugh and some confusion. Wagner might have avoided what was almost -the inevitable reception of the performance, for he told me he had -received a visit from some manager, whose name I now cannot recall, of a -theatre at St. Petersburgh, who had agreed to produce "Tannhuser" -there, provided the Paris representations were foregone. To this he -refused. Thus the Paris performances took place. - -On the 13th March we were all assembled. In a private box sat the -Princess Metternich, whose influence with the emperor had brought about -the performance. Before the princess showed herself in the box, the -noisy hissing, which greeted her from a section of the audience, -indicated the hostility present. The overture was, on the whole, well -received. Indeed, altogether, the opera created a favourable impression -among those who had not come with the avowed intention of making the -performance a failure. When the dog-whistles of the "protectors" of the -_corps-de-ballet_ were first heard, a goodly portion of the audience -rose indignantly, endeavouring to suppress the organized opposition, but -to no purpose, and the work dragged itself on to a torturing -accompaniment of strife among the audience. - -How indignant was Wagner! His excitement and anger were great. Annoyed -with himself for coming to Paris, with having so little perception in -seeking to succeed with an opera opposed to the formality where -tradition was king. But the second performance took place, all the same, -on the 18th March. Then the opposition was but little up to the end of -the first act, but from there it gathered in force. At the third and -last representation, which was on Sunday, the 24th March, the members of -the Claque appeared in force, paid again, it was commonly asserted, by -the Jockey Club. This performance decided the fate of "Tannhuser." At -this last representation I was not present. The scenic artist, Monsieur -Cambon, however, came to London and gave me a description of it. The -whistles and toy flageolets of the enemy destroyed all hope of hearing -any portion comfortably, but as far as he could gather from independent -testimony of those musicians and artists outside the opera house, -"Tannhuser" was regarded as a great work, and but for the persistent -tactics of the Jockey Club would have proved a success. Such was the -enthusiasm the work inspired in some of the artists, that Monsieur -Cambon told me he himself went specially to the Wartburgh, there to -prepare his canvas for the performances. - -There is now one point characteristic of Wagner's earnestness. He went -through the score with me before the performances, I should add, and he -told me, "I have been through it before and found many bald places, -which required filling in, and which my long experience has taught me -how to improve." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -LETTERS FROM 1861-1865. - - -From Paris Wagner went to Carlsruhe, whence he wrote to me the following -letter. The allusion in the opening phrases of his letter is to my -inability to stay for the third performance of "Tannhuser." - - You never heard such a din. It was a pity indeed you were away. I - would it had been possible to prevent it; however, it could not be - otherwise. But we did very well, until one whistle more shrill than - the rest screamed for fully a minute. It seemed an hour. Horrible! - horrible!--and my work was submitted to such an audience! Had I but - the strength--but no, my indignation is now nearly over; the joy of - being on my native soil once again, a free man, has removed a load - from me that really at moments felt insupportable. Aye, those who - have kept me from my fatherland little know how dearly they - punished me for my, perhaps, imprudence in those early Dresden - days. The sight is again reproduced before my vision, but in my joy - at being free to go--except in Saxony--where I choose, poor - August's earnest face appears before me; and he is still the - political prisoner of a power that could crush him in a moment. It - is unkingly. Those days have made me suffer so keenly in what I - love the dearest and tenderest on earth, my art, that in my - happiness at being once more home I could shut out forever that sad - past. Now I may go forward with my work. I shall not rest contented - until Saxony once again is free to me as to the birds of the air; - but how my hopes are built upon the future, and I feel all the - confidence of success. I am sick again in body just now, but I will - be conqueror. Was ever work like mine created for no purpose? Is it - miserable egoism, the stupidest vanity? It matters not what it is, - but of this I feel positive; yes, as positive as that I live, and - that is my "Tristan and Isolde," with which I am now consumed, does - not find its equal in the world's library of music. Oh, how I yearn - to hear it! I am feverish; I feel worn; perhaps that causes me to - be agitated and anxious, but my "Tristan" has been finished now - these three years and has not been heard. When I think of this I - wonder whether it will be with this as with "Lohengrin," which now - is more than thirteen years old, and has been as dead to me. But - the clouds seem breaking--are breaking. The grand duke is good. He - shows himself desirous of befriending me; no doubt intends well, - and has even proposed that I shall return to Paris to engage - singers to perform "Tristan." I am going to Vienna soon. There they - are going to give me a surprise. It is supposed to be kept a secret - from me, but a friend has informed me they are going to bring out - "Lohengrin." You will hear about it. - - Ah! I have so run away with my thoughts that I have nearly failed - to tell you what I began to say; and that is, strong pressure was - brought upon me to consent to a fourth performance of "Tannhuser." - I was officially informed that all the seats had been taken; the - public were strongly desirous of hearing an opera which had caused - such a stir in high circles, that the sale of tickets had been so - brisk that now not one was unsold. But nothing, nothing would - induce me to submit again to such debasing treatment. I would - sooner lose all hope of assistance from imperial and noble - personages, and fight my battle alone, than again appear before - such tribunal. The royalty, 60, I left for Nuiter; it was a poor - recompense.... Now commend me to sister Lonie; tell her that Minna - is grateful for her thoughtful kindness, and bids me send her a - thousand hearty greetings. - -Always thine, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - CARLSRUHE, April, 1861. - -The next letter, August, 1862, is from Biebrich, near Mayence, on the -Rhine. - -[Sidenote: _SCHNORR VON CAROLSFELD._] - - MY DEAR FRIEND: It is a long time since I wrote to you; yes, but I - have had a worrying, anxious time. I do not seem to be able to - forge ahead. Each time I feel now I am within reach of my goal, it - flies from me like a "will o' the wisp." - - No, "Tristan" has not yet been done; but it will, it will soon be - done. I have found such a Tristan as charms my soul, such a one as - will worthily enact my hero. He has been here with me for a few - days studying it. Schnorr! Ah, the alighting upon him was - miraculous! At one time last winter, so saddened and broken down - was I by successive disappointments, that I had a presentiment of - approaching death. I actually had rehearsals of "Tristan" at - Vienna, and then the proposed performance does not take place. But - now it will. Yet I dare not be too positive. If it does, Schnorr - will be grand; then you must come. Why can't you come now to me? I - am going to stay here till the end of the summer; that my poor - second self is so weakly as to compel you to go to the seaside, I - am concerned deeply. May the sea-breezes invigorate him, and soon - give his mother no cause for anxiety. But I intended telling you - how I heard Schnorr first. - - He was going to sing "Lohengrin" at Carlsruhe. I did not want him - or anybody to know I should be present, so I went secretly, for I - feared a disappointment; he is fat, and picture a corpulent Knight - of the Swan! I had not heard him before. I went, and he sang - marvellously. He was inspired, and I was enchanted; he realized my - ideal. So come now and see him; you will be delighted too.... I am - staying here because I want to superintend the printing of my - "Meistersinger." - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - - AH! DEAR FERDINAND: I am faring tolerably well; have made some good - friends, influential ones too, but that is not what I crave. - "Tristan"! that's it! I am ready to go back to Vienna at any - moment, am expecting information from there, but again have - feelings that the performance will not take place. Here, as you - have doubtless seen through the press notices, my music has been - received with an enthusiasm beyond what it ever before achieved in - Germany. Tell Lders that I called on his friends and they behaved - in the kindest manner to me. Give the dear fellow my heartiest - greetings. I would Minna were here with me; we might, in the - excitement that now moves fast around me, grow again the quiescent - pair as of yore. The whole thing is annoying. I am not in good - spirits. I move about freely, and see a number of people, but my - misery is bitter. Can you not arrange to come and be with me in the - summer, wherever I may be? Write to me a long letter of how all is - with you. - -Yours ever, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - ST. PETERSBURGH, February, 1863. - -I did not see him that year; matters could not be arranged. But since -that time the storm was gathering in intensity which was to soon break. -Minna had been in correspondence with me. Of her letters I publish -nothing. But the next from Wagner tells its own sad story in plain -language. It is dated-- - - -MARIAFELD, April, 1864. - - And so she has written to you? Whose fault was it? How could she - have expected I was to be shackled and fettered as any ordinary - cold common mortal. My inspirations carried me into a sphere she - could not follow, and then the exuberance of my heated enthusiasm - was met by a cold douche. But still there was no reason for the - extreme step; everything might have been arranged between us, and - it would have been better had it been so. Now there is a dark void, - and my misery is deep. It has struck into my health, though I - carefully attend to what you ever insist is the root of my - ills--diet. Yet I do not sleep, and am altogether in a feverish - state. It is now that I feel I have sounded my lowest note of dark - despair. What is before me? I know not! Unless I can shortly and - quickly rescue myself from this quicksand of gloom, it will engulf - me and all will then be over. Change of scene I must have. If I do - not I fear I shall sink from inanition. I like comfort, luxury--she - fettered me there--How will it end? - - Write to me soon. - -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -[Sidenote: _LUDWIG'S PRINCELY HELP._] - -But a startling change was nigh at hand. The curtain was about to rise -upon the "Wahnfried" act of the hitherto stormy drama of Richard -Wagner's life. As far as the wit of man could devise, Wagner was -henceforth to be relieved from all care and anxiety as to the future. -His wants--and be it remembered they were not few, for, on his own -confession, he stands described as "more luxurious than -Sardanapalus"--were all about to be provided for with regal liberality. -But the following extracts from a letter which conveyed to me the news, -will be noted with interest, since they give a vivid picture of the man -and his feelings, in a word, paint the human being in characters so -striking, and lay bare the workings of the heart in a manner which was -impossible for his most intimate friend to hope to achieve. It was not -wealth he wanted. Luxury when he possessed it in abundance did not -comfort him: the worship and close intimacy of a king solaced him not: -the void was sympathy, such as only a loving woman could give. The -gloomy picture he draws of desolation amidst plenty invokes our -heartiest compassion. - - DEAREST FERDINAND: I owe it to you that you should be informed of - what my joy--clouded though it is by certain thoughts--has been - during the last few weeks. Such a state of intoxication have I been - cast into, that it has been as though I were another being than - myself, and I but a dazed reflection of the real mortal. It is a - state of living in another atmosphere, like that induced by the - drinking of hasheesh. A message from the sun-god has come to me; - the young king of Bavaria, a young man not yet twenty years of age, - has sent for me, and resolves to give me all I require in this - life, I in return to do nothing but compose and advise him. He - urges me strongly to be near him; sends for me sometimes two and - even three times in one day; talks with me for hours, and is, as - far as I can see, devoted heart and soul to me. There is but one - name for him--a god-like youth. But though I have now at my - command a profusion of unlimited means, my feeling of isolation is - torturing. With no one to realize and enjoy with me this limitless - comfort, a feeling of weariness and desolation is induced which - keeps me in a constant state of dejection terrible to bear. The - commonest domestic details now must be done by me; the purchasing - of kitchen utensils and such kindred matters am I driven to--Ah! - poor Beethoven! Now is it forcibly brought home to me what his - discomforts were with his washing-book, and engaging of - housekeepers, etc., etc. I who have praised woman more than - Frauenlob, have not one for my companion. The truth is, I have - spoilt Minna: too much did I indulge her, too much did I yield to - her; but it were better not to talk upon a subject which never - ceases to vex me. The king strives his utmost to gratify me, and if - I do not seem happy when with him and show my appreciation of his - wondrous goodness, I should deserve to be branded as "ingrate." - - There is one good being who brightens my household--the wife of - Blow; she has been with her children. If you can come to see me I - shall be happy. My god-child, Richard Wagner, is now eight years - old, you tell me; bring him; the talk of a dear innocent child will - do me good; to have him near me will, perhaps, comfort me. - -Your unhappy -RICHARD WAGNER. - - STARNBERG, June, 1864. - -The preceding letter is to me a landmark in Wagner's life. The facts -have only to be recited for it to be clearly perceived what a striking -climax had been reached. Upon them I make no comment. They speak for -themselves--the sudden transformation from a state of hardship into one -of security; the powerful patronage and friendship of the king of -Bavaria; the absence of Minna; the presence of Madame von Blow. - -[Sidenote: _THE LOVE OF A KING._] - -New influences were now beginning to work upon Wagner; and--they were -not weak. I did not see Wagner until the next year, when the change was -pronounced. During the winter the attachment of the king grew in -warmth, until in a manner Wagner may be said to have dominated the -youthful monarch completely. In the early spring of 1865, Wagner wrote -me the following short note. It was in reply to one from me, urging him -to find some occupation for August Roeckel, who had been released since -the January of 1862. When Roeckel was at Dresden, in 1849, with Richard -Wagner, he had effaced himself entirely for his friend. Then Wagner was -appreciative of sacrifices upon the altar of friendship, and regarded -them as done on his behalf entirely; but he later grew so absorbed with -his mission that no sacrifice did he regard as done to himself, but for -the glory of his art, and in this no sacrifice could be too great. The -short note after a private reference to Roeckel runs as follows:-- - -...At present I cannot. Time may be when the good August shall feel - that his old friend lives--now, all I can say is that the king - loves me with a love beyond description. I feel as sure of his love - for me till the end, as I am conscious of his unbounded goodness to - me now. It is a trial, though, of the heaviest; the formation of - his mind I feel it a duty to undertake. He is so strikingly - handsome that he might pose as the King of the Jews (and--this in - confidence--I am seriously reflecting on the Christian tragedy; - possibly something may come of it). But you must forgive me any - more correspondence just now, I am busy. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - MUNICH (London post-mark), 8th April, 1865. - -It appeared later that he was deeply engrossed in preparations for -"Tristan's" performance, his next letter--but a short -invitation--bearing on the subject. - - DEAR PRAEGER: 15, 18, 22 May: Wonderfully fine representations of - "Tristan" at Munich. Come, if you can, and write first. I should be - heartily glad to know you present at them. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - MUNICH, 7th May, 1865. - -I found it impossible to be present at the "Tristan" performances, and -was compelled to postpone my visit to the summer of the same year. On -the 27th July, Madame von Blow wrote to me for "her friend," explaining -that he was so much touched by the death of poor Schnorr (the Tristan of -the recent performances), that he was unable to write any letters, but -that Wagner would be at Munich up to the 8th August--though she "had -advised Richard very strongly to retire to the mountains there to -strengthen his nerves." - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -1865-1883. - - -I went to Munich and found Wagner considerably depressed. "Tristan," the -work he evidently loved with no ordinary affection, had, after seven -years of hoping against hope, but just been performed to his intense -satisfaction, when the ideal impersonator dies. The happiness he had -recently felt at the three "Tristan" performances, coupled with the -publication of the piano scores of the "Walkre" and "Tristan" had, to -an extent, kept his mind free. These events passed, and his friends -departed, he fell into a desponding mood. Minna, his wife, was not -there. This was a constant irritation to him. He affected to care -nothing about it, but his references to her absence showed how it -annoyed and preyed upon him. Then was he placed in delicate relations -with the young king of Bavaria. Louis constituted Wagner his -adviser--his Mentor. Questions of state were submitted to him. The -king's personal advisers were aware of this, and resented it. Wagner -knew of the intrigues against him. He sincerely yearned for quietude; -all the more because he instinctively felt the coming storm. He showed -me all the letters that his royal devotee had written to him, and this I -can testify, that breathing as they did the fervid adoration of a -cultured, highly gifted youth for a genius, Wagner on his side felt no -less intense admiration and affection for the "god-like" king. So great -was the influence it was assumed Wagner possessed over the monarch, that -his good-will was sought by all classes of petitioners for the royal -favour. - -The house inhabited by Richard Wagner was detached, an uncommon thing -for houses in Germany. It had been built, he told me, by an Englishman, -and now that he could command practically "unlimited means," he did not -restrict his wants. I may say he positively revelled in his grandeur -like a boy. His taste in arranging his house once again provoked the -hostile comments of an ever-ready opposition press. As I have before -remarked, this charge of Oriental luxury was a stock one with some -people. Even now, his velvet coat and biretta are made the subject of -puerile attacks; but I cannot refrain from stating that Richard Wagner's -house and decorations are far surpassed by the luxuriously appointed -palaces of certain English painters, musicians, and dramatic poetasters. -Wagner was fond of velvets and satins, and he knew how best to display -them. The arrangements in the house, too, showed the unmistakable -guiding of a woman. Madame von Blow acted as a sort of secretary to -Wagner. Wagner was a prolific correspondent, but during the early -portion of the summer, he had, it seems, been busy finishing the score -of the second act of "Siegfried." - -[Sidenote: _WAGNER A BORN ACTOR._] - -Wagner laid bare his hopes and wishes to me. He merits eulogy for his -fearlessness. With that trait I was particularly struck. In relating the -subject of a certain interview with the king, I was of opinion he had -been too blunt of speech, too outspoken in his criticism, and I asked -what would he do were he to lose the royal favour, remembering how dark -and mournful had been his days at the moment the king sought him out. -His reply startled me. "I have lived before without the king, and I can -do so again." Honour to Wagner! He was fearless here as he was in his -music--no concessions to false art. - -A born actor Wagner? Certainly. Out together one day he related to me -the story of his climbing the Urirothstock in company with a young -friend. Some distance up the mountain, his companion, who was following, -exclaimed he was giddy and falling, upon which Wagner turned round on -the ledge of rock, caught his friend, and passed him between the rock -and himself to the front. The scene was reproduced very graphically. His -presence of mind never left him. Truly, Wagner was born to teach actors. - -I found that the same boyish love of fun remained with Wagner. He dearly -loved a joke, a good story, a witty anecdote. Many did he tell me. Even -when I was leaving Munich, his stories came out, so that on saying -good-bye, he added, "Well, we have had some discomforts, but a good many -jokes." - -Towards the end of the year the intrigues of his opponents proved too -strong for him. He left Bavaria; but I will give some few extracts from -his next letter, which will tell the history in his own way. It is -dated-- - - -CAMPAGNE AUX ARTICHAUX. - -...The stories you read in the papers of my flying the country are - wholly untrue. The king did nothing of the kind. He _implored_ me - to leave; said my life was in danger; that the director of the - police had represented to him the positive necessity for my - quitting Munich, or he could not guarantee my safety. Think, so - greatly did he fear the populace! The populace opposed to me? No; - not if they knew me. My return, I am told, is only a question of - time; until the king is able to change his advisers. May he come - out of his troubles well.... - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - GENEVA, 1866. - -The next letter of interest is dated nearly six months later. It shows -that Wagner and the king did not then always get on well together. - - -MUNICH, June, 1867. - - MY GOOD FERDINAND: I will keep my promise about August. He is here. - I will see to it, but there are so many obstacles. The king is - influenced by innumerable enemies, who are jealous of me, and - angered at my influence with him. I have, indeed, almost broken off - our relations, only the scandal would be too great! - - "Lohengrin" and "Tannhuser" were to be produced with the best - artists and dresses. I was anxious to have Tichatschek as - Lohengrin. He had, however, been singing elsewhere, in - "Masaniello," so that he was hoarse. The _entourage_ of the king - seemed to have conceived a thorough dislike of Tichatschek. But - what is more true, they were, I am convinced, desirous of - preventing my appearing with the king at the performance, because - they feared a demonstration. - - After the last rehearsal, a few days ago, the king, who was - present, sent for me. Tichatschek had displeased him, and he - asserted he would never again attend a performance or rehearsal in - which that singer took part. As this dislike referred only to the - stiff acting of Tichatschek (for he had sung splendidly), I felt - that the king's enthusiasm inclined to the spectacular, and where - this was defective, he could not elsewhere find compensation. But - now comes the outrage. Without consulting me, he ordered - Tichatschek and the "Ortrud" to be sent away. I was, and am, - furious, and forthwith mean to quit Munich. Now you know the - situation, you will understand the impossibility of doing anything - at present. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -[Sidenote: _THE MARRIAGE WITH COSIMA._] - -Nothing came of the promise to help Roeckel, though Wagner and the king -were soon reconciled. Roeckel became editor of a democratic newspaper, -ceasing all active participation in the musical world. The friendship of -Louis grew stronger, if that were possible, and Wagner shows by his -letters that he was quite "the guide, philosopher, and friend" of the -young monarch. Of his communications to me during the next year, I -select the following short note, as possessing a wider interest than a -merely personal communication. - - DEAR OLD FRIEND: The 21st June first performance of the - "Meistersinger" (model). On the 25th the second, and repetition of - it up to about the 20th July. Now see whether you can catch - something of it. It will be worth while, and will give me great joy - when you come. Many hearty greetings. - -From yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - MUNICH, at Blows, 11 Arcos Strasse, 11th June, 1868. - -As the above note shows, Wagner was living in Blow's house. I purposely -pass over the next two years. Events were coming to a climax. He and I -did not agree; but still his friendship never waned or abated one jot. -Meanwhile his wife, Minna, had died at Dresden. The two following notes -tell their own tale. The first is but a very short communication of what -the world had foreseen; the second was the printed card announcing his -second marriage, which I presume was sent to all his friends. - -CENTER -(1) - - MY DEAR FERDINAND: You will be no doubt angry with me when you hear - that I am soon to marry Blow's wife, who has become a convert in - order to be divorced. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - JULY, 1870. - -CENTER -(2) - - We have the honour to announce our marriage, which took place on - the 25th August of this year, at the Protestant Church of Lucerne. - -RICHARD WAGNER, -COSIMA WAGNER, _ne_ LISZT. - - 25TH AUGUST, 1870. - -In the following November Wagner wrote to me again. It was the first of -a series of letters relative to the purchase of a costly edition of -Shakespeare, in English, as a birthday present to Madame Wagner. I -publish six of these. They show Wagner by the fireside, at home with -wife and children. Nearly sixty, with the close of his life almost in -sight, he first bathes in that unspeakable happiness--the presence of -children constantly about him, ready to receive the pent-up affection of -half a century. It seems to me that his state of mind will be best -understood by a few words, taken from the closing paragraph of his -letter of the 25th November, 1870: "God make every one happy. Amen!" - - (1) - -[Sidenote: "_A SPLENDID SON._"] - - DEAR OLD ONE: If you are still alive, and not angry with me for - various reasons, you could do me a right good service. I should - like to make a present to my wife (you know the deep, serious - happiness that has been mine) on her birthday, which falls just on - Christmas Eve,--a present of one of the most beautiful editions of - Shakespeare in English. I do not so much want one of those editions - with a voluminous appendix of critical notes as a really luxurious - edition of the text. If such an edition de luxe is only published - with notes, and so forth, well, then I will have that. I know that - in this respect the English have achieved something extraordinary, - and it is just one of their grand editions I should like to - possess. Further, it must be encased in a truly magnificent - binding, and of the greatest beauty. All this, I feel sure, can - only be obtained for certain in London. Now be so good as to occupy - yourself in the most friendly manner for me. Deem me worthy of a - response and a note of the price, that we may arrange everything, - and I will forthwith send you the necessary funds. - - How are you all at home? I hear that the English are making - colossal profits by the war. I hope something of the good may fall - to you. Your last letter coming after such a long time was a - delightful surprise, and has given me much joy, for I perceive in - it that you still are actively employed. Often do I now think of - you because of your love for children. My house, too, is full of - children, the children of my wife, but beside there blooms for me a - splendid son, strong and beautiful, whom I dare call _Siegfried - Richard Wagner_. Now think what I must feel, that this at last has - fallen to my share. I am fifty-seven years old. - -Be most fondly greeted. -From your -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, 11 November, 1870. - -(In pencil on the last page of the letter.) - - Perhaps the director of the theatre might make me a present of a - copy of Shakespeare. - - - (2) - - - When Ferdinand in pious rage, - The Moors afar did chase! - - Therefore, thou most excellent good one, quick to business! - - Your recommendation seems to point to the Cambridge edition of - Dyce. You say that the cost will be about three guineas (_i.e._ 3. - 3_s._) therefore--let us stop at Dyce's--this Cambridge edition. - But you do not tell me, however, whether it is one volume or in - several. Further, how am I to decide about the binding? I know that - in London bookbinding is treated as an art, and I would much like - to have a good specimen of London art work for my wife (for I - cannot present her with anything else). Acting upon the hypothesis - that it is in one volume only, I have forwarded to you six pounds - for disposal upon the work, and therefore three pounds less three - shillings will be available for the binding. Should there be two - volumes, then you must consider whether for the money you can still - obtain something remarkably good. If not--then order unhesitatingly - what is good, and write to me at once and I will send you a few - pounds more immediately. The chief point to be kept in view is that - you arrange with the bookbinder so as to have the work finished in - time to enable me to present it here on Christmas Eve. - - But now, above all, be not angry with me for thus earnestly - importuning you. If you but think of Milton Street and Portland - Terrace, lobster salad, punch, and Lders, then shall I be - pardoned. And lastly will come your good wife to the rescue, who, - notwithstanding that she, as I see, has still little children, may - yet have some kind remembrance for me. - - I am glad that you write to me about yourself in full; one cannot - do anything better than write about one's self to one's friends, - for the more one reflects the less one seems to know of others. - According to this, I ought to write a great deal about myself, but - that I must defer for an ocular inspection by you; therefore, come - and see me. My son is Helferich Siegfried Richard. My son! Oh, what - that says to me! - - _You_ have plenty of children's prattle, are used to it like the - English to hanging, but with me the hanging is only just beginning. - Now I must prepare to live to a good old age, for then will others - profit by it. Outside my home life, one thing only do I propose to - accomplish, and that, the performance of my "Nibelungen" drama as I - have conceived it. It appears to me that the whole German Empire is - only created to aid me in attaining my object. Carlyle's letter in - the "Times" has caused me intense satisfaction. The Messieurs - Englishmen I have already learned to know through you. I need but - refer to divers data I have from you to be at once clear about the - character of this strangely ragged nation. - - God make every one happy. Amen! Now greet mamma and children, and - tell them of Milton Street. Come next summer into Switzerland and - keep me in your heart as I do you. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, 25th November, 1870. - -[Sidenote: _HIS IDEA OF SHAKESPEARE._] - - (3) - - MY GOOD FERDINAND: Is it not too bad that I am still to give you so - much trouble? I thought there must be, especially in London, a - central depot where one could quickly be informed about the most - complicated matters of all kinds. Does there not exist, _i.e._ in - Regent Street, or in some other main thoroughfare, a bookseller who - keeps on hand a stock of editions de luxe of celebrated authors, in - elegant and costly bindings, ready for sale for certain festive - occasions? Certainly it would have been better could you have - alighted upon such an edition of "Shakespeare" already bound. That - a bookbinder would now undertake such a task, I myself feel it is - somewhat venturesome to hope. But as you are such a good fellow I - leave the whole business entirely in your hands. Do not let the - price frighten you, for when it is a question of a birthday gift - for such a noble, dear woman, then, in honour of Shakespeare, one - may afford to be liberal. Yet on this occasion, I insist that the - external must be the pre-eminent consideration, the thing to be - first thought of, viz. beautiful, correct print on beautiful paper, - artistic binding, and--the internal Shakespeare supplies himself; - but do not trouble at all about the critical notes of English - editors. - - As the time is now very close upon us, it would be best if you - could still discover, all ready and complete, a luxurious book, in - a luxurious shop, in a luxurious binding; for the rest--go on! I am - not sending you any further money to-day, as I want to leave the - matter entirely in your hands. How much more I am to send you we - will arrange later on. - - Adieu for to-day! - - Good old fellow! - - Make sure that we see you next summer here! - - Don't be melancholy, and keep me in your love. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, 9th December, 1870. - - (Herewith the addresses of the London banker: nice fellows those!!) - - (4) - - DEAR GOOD PRAEGER: Ah, now all is right, and the trouble at an end. - You will have seen by my last letter that it seemed to me our only - hope lay in finding an edition de luxe ready bound. That this - should have been in nine volumes, though not precisely an edition - de luxe, is satisfactory; therefore, have you acted most - blamelessly and correctly. Instead of having to transmit to you - further subsidies, you tell me there is even a balance at my - disposition. Now I have cudgelled my brains as to what can be - purchased with the remaining twelve shillings. In this matter it - will depend on the patience and perseverance of your wife, should - she see some pretty trifling _article-de-mode_ to put on the - Christmas table, where it might look well, perhaps. My wife has - spoken to me about, and would like, if possible, an East India, or - even Chinese, foulard dress, rich, highly-coloured patterns on - satin ground, brilliant and luxurious, _i.e._ Orientally fantastic, - such as is sure to be found in London. Now if your good wife would - be kind enough to look to this, and should it not go into the - abnormal in cost, of which, naturally, there is no intention, since - the proposed costume is not to serve for ostentation, but for the - gratification of a fantastic taste, I would beg of you to make bold - and send me about twenty metres of such a material, and to send it - off at once. The settlement of the transaction on my side would - follow immediately. I do not restrict the price, as that might - hamper you; but on the other hand, I beg you to understand that, in - case it is really something beautiful and original, Oriental, do - not stop at the price. Only in respect of the design, I remember - there must be no figures, nothing but flowers--that much do I - remember. God knows to what new trouble I am putting you again. - Don't take it too seriously, but remain good to me, for this is the - most important of your business. - -Heart greetings to all of you, from yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, 11th December, 1870. - - (5) - -[Sidenote: _PREPARING FOR "DER RING."_] - - DEAR OLD FRIEND: Yes, yes! so it is, and I have neglected to inform - you that "Shakespeare" rightly and well came into my hands. It - arrived somewhat late, but for the efforts on your part to fully - gratify me I give you my thanks. Altogether I am sorry I did not - pay more thought to the gigantic proportions of London business, - as I feel by that I have unknowingly thrown upon you a lot of - trouble in this affair. But now that everything has turned out - well, I thank you once more, and promise not to trouble you again - with such commissions. I write to you in haste, as I am preparing - for a journey; to-morrow I go with my wife into Germany, where I - propose to try and discover how matters stand. Several things are - in preparation, but all tend to one good, that is, the performance - of the "Nibelung" _after my own way_. Leipzic, Dresden, and above - all, Berlin, will be visited by me. In Berlin, where they have made - me a member of the Academy, I shall deliver a discourse on the - mission of the opera, etc. - - I will send to you the "Kaisermarsch," and all else that comes out. - - Now look to it that you pay me a visit next summer in our beautiful - retreat. By the middle of May we shall have returned. - - And now, farewell! - - Be not angry with me! - - Greet wife and children, and keep loving - -Your faithful friend, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, April, 1871. - - (6) - - -LEIPZIG, 12th May, 1871. - - This I have carried about with me on a long journey, for, when I - wanted to send it from Lucerne, I found I had mislaid your address. - It is fortunate that in your last letter, sent after me from - Lucerne, and which has just reached me, I have once again your - address. - - I am fatigued, and I return to-morrow. - - As regards the proposals and offer of the English music-sellers, I - would beg you to request them to address in the matter, Tausig, - Dessauer Strasse 35, Berlin. He has urged me to let him manage many - things in which I am always worsted. He will arrange with the - publishers, O. F. Peters, music bureau, in a manner that I shall - derive all possible advantage. Else, dearest, I am well, and my - undertaking bodes well for a success. - - Best greetings to wife and children. - -Love me, and forever yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -Then came the following:-- - - DEAREST: Come when you will! Alas, everybody comes in the few weeks - of the summer, and it is possible that you will find visitors - already when you come. In the quiet time not even a cock crows - after you, but you will find your place prepared for you; only, - therefore, to our next meeting. - -Yours, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - LUCERNE, TRIBSCHEN, 6th June, 1871. - -[Sidenote: _STANDING ON HIS HEAD._] - -In the summer I went to stay with Wagner. How changed! Fifty-eight years -old, and yet but one year in the possession of what is called home. His -had been a roving life. Not through choice, but necessity. Energetic and -persevering, never leaving a stone unturned or failing in an effort to -preach his creed. And so through the long years of early manhood and -middle age had he struggled with adversity, never finding an abiding -resting-place. But the sunset of his life was setting in rich, warm -colours. A feeling of serenity, born of the conscious security from -worldly anxieties, had taken possession of him. His work had been -acknowledged throughout Europe. He was ambitious, and his soul was -satisfied. Now was he for the first time living in that warm-hearted, -self-denying atmosphere of "home," where dwelt a remarkably cultured, -intellectual wife and children. _There_ "bloomed for him a splendid son, -strong and beautiful." Yes; he was happy. His naturally buoyant -temperament had not lessened with years. I remember full well, one day -when we were sitting together in the drawing-room at Tribschen, on a -sort of ottoman, talking over the events of the years gone by, when he -suddenly rose and stood on his head upon the ottoman. At the very -moment he was in that inverted position the door opened and Madame -Wagner entered. Her surprise and alarm were great, and she hastened -forward, exclaiming, "Ah! lieber Richard! Richard!" Quickly recovering -himself, he reassured her of his sanity, explaining that he was only -showing Ferdinand he could stand on his head at sixty, which was more -than the said Ferdinand could do. This was a ridiculous incident, but -strikingly illustrative of the "Wagner as I knew him." I suppose there -are few thinking people who will deny the seriousness and profundity of -Wagner's mind, and that perhaps in earnestness of purpose and power of -reflection, he may be said to have been the equal of Carlyle; yet who -can picture the "sage of Chelsea" standing on his head at sixty, or -indeed at any period of his life? - -Wagner's tranquillity of mind was delightful to contemplate. He longed -for "peace on earth and good will to all men." The desire of his heart, -the dream of those early Dresden days, was about to be realized. A -theatre constructed after his own theory was soon to be erected. The -architect and engineer, Neumann and Brandt, came to Lucerne during my -visit. I was privileged to be present at their discussions. It was -another illustration of "to have a clear notion of what you want is -half-way to get it." "The theatre must be so built that it can be -emptied in the space of one or two minutes"; upon this Wagner insisted. -Did the experts explain some detail to him it was marvellous to see how -quickly he grasped the point and debated it with them. His heart was in -his work, in this as in all he did, and there lay the secret of his -success, for of this I am convinced, that without his indomitable will, -that untiring perseverance which would not be conquered, the genius of -Wagner would have availed him but little. - -In writing of "Wagner as I knew him" I have touched upon certain -subjects and criticised him in a manner which I am aware many of his -worshippers might perhaps shrink from. But in this I have in no way -offended Wagner. He wished to be known as he was. Indeed, he has written -his own life, which, should it please the Wagner heirs, may one day be -given to the world to its great gain. I became aware of the existence of -this autobiography in the following manner. Wagner and his wife were -going out, leaving me alone at Tribschen. Before going, Wagner placed in -my hands a volume for my perusal during his absence. "It is my -autobiography," he said. "Only Liszt has a copy; none other has seen it, -and it shall not be published until my Siegfried has reached his -majority." I read it carefully, and I may state, without touching upon -any of the matter contained therein, that in my treatment of Wagner I -have not uttered one word to which he himself would not have subscribed. - -To see Wagner surrounded by children was a pleasant sight. He was as -frolicsome as they. He would have the children sing the "Kaisermarsch" -at the piano, and reward them with coins. As regards their discipline -and training, he effaced himself completely before Madame Wagner. To his -wife he showed the tenderest affection. It might almost be said of him -that he was the most uxorious of husbands. - -[Sidenote: _LISZT "BEGAN TOO LATE."_] - -No matter the mood in which I found Wagner, it was always the old -Wagner. Did we set out for a stroll, he would take me into some wayside -inn, there to eat sausages and drink beer. I must add that his drinking -was of the most moderate description. It was during one of these rambles -that we spoke of Liszt, and in the talking, he told me that Liszt had -been more pained at his daughter Cosima's change of religion from Roman -Catholic to Protestant, than at her divorce from von Blow. Among other -things, too, he said, speaking of Liszt as a composer, that "he [Liszt] -had begun too late in life." - -To me Wagner was all affection. He played to me, showed me everything -received from the king (among the many presents were two handsome vases, -the equivalent of which in money Wagner said he would have preferred), -and did all that he could to make my stay agreeable. I did not stay the -whole time I had purposed; I left somewhat unexpectedly. My departure -brought the following letter from Wagner:-- - - Thou strangest of all men, why do you not give a sign of life? Is - it right or just? After having lived among us, as one of us, to - have left us so suddenly, and not without causing us some anxiety, - too, on your behalf. How wrong if you were in a dissatisfied mood - with us; but that cannot be; rather be convinced that we take the - most hearty interest in you, and that this is the sole reason which - induces me to make this inquiry. - - Let me hear from you, and be heartily greeted. - -From yours ever, -RICHARD WAGNER. - - - - -From now to the day of his death I have but little to tell. He had -arrived at a time when the world accepted him as one of its great men. -His movements were chronicled in the press as though he were some -minister of state. I saw him repeatedly since 1872, notably at the -opening of the Bayreuth theatre in 1874, and at the succeeding -representations there, and naturally on his coming to London for the -Albert Hall Wagner Festival in 1877, when at the banquet given at the -Cannon Street Hotel in his honour, he toasted me as the friend, "the -first in this country to nobly support him," at a time when he was a -stranger in the land and the target of hostile criticism. Later on, I -saw him again at the "Parsifal" performances at Bayreuth, which proved -to be for the last time. - -My task is done. - -Wagner's labours ceased at Venice on the 13th February, 1883. What he -has accomplished is beyond the power of any man to destroy. Were Wagner -himself to return to us, _he_ could not undo what he has done. In future -years, aye, in future centuries, men will come from all parts of the -civilized globe to worship at Bayreuth; that is the Mecca of musicians. -There is the shrine of the founder of a new religion in art, pure and -ennobling to all who have ears to hear and human hearts that can be -touched. To use an old metaphor, but accurate and appropriate when -applied to Wagner, his work is as the boundless ocean; many will sail -their craft upon it, from the majestic ship of tragedy to the winsome -bark of comic opera, and then shall they not have navigated all the -seas. - -[Sidenote: _HIS EARNESTNESS OF PURPOSE._] - -The key of Wagner's success is his truth. Look at his work from -whichever side we may, that is it which ever finds its way into all -hearts. While the musicians were, and some still are, engaged in the -dissecting-room, with a bar here and bar there, with the people, the -laymen, he is universally popular. And what is the cause? His truth, his -earnestness. At bottom, it is this sincerity which has made him great. -Speaking of the laymen, I am forcibly reminded of perhaps the most -musically gifted and most devoted of all, one Julius Cyriax, a German -merchant of the city of London, whose friendship Wagner contracted here -in 1877, and with whom Wagner was in intimate correspondence down to the -last. - -And if this be the judgment passed upon his work, what shall be said of -the character of the man? Without fear, I say earnestness of purpose -guided him here too; that he was impatient of incompetence when it -sought to pose as the true in art was, and is, natural in a great -genius. Autocratic in bearing, and the intimate of a king, though -democratic in music and a professed lover of the _demos_ in his earlier -career, this is but a seeming contradiction. Democratic describes his -music; no domineering there of one voice; and democratic, too, in the -last days, when he refused imperial distinctions, preferring to remain -one of the people. An opponent in art, he was to be dreaded. Why? -Because he fought for his cause with such a whole-heartedness that he -drove, as Napoleon used to say, "fear into the enemy's camp." His -memory, like that of all great men, was extremely retentive. He was a -hard worker, as his eleven published volumes of literary matter and -fourteen music-dramas abundantly testify. To accomplish such work was -only possible to a man of method, and he _was_ methodical and careful -withal in what he did. Look at his handwriting and music notation, small -but clear, neat and clean. He was not free from blemish or -prejudice,--who is?--but - - Take him all in all, - We ne'er shall look upon his like again. - -Typography by J. S. Cushing & Co., Boston. - - * * * * * - -THE STORY OF MUSIC. - -BY W. J. HENDERSON. - -_12mo, Ornamental Cloth Cover, $1.25._ - -"Mr. Henderson tells in a clear, comprehensive, and logical way the -story of the growth of modern music. The work is prefixed by a -newly-prepared chronological table, which will be found invaluable by -musical students, and which contains many dates and notes of important -events that are not further mentioned in the text.... Few contemporary -writers on music have a more agreeable style, and few, even among the -renowned and profound Germans, a firmer grasp of the subject. The book, -moreover, will be valuable to the student for its references, which form -a guide to the best literature of music in all languages. The story of -the development of religious music, a subject that is too often made -forbidding and uninteresting to the general reader, is here related so -simply as to interest and instruct any reader, whether or not he has a -thorough knowledge of harmonics and an intimate acquaintance with the -estimable dominant and the deplorable consecutive fifths. The chapter on -instruments and instrumental forms is valuable for exactly the same -reasons."--NEW YORK TIMES. - -"It is a pleasure to open a new book and discover on its first page that -the clearness and simple beauty of its typography has a harmony in the -clearness, directness, and restful finish of the writer's style.... Mr. -Henderson has accomplished, with rare judgment and skill, the task of -telling the story of the growth of the art of music without encumbering -his pages with excess of biographical material. He has aimed at a -connected recital, and, for its sake, has treated of creative epochs and -epoch-making works, rather than groups of composers segregated by the -accidents of time and space.... Admirable for its succinctness, -clearness, and gracefulness of statement."--NEW YORK TRIBUNE. - -"The work is both statistical and narrative, and its special design is -to give a detailed and comprehensive history of the various steps in the -development of music as an art. There is a very valuable chronological -table, which presents important dates that could not otherwise be well -introduced into the book. The choice style in which this book is written -lends its added charms to a work most important on the literary as well -as on the artistic side of music."--BOSTON TRAVELLER. - -LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 15 East 16th Street, New York. - - * * * * * - -PRELUDES AND STUDIES. - -_MUSICAL THEMES OF THE DAY._ - -BY W. J. HENDERSON, - -Author of "The Story of Music." - -_12mo, Cloth, Extra, Guilt Top, $1.25._ - -"The questions which he handles are all living. Even the purely -historical lectures which he has grouped together under the general head -of "The Evolution of Piano Music," are informed with freshness and -contemporaneous interest by the manner which he has chosen for their -treatment.... The concluding chapter of the book is an essay designed to -win appreciation for Schumann, ... and is the gem of the book both in -thought and expression."--NEW YORK TRIBUNE. - -"Leaving Wagner, of whom the book treats in a most interesting way, the -evolution of piano music is taken up and treated in such a way as to -convince one that the writer is a master of his subject. Mr. Henderson -dwells on the performances of some living players, their methods, -manner, etc., and closes his work with a number on Schumann and the -programme symphony."--DETROIT SUNDAY NEWS. - -"The book is written by one who knows his subject thoroughly and is made -interesting to the general public as well as to those who are learned in -music."--BOSTON POST. - -"All lovers and students of music will find much to appreciate.... Mr. -Henderson writes charmingly of his various subjects--sympathetically, -critically, and keenly. He shows a sincere love for his themes, and -study of them; yet he is never pedantic, a virtue to be appreciated in a -writer of essays upon any department of art."--BOSTON TIMES. - -"Mr. Henderson's clear style is well known to readers of the musical -criticism of the New York Times, and his catholicity of sentiment, and -freedom from prejudice, ... though this volume will be especially -valuable to the student of music, it will be helpful to the amateur, and -can be read with satisfaction by one ignorant of music, which, -altogether, is surely high praise."--PROVIDENCE SUNDAY JOURNAL. - -"It is a volume of extremely suggestive musical studies.... They are all -full of appreciative comment, and show considerable clear insight into -the origin and nature of musical works. The author has a style which is -adapted to exposition. The book is an attractive one for the lover of -music."--PUBLIC OPINION. - -"Mr. Henderson studies carefully and intelligently the evolution of -piano music and Schumann's relation to the development of the programme -symphony. This is a suggestive, original, and well-equipped group of -essays upon themes which interest musicians."--LITERARY WORLD. - - -LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO., 15 East 16th Street, New York. - - * * * * * - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Letter to F. Villot. - -[2] The original in the possession of Edward Roeckel, Bath. - -[3] Neighbouring mountains. - -[4] A daughter of August Roeckel. - -[5] August's wife. - -[6] The Work and Mission of my Life, chap. ix. - -[7] Sunday Times, 6th May, 1855. - -[8] Written before his death in 1890. - -[9] 24th February, 1855. - -[10] Roeckel. - -[11] English Gentleman. - -[12] August's father. - -[13] Secretary of the Philharmonic Society. - -[14] This is Wagner's characteristic jocularity, Lders being a man of -short and slight stature and most mild in temper. - -[15] Edward Roeckel of Bath. - -[16] "Peps" was the dog which helped to compose "Tannhuser." - -[17] The parrot. - -[18] Wagner used to take "Gypsy" out for a walk daily. - -[19] Then conductor of the New Philharmonic concerts, at present -director of the London Academy of Music. - -[20] Meaning of two Richard Wagners. - -[21] Burning of the opera house, Covent Garden. - -[22] An English translation of these memoirs by Baron de Worms was -published in 1887. - -[23] Letter to Mr. Villot, page 35. - -[24] Alluding to the action taken by Frederick of Baden (whose wife was -a lover of Wagner's music) to secure the reinstalment of Wagner as a -citizen of Germany. - -[25] Then "Chef de claque." - - * * * * * - -Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber: - -Seigfried=> Siegfried {pg 18} - -Kapelmeister=> Kapellmeister {pg 26} - -misletoe=> misletoe {pg 32} - -orchestra after Hadyn=> orchestra after Haydn {pg 42} - -the gift of Shroeder-Devrient.=> the gift of Schroeder-Devrient. {pg 74} - -Niebulungen=> Nibelungen {pg 97} - -as Tannhauser emerging from=> as Tannhuser emerging from {pg 116} - -"Rienzi" rehersal in the overture=> "Rienzi" rehearsal in the overture -{pg 125} - -order came from Luttichon=> order came from Luttichorn {pg 133} - -Liepzic dialect=> Leipzic dialect {pg 135} - -his easily understoood=> his easily understood {pg 191} - -Gtterdamerung=> Gtterdmmerung {pg 242} - -Aria ("Non mi du")=> Aria ("Non mi dir") {pg 257} - -cequi ne sera pas chose facile=> ce qui ne sera pas chose facile {pg -277} - -absolutely nesessary=> absolutely necessary {pg 282} - -Gtterdammerung=> Gtterdmmerung {pg 291} - -Nuitre posed a soft answer=> Nuiter posed a soft answer {pg 305} - -If it does=> It it does {pg 311} - -run as follows=> runs as follows {pg 315} - -Freischutz=> Freischtz {x3} - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Wagner as I Knew Him, by -Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM *** - -***** This file should be named 42875-8.txt or 42875-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/8/7/42875/ - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Wagner as I Knew Him - -Author: Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger - -Release Date: June 4, 2013 [EBook #42875] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM *** - - - - -Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was -produced from scanned images of public domain material -from the Google Print project.) - - - - - - -</pre> - -<hr class="full" /> - -<p class="figcenter"> -<img src="images/cover.jpg" width="354" height="520" alt="bookcover" title="bookcover" /> -</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p class="cb">WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM</p> - -<p> </p> - -<table border="2" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="margin:auto auto auto auto;max-width:50%;"> -<tr><td><p>Transcriber’s note: The etext attempts to replicate the printed book as -closely as possible.</p> -<p>Obvious errors in spelling and punctuation have -been corrected.</p> -<p>Only a few of the spellings of names, places and German -or French words used by the author have been corrected by the etext -transcriber.</p> -<p><a href="#note">A list of corrections follows the etext.</a></p> -<p>Footnotes have been moved to the end of the text body.</p> -</td></tr> -</table> - -<h1> -WAGNER<br /><br /> -A S I K N E W H I M</h1> - -<p class="cb">BY<br /><br /> -FERDINAND PRAEGER<br /> -<br /><br /> -NEW YORK<br /> -LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.<br /> -15 EAST SIXTEENTH STREET<br /> -1892</p> - -<p> </p> - -<p class="c"><small> -<span class="smcap">Copyright, 1892,<br /> -By CHARLES J. MILLS.</span></small></p> - -<p> </p> - -<p class="cb">TO<br /><br /> -THE RIGHT HONOURABLE<br /><br /> -THE EARL OF DYSART,<br /><br /><small> -<span class="smcap">President of the London Branch of the United<br /> -Richard Wagner Society.</span></small></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE EARL OF DYSART.</i></div> - -<p class="nind"> -<span class="smcap">My Lord</span>:—<br /> -</p> - -<p>If an intimacy, an uninterrupted friendship, of close upon half a -century during which early associations, ambitions, failures, successes, -and their results were frankly discussed, entitles one to speak with -authority on Richard Wagner, the man, the artist, his mental workings, -and the doctrine he strove to preach, then am I fully entitled so to -speak of my late friend.</p> - -<p>To vindicate Wagner in all things is not my intention. He was but -mortal, and no ordinary mortal, and had his failings, which will be -fearlessly dealt with. My sole purpose is to set Richard Wagner before -the world as I knew him; to help to an honest understanding of the man -and his motives as he so often laid them bare to me; and I -unhesitatingly affirm that, when seen in his true character, many a -hostile, plausible, and unsparing criticism, begotten of inadequate -knowledge or malice, will shrivel and crumble away when exposed to the -sunlight of truth.</p> - -<p>The daring originality of Wagner’s work could not help provoking violent -opposition. Revolution in art as in aught else has ever been wedded to -storm and tumult.</p> - -<p>Of all things, Wagner was a thinker. The plot, construction, and logical -development of his dramas, the employment of those wondrous -character-descriptive tone-themes, their marvellous combination, his ten -volumes of serious matter, especially “The Work and Mission of my Life,” -emphatically testify to his deliberate studied thinking, and friend and -foe alike readily acknowledge the <i>originality</i> of his thought.</p> - -<p>Here then entered the art world, in the person of Richard Wagner, a -quite natural subject for discussion. Here was a thinker, an original -thinker, and Carlyle says that “the great event, parent of all others, -in every epoch of the world, is the arrival of a thinker, an <i>original</i> -thinker.” No matter for marvel, then, that the air thickened with -criticism as soon as the Thinker proclaimed himself.</p> - -<p>The persistency and vigour with which Wagner pursued the end,—an end to -which, primarily, he was unconsciously impelled by instinctive -genius,—the emphatic enforcement of the Gospel it was the sole purpose -of his thinking manhood to inculcate, led him to reject worldly -advancement, to endure painful privation, to utter fierce denunciation -against pseudo-prophets, and to be the victim of malignant insult and -scornful vituperation. And why? Because his mission was to preach -<i>Truth</i>.</p> - -<p>Wagner was “terribly in earnest.” His earnestness forces itself home to -us through all his works; and in his strenuous striving to accomplish -his task, he involuntarily said and did things seemingly opposed to the -very principles he had so dogmatically enunciated. But on investigating -the why of such apparent contradictions, it will be found that they are -but paradoxical after all, and that never has Wagner swerved from the -direct pursuit of his ideal. Thus he says, “I had a dislike, nay, a -positive contempt, for the stage, its rouge and tawdry tinsel,” and yet -within its precincts he was spell-bound. He was chained to it by -indissoluble links. It was the pulpit from which he was to expound his -gospel. Again, he accepted from friends the most reckless sacrifices -without the simplest acknowledgment or gratitude, yet it was not -ingratitude as is commonly understood; he accepted the service not as -done to himself, but for the glorification of true art, and in that -consummation he felt they were richly recompensed. He, when he felt it -his duty to speak plainly, spared the feelings of none by an incisive -criticism which cut to the core, and yet an over-sensitiveness made him -writhe under the slightest censure.</p> - -<p>Towards Jews and Judaism he had a most pronounced antipathy, and yet -this did not prevent him from numbering many Hebrews among his most -devoted friends. Pursued with the wildest ambition, he steadfastly -refused all proffered titles and decorations. He formulated most -positive rules for the music-drama, and then referring to “Tristan and -Isolde,” states: “There I entirely forgot all theory, and became -conscious how far I had gone beyond my own system.”<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a> With Meyerbeer in -view, he emphatically insisted that after sixty no composer should -write, as being incapacitated by age and consequent failure of brain -power, and then when long past this period he not only writes one of his -greatest works, but when seventy and within the shadow of death, was -engaged upon another of engrossing interest, viz. on the Hindoo -religion. Lastly, whilst vehemently protesting the inseparability of his -music from its related stage representation and scenic accessories, -compelled by fate, he traversed Europe from London to St. Petersburg to -produce in the concert room orchestral excerpts from the very works upon -whose inviolability he had in such unequivocal terms -insisted,—selections too, though arranged by himself, which give but -the most incomplete conception of the dramas themselves.</p> - -<p>This seeming jarring between theory and practice in so powerful a -thinker requires explanation, and in due course I shall exhaustively -treat the same.</p> - -<p>Wagner and I were born in the same town, Leipzic, and within two years -of each other. This was a bond of friendship between us never severed, -Wagner ever fondly delighting to talk about his early surroundings and -associations. His references to Leipzic and prominent local characters -were coloured with strong affection, and to discuss with one who could -reciprocate his deep love for the charmed city of his birth, was for him -a certain source of happiness.</p> - -<p>Wagner’s first music-master, properly so called, was Cantor Weinlig of -Leipzic. From him he received his first serious theoretical instruction. -Weinlig, too, was well known to me. He was an intimate friend of my -father, Henry Aloysius Praeger, director of the Stadttheater and -conductor of the famous Gewandhaus concerts, the latter post being -subsequently filled by Mendelssohn among other celebrities. Between -Weinlig and my father, whom the history of music has celebrated as a -violinist of exceptional skill and as a sound contrapuntist, constant -communications passed, and I was very often the bearer of such.</p> - -<p>Common points of interest like this—striking Leipzic individualities, -the house at Gohlis, a suburb of Leipzic where poor Schiller spent part -of his time, the masters of St. Nicolas’ School, where we both attended, -though at different periods—I could multiply without end, each topic of -absorbing interest to us both, and productive of much mutual expansion -of the heart, but I will here refer to one only—that connected with -Carl Maria von Weber.</p> - -<p>“Der Freischütz” was first performed at Dresden, the composer -conducting, on the 22d January, 1822. Wagner, then in his ninth year, -was living at Dresden with his family. In his letter to Frederick -Villot, he says of Weber: “His melodies filled me with an earnestness, -which came to me as a bright vision from above. His personality -attracted me with enthusiastic fascination; from him I received my first -musical baptism. His death in a distant land filled my childish heart -with sorrowful awe.” “Der Freischütz” was almost immediately produced at -Leipzic, and Weber came to Leipzic personally to supervise the -rehearsals and to acquaint my father, then the conductor of the theatre, -as to the special reading of certain parts. The work excited the utmost -enthusiasm in Leipzic, and was performed there innumerable times. I, the -son of the conductor, having free entry to the theatre, went nightly, -and acquired thus early a thoroughly intimate acquaintance with the -work, such as Wagner also had gained by his frequent visits to the -Dresden theatre through his family’s connection with the stage. In -after-life we found that Weber and his works had exercised over both of -us the same fascination. In 1844, the remains of the loved idol, Weber, -were removed from Moorfields Chapel, London, to Dresden. At that time I -was residing in London, and, in conjunction with Max von Weber, the -composer’s eldest son, and others, obtained the necessary authority and -carried out the removal. Wagner was in Germany. There he received the -body, and on its final interment pronounced the funeral oration over the -adored artist.</p> - -<p>In this country, where I have now lived for an unbroken period of -fifty-one years, I was Wagner’s first and sole champion, and, -notwithstanding all the calumny with which he was persistently assailed -(which even now has not entirely ceased), stood firmly by him.</p> - -<p>It was through my sole exertions that the Philharmonic Society in 1855 -offered Wagner the post of conductor. His acceptance and retention of -the post for one season are now matters of history.</p> - -<p>Wagner returned to London in 1877 to conduct the “Wagner Festival” -concerts at the Albert Hall. As his sixty-fourth birthday fell during -these concerts, some ardent friends promoted a banquet in his honour at -the Cannon Street Hotel on the 23d May. To that banquet I was invited, -and great was my amazement when Wagner, the applauded of all, -spontaneously and without the least hint to me, warmly and -affectionately said:—</p> - -<p>“It is now twenty-two years ago since I came to this country, -unacknowledged as a composer and attacked on all sides by a hostile -press. Then I had but one friend, one support, one who acknowledged and -boldly defended me, one who has clung to me ever since with unchanging -affection; this is my friend Ferdinand Praeger.”</p> - -<p>My Lord, I have felt it desirable to address these preliminary remarks -to you as indicative of the manner in which I propose to treat my -friend’s life and work. Wagner was extremely voluble, and, with his -intimate friends, most unreserved. He was a man of strong affections and -strong memory, and to those he loved he freely spoke of those whom he -loved, and thus I believe I am the sole recipient of many of his early -impressions and reminiscences, of his thoughts and ambitions in -after-life. Therefore shall I tell the story of his life and work, as he -made me see it and as I knew him, keeping back nothing, believing as I -do that the world has a right to know how its great men live: their -lives are its lawful inheritance.</p> - -<p>It is with deep affection that I undertake a work prompted by your -Lordship’s love for the true in art, and it is to you that I dedicate -the result of my labour.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Ferdinand Praeger.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">London</span>, 15th June, 1885.</p> - -<h2><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS"></a>CONTENTS.</h2> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="margin:auto auto auto auto;max-width:75%;"> -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1813-1821.</td></tr> - -<tr><td align="right" colspan="2"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">“The child is father to the man”—Musician, poet, and dramatist—Stage -reformer—His grandfather a customs officer—His father, -Frederick Wagner, an officer of police, student, and amateur actor—Death -of Frederick, 1813—His mother—Eldest brother, -Albert, a tenor singer—Sisters Rosalie, Louisa, and Clara, actresses -of repute—Ludwig Geyer, a Leipzic actor—Marries Widow -Wagner—Family removes to Dresden—Affection of his step-father -and mother for him—The girls receive piano-forte lessons—Richard -receives a few lessons in drawing from Geyer—Beyond -this, up to his ninth year, no regular education is attempted with -him—Geyer not of a robust constitution—Wagner plays the -bridal chorus from “Der Freischütz” by ear—Geyer’s prediction -and death</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_001">1</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1822-1827.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">His visit to an uncle Geyer at Eisleben—The Kreuzschule, Dresden—His -facility for languages—His modesty—Wagner a small -man—Personal appearance described—Wonder of school professors -at unusual mental activity of the delicate small boy—A -prey to erysipelas—Love of practical joking—Incident of the -Kreuzschule roof—An adept in all bodily exercises—His acrobatic -feats—Love for his mother—Affection for animals</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_010">10</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1822-1827. <i>Continued.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">Richard Wagner enters the Kreuzschule, Dresden, December, 1822—Translation -of part of the “Odyssey” by private work—Begins -to learn English to read Shakespeare—Writes prize elegy in Germany -at eleven years of age—Theodore Körner, pupil of the -Kreuzschule and poet of freedom—Metrical translation of Romeo’s -monologue—His first lessons on the piano—Hatred of finger -exercises—Berlioz—Up to fourteen his aspirations distinctly -musical</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_020">20</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">LEIPZIC, 1827-1831.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">Return to Leipzic—The Stadttheater; Rosalie and Louise—Jews, -their treatment by Leipzic townspeople—Wagner’s attitude towards -them—His first love a Jewess—At the St. Nicolas school three -years, St. Thomas school and the University a few months each—Describes -himself during his Leipzic school-days as “wild, negligent, -and idle”—Reprehensible gambling of his mother’s pension—Crisis -of his life—Haydn’s symphonies at the theatres and -Beethoven’s symphonies in the concert-room—Beethoven a pessimist—Haydn -and Mozart optimists—Resolve to become a musician—Private -study of theory—His first overture, 1830, laughed -at—His marvellously neat penmanship—Takes lessons from -Cantor Weinlig—Writes a sonata without one original idea or -one phrase of more than common interest—Beethoven his daily -study—Weber and Beethoven his models—Combines in himself -the special gifts of both, the idealism of the former and the reasoned -working of the latter</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_026">26</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1832-1836.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">Revolution and romanticism at the beginning of the nineteenth century—Its -effect on Wagner—First grand symphony for orchestra—Mendelssohn -and Wagner—Wondrous dual gift of music and -poesy—Portion of an opera, “The Wedding,” engaged at Würzburg—Albert -Wagner—Life at Würzburg—First opera, “The -Fairies”—Schroeder-Devrient and “The Novice of Palermo”—Stage -manager at Magdeburg, 1834—Views upon German National -drama and national life</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_044">44</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1836-1839.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">Life and troubles at Magdeburg—Wagner marries—Minna Planer: -the woman, her home, her trustful love—Reflections on his life -at Magdeburg—His ability as a conductor of the orchestra and -singers—Popularity of Auber and Rossini—Renewed trials at -Königsberg, 1837—Success of Meyerbeer—Paris the ruler of -German taste—Wagner’s ambition of going to Paris—Sends -sketch of new libretto to Scribe—No answer—Writes an overture -on “Rule Britannia,” and sends it to Sir George Smart—Not -noticed— Wagner’s impressions of stage life after his experience -at Würzburg, Magdeburg, and Königsberg—Visit to Dresden and -“Rienzi”—Conductor at Riga, 1839—His difficulties increase—Paris -the sole hope of relief—Resolves to go to Paris—Sets sail -for London—“The Champagne Mill”—Arrival in London</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_055">55</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">EIGHT DAYS IN LONDON, 1839.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">First impression—Puts up at cheap hotel in Old Compton Street, -Soho—Loss and return of the dog—Visit to a house in Great -Portland Street where Weber died—Thoughts on English character -and London sights—Visit to Greenwich Hospital—Leaves by -boat for Boulogne</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_069">69</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">BOULOGNE, 1839.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">Passage to Boulogne—The Mansons, friends of Meyerbeer—Wagner’s -visit to Meyerbeer—Character of Meyerbeer—Interests -himself in the youthful Wagner—The reading of “Rienzi” libretto—Eulogium -of Meyerbeer and promises of help—Meyerbeer feels -his way to the purchase of the “Rienzi” book—Wishes Scribe to -write one for him similarly spectacular—Wagner and his wife at a -restaurant; champagne the “perfection of terrestrial enjoyment”—The -Mansons advise him to stay in Boulogne—The “Rienzi” -music pleases Meyerbeer, who also, to Wagner’s annoyance, praises -his neat writing—The “Das Liebesverbot” draws further laudation -from Meyerbeer, and the success of Wagner is prophesied—“Le -petit homme avec le grand chien” leaves Boulogne for -Paris</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_078">78</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">PARIS, 1839-1842.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">The sanguine Wagner boldly invades Paris—Later reflections of the -bitter sufferings he underwent there— Why he went to Paris—Germany -offers no encouragement to native talent—Wagner has -but a slight acquaintance with the French tongue—Seeks out -Monsieur Louis, who becomes and remains his most devoted friend—With -assistance of Louis, engages modest apartments—Endeavours -to deliver his letters of introduction—Unsuccessful—Without -occupation—His poverty—Help from Germany for a short time—Their -sadly straitened circumstances—In absolute want—Writes -for the press; Schlesinger—“A pilgrimage to Beethoven,” imaginary—He -composes three romances, imaginary—Still in want, -forced to the uncongenial task of “arranging” popular Italian -operas for all kinds of instruments—Minna Wagner: her golden -qualities and admiration of Wagner—Minna performs all the menial -household duties—Bright and cheerful temperament soothes the -disappointed, passionate Wagner—His birthday tribute—His subsequent -acknowledgment of her womanly devotion—The artists -he met in Paris—Heinrich Laube, an old Leipzic friend, introduces -him to Heine—Meeting of the trio—Laube and Heine as -workers—Schlesinger, music-publisher, becomes his friend—Schlesinger -upon Meyerbeer—Wagner and Berlioz in Paris and -London—The two compared—Wagner’s opinion of Berlioz and -his agreement with Heine—Halévy—Vieuxtemps—Scribe—Kietz</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_083">83</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">PARIS, 1839-1842. <i>Continued.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">The Paris sojourn the crucial epoch of Wagner’s career—The grand -opera the hothouse of spurious art—Concessions to anti-artistic -influences—Realism of the historic opera irreconcilable with his -own poetic idealism: why?—Is infected with the revolutionary -spirit of the age—From now we date the wondrous change in his -art work—Protests through the “Gazette Musicale” against Italian -composers dominating the French stage to the exclusion of native -worth—Rebuked by Schlesinger—The Conservatoire de Musique; -its performances solid food to Wagner—“Music a blessed reality”—Probability -that the unrealities of the French stage brought -Richard Wagner to a quicker knowledge of himself—Wagner’s -estimate of French character—Their poesy—His tact—Feeling -of aversion towards the military and police—His compositions—A -year of non-productivity—Assertion of the poet—Proposal -by Schlesinger that he should write a light work for a boulevard -theatre—Refuses—Is put to bed with an attack of erysipelas which -lasts a week—“Overture to Faust”: “the subjects not music, but -the soul’s sorrows transformed into sounds”—Minna and his dog—Wagner’s -lugubrious forebodings and short novel, “End of a German -Musician in Paris”—Completes “Rienzi,” which is sent to -Germany—The “Flying Dutchman”—How the subject came to -be adopted—Heine’s treatment of Fitzball’s version—The original -story as told by Fitzball—Libretto completed, delivered to the -director of the grand opera, who bargains for it—Superiority of -legend over history for musical treatment—Wagner and his meaning -of the “Dutchman” anecdote related at Munich, 1866—The -one of his music-dramas that occupied the shortest time in composition—It -is sent to Meyerbeer—News from Dresden—“Rienzi” -accepted, leaves for Germany</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_099">99</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">DRESDEN, 1842-1843.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">New and hopeful prospect—Feels assured of “Rienzi” proving successful—Ignored -by Paris, received with open arms by Dresden, -the hallowed scene of Weber’s labours—Joy at returning home a -conqueror—A new life for Minna—Reissiger, chief conductor of -the Royal Opera—Fischer, the manager and chorus director, his -friend—His “Rienzi” and “Adriano”—First performance of -“Rienzi”—Unmistakable success—Wagner appointed co-chief -conductor with Reissiger—My own first acquaintance with Richard -Wagner—August Roeckel, the man, friend, and musician—His -letter describing Wagner—Intimacy and political sway over -Wagner—Visit of Berlioz to Dresden—His opinion of the -“Dutchman” and “Rienzi”—The father of Roeckel tutored by -Beethoven in the part of Florestan—Meetings of Richard Wagner -and Hector Berlioz—Cold bearing of the latter</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_114">114</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1843-1844.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">Hostility of the Dresden press—Wagner’s energy and good humour -when at the conductor’s desk—A born disciplinarian—Unflagging -efforts to improve the spiritless performances of master works—Interest -evinced by Spohr, who stigmatizes Beethoven’s third -period as barbarous music—Wagner affects to ignore and despise -criticism—In reality is abnormally affected by it—Attacks on his -personal attire, home comforts, and manner of living—Wagner in -seclusion—His tribute to the constancy and devotion of August -Roeckel—Wagner’s opinion of Marschner and Mendelssohn’s -“Midsummer Night’s Dream”—The “Faust” overture unsuccessful—Spontini -and the “Vestal”—Visit of Wagner and -Roeckel to Spontini—Weber obsequies—Max von Weber with -me in London—Reception of the body in Germany—Funeral -oration delivered by Richard Wagner—Comparison between -Wagner’s public and private manner of utterance</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_124">124</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1845.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">“Tannhäuser”: story of its composition, poem and music—Its performance, -1845—First mention of Richard Wagner’s name in the -London press—The criticisms (?) of 1845—An instance of the -thoroughness of Richard Wagner—Dawn of the 1848 revolution -and Wagner’s relation thereto—The follower of August Roeckel -expresses regret at his heated language—Performance of the -Choral Symphony under Wagner—Unusual activity displayed in -the preparations—The way he set to work—Part explanation -why I came to induce the London Philharmonic to invite him to -this country—His grasp of detail—Forethought displayed in -writing an analytical programme to acquaint audience with the -meaning of the work—Successful performance—Characteristics -of Richard Wagner—His opinion of Italian opera and dictum -that an art work to endure must be founded in reason and reflection—“Lohengrin”: -its popularity—“Music is love”—The network -of connection between Wagner’s operas—Thoughts about -“Lohengrin” remaining on earth—Wagner never able to control his -finances—His position becomes embarrassed—At enmity with the -world—Composition of “Lohengrin”—Letter to his mother—Passionate -nature of Wagner—Complete identification of himself -with his art—The manner of his accepting services—His courage -inspires our admiration—The publication by himself of “Rienzi,” -“Dutchman,” and “Tannhäuser”—A failure—“Tannhäuser” -offered to the firm of Cramer, Beale, & Co. by me for nothing—Refused</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_136">136</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1848.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">Wagner significantly silent as to his participation in the Saxon Revolution, -1848-49—Wagner an active worker—Conclusive proof—A -member of the “Fatherland Union”—Paper read by Wagner -before the Union—His character—Charge of ingratitude towards -his king absurd—Deputation to king of Saxony—The four -demands of the people—Refused—Leipzic determines to march -<i>en masse</i> on Dresden—Reforms promised—Founding of the -“Fatherland Union”—Political leaflets printed and distributed—Wagner -reads his paper June 16, 1848: “What is the relation -that our republican efforts bear to the monarchy ?”—Printed -by the Union—Copy forwarded to me at the time—Reproduced -here—It is omitted from Wagner’s “Collected Writings”—An -important document, since it forms part of the official indictment -against Wagner—The paper treats of (1) relation of -republic to monarchy; (2) nobility appealed to and urged to join -in the commonwealth; (3) abolition of first chamber; (4) manhood -suffrage advocated; (5) creation of national armies; (6) -communism a senseless theory and its reign impossible; (7) -appeal to improve the impoverished condition of the masses by -timely concessions; (8) founding of colonies; (9) the greatest -and most far-reaching reforms only possible under a republic of -which the monarch is the head; (10) the king logically the first -republican ; ( 11 ) “subjects” converted into “free citizens”; (12) -war against the office of king and not against the person; (13) -laudation of the Saxon potentate; (14) Wagner’s fidelity to the -king; (15) advocates the abolition of the monarchy—National -armies—Roeckel, Wagner’s assistant conductor, dismissed, autumn, -1848—Founds a political paper; Wagner contributes—Roeckel -imprisoned for three days—The elections—Triumph of the democratic -party—Roeckel elected a deputy—Revision of taxation -and civil list—Subsidy to the theatre: Wagner defends it in paper -delivered to minister; Roeckel to defend it in the chamber—Details -of the paper</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_151">151</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1849-1851.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">The new Chamber of Deputies—The king of Saxony refuses to accept -the constitution formulated by the federated German parliament—The -chambers dissolved by the king—Wagner urges Roeckel to -leave Dresden for fear of arrest—Roeckel leaves for Prague—Hainberger, -Bakunin, and Semper—The outbreak—Wagner’s -incriminating note to Roeckel—Return of Roeckel—Wagner in -charge of convoys—Characteristic incident—Roeckel taken prisoner—Origin -of the revolt—Its character—Source of the government -charge against Wagner—Heubner, Bakunin, and Roeckel -imprisoned—Sentenced to death—Commuted—Actual part -played by Wagner—He carries a musket; heads a barricade—Wagner -not personally brave—His flight to Weimar—Liszt and -the police official—Wagner in Paris—Naturalized at Zurich—Proclamation -by Saxon government, June, 1853, directing the -arrest of Wagner—The government indictment summarized—Richard -Wagner amnestied, March, 1862—Important letter from -Wagner, March 15, 1851, to Edward Roeckel of Bath, detailing -his own share in the Revolution—Attempts of biographers to gloss -over Wagner’s participation in Revolution—Wagner to blame—Conflicting -extracts from Wagner’s early and later writings as to -his precise share—The case summarized</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_170">170</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1850-1854.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">Wagner seeks an asylum in Paris—His reception disappointing—Leaves -for Switzerland—A second time within the year he returns -to Paris—Again vexed at the little recognition he meets with—Finally -settles in Zurich and becomes a naturalized subject—Reflections -on the French and their attitude towards art—His -abruptness of speech, impatience of incapacity, and vehement -declamation wear the air of rudeness—Episode at Bordeaux—He -possesses the very failings of amorousness, Hebraic shrewdness, -and Gallic love of enjoyment denounced by him in others—At -Zurich unable to settle to work for some time—His exile the -grandest part of his life as regards art—Period of repose—For -five years not one single bar of music did he compose—Describes -his Zurich life as spent in “walking, reading, and literary work”—His -literary activity—Writes “Art and Revolution,” “The Art -Work of the Future,” “Art and Climate,” “Judaism in Music,” -and “Opera and Drama”—The period of his banishment the -cradle of nearly all his great music-dramas: the “Nibelung’s Ring,” -“Tristan and Isolde,” the “Mastersingers,” and a fragment of -“Parsifal”—His pretty chalet, “The Retreat,” at Zurich. The -Wesendoncks—Compares himself to the philosopher Hegel—The -first printing of the Nibelung poem, 1853—Resents allusion to it -as a work of literary merit—Recites portions of the lied—At -Zurich conducts the opera house—Hans von Bülow his pupil—Wagner’s -festival week at Zurich—Chapelmaster Lachner’s prize -symphony—His health always bad: dyspepsia and erysipelas—At -hydropathic establishments—His love for the animal kingdom—Anecdote -of “Peps,” the Tannhäuser dog</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_194">194</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">“JUDAISM IN MUSIC.”</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">The importance attached to the question—The paper said to have -been prompted by personal jealousy—Absurdity of the accusation—The -London press hostile because of his Jewish criticisms upon -Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer—The “Sunday Times” asserts that -“the most ordinary English ballad writer would shame him in the -creation of melody, and no English harmonist would pen such vile -things”— The words he uttered in 1852 in the Judaism paper lay -deep in his heart, and he adhered to them in 1855 and 1869—Wagner -of opinion that his ostracism and suppression for many -years were due alone to the power of the Jews—Publication of -the article—Attempt to dismiss Brendel from his professional -office at the Leipzic conservatoire—Wagner asserts an involuntary -revulsion of feeling towards the Jews—The Jew always a foreigner—Wagner’s -Semitic antipathy partly inherited—Cannot understand -the natural humane treatment of the Jews by the English—Admits -the glorious history of the Jews compared with the annals -of the German barbarians—A Jew actor as a hero or lover “ridiculous”—This -assertion contradicted by instances—The Jew offensive -to Wagner in his speech, as regards intonation and manner—Their -absence of passion—Incapable of artistic speech, the Jew is -more incapable of artistic song—His unreasoned attack on the -lack of Jewish plastic artists—Further indulges in the vulgar -charge of usury—Attacks the cultivated Jew—The Jew incapable -of fathoming the heart of our civilized life—Cannot compose for -those whose feelings he does not understand—The synagogue the -legitimate sphere for the Hebraic composer—Outside this the -Jewish musician can only imitate Gentile composers—Criticism -upon Mendelssohn—Criticism upon Meyerbeer severe and unsparing—Meyerbeer’s -attitude towards the critics—Cordially hated -by Wagner—Wagner’s own attitude towards the London critics</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_205">205</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER CHAPTER XVIII.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1855.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">How Wagner came to be invited to London—I appear before the -directors of the Old Philharmonic—I find that they either know -very little of him or nothing at all—Richard Wagner visited at -Zurich by a director—The New York “Musical Gazette”—The -London press upon Wagner—Condemned before he is heard—The -cause, “Judaism in Music”—Wagner’s agreement with the -Philharmonic directors—Imposes two conditions: (1) a second -conductor; (2) several rehearsals—Gives way as to the first, but -insists on the second—Will not lend himself to anything unworthy—Letter -of 18th January—In accepting the Philharmonic engagement -Wagner “makes a sacrifice,” but feels he must do this or -renounce forever all relations with the public—Projects a whole -concert of his works—The directors refuse—Irritation of Wagner—Letter -of the 1st February—No special plan for his London -expedition except what can be done with a celebrated orchestra—States -he does not know English and is entirely without gift for -modern languages—Enmity of the editor of the “Musical World” -(London), who confesses that Wagner is a “God in his books, -but he shall have no chance here”—Richard Wagner’s arrival, -midnight, Sunday, 5th March, 1855—His head-gear—Objects to -change his felt hat—His democratic principles of 1849 now modified—Visit -to Mr. Anderson—The Lachner symphony proposed—Volcanic -explosion of Wagner—Would cancel his engagement -rather than conduct Kapellmeister music—Wagner’s objection -acceded to—Visit to Sainton and Costa—Wagner refuses to call -on any critics or pay any other visits of etiquette—At dinner—Wagner -dainty—Quick though moderate eater—His workroom—Self-denial -not his characteristic—His intrepidity borders close -upon the reckless—Introduction to the Philharmonic orchestra—Briefly -addresses them—Diplomatic, but his will law—The -concert—Programme—His conducting—The “Times” abuses him—After -the concert, at Wagner’s rooms—His playing the piano—His -singing like the barking or howling of a Newfoundland -dog—Well pleased with his first introduction to an English audience—His -volubility—Abuse of fashion and white kid gloves for -a conductor—The second concert—“Lohengrin” prelude, overture -to “Der Freischütz,” “Ninth Symphony”—Overture encored—Wagner -objects to encores, but enthusiasm of audience demands -the repetition—“Lohengrin” prelude a surprise, as Wagner’s -music had been described “noise and fury”</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_218">218</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER CHAPTER XIX.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1855. <i>Continued.</i></td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">The “Ninth Symphony” rehearsed—Surprise of the orchestra—Guildhall, -Fafner, and Falsolt—The mint and his projected theatre—Daily -promenade of Richard Wagner with dog to Regent’s Park to -feed the ducks—Wagner and the introduction of the animal kingdom -upon the stage—Unlimited means the key to his passion for -realism—Unlimited means the dream of his life—The third concert; -“Euryanthe”—Wagner’s habit of snuff-taking while at the -piano—His smoking—His irritability—Love for silks and velvets -partly due to physical causes—Anger at shams—“Punch” on -Wagner—Fourth concert; Wagner insists on leaving England -next morning and breaking his engagement—Dissuaded—Fifth -concert; success of the “Tannhäuser” overture—Wagner’s forty-second -birthday; violet velvet dressing-gown—Signs himself -“Conductor of the Philharmonic omnibus,” in allusion to the -“full” programmes—Cyprian Potter—The Queen, Prince Consort, -and Richard Wagner—Repetition of “Tannhäuser” overture—Berlioz -and Wagner—The press and anonymous articles—Anxiety -of Wagner to serve Berlioz—The last concert and -departure from London, 26th June—A few quotations from the -contemporary press</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_241">241</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XX">CHAPTER CHAPTER XX.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1855-1856.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">Letters of Wagner—In Paris—Home at Zurich—Domestic pets—“Cries -constantly” at the death of “Peps”—Buries the dog—Minna -ill—Wagner on a sick-bed—His acquaintance with the -French language—The French of Berlioz and Wagner compared—Letter -in French from Wagner—He is “more luxurious than -Sardanapalus and all the old Roman emperors”—His frame of -mind during the composition of the Walküre—Study of Schopenhauer -and request for London snuff</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_268">268</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXI">CHAPTER CHAPTER XXI.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">ZURICH, 1856.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">A picture of Minna—Wagner an early riser—His acquaintance with -Schopenhauer—Wagner a pessimist?—The first promptings of -“Tristan and Isolde”—How did Richard Wagner compose?—The -manner of Beethoven, Haydn, and Wagner compared—Wagner’s -thumping—Admits he is not at his best when improvising—Schaffhausen—The -lions—Wagner’s extravagance—Duke of -Coburg’s offer—The Wesendoncks</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_288">288</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXII">CHAPTER CHAPTER XXII.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1857-1861.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">His health “shattered”—Goes to Venice—Returns to Paris—Resides -in Octave Feuillet’s house—The strong opposition of the -press—The origin of the performance of “Tannhäuser”—The -story of the cabal and disaster</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_300">300</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIII">CHAPTER CHAPTER XXIII.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">LETTERS FROM 1861-1865.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">Letters from Wagner</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_309">309</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2"><a href="#CHAPTER_XXIV">CHAPTER CHAPTER XXIV.</a></td></tr> - -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">1865-1883.</td></tr> - -<tr><td><p class="hang">Munich—Wagner in low spirits—His relations with the young king -of Bavaria—His house—Fearlessness of speech—Presence of -mind—Intrigues against him—Leaves for Geneva—Return to -Munich—Treatment of the king—Approaching change in Wagner’s -life—Madame von Bülow—Wagner’s second marriage—Letters -from him—Under a new light—His love for home—“Siegfried”—Lucerne—Wagner -at home—Peace—His autobiography—His -opinion of Liszt—The end—Wagner’s work -and character</p></td><td align="right" valign="bottom"><a href="#page_317">317</a></td></tr> - -</table> - -<p><a name="page_001" id="page_001"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="WAGNER_AS_I_KNEW_HIM" id="WAGNER_AS_I_KNEW_HIM"></a>WAGNER AS I KNEW HIM.</h2> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I"></a>CHAPTER I.<br /><br /> -<small>1813-1821.</small></h2> - -<p>S<small>ELDOM</small> has the proverb “The child is father to the man” been more -completely verified in the life of any prominent brain-worker than in -that of Richard Wagner. The serious thinker of threescore, with his soul -deep in his work, is the developed school-boy of thirteen lauded by his -masters for unusual application and earnestness. All his defects and -virtues, his affections and antipathies, can be traced to their original -sources in his childhood. No great individuality was ever less -influenced by misfortune or success in after-life than Wagner. The -mission he felt within him and which he resolutely set himself to -accomplish, he unswervingly pursued throughout the varied phases of his -eventful career. Beyond contention, Richard Wagner is, I think, the -greatest art personality of this century,—unequalled as a musician, -great as a poet as regards the matter, moral, and mode of expression, -whilst in dramatic construction a very Shakespeare. With an ardent -desire to reform the stage, he has succeeded beyond his<a name="page_002" id="page_002"></a> hopes; and well -was he fitted to undertake such a gigantic task. His family—father, -step-father, eldest brother, and three sisters—and early surroundings -were all connected with the stage. Cradled in a theatrical atmosphere, -nurtured on theatrical traditions, with free access to the best theatres -from the first days his intellect permitted him to enjoy stage -representations, himself a born actor, and with earnestness as the rule -of his life, it is no matter for surprise that he stands foremost among -the great stage reformers of modern times.</p> - -<p>By birth he belonged to the middle class. A son of the people he always -felt himself; and throughout his career he strove to soften the hard -toil of their lot by inspiring in them a love for art, the power to -enjoy which he considered the goal of all education and civilization. To -him the people represented the true and natural, untainted by the -artificiality that characterized the wealthy classes.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS FATHER, FREDERICK WAGNER.</i></div> - -<p>Painstaking, energy, and ability seem to have been the attributes of -Wagner’s ancestors. His paternal grandfather held an appointment under -the customs at Leipzic as “thorschreiber,” <i>i.e.</i> an officer who levied -toll upon all supplies that entered the town. Family tradition describes -him as a man of attainments in advance of his station, a characteristic -which also distinguished his son Frederick (Richard’s father). Frederick -Wagner, born in 1770, also held an appointment under the Saxon -government. A sort of superintendent of the Leipzic police, he spent his -leisure time in studying French. Although unaided, he must have attained -some degree of proficiency; as subsequently<a name="page_003" id="page_003"></a> he was called upon to make -use of it, and it proved of great service to him. He was a man of -literary tastes, and was famed in Leipzic for his great reading and -knowledge. Goethe and Schiller were then the beacon-lights of young -German poetry. Their pregnant philosophical reasoning, clothed in so -attractive, new, and beautiful a garb, fascinated Frederick Wagner, and -he made them his serious study—a love which was inherited by his son -Richard, who oft in his literary works refers to Goethe and Schiller as -the two greatest German poets.</p> - -<p>Like all natives of Leipzic he was passionately fond of the stage. The -enthusiasm of all classes of society in Leipzic for matters theatrical -is historic. Frederick Wagner attached himself to a company of amateur -actors, and threw himself with such zest into the study of the -histrionic art as to achieve considerable distinction and court -patronage. The performances of this company were not unfrequently open -to the public; indeed, at one time, when the town theatre was -temporarily closed, the amateurs replaced the regular professionals, the -Elector of Saxony evincing enough interest in the troupe to pay the hire -of the building specially engaged for their performances.</p> - -<p>When the peace of Europe was disturbed by the wild, ambitious plottings -of Napoleon, a body of French troops were quartered at Leipzic under -Marshal Davoust. It was now that Frederick Wagner’s self-taught French -was turned to account, as he was appointed to carry on communications -between the German and the French soldiers. The Saxon Elector submitting -to the French conqueror, the government of the town passed<a name="page_004" id="page_004"></a> into French -hands. Davoust, with the shrewd perspicacity of an officer of Napoleon’s -army, saw the solid qualities of Frederick, and directed him to -reorganize the town police, at the same time nominating him -superintendent-in-chief. He did not retain this appointment many months, -as he died of typhoid fever, caught from the French soldiers, on the 22d -of November, 1813.</p> - -<p>Of his “dear little mother” Wagner often spoke to me, and always in -terms of the fondest affection. He described her as a woman of small -stature, active frame, self-possessed, with a large amount of common -sense, thrifty and of a very affectionate nature.</p> - -<p>The Wagner family consisted of nine children, four boys and five girls. -Richard, the youngest of all, was born on the 22d May, 1813, at Leipzic. -At the time of his father’s death he was therefore but six months old. -The eldest of the children, Albert, was born in 1799. He went on the -stage as a singer at an early age, having a somewhat high tenor voice. -In 1833 we find him stage manager and singer at Wurtzburg, engaging his -brother Richard as chorus director. He afterwards became stage manager -at Dresden and Berlin, dying in 1874.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>LUDWIG GEYER.</i></div> - -<p>Three of Wagner’s sisters, Rosalie, born 1803, Louisa, born 1805, and -Clara, born 1807, were also induced to choose the stage as a profession, -each being endowed with unmistakable histrionic talent. Although not -great they were actresses of decided merit. Laube, an eminent German art -critic and writer, has given it as his opinion that Rosalie was to be -preferred to Wilhelmina Schroeder, afterwards the celebrated -Schroeder-Devrient, but this praise Wagner considered excessive,<a name="page_005" id="page_005"></a> -attributing it to the critic’s friendly relations with the family.</p> - -<p>The unexpected death of Frederick Wagner threw the family into great -tribulation. A small pension was allowed the widow by government, but -with eight young children (one, Karl, born some time before, had died), -the eldest but fourteen years of age, the struggle was severe and likely -to have terminated disastrously, notwithstanding the watchful thrift of -Frau Wagner, had not Ludwig Geyer, a friend of the dead Frederick, -generously helped the widow. Geyer was a favourite actor at Leipzic. A -man of versatile gifts, he was poet, portrait-painter, and successful -playwright. For two years he continuously identified himself with the -Wagner household, after which, in 1815, he assumed the whole -responsibility by marrying his friend’s widow. Shortly after his -marriage Geyer was offered an engagement at the Royal Theatre, Dresden, -which would confer on him the highly coveted title of “Hofschauspieler,” -or court actor. He accepted the appointment, and the whole family -removed with him to the Saxon capital. At this time Richard was two -years old. Frederick Wagner, as a thorough Leipzic citizen, had already -interested his family in theatrical matters; now by Geyer becoming the -head of the household, the stage and its doings became the every-day -topic, and therefore the next consequence was its adoption by the eldest -children, Albert, Rosalie, Louisa, and Clara. What wonder then that -Richard was influenced by the theatrical atmosphere in which he was -trained.</p> - -<p>From the first Geyer displayed the tenderest affection towards the small -and delicately fragile baby. Throughout<a name="page_006" id="page_006"></a> his life Wagner was a spoilt -child, and the spoiling dates from his infancy. Both step-father and -mother took every means of petting him. His mother particularly idolized -him, and seems, so Wagner told me, to have often built castles in the -air as to his future. They were drawn towards the boy, first, because of -his sickly, frail constitution; and secondly, owing to his bright powers -of observation, which made his childish remarks peculiarly winning. As -the boy grew up he remained delicate. He was affected with an irritating -form of erysipelas, which constantly troubled him up to the time of his -death.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>BOYHOOD AT DRESDEN.</i></div> - -<p>Ludwig Geyer’s income from all sources,—acting, portrait-painting, and -play-writing—did not amount to a sum sufficient to admit of luxuries. -Poor Madame Geyer, with her large, growing family, had still to keep a -watchful eye over household expenditure. Portrait-painting was not a -lucrative occupation, and play-writing less so, yet she contrived that -the girls should receive pianoforte lessons. It was customary for needy -students of the public schools to eke out their existence by giving -lessons in music, languages, or sciences; indeed, it was not uncommon to -find some students wholly dependent on such gains for the payment of -their own school fees. The fees usually paid in such instances were -sadly small, and not unfrequently did the remuneration take the form of -a “free table.” At that time there was scarcely a family in Germany that -had not its piano. A piano was then obtainable at a cost incredibly -small compared with the sums paid to-day. True, the cases were but -coloured deal or some common stained wood, whilst the mechanism was of -the least expensive kind.<a name="page_007" id="page_007"></a> In shape they were square, with the plainest -unturned legs. Upright instruments had not then been introduced.</p> - -<p>The Wagner family went to Dresden in 1815, and from that time, up to the -date of his entering the town school at the end of 1822, Richard -received either at school or at home no regular tuition. The boy was -sickly and his mother was content to let him live and develop without -forcing him to any systematic school work. It would seem that he -received irregular lessons in drawing from his step-father, as Wagner -told me that Geyer had hoped to discover some talent in him for the -pencil, and on finding he had not the slightest gift, he was very much -disappointed. As a boy, he continued to be a pet with Geyer, -accompanying his step-father in his rambles during the day or attending -with him the rehearsals at the theatre. Such home education as he did -receive was of the most fragmentary kind, a little help here and there -from his sisters or attention from Geyer or his mother. Music lessons he -had none. All he remembered in after-life was having listened to his -sisters’ playing, and only by degrees taking interest in their work. His -own reminiscences of his boyhood were plain in one point—he certainly -was not a musical prodigy. He fingered and thumbed the keyboard like a -boy, but such scraps as he played were always by ear.</p> - -<p>Anxieties for a second time now began to thicken round the Wagner -family. The court actor Geyer was laid on a sick-bed. He was not of a -robust constitution, and conscious of failing health and apprehensive of -death, sought anxiously to find some indication in young Richard of any -decided talent which might help<a name="page_008" id="page_008"></a> him to suggest as to the boy’s future -career. He had tried, as I have said, to find whether his step-son -possessed any skill with the pencil, and sorrowfully perceived he had -none. In other directions, of course, it was difficult for Geyer to -determine as to any particular gift, if we remember the tender years of -the boy. As to music, it would have been nothing short of divination to -have predicted that there lay his future, since up to that time Richard -had not even been taught his notes. But the court actor was an artist, -and with unerring instinct detected in a simple melody played by Richard -from memory that in music “he might become something.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE WAGNER HOUSEHOLD.</i></div> - -<p>Richard had been fascinated by a snatch of melody which was constantly -played by his sisters. He caught it by ear, and was one day strumming it -softly on the piano when alone. His mother overheard him. Surprised and -pleased at the boy’s unsuspected accomplishment, Geyer was told, and the -melody was repeated in a louder tone for the benefit of the invalid in -the next room. It was the bridal chorus from “Der Freischütz.” Although -a very simple melody and of easy execution, it must have been played -with unusual feeling for a child to prompt Geyer almost to the prophetic -utterance, “Has he perhaps talent for music?” Wagner heard this, and -told me how deeply he was impressed by it. On the next day Geyer died, -13th September, 1821. Richard was then eight years and four months old, -and preserved the most vivid remembrance of his mother coming from the -death chamber weeping, but calm, and walking straight to him, saying, -“He wished to make something of you, Richard.” These<a name="page_009" id="page_009"></a> words, Wagner -said, remained with him ever after, and he boyishly resolved “to be -something.” But he had not then the faintest notion in what direction -that something was going to be. Certainly music was not forecast as the -arena of his future triumphs, since in his letter to F. Villot, dated -September, 1860, he tells us that it was not until after his efforts in -the poetical art, and subsequent to the death of Beethoven, 1827, <i>i.e</i>. -six years after Geyer’s death, that he seriously began to study music.</p> - -<p>For a second time was the family thrown into comparative adversity. But -the embarrassment was less serious than in 1813, since the three eldest -children were now at an age to contribute materially to the general -support. A trifling annuity was again awarded to the widow, and with -careful thrift she resumed her sway of the household. The family at this -time consisted of the widow; Albert, twenty-two years; Rosalie, -eighteen; Julius, seventeen, apprenticed to a goldsmith; Louisa, -sixteen; Clara, fourteen; Ottilie, ten; Richard, eight and four months; -and Cecilia Geyer, six, the only child of Frau Wagner’s second marriage. -The two eldest girls and Albert had already embraced the theatrical -profession. Family circumstances were therefore not so pinched as at the -death of Frederick Wagner.</p> - -<p>No plan having yet been devised as to the future of Richard, he was sent -on a visit to an uncle Geyer at Eisleben, between which place and his -mother’s home at Dresden, he spent the next fifteen months, when it was -decided to enter him at the Kreuzschule (the Cross School), Dresden.<a name="page_010" id="page_010"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II"></a>CHAPTER II.<br /><br /> -<small>1822-1827.</small></h2> - -<p>H<small>IS</small> first visit to Eisleben—the going among strange people, new -scenery, and for the first time sleeping away from his mother’s -home—was the first great event of his life, and left an indelible -impression on him. The details he remembered in connection with this -early visit, at a time when he was not nine years old, point to the -vividness of the picture of the whole journey in his mind and his strong -retentive memory.</p> - -<p>The story I had from Wagner in one of our rambles at Zurich in 1856.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS VISIT TO EISLEBEN.</i></div> - -<p>“My first journey to Eisleben,” said Wagner to me, “was in the beginning -of 1822. Can one ever forget a first impression? And my first long -journey was such an event! Why, I seem even to remember the physiognomy -of the poor lean horses that drew the jolting ‘postkarre.’ They were -being changed at some intermediate station, the name of which I have now -forgotten, when all the passengers had to alight. I stood outside the -inn eating the ‘butterbrod,’ with which my dear little mother (‘mein -liebes Mütterchen’ was the term of endearment invariably used by Wagner, -when referring to his mother) had provided me, and as the horses were -about to be led away, I caressed them affectionately for having brought -me so far. How every cloud<a name="page_011" id="page_011"></a> seemed to me different from those of the -Dresden sky! How I scrutinized every tree to find some new -characteristic! How I looked around in all directions to discover -something I had not yet seen in my short life! How grand I felt when the -heavy car rolled into the town of Eisleben! Even then Eisleben had a -halo of something great for my boyish imagination, since I knew it to be -the birthplace of Luther, one of the heroes of my youth, and one that -has not grown less with my increasing years. Nor was it without a reason -that, at so early a period, religion should occupy the attention of a -boy of my age. It was forced upon my family when we came to Dresden. The -court was Roman Catholic, and in consequence, no inconsiderable pressure -was brought to bear upon all families who were connected in any manner -with the government to compel them to embrace the court-religion. My -family had been among the staunchest of Lutherans for generations. What -attracted me most in the great reformer’s character, was his dauntless -energy and fearlessness. Since then I have often ruminated on the true -instinct of children, for I, had I not also to preach a new Gospel of -Art? Have I not also had to bear every insult in its defence, and have I -not too said, ‘Here I stand, God help me, I cannot be otherwise!’</p> - -<p>“My good uncle tried his best to put me through some regular educational -training. It was intended that he should prepare me as far as he could -for school, as the famous Kreuzschule was talked of for me. Yet, I must -confess I did not profit much by his instruction. I preferred rambling -about the little country town and its environs to learning the rules of -grammar. That I<a name="page_012" id="page_012"></a> profited little was, I fear, my own fault. Legends and -fables then had an immense fascination over me, and I often beguiled my -uncle into reading me a story that I might avoid working. But what -always drew me towards him was his strong affection for my own loved -step-father. Whenever he spoke of him, and he did so very often, he -always referred to his loving good-nature, his amiability, and his gifts -as an artist, and then would murmur with a tearful sigh ‘that he had to -die so young!’</p> - -<p>“It was arranged that I should enter the Dresden school in December, -1822, just at a time when my sisters were busy with the exciting -preparations for the family Christmas-tree. How good it was of my mother -then to let us have a tree, poor as we were! I was not pleased to go to -school just three days before Christmas Day, and probably would have -revolted had not my mother talked me over and made me see the advantages -of entering so celebrated an academy as the Kreuzschule, pacifying my -disappointment by allowing me to rise at early dawn to do my part to the -tree. Now I cannot see a lighted Christmas-tree without thinking of the -kind woman, nor prevent the tears starting to my eyes, when I think of -the unceasing activity of that little creature for the comfort and -welfare of her children.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>MENTAL ACTIVITY.—STATURE.</i></div> - -<p>Wagner was deeply moved when, on Christmas Day, he found amongst the -usual gifts, such as “Pfefferkuchen” (ginger-bread) and “Stolle” (butter -cake), a new suit of clothes for himself, a present from his thoughtful -mother for him to go to school with. Throughout his life Wagner was -always remarkably prim and neatly dressed, caring much for his personal -appearance. The low<a name="page_013" id="page_013"></a> state of the widow’s exchequer was well known to -Richard, and he could appreciate the effort made for him. He was no -sooner at school than he attracted to himself a few of the cleverest -boys by his early developed gift of ready speech and sarcasm. “Die -Dummer haben mich immer gehasst” (the stupid have ever hated me) was a -favourite saying of his in after-life. The study of the dead languages, -his principal subject, was a delight to him. He had a facility for -languages. It was one of his gifts. History and geography also attracted -him. He was an omnivorous reader, and his precise knowledge on any -subject was always a matter of surprise to the most intimate. It could -never be said what he had read or what he had not read, and here perhaps -is the place to note a remarkable feature in Wagner’s disposition, viz. -his modesty. Did he require information on any subject, his manner of -asking was childlike in its simplicity. He was patient in learning and -in mastering the point. But it should be observed that nothing short of -the most complete and satisfactory explanation would satisfy him. And -then would the thinking-power of the man declare itself. The information -he had newly acquired would be thoroughly assimilated and then given -forth under a new light with a force truly remarkable.</p> - -<p>In stature Wagner was below the middle size, and like most undersized -men always held himself strictly erect. He had an unusually wiry, -muscular frame, small feet, an aristocratic feature which did not extend -to his hands. It was his head, however, that could not fail to strike -even the least inquiring that there he had to do with no ordinary -mortal. The development of the<a name="page_014" id="page_014"></a> frontal part, which a phrenologist would -class at a glance amongst those belonging only to the master-minds, -impressed every one. His eyes had a piercing power, but were kindly -withal, and were ready to smile at a witty remark. Richard Wagner lacked -eyebrows, but nature, as if to make up for this deficiency, bestowed on -him a most abundant crop of bushy hair, which he carefully kept brushed -back, thereby exposing the whole of his really Jupiter-like brow. His -mouth was very small. He had thin lips and small teeth, signs of a -determined character. The nose was large and in after-life somewhat -disfigured by the early-acquired habit of snuff-taking. The back of his -head was fully developed. These were according to phrenological -principles power and energy. Its shape was very similar to that of -Luther, with whom, indeed, he had more than one point of character in -common.</p> - -<p>In answer to my inquiries about his school period at Dresden, he told me -that he was remarkably small, a circumstance not unattended with good -fortune, since it served to increase the favour of his school -professors, who looked upon his unusual mental energy in comparison with -his pigmy frame as nothing short of wonderful.</p> - -<p>As a boy he was passionate and strong-headed. His violent temper and -obstinate determination were not to be thwarted in anything he had set -his mind to. Among boys such wilfulness of character was the cause of -frequent dissensions. He rarely, however, came to blows, for he had a -shrewd wit and was winningly entreating in speech, and with much -adroitness would bend them to his whims.<a name="page_015" id="page_015"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS YOUTHFUL ESCAPADES.</i></div> - -<p>Erysipelas sorely tried the boy during his school life. Every change in -the weather was a trouble to him. As regards the loss of his eyebrows, -an affliction which ever caused him some regret, Wagner attributed it to -a violent attack of St. Anthony’s fire, as this painful malady is also -called. An attack would be preceded by depression of spirits and -irritability of temper. Conscious of his growing peevishness, he sought -refuge in solitude. As soon as the attack was subdued, his bright animal -spirits returned and none would recognize in the daring little fellow -the previous taciturn misanthrope.</p> - -<p>Practical joking was a favourite sport with him, but only indulged in -when harm could befall no one, and incident offered some funny -situation. To hurt one willingly was, I think, impossible in Wagner. He -was ever kind and would never have attempted anything that might result -in real pain.</p> - -<p>His superabundance of animal spirits, well-seconded by his active frame, -led him often into hairbrained escapades which threatened to terminate -fatally. But his fearless intrepidity was tempered and dominated by a -strong self-reliance, which always came to the rescue at the critical -moment.</p> - -<p>On one occasion when the boys of the Kreuzschule were assembled in class -for daily work, an unexpected holiday was announced for that day. A -chance like that was a rare thing at schools on the continent. The boys, -wild with excitement, rushed pell mell from the building, and showed -their delight in the usual tumultuous manner of school-boys freed from -restraint. Caps were thrown in the air, when Wagner, seizing that of one -of his companions, threw it with an unusual effort on to<a name="page_016" id="page_016"></a> the roof of -the school-house, a feat loudly applauded by the rest of the scholars. -But there was one dissentient, the unlucky boy whose cap had been thus -ruthlessly snatched. He burst into tears. Wagner could never bear to see -any one cry, and with that prompt decision so characteristic of him at -all periods of his life, decided at once to mount the roof for the cap. -He re-entered the school-house, rushed up the stairs to the cock-loft, -climbed out on the roof through a ventilator, and gazed down on the -applauding boys. He then set himself to crawl along the steep incline -towards the cap. The boys ceased cheering at the sight and drew back in -fear and terror. Some hurriedly ran to the “custodes.” A ladder was -brought and carried up stairs to the loft, the boys eagerly crowding -behind. Meanwhile Wagner had secured the cap, safely returned to the -opening, and slid back into the dark loft just in time to hear excited -talking on the stairs. He hid himself in a corner behind some boxes, -waited for the placing of the ladder, and “custodes” ascending it, when -he came from his hiding-place, and in an innocent tone inquired what -they were looking for, a bird, perhaps? “Ja, ein Galenvogel” (yes, a -gallows bird), was the angry answer of the infuriated “custodes,” who, -after all, were glad to see the boy safe, their general favourite. He -did not go unrebuked by the masters this time, and was threatened with -severe chastisement the next time he ventured on such a foolhardy -expedition.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS ACROBATIC FEATS.</i></div> - -<p>Wagner told me that whilst on the roof, which, like all roofs of old -houses in Germany, was extremely steep, he felt giddy, and was seized -with a dread of falling. Bathed in a fever of perspiration, he uttered -aloud,<a name="page_017" id="page_017"></a> “liebe mütterchen,” upon which he felt transformed. It acted on -his frame with the power of magic, and helped him to retrace his steps -from a position which would appall a practised gymnast. Many years after -this, Wagner’s eldest brother, Albert, when referring to Richard having -taken part in the rising of the people of Saxony in 1849, which he -personally strongly deprecated, told me the above story in illustration -of Richard’s extreme foolhardiness. The episode was fully confirmed by -Wagner, who then told me of his fears on the roof.</p> - -<p>It was not in climbing only that Richard excelled. He was known as the -best tumbler and somersault-turner of the large Dresden school. Indeed, -he was an adept in every form of bodily exercise; and as his animal -spirits never left him, he still performed boyish tricks even when -nearing threescore and ten. The roof of the Kreuzschule was not -infrequently referred to by me, and when Wagner proposed some -venturesome undertaking, I would say, “You are on the roof again.”</p> - -<p>“Ah, but I shall get safely down again, too,” was the answer, -accompanied with his pleasant boyish laugh.</p> - -<p>Richard early began to exhibit his love of acrobatic feats. When as -young as seven, he would frighten his mother by sliding down the -banisters with daring rapidity and jumping down stairs. As he always -succeeded in his feats, his mother and the other children took it for -granted that he would not come to grief, and sometimes he would be asked -to exhibit his unwonted skill to visitors. This no doubt increased the -boy’s confidence in himself—a self-reliance which never left him to the -time of his death.<a name="page_018" id="page_018"></a></p> - -<p>Wagner’s affection for his mother was of the tenderest. It was the love -of a poet infused with all his noblest ideality. The dear name, whenever -uttered by Richard Wagner, was spoken in tones so soft and tender as to -bespeak at once the sympathy and affection existing between the two. A -halo of glory ever encircled “mein leibe mütterchen.” Nothing can give a -better idea of this gentle love than the passages in “Seigfried,” the -child of the forest, where the hero demands of the ugly dwarf, Mime, who -had brought him up, “Who was my mother?” an inquiry he repeated after he -had killed the hideous dragon, Fafner, and thereby became able to -understand the song of the birds. If ever music could give an idea of -love, here in these passages we have it. In what touching accents comes, -“How may my mother have looked? Surely her eyes must have shone with the -radiant sparkle of the hind, but much more beautiful!” Every allusion to -his mother in this scene is expressed in the orchestra with an ethereal -refinement and originality of conception to which one finds no parallel -in the whole range of music of the past. I verily believe that Richard -Wagner never loved any one so deeply as his “liebe mütterchen.” All his -references to her of his childhood period were of affection, amounting -almost to idolatry. With that instinctive power of unreasoned yet -unerring perception possessed by women, she from his childhood felt the -gigantic brain-power of the boy, and his love for her was not unmixed -with gratitude for her tacit acknowledgment of his genius.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS LOVE FOR ANIMALS.</i></div> - -<p>One of his early developed affections was a strong love for animals. On -this point, and what I know of<a name="page_019" id="page_019"></a> its strong sway with him in his dramas, -I shall have something to say hereafter. Now I shall confine myself to -the recital of an incident of his boyhood. To see a helpless beast -ill-treated was to rouse all the strong passion within him. Anger would -overcome all reason, and he would as a child fly at the offender.</p> - -<p>One of his first impressions was a chance visit he paid with some of his -school-fellows to a slaughter yard. An ox was about to be killed. The -butcher, stripped, stood with uplifted axe. The horrible implement -descended on the head of the stately animal, who gave a low, deep moan. -The blows and moans were repeated. The boy grew wild, and would have -rushed at the butcher had not his companions forcibly held him back and -taken him away from the scene. For some time after he could not touch -meat, and it was only when other impressions effaced this scene that he -became reconciled by his mother reasoning that animals must be killed, -and that it was perhaps preferable to dying slowly by sickness and old -age. When a man, he could not refer to this incident without a shudder.</p> - -<p>In after-life he rarely missed an opportunity of pleading for better -treatment of animals, drawing the attention of the municipal authorities -to the prevention of wanton cruelty, and arguing that animals, to be -killed for human food, should be despatched with the minimum of pain.<a name="page_020" id="page_020"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III"></a>CHAPTER III.<br /><br /> -<small>1822-1827. <i>Continued.</i></small></h2> - -<p>F<small>ROM</small> the record of the Kreuzschule it appears that Wagner entered that -famous training college on the 22d December, 1822, as Richard Wilhelm -Geyer, son of the late court actor of that name. He would then be nearly -ten years old.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>AT THE KREUZSCHULE, DRESDEN.</i></div> - -<p>He told me that he well remembered the eager delight with which he -looked forward to the prospect of enjoying systematic instruction. He -hoped to be placed high in the school, yet dreaded the entrance -examination, conscious how very patched was <i>then</i> his store of -information. During his first seven years’ residence in Dresden, from -1815-1822, the Kreuzschule, had been an every-day object to him, and yet -on entering the building for the first time as an intending student, a -feeling of awe took possession of him. The unsuspected majesty of the -building, the echo of his footfall on the stone steps, made his young -heart beat with expectant wonder. The result of the examination was to -place him in the first form, his bright, quick, intelligent replies -proving more valuable than his disconnected knowledge. For the masters -of the Kreuzschule he ever retained an affection, their genial bearing -and friendly tuition comparing favourably with the pedantic overbearing -demeanour of the masters of the St. Nicholas school in Leipzic, where<a name="page_021" id="page_021"></a> -he went later on, men who represented a past and effete dogmatic German -pedantry.</p> - -<p>The direction of his school studies was almost entirely classic. For -Greek he evinced a strong affection. Many a time has he told me that he -was drawn towards the history of the Greeks by their refined sense of -beauty, and the didactic nature of their drama, embodying as it did -their religion, politics, and social existence.</p> - -<p>Wagner never lost an opportunity of dilating upon, by speech and pen, -what might accurately be described as the basis of all his art work. The -drama of a nation, he persistently contended, was a faithful mirror of -its people. Where the tone of the drama was base the people would be -found degraded either through their own acts or the superior force of -others. Where the mission of the national drama was the inculcation of -high moral lessons, patriotism, and love, there the people were thrice -blessed. This idea of a national drama for his fatherland possessed him. -He longed to lift the German drama from its “miserable” condition, and -his model was “the noble, perfect, grand, and heroic tragedy of the -Hellenes.” These words I have quoted from a pamphlet, “The Work and -Mission of my Life,” written less than ten years ago by Wagner. Their -meaning is so clear and they summarize so accurately what Wagner in his -younger days oft discussed with me that I am glad to add my testimony to -what I know was the ambition of his life.</p> - -<p>In his ardent struggles to found a national drama we clearly trace the -young Dresden student. Here, indeed, is a plain incontestable instance -of the boy as the father of the man. His school studies were -pre-eminently<a name="page_022" id="page_022"></a> Greek language and literature, and it was this which -dominated almost the whole of his future career. Hellenic history -permeated his entire being, and he gave it forth in the form and model -of his immortal music-dramas, in the mode of their development, and in -their close union between the stage story and the life of the people.</p> - -<p>At school, translations of Æschylus by Apel, a German writer of -mediocrity, constituted his chief textbooks. The tragedies suited so -well the boy’s nature that he soon became possessed with a longing to -read them in the original. So real and fruitful was his earnestness, -that by the time he was thirteen he had translated at home, and entirely -for his own gratification, several books of the “Odyssey.” This private -home work was, he remembered, greatly encouraged by his mother, who, -although untutored herself, revered, with a divination characteristic of -women of the people, his efforts after a knowledge which she felt would -surely be productive of future greatness. This piece of diligent extra -school work is another of the many examples of the boy Wagner, “father -to the man.” Hard worker he always was. Persistency of application -characterized him throughout his life, and when it is stated that during -this very period of the “Odyssey” translation, he was also privately -studying English to read Shakespeare, who is not amazed at the -extraordinary energy of the boy? No wonder that the school professors -spoke flatteringly of him, and looked for great things from him, and no -wonder that the fond mother felt confirmed in her belief that Richard -“would become something,” and that Geyer’s dying utterance would not be -falsified.<a name="page_023" id="page_023"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>EARLY POETICAL EFFORTS.</i></div> - -<p>Wagner’s nature was that of a poet. The metrical skill of the Hellenes -fascinated him and fostered his strongly marked sense of rhythm.</p> - -<p>As regards mathematics, I never remember him in all our discussions to -have uttered anything which might lead me to suppose he had ever any -special liking for that branch of education, but at the same time I -should add that his power of reasoning was at all times strong and -lucid, as if based upon the precision acquired by close mathematical -study. In all he did he was eminently logical.</p> - -<p>His effort as a poet dates from a very early period. The incident, the -death of a fellow-scholar, was just that which would touch a sensitive -nature like Richard’s. A school prize was offered for an elegy, and -Wagner, eleven years old, competed. The presence of death to him was at -all times terrible in its awful annihilation of all consciousness. -Whether in man or beast, it was sure to set him pondering on the -“whither?” a question to which at a later period of his life he devoted -much labour to satisfactorily answer. Although not twelve years old, -death had robbed him of his father and step-father, and their dark -shadows flitted before him, reviving sad memories which time had paled. -It was under this spell that the elegy was written, and it is not -astonishing that the prize was adjudged to him. The poem was printed, -but, unhappily, not preserved. In telling me of this early creative -effort, and in reply to a naturally expressed desire to hear his own -opinion about it, he said that beyond the incident he had not the -faintest remembrance of the style or wording of the<a name="page_024" id="page_024"></a> poem, jocularly -adding that he would himself much like to see his “Opus I.”</p> - -<p>There was a halo of poetry about the Dresden school. Theodore Körner, -the poet of freedom, was a pupil at the Kreuzschule up to 1808. His -inspiriting songs were sung by old and young. Loved by all, his death, -at the early age of twenty-two on the battle-field fighting for German -freedom, made him the idol of his countrymen. The boys of his own school -were intensely proud of him. To emulate Körner was the eager wish of -every one of them, and into Wagner’s poetic nature the poetry of the man -and the cause he sung sank deeper than with the rest. The battle-songs -of the fiery young patriot received an immortal setting by Wagner’s -idol, Weber.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>FIRST LESSONS ON THE PIANO.</i></div> - -<p>The admiration of the future poet of “Tristan” for the genius of -Shakespeare impelled him, as soon as he had sufficiently mastered -English, to produce a metrical translation of Romeo’s famous soliloquy. -This was done when he had hardly completed his fourteenth year. Up to -this period, poetry unquestionably dominated him. All his essays had -been literary. Nothing had been done in music. It was now, however, that -his latent music forced itself out of him. Up to the time that he -entered the Dresden school, in his ninth year, he had received -absolutely no instruction in music, and during his five years of school -life a few desultory piano lessons from a young tutor, who used to help -him at home with his school exercises, embraced the whole of his musical -tuition up to the age of fourteen. For the technical part of his music -lessons he had a decided dislike. The dry study of fingering he greatly -objected to, and to the last<a name="page_025" id="page_025"></a> never acquired any rational finger method. -When joked about his ridiculous clumsy fingering, he would reply with -characteristic waggishness, “I play a great deal better than Berlioz,” -who, it should be stated, could not play at all.<a name="page_026" id="page_026"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV"></a>CHAPTER IV.<br /><br /> -<small>LEIPZIC, 1827-1831.</small></h2> - -<p>F<small>OR</small> some time Rosalie and Louisa, Richard’s two sisters, had been -engaged at the Leipzic theatre, where they were very popular. Madame -Geyer, desirous of being near her daughters and within easy reach of -assistance, returned to Leipzic with the younger children and Richard -with them. For ten years, from about 1818 to 1828, my father held the -post of Kapellmeister at the Stadttheater, under the management of -Küstner, a celebrated director. The period of Küstner’s management is -famous in the annals of the German stage for the high intellectual tone -that pervaded the performances under his direction. The names of some of -the artists who appeared there are now historic. So high was the -standard of excellence reached in these truly model performances, that -the whole character of German stage representations was influenced and -elevated by it. This was the theatre at which Rosalie and Louisa were -engaged. These were the high artistic performances which the youthful -poet Richard witnessed, and which deeply affected the impressionable -embryo dramatist.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>ROSALIE AND LOUISA WAGNER.</i></div> - -<p>Of this period, actors, plays, and incidents, I had the most vivid -remembrance from the close connection of my father with the theatre and -the friendly intercourse <a name="page_027" id="page_027"></a>of my family with the actors. Wagner would -take great delight in discussing the performances and actors. He was -fond, too, of hearing what I, in my boyhood, thought of the acting of -his sisters, and from our frequent and intimate conversations, bearing -on his youthful impressions of the stage, he uttered many striking and -original remarks which will appear later on. A popular piece then was -Weber’s “Sylvana,” in which Louisa performed the part of the forest -child. This part apparently won the youthful admiration of both of us. -Wagner’s remembrance of certain incidents connected with it was -marvellous to me.</p> - -<p>On his return to Leipzic, his first impulse drove him to visit the house -in the Brühl in which he was born. Is it not possible that even at that -early stage of his life his extraordinary ambition of “becoming -something great” might have foreshadowed to him that the humble -habitation of his childhood would later on bear the proud inscription, -“Richard Wagner was born here”? What struck him at once as very strange -was the foreign aspect of that part of the town where the Jews -congregated. It was continually recruited by an increasing immigration -of the nomadic Polish Jews, who seemed to have consecrated the Brühl -their “Jerusalem,” as Wagner christened it and ever referred to it when -speaking to me. The Polish Jews of that quarter traded principally in -furs, from the cheapest fur-lined “Schlafrock” to the finest and most -costly furs used by royalty. Their strange appearance with their -all-covering gabardine, high boots, and large fur caps, worn over long -curls, their enormous beards, struck Wagner as it did every one, and -does still, as something very unpleasant and disagreeable. Their -peculiarly strange pronunciation<a name="page_028" id="page_028"></a> of the German language, their -extravagantly wild gesticulations when speaking, seemed to his aesthetic -mind like the repulsive movements of a galvanized corpse.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS FIRST ATTACHMENT.</i></div> - -<p>I was sorry to find that Wagner, although generally averse to acts of -violence and oppression, was but little shocked at the unreasoned hatred -and contempt of the Leipzic populace (especially the lower classes) for -the Jews. Their innate thrift, frugality, and skill in trading, were -regarded as avarice and dishonesty. Tales of unmitigated cruelty and -horror perpetrated by the Jews floated in the brains of the lower -Christian (?) populace. The murder of Christian infants for the sake of -their blood, to be used in sacrifice of Jewish rites, was a commonplace -rejoinder in justification of the suspicion and hatred against this -unfortunate race. Crying babes were speedily silenced by the threat, -“The Polish Jew is coming.” What wonder, then, to see what was almost a -daily occurrence,—a number of Christian boys rush upon an unprotected, -inoffensive Jew boy and mercilessly beat him to revenge the imaginary -wrongs which the Jews were said to have done to Christian infants. Nor, -I am sorry to add, did the fully grown Christian burgher interfere in -such brutal scenes; the poor wretched victim, beaten by overwhelming -numbers and rolled howling in the mud, was but a Jew boy! Strange to -say, Wagner had imbibed some intuitive dislike to the Egyptian type of -Hebrew, and never entirely overcame that feeling. No amount of reasoning -could obliterate it at any period of his life, although he counted among -his most devoted friends and admirers a great many of the oppressed -race. Still considerably more<a name="page_029" id="page_029"></a> odd is it that Wagner’s first attachment -was for one of the black-eyed daughters of Judah. When passing in review -our earliest impressions of school life, we naturally came to that -never-to-be-forgotten period of the earliest blossoms of first love, -which then revealed to me this remarkably strange episode. Events of -everyday occurrence, which in the lives of ordinary mortals scarcely -deserve mentioning, are invested with a significance in the lives of men -whose destiny points to immortality. When Wagner came to this curious -incident of his school life, amazed, I ejaculated, “a Jewess?” in a tone -of “impossible!”</p> - -<p>It was after a discussion of Jew-hating, and my pointing to the many -friends and adherents he had among the Jews, he with his joyous outbreak -of humor said, “After all, it was the dog’s fault,” referring to -“Faust,” where Mephisto, as a large dog, lies “unter dem Ofen.” Then -followed the story.</p> - -<p>He had called at his sister Louisa’s house (by the way, he had an -affection for this sister which, in our intimate converse, he likened to -that which Goethe in his case speaks of as having for its basis the -frontier where love of kin ends and love of sex commences), went to her -room, where he found an enormous dog which attracted his attention. Any -one acquainted with Wagner knew of his devoted attachment to dogs, of -which I shall have more to say hereafter. Not many could understand an -affection which included every dog in creation. Wagner would engage in -long conversations with dogs, and in supplying their answers would -infuse into them much of that caustic wit which philosophers of all ages -and countries have so often and powerfully<a name="page_030" id="page_030"></a> put into the mouth of -animals. Richard Wagner delighted to make dumb pets speak scornfully of -the boasted superiority of man, thinking that after all the animal’s -quiet obedience to the prescribed laws of instinct was a surer guide -than man’s vaunted free will and reasoning power. He was fond, too, of -quoting Weber on such occasions, who, when <i>his</i> dog became disobedient, -used to remark, “If you go on like that, you will at last become as -silly and bad as a human being.”</p> - -<p>The dog so wholly engrossed Richard’s attention that he failed to notice -a visitor, Fräulein Leah David, who had come to fetch her dog, left at -her friend’s house whilst paying visits in the neighbourhood. The young -Jewess was of the same age as Richard, tall, and possessed that superior -type of Oriental beauty more frequently found among the Portuguese Jews. -She was on intimate terms with Louisa Wagner, who shortly after married -one of the celebrated book publishers of Germany. Leah David made an -immediate conquest of Richard. “I had never before been so close to so -richly attired and beautiful a girl, nor addressed with such an animated -eastern profusion of polite verbiage. It took me by surprise, and for -the first time in my life I felt that indescribable bursting forth of -first love.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>FRÄULEIN LEAH DAVID.</i></div> - -<p>Wagner was invited to the house of her father, who, like most wealthy -Jews, surrounded himself with artists of every kind. Indeed, it was -there that Richard made many acquaintances which subsequently proved -useful to him. There was an extravagant luxury in the ostentatious house -of Herr David, which made the ambitious young student poignantly feel -the frugal economy practised in his own home. Wagner’s imaginative -brain<a name="page_031" id="page_031"></a> always made him yearn for all the enjoyments that life could -supply. Unlimited means was the roseate cloud that incessantly hovered -before his longing fancy. In this respect he differs largely from most -other creative great minds, who, by force of inventive genius, have -conjured up worlds of power and riches, and yet have lived contentedly -on the most modest fare and in the lowliest of habitations.</p> - -<p>Richard’s new-found friend was an only daughter, and having lost her -mother, she was free to do as she willed; the enthusiastic young -musician was allowed to visit the house and proved a very genial -companion, fond of her dog, and adoring art. Wagner did not declare his -passion, feeling that in the sympathetic, friendly treatment he received -it was divined and accepted. But he was regarded more in the light of a -boy than as a lover, small and slight in stature, dreamy and absorbed as -he was then. If the young lady chanced to be out when he called, he -either went to the piano or occupied himself with the dog, Iago, if at -home. The visits becoming frequent, the attachment ripened into an -intimacy. At such a house, with a daughter fond of music, <i>soirées -musicales</i> were constantly occurring. At one of them a young Dutchman, -nephew of Herr David, was present. He was a pianist, and had just that -gift which Wagner lacked, dexterity of fingering. Flatteringly -applauded, the jealous Wagner intemperately and injudiciously launched -out about absence of soul and similar expressions. Taunted into playing, -his clumsy, defective manipulation provoked a sneer from the Dutchman -and a titter from the assembly. Wagner lost his temper. Stung in his -tenderest feelings before the<a name="page_032" id="page_032"></a> Hebrew maiden, with the headlong -impetuosity of an unthinking youth he replied in such violent, rude -language that a dead silence fell upon the guests. Then Wagner rushed -out of the room, sought his cap, took leave of Iago, and vowed revenge. -He waited two days, upon which, having received no communication, he -returned to the scene of the quarrel. To his indignation he was refused -admittance. The next morning he received a note in the handwriting of -the young Jewess. He opened it feverishly. It was as a death-blow. -Fräulein Leah was shortly going to be married to the hated young -Dutchman, Herr Meyers, and henceforth she and Richard were to be as -strangers.</p> - -<p>“It was my first love-sorrow, and I thought I should never forget it, -but after all,” said Wagner, with his wonted audacity, “I think I cared -more for the dog than for the Jewess. Whilst under the love-spell I had -paid little heed to much that soon after, in pondering over the episode, -revolted me. The strange characteristics of the Jews were unpleasant to -me. Then it was that I first perceived that impassable barrier which -must always rise up between Jews and Christians in their dealings with -the world. One cannot help an instinctive feeling of repulsion against -this strange element, which has been gradually creeping into our midst, -growing like mistletoe upon the oak tree, a parasite taking root -wherever it can fasten but the smallest fibre, and clinging with a -tenacity entirely its own, drawing in all nutriment within reach, and -yet remaining, notwithstanding, a parasite. Such is the Jew in the midst -of Christian civilization.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>AT SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY.</i></div> - -<p>His entrance to the St. Nicolas school in 1827, where<a name="page_033" id="page_033"></a> he remained three -years, was as the passing through a dark cloud. The whole training here -differed vitally from that at the Kreuzschule. The masters and their -mode of tuition was unsympathetic to him. I did not wonder at this when -he told me. I had been at the school, too, and experienced similar -feelings of resentment. The Martinet system of discipline was irksome to -high-spirited boys. No attempt was made to develop individuality of -character. This was unfortunate for Wagner. He was just then at an age -when personal interest and sympathetic guidance would have been -invaluable. Filled with wild dreams of a glorious future that was to -follow his self-dedication to the drama, he threw himself with ardour -into the completion of a play he had begun to work at. Ambition had -prompted him to base it on the model of Shakespeare’s tragedies. The -plot was as wild and impossible as the unrestricted exuberance of so -extravagant a fancy might suggest. It occupied him for upwards of two -years, and greatly interfered with his legitimate school work. When in -later life he surveyed this period he describes himself as “wild, -negligent, and idle,” absorbed with one thought, his great drama.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS ARTISTIC CRISIS.</i></div> - -<p>From the St. Nicolas school he passed to St. Thomas’s school, where he -stayed but a few months, leaving it for the University. At the -University he attended occasional lectures only, showing none of that -assiduity which distinguished him at the Kreuzschule. His University -days were marked by a profligacy to which he afterwards referred with -regret and even disgust. He was young and wild, and had determined with -his insatiable nature to drain to the dregs the cup of dissoluted<a name="page_034" id="page_034"></a> -frivolity. I should not be performing the duty of an honest biographer -were I to omit an incident which occurred at this period, regrettable as -it might seem. His mother still received her modest pension. On one -occasion Richard was commissioned to receive it for her. Returning home -with the money in his pocket he chanced to pass a public gambling house. -<i>There</i> was one sensation he had not yet experienced. At that moment he -felt that in the throw of the fascinating dice lay the fateful omen of -his future. The money was not his, yet he entered and risked the hazard -of the dice. He was unfortunate; lost all but a small sum he had kept -back. Yet he could not resist the alluring excitement. He staked this -too. Fortune, happily for the wide world of art, befriended him, and he -left the debasing den with more than he had entered, “But,” inquired I, -“what would you have done had you lost all?” “Lord!” he replied, “before -going into the house I had firmly resolved that should I lose I would -accept the omen and seek my end in the river.” A man in years calmly -telling me this so long after the incident had occurred urged me again -to ask, “Would you really have done that?” “I would,” was the short -determined answer. He was unable to keep the story back from his mother, -and at once on his return told her all. “Instead of upbraiding me,” -Wagner said, “she fell with passionate love around my neck, exclaiming, -‘You are saved. Your free confession tells me that never again will you -commit so wicked a wrong.’” This Wagner related to me when I was staying -with him at Zurich in 1856. This hazardous throw of the dice was not the -only occasion on which<a name="page_035" id="page_035"></a> he had boldly defied fate. He was ever buoyed up -with an implicit faith in his destiny, which sustained him through many -trials, though at the same time it urged him to act in a manner where -more thoughtful minds would have hesitated.</p> - -<p>I now come to what was undoubtedly the crisis of Wagner’s artistic -career. It was the practice at German theatres, between the acts, for -the orchestra to play movements of Haydn’s symphonies or similar -excerpts by other masters. The rule was to hurry through them in the -most indifferent manner. Not the slightest attention was paid to -expression, and if it happened that the manager’s bell rang while the -“playing” was going on, the performance would terminate with a jerk, -each artist seemingly anxious not to play a note more, and heedless of -finishing the “phrase” together.</p> - -<p>At Leipzic, the entire music was particularly slovenly, played under the -cynical Matthey. And yet the very men who played so reprehensibly in the -stage orchestra, when performing at the famous Gewandhaus concerts -seemed to be moved by feelings of reverence for their work, unknown to -them in the theatre. It would be an interesting investigation to -discover why this was. The symphonies of Beethoven in the concert-room -compelled their whole worship; the symphonies of Haydn in the theatre -were treated like “dinner” music. Perhaps the explanation is, that the -symphonic movements played in the theatre bore no relation to the drama -enacted, whereas music played for itself went with a verve and spirit, -and attention to its meaning quite unknown to the -stop-gap-music-scrambling of the theatre.<a name="page_036" id="page_036"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>RESOLVE TO BECOME A MUSICIAN.</i></div> - -<p>From the unsatisfying scrambling performances of the theatre, Wagner, -fifteen years old, went to the Gewandhaus concerts. There he heard -Beethoven’s symphonies. What a revelation were they to him, played with -the artistic perfection for which that orchestra was so justly -celebrated, although there was room for improvement. They forced open in -him the floodgates of a torrent of emotion. A new world dawned upon him. -Music that had hitherto lain dormant, suddenly awakened into a vigorous -existence truly electrifying. His future career was decided. Henceforth -he, too, would be a musician. And what was there in Beethoven that -should so startle him into new life? He had heard Haydn, Mozart, and -earlier masters without being so completely awed and fascinated. What -was there in these symphonies that should exercise such a determining -influence over him? It was the overpowering earnestness of the unhappy -composer. Beethoven dealt with life problems according to the spirit of -his age—the demand for freedom of thought and liberty of the person. -Beethoven had been baptized in that mighty wave, the struggle for -freedom, which rolled over Germany at the beginning of this century. He -could not help being eloquently earnest. He was the creature of his -time, and when called upon to declare himself, was not found wanting in -rugged, bold earnestness. Yet although Haydn and Mozart, I too, were -earnest, their utterances were of a subjective character. The world to -them presented none of the doubts and philosophic speculations which -convulsed Beethoven’s period. Their view of life was pure optimism. A -vein of bright joyousness runs through all<a name="page_037" id="page_037"></a> their works, aye, even their -most serious. But Beethoven was a pessimist, and his works betray him. -When he has a sunshiny moment it serves only to show how deep is his -prevailing gloom. Wagner at fifteen was a poet, and the energetic, -suggestive music of Beethoven was mentally transformed into living -personalities. He has said that he felt as if Beethoven addressed him -“personally.” Every movement formed itself into a story, glowed with -life, and assumed a clear, distinct shape. I do not forget the earlier -influence of Weber over him, but then that was more due to emotion than -to reason. The novelty of “Der Freischütz,” the freshness of its melodic -stream, and the wild imaginative treatment of the romantic story -captivated his first affection and enchained it to the last. The whole -of his impressions of Beethoven (whom, by the way, Wagner never saw) -were embodied by him in a sketch written for a periodical and entitled, -“A Pilgrimage to Beethoven.” Although the incidents painted there are -not to be taken as having happened to the pilgrim, Wagner, yet the story -is clear on one point—the unbounded spell Beethoven exercised over him.</p> - -<p>As he was now determined to become a musician, and seeing the necessity -of acquiring some theoretical knowledge of his new art, with his usual -perseverance he began studying alone. His progress was so disappointing -that he made arrangements with a local organist, with whom, too, he -advanced but little. However, he was resolved. Music he wanted for his -own play; without music he felt it was incomplete, and although he -worked assiduously, theory seemed a long, dreary road which, instead of -helping him to the goal<a name="page_038" id="page_038"></a> he yearned to reach, presented innumerable -obstacles in the path. He wanted to compose, yet all the grammarian’s -rules were so many caution-boards, warning him against doing this or -that, impediments that prevented him accomplishing what he strove to -perform. It was always what should <i>not</i> be done instead of what should -be done. With youthful impetuosity he then revolted against all -grammarianism, and to the end of his life maintained an attitude of -derisive defiance towards all who fought behind the shield inscribed -fugue, canon and counterpoint.</p> - -<p>Although conscious of how unsatisfactory his theoretical progress had -been, ambition prompted him to write an overture for the orchestra. The -young composer was seventeen. The overture is characterized by Wagner’s -besetting sin—extravagance of means. Through his sister’s connection -with the stage he became acquainted with the music director of the -Leipzic theatre, a young man, Heinrich Dorn, a few years older than -Wagner. I knew Dorn as a friendly, easy-going, good-tempered fellow. -Impressed with the unusual enthusiasm of the youth, Dorn kindly offered -to perform his overture at the theatre. It was performed. The audience -laughed at it, and Wagner was not slow to admit the justice of its -reception.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A PUPIL OF CANTOR WEINLIG.</i></div> - -<p>Of the caligraphy displayed in this work I must say a few words. The -score was written in different-coloured inks, the groups of strings, -wood, and brass, being distinguished by special colours. His extreme -neatness and care at all times of his life, when using the pen, was -wonderful. Before putting word or note to paper every thought had been -so fully digested that there<a name="page_039" id="page_039"></a> was never any need of erasure or -correction. In strange contrast with Richard Wagner’s clean, neat, -distinct writing, stand Beethoven’s hieroglyphics, whole lines of which -were sometimes smudged out with the finger.</p> - -<p>Wagner accepted the judgment upon his overture, though not without a -painful feeling of disappointment. But as he was determined to be a -musician, his family now encouraged him, and for that purpose placed him -under Cantor Weinlig of Leipzic. The Cantor was on intimate terms with -my father, and therefore was well known to me. He had a great name as a -skilled contrapuntist. Gentle and persuasive in demeanour, he soon won -the affection of his pupil, and although his tuition lasted for about -six months only, it was sufficient to cause Wagner to refer with -affection to this, his only real master.</p> - -<p>The immediate result of Weinlig’s tuition was the production of a sonata -for the pianoforte. It is in strict form, but Wagner’s conscientious -adherence to the dogmatic principles he had learned seem to have dried -up all sources of inspiration. He was evidently in a straight jacket, -for the sonata does not contain one original idea, not one phrase of -more than common interest. It is just the kind of music that any average -pupil without gift might have written. Time was wanting before the -careful, orthodox training of Weinlig could thoroughly assimilate itself -to the peculiarity of Wagner’s genius.</p> - -<p>It is curious that he should have produced such a very inferior work as -regards ideas and development while he was at the same time a most -ardent student of Beethoven. It can only be explained by regarding the -period as one of transition and receptivity. He was not<a name="page_040" id="page_040"></a> full grown nor -strong enough to wing himself to independent flight.</p> - -<p>Beethoven was his daily study. He was carefully storing up all the grand -thoughts of the great master, but his fiery enthusiasm had not yet come -to that burning-point when it should ignite his own latent powers. His -acquaintance with the scores of Beethoven has never been equalled. It -was extraordinary. He had them so much by heart that he could play on -the piano, with his own awkward fingering, whole movements. Indeed, -beyond Weber, the idol of his boyhood, and Beethoven, there was no -master whose works interested him at that period. His family considered -him Beethoven-mad. His eldest brother, Albert, then engaged actively in -the profession, and more of a practical business man, particularly -condemned the exclusive hero-worship of a master not then understood or -acknowledged by the general public. But Richard persevered with his -study, and as a testimony of his affection for Beethoven it may be -mentioned that, at eighteen, he produced a pianoforte arrangement of the -whole of the “Ninth Symphony.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>WEBER AND BEETHOVEN HIS MODELS.</i></div> - -<p>In the school of Weber and Beethoven did Wagner form himself. The -musical utterances of both his models were in harmony with their time. -Weber was romantic, Beethoven pessimistic. The cry for liberty which ran -throughout Europe at the end of the eighteenth century affected the -republic of letters sooner than the world of music. It was Wagner’s -“idol,” his “adored” master, who first musically portrayed the -revolutionary spirit of the dawn of this century. It was he who founded -the romantic school of musicians. His ideality, his “romantic” genius, -taking that word in<a name="page_041" id="page_041"></a> its highest and noblest sense, place him in an -entirely separate niche of the temple of art. His inventive faculty, the -irresistible charm of his melody, his entirely new delineation and -orchestral colouring of character, are immeasurably superior to anything -of the kind which preceded him. He was the basis, the starting-point of -a new phase in the art of music. And yet, with it all, the great Weber -fell short in one important feature of his art—the consequential -development of his themes. All his chamber music testifies to this. Even -in his three great overtures, “Der Freischütz,” “Euryanthe,” and -“Oberon,” the “working-out” of the subjects is feeble and unskilful, and -only compensated for by the ever gushing forth of new and potent ideas. -Weber had not passed through the crucible of a serious study of the -classical school. In his early period he had treated music more as an -amateur than as an earnest-thinking musician. Nor was he gifted with the -brain power of Beethoven. It was the latter master’s causal strength of -brain, combined with his deep, serious studies and his incessant -striving to express exactly what he felt, which have secured for him -that exceptional position in modern tonal art.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>STUDY OF INSTRUMENTATION.</i></div> - -<p>Coming now to Wagner, we find him possessing, to a truly remarkable -degree, the special powers of both. His wondrous inventive genius was -controlled by a brain power as solid as rare. It enabled him to fuse in -his own work the gifts of the idealist, Weber, and of the thinker, -Beethoven. The latter’s mastery of workmanship, his reasoned sequence of -ideas, are vastly surpassed in Wagner’s dialectic treatment. As an -instrumental colourist Weber was superior to Beethoven. The deafness<a name="page_042" id="page_042"></a> of -the latter sometimes led him to mark the wrong instrument in his scores. -He could not hear, and therefore was not fully able to comprehend the -qualities of every instrument, like Weber. The greatness of his power as -an orchestral writer is undeniable, yet many instances could be quoted -where he has misapplied a particular instrument of whose character, -through his deafness, he had lost the exact knowledge. Wagner based his -instrumentation on that of Weber. In spite of an almost unlimited -admiration of Beethoven, Wagner has not refrained from pointing to -certain defects of scoring in him. He shows that whilst Beethoven -modelled his orchestra after Haydn and Mozart, his conceptions went -immeasurably beyond them and clashed with the somewhat inadequate means -of their orchestra. Beethoven had neither the modern keyed brass -instruments to support the wood-wind against the doubled and trebled -strings, nor did he dare to venture beyond the then supposed range of -the wood, brass, and string instruments. Often when reaching what was -thought to be the topmost note on either, he suddenly jumps in an almost -childishly anxious manner to an octave below, interrupting the melody -and producing an irritating effect. Wagner has asserted that had -Beethoven heard the tonal effect of portions of his marking, he would -unquestionably have rewritten them or altered the instruments. But -whilst deploring his great predecessor’s deafness as the cause of -certain defective instrumentation he renders unstinted homage to the -general orchestration of the symphonies. The enormous amplification of -deeply reasoned detail in those nine grand works demands from each -individual of the orchestra an attention<a name="page_043" id="page_043"></a> and refinement of expression -to be expected only from an orchestra composed of virtuosi.</p> - -<p>It was shortly after his return to Leipzic that Wagner began to study -instrumentation. The Gewandhaus concerts and Beethoven’s symphonies had -stirred him. He thumped the piano, was conscious of his lack of skill, -but nevertheless bought the scores of the symphonies and studied them -with heart and soul. The magnificent colouring charmed him. To work the -score at the piano, and see where the secret lay, was his careful study, -and then, when he found it, he saw how necessary was individual -excellence of performance. Even the Gewandhaus performances failed to -completely satisfy him. The members of the orchestra were familiar with -the works, yet was the performance far from conveying that lasting -impression which the delineation of the intensely grand ideas were -capable of, and which from his piano-reading he expected. The -dissatisfaction he experienced induced him to seek further for the -explanation, and after careful thought he fixed the blame on the -shortcomings of the conductor. The head of an orchestra, he asserted, -should study the work to be played under him until every phrase, its -meaning, and bearing to the whole composition were thoroughly -assimilated by him. He should, further, have a perfect acquaintance with -the capabilities of every instrument, and an excellent memory. Works -performed under conductors not possessing these qualifications never -produce their legitimate effect. “It was only when I had conducted -Mozart’s works myself,” says Wagner, “and had made the orchestra execute -every detail as I felt it, that I took real pleasure in their -performance.<a name="page_044" id="page_044"></a>”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V"></a>CHAPTER V.<br /><br /> -<small>1832-1836.</small></h2> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD.</i></div> - -<p>Had Wagner’s youthful enthusiasm been fired at the Dresden Kreuzschule -with love for Germany and hatred of the French oppressor, a feeling -which flew through the land like lightning, had the songs of Körner’s -“Lyre and Sword,” set to vigorous music by Weber, inspired him, his -patriotism was intensified tenfold when, returning to his native city, -he came into the midst of a population that had suffered all the horrors -and privations of actual war. His study of modern literature, -assimilated with surprising facility in a brain where all was order and -consecutiveness, gave him an insight into the deplorable state of his -beloved country, whilst indicating the direction in which future efforts -should be directed. He found that the revolutionary spasm of the end of -the eighteenth century had shattered time-honoured traditions, roughly -shaken the creeds of the past, and indeed had left nothing untouched, -infiltrating itself into every great and small item of human existence. -The impetus of the time was “revolution!” To throw down the trammels of -moral and physical slavery, to free man and raise him to the throne of -humanity, was the desire of all European peoples. All worked towards one -common goal; there was not one movement of importance then that was not<a name="page_045" id="page_045"></a> -influenced by the revolution. In literature the tendency was to make -letters a concrete part of the national mind, just as the great French -revolution called into existence the first notion of national life by -investing the people with the controlling power of their country’s -interests. All the master-minds of the time of Louis the Fourteenth were -an some measure connected with the king; but with the nineteenth century -revolution a third state was developed, which enriched national life, -and, acting upon literature, drove the hitherto secluded savants and -their works into the vortex of popular life. Before this upheaval, -literature had been the exclusive property of the professional savant -and his high-born protector. The tendency of modern social life was to -enthrone mind and genius. The third state was actually breaking down -social barriers, the line of demarcation between them and so-called -“good society,” the monarch and aristocracy. That such a violent change -at the beginning of the century should have unsettled and bewildered -some otherwise remarkably gifted men is not surprising. The turbulent -state of society, and the confused investigation and awkward handling of -important moral questions, led to doubt and despair. Men like the -brothers Schlegel became Roman Catholics, hoping by so doing to cast the -responsibility of their life on a religion which closes every aperture -to the reasoning powers. Ludwig Tieck, another German savant, followed -their example, whilst men like Zacharias Werner, after having given -proofs of the highest capability, destroyed their mental being by -pursuing a most dissolute and reprehensible course; or, like Hoffman, by -an over-indulgence in wine, helped<a name="page_046" id="page_046"></a> to create an unæsthetic phase in -German literature which, alas, serves only to show how sadly distorted -gifted brains can become. Kleist was driven to commit suicide. I could -cite more unhappy victims of that troublous epoch, existences blighted -by the powerful wave of romanticism and freedom that swept over the -land. The only man who remained unaffected by the movement was Goethe. -In his striving for plastic beauty and classicism, he never became -enthusiastic for the romantic school. He even stood somewhat aloof from -Shakespeare; nor would he, in his cold simplicity and placid grandeur, -see in all the romantic movement aught but a remnant of revolution -against his “legitimate” supremacy.</p> - -<p>Those early years of Wagner were passed in a scene of unusual activity -and excitement. His native city a great battle-field the year of his -birth, people hardly recovered from the shock of the 1793 revolution, -when again they are startled by its reverberation in July, 1830. Then -Wagner was seventeen, of an age and thoughtful enough to be impressed by -the struggle carried on around him, or, to quote his own words, “all -that acted more and more on my mind, on my imagination and reason.” This -was the spirit which he brought to bear on his study of -orchestration,—ideality controlled by strong reasoning power. He had -studied under the first professor of Leipzic, had had an overture -performed in public, and now, in 1832, he essayed a grand symphony for -orchestra, which ever remained a pleasing work to him, and to which he -would refer with evident satisfaction. Its history is a curious one.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS ONLY SYMPHONY.</i></div> - -<p>Though not twenty, he, with his usual self-reliance,<a name="page_047" id="page_047"></a> boldly took the -score and parts to Vienna. He wanted his work to be heard. His daring -ambition was not satisfied with a lesser centre than the Austrian -capital. Vienna was then, as it is now, the city of pleasure and light -Italian music. As Beethoven himself could command but a small section of -adherents among the pleasure-seeking Viennese, it is not surprising that -the untried and unknown young composer was ignored. But undaunted, he -took his treasure to Prague, where Dionys Weber, conductor of the -Conservatorium, performed it to Wagner’s unbounded delight. Returning -home, he had the proud satisfaction of hearing it played at the -classical Gewandhaus concerts and also at its rival but lesser -institution, the “Euterpe.” This was a promising augury, and to Wagner -amply sufficient for assuming that later his work would be repeated. -Therefore, when in 1834 Mendelssohn was appointed conductor at the -Gewandhaus, Wagner unhesitatingly took the symphony to him. For a long -time nothing was heard of it. Wagner became anxious, and applied to -Mendelssohn, when to his indignation he was informed that the score had -unfortunately been lost. Wagner never alluded to this incident without -indulging in one of those bitter ironical attacks upon Mendelssohn in -which he was such an adept. The incident rankled in the memory of the -over-sensitive composer, and no amount of external amiability at a later -period from Mendelssohn was ever able to efface it. This symphony was -Wagner’s first acknowledged work and acknowledged, too, by men of -weight, whose commendation had, not unnaturally, elated him. “My first -symphony!” How often have I heard that phrase? and spoken with such -satisfaction<a name="page_048" id="page_048"></a> that on several occasions I tried to induce Wagner to play -some reminiscences of it to me. He could not; he had lost all -remembrance of it. Accident or fate willed it that shortly before his -death the orchestral parts were discovered at Dresden. A score was -arranged and the fifty-year-old work performed <i>en famille</i> in 1882, -under the revered old man’s bâton at Venice.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>DIRECTOR OF A CHORUS.</i></div> - -<p>Though proud of his success as a musician, the poetic side of his nature -was not repressed. He was a poet as well as musician. Suddenly the poesy -within him leaped forth and impelled him to write words already wedded -in his own heart to sounds. Its appearance was as a revelation -disclosing an allied power which was to exalt him to a pinnacle to which -no other composer in the whole history of art could possibly lay claim. -He wrote a libretto to “The Wedding.” This was to be his first opera, -and the same year, 1833, in which he wrote the words he also began the -music. However, he composed but three numbers, still in existence, the -introduction, a chorus, a sextet, and then was dissuaded by his sister -from proceeding further with it. The story and its treatment were both -pronounced ill-adapted for stage representation. The book was the -veriest hyper-romantic scum, a mixture of the gloomy fatalist Werner and -the wildly extravagant Hoffman. The opera was abandoned with regret, and -a living was sought in any form of musical drudgery. He was willing to -“arrange,” to “correct proofs,” or do anything but teaching, to which he -always had the strongest antipathy. To my knowledge, he never gave a -lesson in his life. When, therefore, the post of chorus master at the -Würzburg theatre was offered to him, he readily accepted it. His eldest<a name="page_049" id="page_049"></a> -brother, Albert, was then engaged at Würzburg as singer, actor, and -stage manager. It was the practice of Albert all through life to assume -the rôle of mentor to his younger brother, but against this Richard -strongly rebelled, though at the same time readily admitting his -brother’s abilities as a manager and singer. Possessed of a remarkably -high tenor voice, Albert was unfortunately subject to intermittent -attacks of total loss of vocal power. But the singer’s loss was the -actor’s gain, for to compensate for this defect he exerted himself and -succeeded in shining as an actor.</p> - -<p>This Würzburg engagement was Richard Wagner’s first real active -participation in stage life. He had entered upon his new duties but a -short time when an opportunity presented itself wherein he could exhibit -his practical skill as a musician. Albert was cast for the tenor part in -Marschner’s “Vampyre.” According to his notion, his chief solo finished -unsatisfactorily. Richard’s aid was invoked, and the result was -additional words, some forty lines and music, too, which enabled Albert -to display his unusually fine high tones.</p> - -<p>The life to Wagner was novel, attractive, and full of bright promise. -The friendly relations that existed between the chorus and their -director, the habitual banter of the players, their studied posing, -their concealing home miseries beneath a simulated gaiety, attracted and -charmed the inexperienced neophyte. He was yet blind to all the wiles, -trickeries, and petty infamies that seem inseparable from stage life. In -the theatre the meannesses and jealousies that clog human existence -under all forms are focused and exposed to the glare of publicity, -whereas in the wide world they<a name="page_050" id="page_050"></a> are lost among the crowd. It was not -long before Wagner began to hate the shams and petty meannesses of the -stage with ten-fold the intensity he had at first been bewitched by it.</p> - -<p>During his stay at Würzburg, urged by his brother he again thought of -composing an opera. Casting about for a fitting subject, he alighted -upon a volume of legends by Gozzi. One, “La Donna Serpente,” attracted -him, and seemed to invite operatic treatment. He resolved to write his -own text, and within the year produced what was his first complete -opera, which he called “The Fairies.” The musical treatment was entirely -in the romantic style of Weber and Marschner, but Wagner frankly -confesses it did not realize his expectations. He had thought himself -capable of greater things than his powers were yet equal to. -Nevertheless, he strove to obtain a hearing for it, but without success. -French and Italian opera ruled the German stage, and native productions -were not encouraged. However, an ardent aspirant for fame like Wagner -was not to be discouraged by the cold slights offered to his first stage -work. He returned to Leipzic, 1834, again energetically endeavouring to -get it accepted, but only to be disappointed once more.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">“<i>DAS LIEBESVERBOT.</i>”</div> - -<p>It was during this visit to Leipzic that an event occurred which was -destined to strongly influence his future career. He heard that great -dramatic artist, Schroeder-Devrient. The effect of her performance upon -him was startling, although the operas in which she appeared, “Romeo” -and “Norma” of Bellini, were of the weakest. He saw what a striking -impression could be produced by careful attention to dramatic<a name="page_051" id="page_051"></a> detail. -The poorest work was elevated into the realms of high art by the grand -style of the inspired artist. For the first time he realized the immense -value of perfection of “style.” The lesson was not lost, and the high -point to which Wagner artists have subsequently carried it by the -master’s imperative insistence upon the most thorough and exhaustive -attention to every detail of art, has formed the undying Wagner school.</p> - -<p>Fired by enthusiasm, he began the composition of a new opera, in which -he ambitiously hoped the great actress would perform the principal rôle. -This was his second music-dramatic work, “Das Liebesverbot” (“The Novice -of Palermo”), founded upon Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure.” It took -him about two years to write it. To Wagner this period was one of -transition, alternately dominated by the serious Beethoven, the -“romantic” Weber, Auber, and even the popular Italian school. He was as -a tree through whose branches the winds rushed from all quarters, only -the more firmly to consolidate the roots. He, too, was young, and a not -unnatural desire to acquire some of the world’s riches induced him to -write his new work in a “popular” vein. The “Novice of Palermo” has but -very faint indications of the Wagner of after-life, and in the -composer’s own judgment was but an indifferent work, although comparing -favourably with the operas of its day.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>ART AND NATIONALITY.</i></div> - -<p>After the termination of his Würzburg engagement Wagner went to -Magdeburg, 1834, where he was appointed music director, a post he held -for nearly two years, steadily working, meanwhile, at the “Novice of -Palermo.” The Magdeburg company was above the<a name="page_052" id="page_052"></a> usual level of provincial -troupes. The conductor was young and energetic, and soon secured the -good will of his subordinates. But the Magdeburghers were apathetic in -musical matters, and in the spring of 1836 the theatre announced its -final performances. The “Novice of Palermo” was not then completed. -After some discussion it was decided to perform it. Wagner hurried on -his work, battling with innumerable difficulties which presented -themselves thick and fast. First the theatre was threatened with -bankruptcy. To escape this it was arranged to close the building a month -earlier than the time originally announced. It left Wagner ten days for -rehearsals. His book had not been submitted to the censor, and as it was -now the Lenten season, there was a dread that the title might subject -the libretto to vexatious pruning. The opera was given out as founded on -one of the serious plays of Shakespeare, and by this means escaped all -maltreatment. But what could be done in ten days? Little even where -friendly will was engaged. However, after rehearsal upon rehearsal, the -work was performed. Its reception was moderate. The tenor singer had -been unable to learn his part in the short time and resorted to -unlimited “gag.” Perhaps hardly one was perfect in his rôle, and the -whole work went badly enough. In after-life Wagner could afford to laugh -at this makeshift performance, but at that time it was terribly real. He -once gave me a representation of the tenor singer and other -impersonators in a manner so ludicrous and mirth-provoking that he said, -“You laugh now, but listen! A second performance was promised for my -benefit. We were assembled and about to begin, when suddenly a<a name="page_053" id="page_053"></a> -hand-to-hand fight sprung up between two of the characters, and the -performance had to be given up.” This put him in sad straits. He had -hoped to receive such a sum of money from this “benefit” as would free -him from all monetary difficulties, but no performance taking place he -was worried in a most uncomfortable manner.</p> - -<p>I suppose that if there be any feature in Wagner’s character about which -there is no difference of opinion it is his love for his native land. At -critical junctures, he has not hesitated, by speech or action, to -declare his pronounced feelings. At present, however, my purpose is not -to illustrate this point, but to emphasize a phase of thought in -Wagner’s early manhood, which, boldly proclaimed at the time, gathered -strength with increasing years, and forms one of the most important -factors in his art-workings. He contended that the national life of a -people was intimately entwined with their art productions. “The stage,” -said Wagner, “is the noblest arena of a nation’s mind.” This was a very -favourite theme of his. He would descant on it unceasingly. The stage -was the mirror of a people. Shakespeare he worshipped, and gloried that -such an intellect was counted in the republic of letters. England should -be proud of her great man. He thought Carlyle right when he said -Shakespeare was worth more to a nation than ten Indias. But poor -Germany! What could she show? Where was her race of literary giants? The -war of liberation had fired every German heart with the intensest -patriotism. Young Germany had fought with unexampled ardour, and the -hateful Napoleonic yoke was victoriously cast off. Liberty, patriotism, -and fraternity<a name="page_054" id="page_054"></a> were the watchwords of every German, and they found -their art expression in the inspiriting strains of the soldier-poet, -Körner, and the vigorous melodies of the patriotic Weber. And German -potentates looked on bewildered. Where would this torrent of enthusiasm -end? Were they themselves secure on their thrones? Would it not sap the -foundations of their own rule? And, as history too sadly shows, fear -developed into despotism. The princes turned, and with the iron heel -trampled upon the very men who had valiantly defended them against the -ruthless invader. They were fearful of the German mind awakening to a -sense of its political and social shortcomings. They argued that this -uncontrolled enthusiasm for liberty of speech and person was a menace to -their thrones; therefore they strove to crush it out. Their conduct -Wagner later stigmatized as “replete with the blackest ingratitude,” and -their treatment of national art as dictated by “cold, calculating -cruelty.” For the stage, alien productions were imported. French -frivolity reigned supreme. Rossini’s operas, licentious ballets, were -patronized to the exclusion of Beethoven’s works, and now, though half a -century has elapsed, the baneful influence is still discernible. Such -feelings greatly agitated Wagner’s early manhood. By 1840 they had -assumed definite shape, and we find him through the public journals -deploring the want of a German national drama. It was his effort to -supply this want. He went to work with a fixed purpose. How far he has -succeeded posterity will judge.<a name="page_055" id="page_055"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI"></a>CHAPTER VI.<br /><br /> -<small>1836-1839.</small></h2> - -<p>F<small>OR</small> nine months, from the Easter of 1836 to the opening of the new year, -1837, Wagner was without engagement. It was a period of hardship and -suffering. In a most miserable plight he went to Leipzic and Berlin, -energetically exerting himself to get his opera, “The Novice of Palermo” -accepted. He met with plenty of promises but no performances. His needs -became more pressing. Debts had been incurred and the prospect of paying -them was of the gloomiest. An ordinary mortal would have sunk under such -overwhelming trouble, but Wagner was made of sterner stuff. His -indomitable self-reliance and pluck, based upon an abnormal self-esteem, -ever kept alight the lamp of hope within him, and sustained him through -sadder times than this. True, he had not proved to the world that he was -a genius, but he, himself, was fully convinced of it. He had written two -operas, a symphony, and other works, and though they did not surpass or -even equal what had been accomplished by other artists, yet for all that -he was strongly imbued with a consciousness of the greatness of his own -power in the tonal and poetic arts. He was convinced that he had a -mission to fulfil, a new art gospel to preach, and, too, that he would -succeed. The death-bed prediction of his step-father that he would be -“something” would be fulfilled.<a name="page_056" id="page_056"></a></p> - -<p>As far as his art creations show, this was a period of non-productivity. -But it is impossible to suppose that Wagner was idle. Genius is never -inactive. If not visibly at work the reflective faculties are certain to -be actively employed. Though beset with every conceivable worldly -trouble, depending for daily wants on what he could borrow, he, with -alarming temerity, married.</p> - -<p>It was on the 24th November, 1836; the bride, Fräulein Wilhelmina -Planer, leading actress of the Magdeburg company. She was the daughter -of a working spindle-maker. It was not the known possession of any -histrionic gift that caused her to become a professional actress, but a -very natural desire, as the eldest of the family, to increase the -resources of the household. Spindle-making was not a profitable calling, -and with a family, other help was gladly welcomed. But, as necessity has -oft discovered and forced to the front many a talent that would have -lain hidden from the world, so now was Magdeburg astonished by the -presence of an unquestionably gifted artist. Minna Planer played the -leading characters in tragedy and comedy. When off the stage her bearing -was quiet and unobtrusive. No theatrical trick or display indicated the -actress. And, after she had finally quitted stage life, it had been -impossible to suppose that the soft-spoken, retiring, shy little woman -had ever successfully impersonated important tragic rôles.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>MINNA A HOUSE-WIFE.</i></div> - -<p>Minna was handsome, but not strikingly so. Of medium height, slim -figure, she had a pair of soft gazelle-like eyes which were a faithful -index of a tender heart. Her look seemed to bespeak your clemency, and -her<a name="page_057" id="page_057"></a> gentle speech secured at once your good-will. Her movements in the -house were devoid of everything approaching bustle. Quick to anticipate -your thoughts, your wish was complied with before it had been expressed. -Her bearing was that of the gentle nurse in the sick-chamber. It was joy -to be tended by her. She was full of heart’s affection, and Wagner let -himself be loved. Her nature was the opposite of his. He was passionate, -strong-willed, and ambitious: she was gentle, docile, and contented. He -yearned for conquest, to have the world at his feet: she was happy in -her German home, and desired no more than permission to minister to him. -From the first she followed him with bowed head. To his exuberant -speech, his constant discourses on art, and his position in the future, -she lent a willing, attentive ear. She could not follow him, she was not -able to reason his incipient revolutionary art notions, to combat his -seemingly extravagant theories; but to all she was sympathetic, -sanguine, and consoling,—“a perfect woman, nobly planned,” as -Wordsworth sweetly sings. As years rolled by and the genius of Wagner -assumed more definite shape and grew in strength, she was less able to -comprehend the might of his intellect. To have written “The Novice of -Palermo” at twenty-three, and to have been received so cordially was to -her unambitious heart the zenith of success. More than that she could -not understand, nor did she ever realize the extent of the wondrous -gifts of her husband. After twenty years of wedded life it was much the -same. We were sitting at lunch in the trimly kept Swiss chalet at Zurich -in the summer of 1856, waiting for the composer of the then completed -“Rienzi,” “Dutchman,” “Tannhäuser,”<a name="page_058" id="page_058"></a> and “Lohengrin” to come down from -his scoring of the “Nibelungen,” when in full innocence she asked me, -“Now, honestly, is Richard such a great genius?” On another occasion, -when he was bitterly animadverting on his treatment by the public, she -said, “Well, Richard, why don’t you write something for the gallery?” -And yet, notwithstanding her inaptitude, Wagner was ever considerate, -tender, and affectionate towards her. He was not long in discovering her -inability to understand him, but her many good qualities and domestic -virtues endeared her greatly to him. She had one quality of surpassing -value in any household presided over by a man of Wagner’s thoughtless -extravagance. She was thrifty and economical. At all periods of his life -Wagner could not control his expenditure. He was heedless, relying -always upon good fortune. But Minna was a skilled financier, and he knew -this. For years their lot was uphill, sometimes a hard struggle for bare -existence, and through all the devotion and homely love of the woman -soothed and cheered the nervous, irritable Wagner. When their means -enabled them to enjoy the comforts of life without first anxiously -counting the cost, Minna was possessed of one thought, her husband and -his happiness. And Wagner knew it and gratefully appreciated the heart’s -devotion of the worshipping woman. Home was her paradise, her husband -the king. Love, simple, trusting love, was her religion, and no greater -testimony to the noble work of a genuine woman could be offered than -that of the poet Milton in his “Paradise Lost”:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Nothing lovelier can be found<br /></span> -<span class="i0">In woman, than to study household good.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p><a name="page_059" id="page_059"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>DIRECTOR AT KÖNIGSBERG.</i></div> - -<p>Throughout his career Wagner shook off the troubles of daily life with -an elasticity truly remarkable. But now he must do something. He had -incurred the most sacred of all obligations, to provide for his wife, -and employment of some description was a pressing necessity. Viewed from -an artistic point, his lost appointment had been a success. He had -acquired all the skill of an efficient conductor and had familiarized -himself with a large number of opera scores. But what had he done with -his own gifts? The miserable finale of the Magdeburg episode, and his -increased responsibilities, made him seriously reflect on this past year -and a half. True he had composed an entire opera. But of what material -was it made? He had regretfully to acknowledge that it was not as he -would wish it. He had thrown over his household gods to worship Baal. He -had rejected Weber and Beethoven, “his adored idols,” to dress his -thoughts in attractive, showy, French attire. He had forsaken heartfelt -truth for a graceful exterior. And what had he gained by imitating Auber -and Rossini? Not even the satisfaction of public success. And why? His -models spoke as they felt, whilst he clothed his thoughts in a borrowed -garb. He was now conscious that he had but to express himself in his own -language to convince others of the truth of his art gospel.</p> - -<p>Some such similar post as at Magdeburg was what he now desired. There he -would be Wagner himself. But in these early years smiling fortune was -not always his happy companion. Nearly a year elapses before he again -finds himself directing an operatic company. This time it is at -Königsberg.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>CONDUCTS ORCHESTRAL CONCERTS.</i></div> - -<p>But before accompanying the weary artist to his new<a name="page_060" id="page_060"></a> home some mature -reflections of Wagner on his Magdeburg period are worthy of notice. His -elevation to the post of music director of the Magdeburg theatre was a -joyful moment. For the first time he would be sole controller of -operatic performances. When a youth he had been revolted by the -slatternly manner in which theatre conductors had led the performances. -Even the Gewandhaus concerts had not been altogether satisfactory. -Something then was lacking in the ensemble. Now was his opportunity. The -mechanical time-beating prevalent among conductors of opera houses would -find no place with the ardent youthful composer. He first secured the -affection of the singers by evincing a personal interest in their public -success. His born actor’s skill enabled him to illustrate how such a -character should move, whilst with the orchestra he would sing passages -and rehearse one phrase incessantly until he was satisfied. He was -indefatigable. The secret of his success was his earnestness. He knew -what he wanted, which was half-way to securing it. The company seems to -have been fairly intelligent and to have responded freely to his wishes, -but the audiences were phlegmatic. Magdeburg was a garrison city, and -the audiences were domineered by the cold reserve observed by the -military. Wagner thought of all publics the worst was a military one. -Effusive exhibitions of joy they regard as indecorous and unseemly, and -the absence of spontaneous enthusiasm exercises a depressing effect on -artists. Among the operas he conducted were Auber’s “Masaniello” and -Rossini’s “William Tell.” Both of them were favourites of his. At that -period, 1836, they stood out in bold relief from modern and ancient -operas.<a name="page_061" id="page_061"></a> Their melodies were fresh and graceful, and a dramatic -truthfulness pervaded them which to the embryo imitator of the Greek -tragedy was a strong recommendation. Further, the revolutionary subjects -were congenial to the outlaw of 1848. But Auber and Rossini were soon to -be eclipsed by the clever Hebrew, Meyerbeer, and it is this last writer -who in a couple of years impels Wagner to leave his fatherland for -Paris. It is Meyerbeer’s works that he is now about to conduct at -Königsberg, where we shall at once follow him.</p> - -<p>The time he spent in Königsberg was a prolongation of the miserable -existence which had followed the breaking up of the Magdeburg company, -intensified now, alas, by anxiety for his young wife. It was unenlivened -by any gleam of even passing sunlight. The time dragged heavily, and was -never referred to without a shudder. In later years, in the presence of -his first wife, he has compassionately remarked, “Yes, poor Minna had a -hard time of it then, and after the first few months of drudgery no -doubt repented of her bargain.” To which the gentle Minna would reply by -a look full of tender affection. Wagner’s references to the devotion and -untiring energy of his wife during the Königsberg year of distress -always affected him.</p> - -<p>He began his public life at Königsberg by conducting orchestral concerts -in the town theatre. This led to his appointment as music director of -the theatre. The operatic stage was then governed almost entirely by -Meyerbeer, “Robert le Diable” and “Le Prophète,” both recent novelties, -being the great attraction. They met with an enormous success -everywhere. Meyerbeer was in Paris, the idol of the populace. A man -possessed<a name="page_062" id="page_062"></a> of undeniable genuine merit, he bartered it away for gold. -The real merit was over-laden with a thick coat of meretricious glitter. -Attractive and dazzling show was what he set before the light-hearted -public of the French capital, and they mistook the tinsel for pure gold. -But, for all that, Meyerbeer was the hero of the hour, and what was -fashionable in Paris was immediately reproduced in the fatherland towns -and cities. In matters of art Paris was the acknowledged leader of -Germany. From afar, the young ambitious music director of Königsberg -heard of the fabulous sums which Meyerbeer received for his works. He -was in the direst distress. The troubles of Magdeburg had followed him -to his new home, and he looked with longing eyes towards Paris, the El -Dorado of his dreams. He became haunted with visions of luxurious -independence, startling in their contrast to his present penurious -position. He looked about him and bestirred himself. With his accustomed -boldness, not to say audacity, he promptly wrote to Scribe, hoping by -one effort to emerge from all his trouble. What he sent to the famous -French librettist was a plan he had sketched of a grand five-act opera -based on a novel by König, “Die Hohe Braut” (“The Noble Bride”). He was -anxious for the collaboration of Scribe, since in that he saw the <i>open -sesame</i> of the Grand Opera House, Paris. The French writer did not -reply. Wagner felt the slight. This was the second time the assistance -of an acknowledged litterateur had been solicited, and it was the last. -Laube did not satisfy him. Scribe did not notice him. Henceforth he -would rely on himself.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE LOST OVERTURE.</i></div> - -<p>His stay at Königsberg is marked by an event of<a name="page_063" id="page_063"></a> peculiar interest to -Englishmen. Wagner had heard “Rule Britannia.” He gave me his -impressions of it. He thought the whole song wonderfully descriptive of -the resolute, self-reliant character of the English people. The opening, -ascending passage, which he vigorously shouted in illustration, was, he -thought, unequalled for fearless assertiveness. The dauntless -expressiveness of its themes seemed admirably adapted for orchestral -treatment, and he therefore wrote an overture upon it. This he sent to -Sir George Smart, one of the most prominent of English musicians, justly -appreciated, among other things, for having introduced Mendelssohn’s -“Elijah” to England at the Liverpool festival of 1836. When Wagner -related this incident to me in 1855, on his visit to London, he said -that, having received no reply, he inquired and ascertained that the -score seemed to have been insufficiently prepaid for transmission, and -that Sir George Smart had refused to pay the balance, “and for all I -know,” continued Wagner, “it must still be lying in the dead-letter -office.”</p> - -<p>A digest of Wagner’s impressions of the world beyond the footlights, -after his intimate connection with the provincial theatres of Würzburg, -Magdeburg, and Königsberg, will explain how so serious a thinker could -adapt himself to the slipshod existence of thoughtless, light-hearted -play-actors. Among modern stage reformers Richard Wagner stands in the -front rank. He was earnest. He was practical. He had experienced all -evils arising from the shortcomings of the theatre, and he knew where to -place his finger on the plague spot. His drawings and prescriptions were -those of the practical worker; and he was enabled to<a name="page_064" id="page_064"></a> make them so -through the knowledge acquired during his early life behind the scenes.</p> - -<p>What a curious medley stage life introduces one to! “My first contact -with the theatre seems like the fantastic recollection of a masked -ball,” was Wagner’s vivid description of his early stage experiences. -The stage in Germany has too frequently, for the advance of dramatic -art, been the last resort for gaining a livelihood. People of all ranks, -highly educated, or with no more than the thinnest smattering of -education, as soon as they find themselves without the means of -existence, fly to the stage. To one individual endowed by nature for the -histrionic vocation who thus adopts the profession, there are ten with -absolutely no gifts and whose appearance is due to failure in other -walks of life, or to want. All this motley group is, by the restricted -stage precincts, brought <i>nolens volens</i> into daily contact and cannot -avoid constantly elbowing each other. Their private affairs, their -friendships, are an open secret. A special jargon is current coin among -them. Cant phrases abound and their very occupation familiarizes them -with sententious quotations on almost every subject. In no profession is -there such an ardent catering for momentary praise. It is the food, the -absolute nourishment of the actor; hence jealousy and envy exist -stronger here than anywhere else, and Byron does not exaggerate when he -speaks of “hate found only on the stage!”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>READS BULWER’S “RIENZI.”</i></div> - -<p>To Wagner’s impressionable and pageant-loving nature, the stage -possessed fascinating attractions. The free and easy intercourse that -existed between all the members of the company, actors, singers, and -orchestral performers, the existence of a sort of masonic equality,<a name="page_065" id="page_065"></a> and -the general light-hearted exterior, was in accordance with the jocular -temperament of the chorus master. He was familiarly joking and laughing -with all his surroundings, a habit he retained to the day of his death. -His self-esteem would at all times insist on a certain deference to his -opinion, nor would he brook with equanimity any infraction of his ruling -as music director. From the age of twenty, when he first ruled the -chorus girls at Würzburg, down to the Bayreuth rehearsals for -“Parsifal,” at which he would illustrate his intention by gesture, -speech, and song, he was eminently the commander of his company. His -lively temperament, his love of fun, and remarkable mimetic gifts made -him a general favourite. In the supervision of operas, musically -distasteful to him, he was earnest and energetic, attending to detail -and appropriate gesture in a manner that demanded the respectful -admiration of all under his bâton. Respect and submission to his rule he -exacted as due to his office, and he rarely had difficulty in securing -it.</p> - -<p>From Königsberg he paid a flying visit to Dresden, the city of his -school-boy days. With his accustomed omnivorous reading, scanning every -book within reach, he fell upon Bulwer Lytton’s “Rienzi.” Here was a -subject inviting treatment on a large scale. Here was a hero of the -style of William Tell and Masaniello. The spirit was revolution and -moral regeneration of the people. It was a happy chance which led him to -this story, the sentiment of which harmonized so perfectly with his own -aspirations. Visions of Paris and its grand opera house had never left -him. “Rienzi” offered the very situations calculated to impress an -audience accustomed<a name="page_066" id="page_066"></a> to the gorgeous splendour of the grand opera. -Although his eyes were turned towards the French capital, and his -immediate hope the conquest of the Parisians, it was not his sole nor -ultimate desire. Paris was a means only. He saw that Paris governed -German art, and he felt that only through Paris lay his hope of success -in his fatherland. It was while under such influences that he began to -formulate “Rienzi.”</p> - -<p>His stay in Königsberg was cut short owing to the company becoming -bankrupt. This was the second experience of the kind he had met with in -the provinces, and it helped to intensify his contempt for stage life. -He was again in money troubles. Fortunately, his old friend Dorn was -well placed at Riga and able to secure for him the post of conductor of -the opera there. The company was a good one, and its director, Hotter, -an intelligent and well-known playwright, who understood Wagner’s -artistic ambition. The young conductor was very exacting in his demands -at rehearsals. To appeal to him was useless. He was earnest and -inflexible. And yet, notwithstanding his earnestness and the trouble he -took in producing uncongenial operas, he became weary of their flimsy -material. Within him the sap of the future music-drama was beginning to -rise. His own genius and artistic tendencies were in conflict with what -was enacted before him. It was the difference between simulated and real -feeling. What he was forced to conduct was stage sentiment, what he -yearned for was life-blood. And this latter he strove to infuse into his -“Rienzi,” which was now assuming definite shape, words and part of the -music being written.<a name="page_067" id="page_067"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>STARTS FOR PARIS.</i></div> - -<p>When two acts were finished to his satisfaction, there was no longer any -peace for him. Paris was the only fitting place where it could be -adequately represented. But how to get to Paris? At Riga, as elsewhere, -he lived beyond his means. I have before remarked on his incapability of -controlling his expenses and living within a fixed income. Minna was -thrifty and anxious, but her will was not strong enough to restrain her -self-willed husband. She was in a constant state of nervous worry, but -her devotion to Wagner prevented her making serious resistance. Now -funds were wanting for the projected Paris trip, he had none. However, -such a trivial item was not likely to thwart his ambition and to stand -in his way. He borrowed again. He was without any letters of -recommendation to Paris, spoke but very little French, and yet was full -of buoyancy and hope of the success that awaited him when there. It was -a bold, not to say reckless, venture. But it is characteristic of -Wagner. At all great junctures of his life he risked the whole of his -stakes on one card. His determination to leave Riga, and to turn his -back on the irritating miseries of a provincial theatre, led him to -embark with his wife and an enormous dog, in a small merchant vessel -<i>Pillau</i> for London. Totally unprovided with any convenience for -passengers, badly provisioned and undermanned, the frail trading-craft -took the surprisingly long period of three weeks and a half to reach -London. It encountered severe weather and on two occasions narrowly -escaped foundering. The three passengers, Richard Wagner, his wife, and -dog, were miserably ill. On one occasion the bark was driven into a -Norwegian fiord; the crew and its passengers<a name="page_068" id="page_068"></a>—there were no others on -board beside the Wagner trio—landed at a point where an old mill stood. -The poor wretches, snatched from the jaws of death, were hospitably -received by the owner, a poor man. He produced his only bottle of rum -and struck joy into all their hearts by brewing a bowl of punch. It was -evidently appreciated by the hapless ship’s company, as Wagner was -hilarious when he spoke of what he humorously called his “Adventures at -the Champagne Mill.” When the weather had cleared sufficiently the ship -set sail for London and arrived without any further mishap.<a name="page_069" id="page_069"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII"></a>CHAPTER VII.<br /><br /> -<small>EIGHT DAYS IN LONDON.</small><br /><br /> -<small>1839.</small></h2> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>LONDON IS TOO LARGE.</i></div> - -<p>His first impression of London was not a pleasant one. The day was -wretched, raining heavily, and the streets were thick with mud. At the -Custom House Wagner was helped through the vexatious passport annoyance -by a German Jew—one of those odd men always to be found about the -stations and docks ready to perform any service for a trifling -consideration. He recommended Wagner to a small, uninviting hotel in Old -Compton Street, Soho, much resorted to by needy travellers from the -continent. The hotel, considerably improved, still exists. It is -situated a dozen doors or so from Wardour Street, and is opposite to a -public house known then, as now, as the “King’s Arms.” Wagner would have -gone straight away to a first-class hotel, but this time, feeling how -very uncertain the immediate future was, he asked to be recommended to a -cheap inn. He hired a cab, one of those curious old two-wheeled -vehicles, where the driver was perilously perched at the side, and with -his big dog, carefully sheltered from the weather under the large apron -which protected the forepart of the vehicle, they started for Old -Compton Street. Arrived there without<a name="page_070" id="page_070"></a> incident, such of their luggage -as they had been able to bring with them at once was carried upstairs, -and Wagner and his wife sat down gloomily regarding each other. The room -was dingy and poorly furnished, and not of a kind to brighten weary, -seasick travellers. Wagner called his dog. No response. He opened the -door, rushed down the narrow, dark staircase to the street. Alas! -Neither dog nor cab were to be seen. He inquired of every one in broken -English, but could learn nothing hopeful or certain about his dumb -friend, the companion of his journey, and silent receiver of much of his -exuberant talk. Returning to Minna, they came to the conclusion that the -dog had leaped down from underneath the covering while the luggage was -being transported upstairs. But where was he now? They had not the -faintest clue, and knew not in which direction to seek for him. That -evening, their first in London, was one of sorrow and discomfort. The -next morning Wagner went back to the docks and gleaned tidings -sufficient only to dishearten him the more. The dog had been seen the -previous evening. Back to Old Compton Street, disconsolate; he had -scarcely ascended the first flight of stairs when, his step recognised, -loud barks of welcome greeted him from above. The dog was there. It had -found its way into the room where his wife had remained during his -absence. The poor beast was bespattered with mud, but this did not -prevent Wagner affectionately fondling him. To Wagner the return of the -dog was wonderful. How a dumb brute, that had seen absolutely nothing -during the journey from the docks to Old Compton Street, could find its -way back to the old starting-place, and then retrace<a name="page_071" id="page_071"></a> its steps was a -marvellous instance of canine instinct, and one which endeared the race -to him deeper than ever, a love that endured to the last.</p> - -<p>Wagner remained in London about eight days, time to look round and to -arrange for passage to Boulogne, where Meyerbeer was staying, and from -whom he hoped to receive introductions to Paris. Although Wagner could -read English he was not sufficient master of it to understand it when -spoken. This in some degree accounts for the slight interest he felt in -his London visit. But he made the best use of his time. He was living -within a quarter of an hour’s walk of the house in Great Portland Street -where his “adored idol,” Weber, had died. To that shrine he made his -first pilgrimage, to reverently gaze upon the hallowed house. He -traversed all London, determining to see everything. The vastness of the -metropolis with its boundless sea of houses oppressed him. He had -strong, decided opinions as to what the dimensions of a town should be, -attributing much of the poverty and misery of large towns to their -overgrowth, and felt that when a township exceeded certain limits it was -beyond the control of a governing body, and that neglect in some form or -another would soon make itself felt. No city, he used to argue, should -be larger than Dresden then was.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>FASCINATED BY SHIPS.</i></div> - -<p>He was amazed and most disagreeably surprised with the bustle of the -city. It bewildered him, and, as he expressed it, “fretted his artistic -soul out of him.” The great extremes of poverty and riches, dwelling in -close proximity to each other, were a sad, unsolvable enigma. His -lodgings were perhaps in one of the worst neighbourhoods of London. Old -Compton Street<a name="page_072" id="page_072"></a> abutted on the Seven Dials. There he saw misery under -some of its saddest aspects, and then, but a few minutes’ walk and he -found himself amidst the luxury of Oxford Street and Regent Street. The -feelings engendered by this glaring inequality in his radical spirit -were never effaced. He thought that the English in their character, -their institutions, and habits were strangely contradictory, and the -impressions of 1839 were confirmed on his subsequent visits to this -country. The grand, extensive parks, open to all, delighted him. In -Germany he had seen no parks, and where public walks or gardens had been -laid out, walking on the grass was prohibited, whilst here no officious -guardian attempted to interfere with the free perambulation of the -visitor. The bearing of the police, too, equally surprised him. Here -they were ready with information, acting as protectors of the public, -whereas in Germany at that period they were aggressive and bureaucratic. -It is curious, but at no time do I remember Wagner speaking of having -visited any of the London theatres in 1839, whilst in 1855, when he was -here for the second time, he went to almost every place of amusement -then open, even those of third-rate order. But if in London he fell upon -“sunny places,” compared with his German home, he also was sorely tried. -As I have remarked, his rooms were in a very unaristocratic quarter. The -bane of all studious Englishmen, especially musicians—the imported -organ-grinder, unknown in Germany—worried the excitable composer out of -all patience. The Seven Dials was a favourite haunt of the wandering -minstrel, and the man who retired at night, full of wild imaginings as -to his “Rienzi,” was<a name="page_073" id="page_073"></a> worked into a state of frenzy by two rival organ -men grinding away, one at each end of the street.</p> - -<p>The immensity of the shipping below London Bridge was a wonderful sight -to him. He had come into dock in a tiny, frail sailing craft, the cradle -of “The Flying Dutchman,” after a hazardous passage across the North -Sea. The size and number of the trading vessels appealed direct to his -largely developed imaginative faculty. He pictured the mysterious -Vanderdecken in this and that vessel, and was full of strange fancies of -the spectral crew. The sea of sail so fascinated him that he took a -special river trip to Greenwich, the closer to inspect the shipping, and -with the further intent to visit the Naval Pensioners’ hospital.</p> - -<p>When it was known at the hotel in Old Compton Street that he was about -starting for Greenwich, he was advised to go over the <i>Dreadnought</i> -hospital-ship, then lying in the river just above Greenwich. He seized -at the suggestion. The <i>Dreadnought</i> was one of the vessels of Nelson’s -conquering fleet in the famous battle of Trafalgar, in the year 1805. -Wagner was a devoted worshipper of great men. An opportunity now -presented itself to inspect one of the wooden walls of England. It is a -widely known fact that hero-worship was a salient feature of Wagner’s -character. He always referred to Weber as his “adored idol” or “adored -master,” and for Beethoven he was equally enthusiastic. The “Dutchman,” -that weird story of the sea, had taken possession of him, and a visit to -so celebrated a ship as the <i>Dreadnought</i> was an occasion of some -importance. In his maturer age, when closer acquaintance with the -English people had given him the right<a name="page_074" id="page_074"></a> to express an opinion as to -their nature, he said that in his judgment they were the most poetic of -European nations. Poetry, with them, lay not on the surface as with the -impetuous Gauls, nor was it sought after and cultivated as with the -Germans; but with the English it was deep in their hearts and associated -with their national institutions in a manner unknown among any other -modern people. No nation has produced such a galaxy of poetic -luminaries. The employment of the disabled battle-ship as a refuge for -worn-out seamen, men who had fought their country’s battles, was, he -thought, an incontestable proof of a poetic sentiment founded in the -heart of a nation and fostered by natural love. I am aware how much this -is in opposition to the judgment of the English by a man who enjoyed a -high social standing and intimate acquaintance with the best of Albion’s -intellect, viz. Lord Beaconsfield, whose famous dictum it was that the -“English people care for nothing but religion, politics, and commerce,” -but the thoughtful opinion of a poet of acknowledged celebrity, Wagner -himself, I have deemed it advisable to set forth.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>IN POETS’ CORNER.</i></div> - -<p>The visit to the <i>Dreadnought</i> left an indelible impression upon Wagner. -Arrived at the ship, he was in the act of ascending the pilot ladder put -over the side of the vessel, by which passengers came on board, when his -snuff-box fell out of his pocket into the water. The snuff-box was the -gift of Schroeder-Devrient. He prized it highly and attempted to clutch -it in its fall. In so doing, it seems he lost his hold of the ladder and -was himself only saved from immersion by his presence of mind and -gymnastic ability. The precious snuff-box was lost, but the composer of -“Parsifal” was saved.<a name="page_075" id="page_075"></a> From the <i>Dreadnought</i> he went with the nervous -Minna to the Greenwich hospital. Wagner had the habit of talking loudly -in public, and while walking about the building, seeing a pensioner -taking snuff, he said to Minna, “Could I speak English, I would ask him -for a pinch.” Wagner was an inveterate snuff-taker from early manhood. -Imagine Wagner’s surprise and delight when the Greenwich snuff-taker -accosted him with, “Here you are, my friend,” in good German. The -pensioner proved to be a Saxon by birth, and, delighted to hear his -native tongue, was soon at home with his interlocutor. He told him that -he was perfectly contented with his lot, but that his companions, the -English, were dissatisfied and were “a grumbling lot.”</p> - -<p>Wagner was filled with admiration at the generosity and beneficence -displayed in the bounteous provision for the comfort of the pensioners. -He told me his thoughts sped back to the German sailors on the East -Prussian coast, their miserably poor and scanty food, their ill-clothed -forms, and the general poverty of their position, when he saw the -apparently unlimited supplies of good, wholesome provisions and -substantial clothing; and yet, he said, the poor Germans are contented, -while the Greenwich pensioners complain.</p> - -<p>Wagner had been but two days in London in 1855, when he took me off to -Westminster. This was not his first visit to the national mausoleum; he -had been there in 1839, and recollections of that occasion induced him -at once to revisit the Abbey. We went specially to pay homage to the -great men in Poets’ Corner, Shakespeare’s monument being the main -attraction. It will be remembered that his first effort in English<a name="page_076" id="page_076"></a> had -been a translation from Shakespeare, and I found that with increasing -years such an enthusiasm for the great dramatist had been developed as -was only possible in the ardent brain of an earnest poet. While -contemplating the Shakespeare monument on his first visit, it seems he -was led to a train of thought, the substance of which he related to me -in our 1855 visit. At the time I considered it noteworthy as an -important psychological feature and now relate it here. In reflecting -over the work done by the British genius, and its far-reaching influence -in creating a new form, he was carried back to the classic school of -ancient Greece and its Roman imitator.</p> - -<p>The ancient classic and the modern romantic schools were opposed to each -other. The English founder of the modern school had cast aside all the -rigid rules of the classical writers, which even the powerful efforts of -the three Frenchmen, Corneille, Racine, and Voltaire, had been unable to -revivify. In these reflections, referring to an antecedent period of -sixteen years, I have often thought I could discern the germ of his -daring revolution in musical form. Turning from the serious to the gay, -as was his wont at all times, he added that his reverie had a -commonplace ending. Minna plucked his sleeve, saying, “Komm, Lieber -Richard, du standst hier zwanzig minuten wie eine Bildsaule, ohne ein -Wort zusprechen” (Come, dear Richard, you have been standing here for -twenty minutes like one of these statues, and not uttered a word), and -when he repeated to her the substance of his meditations, he found as -usual she understood but little the serious import of his speech.<a name="page_077" id="page_077"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>MINNA LIKES LONDON.</i></div> - -<p>Wagner’s anxiety to reach the goal of his ambition left him no peace, -and on the eighth day after his arrival in London he left by steamer for -Boulogne.</p> - -<p>The London visit charmed Minna. The quiet, unobtrusive manner of the -English pleased her, but annoyed Wagner. He was irritated by their -stolidity, and complained always of a want of expansiveness in them. -Their stiff politeness he thought angular, and the impression did not -wear off during his second visit. These first eight days were not wholly -pleasant to him. He was anxious to get to Paris, and all his thoughts -were turned towards the city of the grand opera. Minna carried away -pleasant recollections, but Wagner thought his dog was the happiest of -all, for in London he had been provided daily with special dog’s fare, -an institution unknown in Germany.<a name="page_078" id="page_078"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII"></a>CHAPTER VIII.<br /><br /> -<small>BOULOGNE, 1839.</small></h2> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>MEETING WITH MEYERBEER.</i></div> - -<p>The passage to Boulogne began pleasantly, but a bad sailor at all times, -he did not escape the invariable discomforts of a channel journey. His -large Newfoundland dog, for whom he had an affection almost parental, -was on board, and excited general interest. Two Jewish ladies, named -Manson, mother and daughter, hearing Wagner speak German to his wife and -dog, soon entered into conversation with him through the medium of the -dog. Speaking a vitiated German with a facility which seems to be the -heirloom of the tribe of Judah, they discussed music, and with a -familiarity also characteristic of the race they told Wagner they were -going to spend a few days in Boulogne before proceeding to Paris. -Interested in music, they at once blundered into the delusion, common to -all the race, that every great composer was a Jew, supporting their -assertion by naming Mendelssohn, Halévy, Rossini, and their personal -intimate, Meyerbeer, including also Haydn, Mozart, and Weber. Wagner -seized with such eagerness at the name of Meyerbeer that he did not stop -to disprove the supposed Israelitic descent of Haydn, Mozart, and Weber. -As the ladies were going to call on Meyerbeer, they promised to apprise -him of Wagner’s intended visit. In this opportune meeting, Wagner -thought fate seemed<a name="page_079" id="page_079"></a> to be stretching out a helping hand to the young -German, he who had abandoned in disgust his post of conductor at Riga, -to compel the admiration of Paris for his genius. With Meyerbeer at -Boulogne and a friendly introduction to the ruler of the Paris Grand -Opera, the future seemed promising. Notwithstanding his wife’s -misgivings he did not hesitate to accompany his travelling companions to -their hotel. The expenses were so great, and out of all proportion to -his scanty funds, that in a few days he sought a more humble abode.</p> - -<p>He saw Meyerbeer, and though he was received amicably enough, yet were -his first impressions not altogether agreeable. The ever-present smile -of the composer of the “Huguenots” seemed studied and insincere, as -though it was rather the outcome of simulated affability than of natural -good feeling. Meyerbeer was a polished courtier, his manners bland and -his speech unctuous. Diplomatic, committing himself to nothing, he -seemingly promised everything. The impassioned language of the young -idealist, his fervid outpourings on art, surprised and startled the -worldly-wise Meyerbeer. The earnest expression of honest conviction -rarely fails to excite interest even in the shrewd business man of the -world. Meyerbeer listened attentively to Wagner’s story of his early -struggles, and of his hopes for the future, ending by fixing a meeting -for the next day, when the “Rienzi” poem might be read. The subject and -treatment pleased Meyerbeer greatly. From all that is known of him, it -is clear that his great and only gift lay in the treatment of spectacle. -The stage effects which “Rienzi” offered were many, and the situations -powerful. Both features were then adjudged<a name="page_080" id="page_080"></a> imperative for a successful -grand opera in Paris, and in proportion as the “Rienzi” book promised -spectacular display, so Meyerbeer grew eulogistic and generous in his -promises of help. Wagner was strongly of opinion that Meyerbeer’s first -friendly feeling was won entirely by the striking tableaux of the story. -Meyerbeer discussed with Wagner kindred scenes and situations in “Les -Huguenots,” and such comparison was made between the two books, that -Wagner was forced to the conclusion that effect was the chief aim of -Meyerbeer, and truth a subordinate consideration.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>MEYERBEER HEARS “RIENZI.”</i></div> - -<p>But to have won the unstinted praise of the enormously popular opera -composer seemed to promise immediate and certain success. It unduly -elated him, so that when he experienced the difficulties of getting his -work accepted at the Paris Grand Opera House, the shock was more severe -and harder to bear. But in Boulogne everything augured well. Indeed, -Meyerbeer expressed himself so strongly on the libretto as to request -Scribe to write one for him in imitation of it. When talking over this -incident with me, Wagner said that he believed Meyerbeer’s lavish praise -of the book was uttered partly with a view to its purchase, but that -Wagner’s enthusiasm for his own work prevented Meyerbeer making a direct -offer. However this may have been, from Wagner’s plain language to me -there is no doubt at all in my mind that Meyerbeer did feel his way to -purchase the “Rienzi” text for his own purpose. Another meeting was -arranged for trying the music. On leaving Meyerbeer, he went direct to -relate all to the expectant Minna. As was his wont at all times after an -event of unusual import, he made this a cause<a name="page_081" id="page_081"></a> of festivity. With Minna -he went to dine at a restaurant, and with juvenile exultation ordered -his favourite beverage, a half bottle of champagne. To Wagner champagne -represented the perfection of “terrestrial enjoyment,” as he often -phrased it. While sipping their wine they met their newly made -acquaintances, the Mansons. Flushed with his recent success, he -recounted the whole of the morning episode. The Mansons advised him to -stay in Boulogne as long as he could whilst Meyerbeer was there, arguing -that he was such an amiable man, and since his good-will had been won -was sure to do all he could to promote Wagner’s success; and they added -significantly, “He has the power to do all.”</p> - -<p>The trying over of the “Rienzi” music with Meyerbeer was as successful -as the reading of the book. Two acts only were then completed, but with -these Meyerbeer expressed himself perfectly satisfied. It was just the -music to be successful in Paris, and he prognosticated for Wagner a -triumph with the Parisians. In discussing the incident with me, Wagner -said he believed Meyerbeer’s laudation of the music was perfectly -sincere, “for,” he cynically added, “the first two acts are just the -very part of the opera which please me least, and which I should like to -disown.” It means that Meyerbeer committed the unpardonable fault in -Wagner’s eyes of praising the careful and neat writing of the composer -when the score was opened. On all occasions Wagner would become -irritated if his really remarkably neat writing were praised. He would -say it was like praising the frame at the expense of the picture, and a -slight on the intelligence of the composer.<a name="page_082" id="page_082"></a></p> - -<p>Wagner took his place at the piano without being asked, and impetuously -attacked the score in his own rough-and-ready manner. Meyerbeer was -astonished at the rough handling of his piano. He was himself a highly -finished performer on the instrument, having begun his public artistic -career as a pianist. Wagner supplied as well as he could the vocal parts -(with as little technical perfection as his piano-playing), whilst -Meyerbeer carefully studied the score over the performer’s shoulder. The -opinion of Meyerbeer was most flattering, his admiration for Wagner -intensifying greatly when at a subsequent meeting he went through the -only complete work Wagner had brought with him to conquer Paris—“Das -Liebesverbot.” Before such lavish and warm praise Wagner’s first -distrust of Meyerbeer melted as snow before the sun’s rays. Meyerbeer -pointed to what he considered many admirable stage effects in the “Das -Liebesverbot” libretto, and thought that a man so young who could write -that and the “Rienzi” text was sure of future celebrity as a dramatist.</p> - -<p>Meyerbeer was profuse in his promises of help, and proposed at once to -recommend him to the director of a small Paris theatre and opera house, -though he pointed out to Wagner that letters of recommendation were of -little avail compared to personal introduction. But buoyed with such -testimonials and a letter from the Mansons, he left Boulogne, where he -was known as “le petit homme avec le grand chien,” for Paris, again -accompanied by his wife and dumb friend.<a name="page_083" id="page_083"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX"></a>CHAPTER IX.<br /><br /> -<small>PARIS, 1839-1842.</small></h2> - -<p>T<small>HAT</small> a young artist but six and twenty years of age, with a wife -dependent on him for existence, unknown to fame, almost penniless, and -even without art works that he could show in evidence of his ability, -should boldly assault the stronghold of European musical criticism, -confident of success, often flitted before Wagner’s mind in after-life -as an act of temerity closely allied to insanity. “And ah!” he has added -in tones of bitter pain, “I had to pay for it dearly: my privations and -sufferings were as the tortures in Dante’s ‘Purgatorio.’” “But why did -you undertake such a seemingly Quixotic expedition?” I asked. “Because -at that time Paris was the resort of almost every artist of note, -whether painter, sculptor, poet, or musician, and even statesmen, when -all Europe clothed itself with the livery of Paris fashion.” He felt -within him a power which urged him forward without fear of failure, and -so he came to Paris.</p> - -<p>Germany offered no encouragement to native talent. Paris was the gate to -the fatherland. First achieve success in Paris, and then his German -countrymen would receive him with open arms. It is true, that even a -short residence in Paris invested an artist with a certain superiority -over his confrères.</p> - -<p>As Wagner had but a very imperfect acquaintance<a name="page_084" id="page_084"></a> with the French -language, he at once sought out the relative of the Mansons to whom he -had been recommended. I have been unable to recall the surname of -Wagner’s new friend, but do remember well that he was spoken of as -Louis. This Monsieur Louis was a Jew and a German. He proved an -exceedingly faithful and constant companion of Wagner’s during his stay -in Paris, indeed played the part of factotum to the Wagner household. He -must have been quite an exceptional friend, for on one occasion, when -Wagner and I were discussing Judaism <i>per se</i>, he turned to me and with -unusual warmth even for him, said, “How can I feel any prejudice against -the Jews as men, when I sincerely believe that it was excess of -friendship of poor Louis for me that killed him,—running about in all -weathers, exerting himself everywhere, undertaking most unpleasant -missions to find me work, and all whilst suffering from consumption. He -did it too from pure love of me without any thought of self.” Through -the aid of Louis he found a modest lodging in a dingy house. The future -was so much an uncertainty that with the remembrance of the first days -of the Boulogne expensive hotel before him, he yielded to Minna’s -persuasiveness and reconciled himself to the new abode. He was told that -Molière was born there; indeed, a bust of the great Frenchman did, I -believe, adorn the front of the house, and this helped to make him -accept his new quarters with a little more contentment than his own -ambitious notions would have admitted.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>TROUBLES IN PARIS.</i></div> - -<p>Settled in his scantily furnished rooms, with ready business habits, so -unusual in a genius, he made it his first duty to call wherever he had -been recommended.<a name="page_085" id="page_085"></a> Difficult as it may be in any European city to gain -access to the houses of prominent men, in Paris the troubles are -greater, if only on account of that terrible Cerberus, the concierge, -who instinctively divines an applicant for favours, and as skilfully -throws obstacles in the way while angling for pourboires.</p> - -<p>Disappointment upon disappointment met Wagner. Nowhere was he -successful. In speech at all times he uttered himself <i>en prince</i>, and -for a man seeking the favour and patronage of others this feature -militated against him. Meyerbeer had told him in Boulogne that letters -of introduction would avail him little or nothing, and that only by -personal introduction could he hope to make headway. But though -unsuccessful in every direction, he was not the man to give up without -desperate efforts. In a few months his funds were entirely exhausted. -Where to turn for the necessary money to provide the daily sustenance -was the exciting trouble of the moment. His family in Germany had helped -him at first, but material help soon gave place to sage advice. Barren -criticism on his “mad” Parisian visit, and admonition on his present -mode of existence, Wagner would not brook, and so communications soon -ceased between him and Germany. But how to live was the harrowing -question. It is with feelings of acute pain that I am forced to recall -the deep distress that overwhelmed this mighty genius, and the -humiliating acts to which cruel necessity drove him. After one more -wretched day than the last he suggested to Minna the raising of -temporary loans upon her trinkets. Let the reader try and realize the -proud Wagner’s misery and anguish, when Minna confessed that such as she -had were already<a name="page_086" id="page_086"></a> so disposed of, Louis having performed the wretched -office.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>ARRANGING POPULAR MUSIC.</i></div> - -<p>This state of sad absolute poverty lasted for months. He could gain no -access to theatres or opera house. He offered himself as chorus master, -he would have taken the meanest appointment, but everything failed him. -With no prospect of succeeding as a musician, he turned to the press. As -he possessed a facile pen and a wide acquaintance with current -literature, he sought for existence as a newspaper hack. Here he -succeeded, and deemed himself fortunate to obtain even that thankless -work. The one man to whom he owed the chief means of existence during -this wretched Paris sojourn was a Jew, Maurice Schlesinger, the great -music publisher and proprietor of the “Gazette Musicale,” a weekly -periodical. It is curious to note how again he finds a kind friend in a -Jew. For Schlesinger he wrote critical notices and feuilletons upon art -topics, one, now famous in Wagner’s collected writings as “A Pilgrimage -to Beethoven.” The pilgrimage is wholly imaginary for as I have already -stated Wagner never saw Beethoven. The paper itself contains some -remarkable foreshadowings of the matured, thinking Wagner and his -revolutionary art principles. He also wrote for other papers, Schumann’s -“Die Neue Zeitschrift,” for a Dresden journal, and the “Europa,” a -fashionable art publication which occasionally printed original tonal -compositions. For this last paper he wrote three romances, “Dors mon -enfant,” “Attente,” and “Mignonne.” He hoped by these to gain some entry -into the Paris fashionable world, but, though he tried to assimilate his -style to the popular drawing-room ballad of the day, his<a name="page_087" id="page_087"></a> songs were -pronounced “too serious,” and met with no success.</p> - -<p>But alas! his literary work was not financially productive enough, and -dire necessity drove him to very uncongenial musical drudgery. For the -same music-seller, Schlesinger, he made “arrangements” from popular -Italian operas, for every kind of instrument. He told me that “La -Favorita” had been arranged by him from the first note to the last. The -whole of this occupation, to a man as intimate with the orchestra as he, -was an easy task, yet very uninteresting and to him humiliating. But -though suffering actual privation, he would not give lessons in music. -Teaching was an occupation which, even in the darkest days, he would not -entertain for a moment.</p> - -<p>Such were the means by which Richard Wagner gained an existence during -his Paris sojourn. But they were not productive enough. Often he was in -absolute want. It was then in this hour of tribulation that the golden -qualities of Minna were proved. Sorrow, the touch-stone of man’s worth, -tried her and she was not found wanting. The hitherto quiet and gentle -housewife was transformed into a heroine. Her placid disposition was -healing comfort to the disappointed, wearied musician. The whole of the -Paris period is “a gem of purest ray serene” in the diadem of Minna -Wagner. Thoughts of what the self-denying, devoted little woman did then -has many a time brought tears to Wagner’s eyes. The most menial house -duties were performed by her with willing cheerfulness. She cleaned the -house, stood at the wash-tub, did the mending and the cooking. She hid -from the husband as much of the discomforts<a name="page_088" id="page_088"></a> attaching to their poor -home as was possible. She never complained, and always strove to present -a bright, cheerful face, consoling and upholding him at all times. In -the evening she and his dog, the same that was temporarily lost in -London, were his regular companions on the boulevards. The bustle of -life and the Parisians diverted him from more anxious thoughts, whilst -supplying him with constant food for his ever-ready wit.</p> - -<p>In dress Wagner was at all times scrupulously neat. After nearly a -year’s residence in Paris, the clothes he had brought with him from -Germany were showing sad signs of wear. The year had been fruitless from -a money point, and his wardrobe had not been replenished. His -sensitiveness on this topic was of course well known to Minna. To give -him pleasure she hunted Paris to find, if possible, some German tailor -in a small way of business who, swayed by the blandishments of Minna, -provided her with a suit of clothes for her husband for his birthday, -22d May, 1840, agreeing to wait for payment until more favourable times. -This delicate and thoughtful attention on the part of Minna deeply -touched Wagner, and he related the incident to me in illustration of the -loving affection she bore him. He said that during those three years of -pinching poverty and bitter disappointments his temperament was variable -and trying. It was hard to bear with him. Vexed and worn with fruitless -trials to secure a hearing for his “Rienzi,” angered at witnessing the -lavish expenditure at the opera house upon works inferior to his own, he -has admitted that his already passionate nature was intensified, and yet -all his outbursts were met by Minna in an uncomplaining, soothing -spirit, which, the first fury over,<a name="page_089" id="page_089"></a> he was not slow to acknowledge. Her -sacrifices for him and all she did became only known years after, when -their worldly position had changed vastly for the better. He never -forgot her devotion, nor did he ever hide his indebtedness and gratitude -to her from his friends.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>FRIENDSHIP WITH JEWS.</i></div> - -<p>During the three years that Wagner was in Paris, he was brought into -communication with several prominent men in the world of art, men -eminent in literature, in music, both as composers and as executants, in -painting, and other phases of art. Of the dozen or so of men with whom -he thus became more intimately acquainted, the greater portion were his -own countrymen and about half were Jews. This constant close intimacy of -Wagner with the descendants of Judah is a curious feature in his life, -and shows that when he wrote as strongly as he did of Jews and their art -work, his judgments were based upon close personal knowledge of the -question. As may be supposed, the acquaintance of a young man between -twenty-six and thirty years of age with these several thinkers and -writers, could not fail to influence, more or less, an impressionable -and receptive nature.</p> - -<p>It was an odd freak of fortune that almost immediately after Wagner had -settled in Paris, he should, by accident, meet in the streets an old -friend from Leipzic, Heinrich Laube. It was in a paper edited by Laube -that Richard Wagner’s first printed article on the non-existence of -German opera had appeared. That was when Wagner was about one and -twenty. Laube was a political revolutionist who underwent several terms -of imprisonment for daring to utter his thoughts about Germany and its -government through his paper. But prison confinement never controlled -the dauntless courage of the patriot.<a name="page_090" id="page_090"></a> He was a man of considerable and -varied gifts. It is not only as a political demagogue that he will be -known in future times, but as a philosopher, novelist, and playwright. -In Leipzic he had shown himself very friendly to Wagner, whose sound, -vigorous judgment attracted him, and now after hearing of Wagner’s -precarious situation, offered to introduce him to Heine. Such an -opportunity could not be lost, and so the cultured Hebrew poet and -Richard Wagner met.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>MEETS HEINRICH HEINE.</i></div> - -<p>A curious trio this: Laube, hard-featured and unpleasant to look upon, -with a weirdness begotten possibly of frequent incarcerations,—a -strange contrast to the handsome, regular-featured, soft-spoken Heine; -and then the pale, slim, young Wagner, short in stature, but with -piercing eyes and voluble speech which surprised and amazed the cynical -Heine. When Heinrich Heine heard that Meyerbeer had given Wagner -introductions, he doubted the abilities of the newcomer. Heine was -strongly biassed against Meyerbeer and distrusted his sincerity. -Although the meeting with Laube was a delight to Wagner, as it brought -back to him all his youthful enthusiasm and hope, yet his appreciation -of the accomplished writer, which in Leipzic amounted almost to -reverence, had been by time and events considerably lessened. Wagner’s -greatest majesty, earnestness, was wanting in Laube. The litterateur in -Wagner’s estimation had no fixed purpose, no ideal. He frittered away -considerable gifts in innumerable directions. Incongruities the most -glaring not unfrequently appeared in his writings. A paragraph of sound -philosophical reasoning would be followed by a page of the merest -bombastic phraseology. In his dramatic<a name="page_091" id="page_091"></a> efforts tragedy and farce were -placed in amazing juxtaposition. He wrote a large number of novels, but -not one proved entirely satisfactory. “Reisenovellen” was an imitation -of Heine, but it fell immeasurably below the standard attained by his -model. His best literary production was, without doubt, the history of -his life in prison, which interests and touches us by its simplicity. -However, Wagner could not resist the attraction which Laube’s -peculiarities possessed for him. The litterateur’s unprepossessing -pedantic exterior contrasted strangely with his voluptuous and -imaginative mind. Possessed of a brain specially fitted for the -conception of the noblest schemes for the freedom of human thought, he -often childishly indulged in a roguish <i>plaisanterie</i>. From a thoughtful -disquisition on the philosophy of Hegel he glides into the description -of such unworthy topics as a ball-room, love behind the scenes, -coffee-room conversation, etc. But, curiously, his revolutionary -tendencies in all other matters were in strange contrast to his -tenacious clinging to the then existing opera form, and Wagner’s -outspoken notions about the regeneration of the opera into that of the -musical drama were vehemently opposed by him.</p> - -<p>In Heinrich Heine Wagner found a more congenial listener to his advanced -theories. Although Heine’s appreciation of music was not based on any -more solid ground than that of a general acquaintance with the operas -then in vogue, he was far more affected, and was a greater critic on the -tonal art than his contemporary, Laube. Heine had resided in Paris since -1830, and was thoroughly acclimatized to Parisian taste. He was accepted -as the representative of modern German poetry,<a name="page_092" id="page_092"></a> and his works, -particularly “Les deux Grenadiers,” “Les Polonais de la vraie Pologne,” -were popular amongst all classes. Heine was pre-eminently spiritual, a -quality exceedingly appreciated by the French; hence his popularity. -However serious or painful the topic, Heine could enliven it by his -clever Jewish antithetic wit. Heine received Wagner with a certain -amount of reserve. His respect for musicians was not great. He had found -many who, with the exception of their musical knowledge, were -uncultured. Wagner’s thorough acquaintance with literature, especially -that of the earlier writers, agreeably surprised him, and the composer’s -elevated idea of the sacred mission of music touched the nobler chords -of the poet’s nature. His opinion on Wagner, as quoted by Laube, -presents an interesting example of Heine’s perspicacity. As a specimen -of unaffected appreciation from a critic like Heine, who rarely sat in -judgment without giving vent to a vitiated vein of sarcasm, it is most -interesting.</p> - -<p>“I cannot help feeling a lively interest in Wagner. He is endowed with -an inexhaustible, productive mind, kept almost uninterruptedly in -activity by a vivacious temperament. From an individuality so replete -with modern culture, it is possible to expect the development of a solid -and powerful modern music.” Heine could never refrain from employing a -degenerated imitation of irony, called persiflage, as a weapon for the -purpose of mockery, and for the production of effect. Heine’s -imagination is bold, and his language idiosyncratic, though not -affected. His sentiment is deep, but his fault is the want of an ideal -outside the circle of his own ideas. In his poems, effeminate tenderness -is contrasted<a name="page_093" id="page_093"></a> by a vigorous boldness, the purest sentiment by sensual -frivolity, noble thought by the meanest vulgarity, and lofty aspirations -by painful indifference. Whilst overturning all existing theories and -institutions, he failed to establish any one salutary doctrine.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>SCHLESINGER’S ADMIRATION.</i></div> - -<p>It was a happy chance for Wagner that a man in the prominent position of -Schlesinger should have interested himself in a young musician, whose -nature was the opposite of his own. A shrewd music-seller, with an eye -always to the main chance, and an art enthusiast in close intimacy, was -a strange spectacle, only to be accounted for by the fact that opposite -natures attract, whereas similar characters repel each other. -Schlesinger admired in Wagner the very qualities of earnestness and -enthusiasm which were lacking in his own being. Meyerbeer was his deity. -It was one day in a mail coach that I found myself the -travelling-companion of Schlesinger. He talked the whole day, of -Meyerbeer principally. He said that Meyerbeer showed a commercial -sagacity in composing his works which was remarkable. Behind the stage -he was as painstaking with artists and the <i>mise-en scène</i> as he was -careful in the comfortable seating of critics. Not the smallest -journalist, nor even their relations, failed to be seated well. -Meyerbeer was the embodiment of the art of <i>savoir faire</i>. It seemed to -me, then, a curious contradiction in my companion’s character, that he -could regard such phases in a man’s character as wonderful, and at the -same time have listened to the intemperate outpourings of the earnest -Wagner. But it was so.</p> - -<p>At the back of Schlesinger’s music shop was a room where artists -casually met for conversation. Wagner,<a name="page_094" id="page_094"></a> owing to the “musical -arrangements” for the firm and being writer for Schlesinger’s “Gazette -Musicale,” was a frequent visitor. He met many known men and noted their -speech. It all tended one way. The French were light-hearted, persiflage -was a principal subject of their composition, and for such a public only -light dainties were to be provided. They wanted the semblance and not -the reality. Amusement first and truth after. His own romances, penned, -as he hoped, in a fittingly light manner, were not light enough and as a -consequence were not pleasing enough.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>WAGNER AND BERLIOZ.</i></div> - -<p>With Berlioz his relations were less happy. The two men met often, but -were mutually antagonistic. They admired each other always. Both were -serious and earnest, but their friendship was never intimate. In -after-life the same strained bearing towards each other was maintained. -From close observation of the two men under my roof, at the same table, -and under circumstances when they were open heart with each other, I -should say however that the constraint arose purely from their -antagonistic individualities. Berlioz was reserved, self-possessed, and -dignified. His clear, transparent delivery was as the rhythmic cadence -of a fountain. Wagner was boisterous, effusive, and his words leaped -forth as the rushing of a mountain torrent. Wagner undoubtedly in Paris -learned much from Berlioz. The new and refined orchestration taught, or -perhaps I should rather say indicated, to Wagner what could be done with -the orchestra. Indeed, Wagner has said that the instrumentation of -Berlioz influenced him, but disagrees with the use to which the -orchestra was put. To Berlioz it was the end: to Wagner, a means.<a name="page_095" id="page_095"></a> -Berlioz expended his ideas in special colouristic effects, whilst -Wagner’s pre-eminent desire was truthfulness of situation, the orchestra -serving as the medium for the delineation of his ideas. Wagner paid -Berlioz a tribute in Paris by declaring that he was distinguished from -his Parisian colleagues, that he did not compose for money, and then in -the same breath sarcastically asserts that “he lacks all sense of -beauty.” This I think unfair, nor do I consider it as representing what -Wagner really wished to convey. Berlioz was undoubtedly possessed of -ideality, his intentions were noble and earnest, but in their execution -he fell short of his conceptions. However, he towers above all French -composers for earnestness of purpose and strength of intellect.</p> - -<p>Although Wagner often and strongly disagreed with Heine’s judgment in -matters of art, yet with one, the poet’s racy notice dated April, 1840, -published in “Lutèce,” a miscellaneous collection of letters upon -artistic and social life in Paris, he felt that the pungent criticism -was not altogether wide of the truth. Wagner kept the notice, and when -he and Berlioz were in this country together in 1855, he gave it to me, -remarking that though grotesque it was in the main faithful. As it is -very interesting I reproduce it:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>We will begin to-day by Berlioz, whose first concert has served as -the début of the musical season, as the overture, so to speak. His -productions, more or less new, which have been performed, found a -just tribute of applause, and even the most indolent present were -aroused by the force of his genius, which revels in creations of -the “grand master.” There is a flapping of wings, but it is not of -an ordinary bird, it is a colossal nightingale, a skylark of the -grandeur of the eagle, as it existed, it is said, in the primitive -world. Yes, the music of Berlioz, in general, has for me something -primitive, if not<a name="page_096" id="page_096"></a> antediluvian, and it makes me think of extinct -gigantic beasts, of mammoths, of fabulous worlds, and of fabulous -sins; indeed, of impossibilities piled one upon another. His magic -accents recall to us Babylon, the suspended gardens of Semiramis, -the marvels of Nineveh, the bold edifices of Mizraim, such as are -seen in the pictures of the Englishman, Martin. Indeed, if we seek -for analogous productions in the realms of the painter’s art, we -find a perfect resemblance with the elective Berlioz and the -eccentric Englishman. The same outrageous sentiment of the -prodigious, of the excessive, of material immensity. With one -brilliant effect of light and darkness, with the other thundery -instrumentation: with one little melody, with the other little -colour, in both a perfect absence of beauty and of naïveté. Their -works are neither antique nor romantic, they recall to us neither -the Greek pagan, nor the mediæval catholic, but seem to lift us to -the highest point of Assyrico-Babylonio-Egyptian architecture, and -bear us back to those poems in stone which trace in the pyramids -the passion of humanity, the eternal mystery of the world.</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A NATIONAL DRAMA.</i></div> - -<p>Of the other notabilities in the art world with whom Richard Wagner came -into contact in Paris, the chief were Halévy, Vieuxtemps, Scribe, and -Kietz. For Halévy he had great admiration. His music was honest. It had -a national flavour in it. It was of the French, French. There was a -visible effort to reflect in tones the mind and sentiment of a people -which was highly meritorious. He was the legitimate descendant of Auber, -the founder of a really national French opera. If conventionality proved -too strong for Auber, Halévy made less effort to throw off the thraldom. -The latter was wholly in the hands of opera directors, singers, ballet -masters, etc. Had he been a strong man, an artist of determination, -governed more with the noble desire to elevate his glorious art than of -pleasing popular favourites, he might have done great things. Opera<a name="page_097" id="page_097"></a> -comique represented truly the national taste of the Gauls. Auber and -Halévy were the men who, assisted by Boildieu, could have laid a sure -foundation, but conventionality proved too powerful for all three.</p> - -<p>It is not difficult to understand why Wagner so constantly made a -“national music-drama” the subject of discourse. In his judgment a drama -reflecting the culture and life of a people was the noblest teacher of -men. It appeals direct to the heart and understanding. It is the mirror -of themselves, purified, idealized, and as such cannot fail to be the -most powerful and effective moral instructor. “National drama” was an -undying subject with Wagner. His constant effort was the founding of a -national art for his own compatriots. It was the ambition of his life, -so that after the first and so grandly successful festival performance -of the “Nibelungen” in the Bayreuth theatre, 1876, his address to the -spectators began, “My children, you have here a really German art.” No -wonder, then, that he spoke in Paris with such earnestness of the -absence of a true national opera, and of the destruction of such as -there promised to be through the attention lavished on Rossini and -Donizetti. Halévy’s “La Juive,” a grand opera, Wagner considered a -particularly praiseworthy work, and thought it promised great things. So -much did he consider it worthy of notice, that when later on he became -conductor of the Dresden Opera House, he devoted great attention to its -production and adequate rendering.</p> - -<p>Vieuxtemps, Wagner met occasionally, but was on less intimate terms with -him. He admired him as a virtuoso on the violin; he had a grand style, -but in his<a name="page_098" id="page_098"></a> conversation and writings he was without any distinguishing -or attractive ability, adhering so steadfastly to the rigid classical -form that there was little sympathy between them. In Scribe he admired -the skill and esprit of his stage works. He saw that the Frenchman most -accurately gauged the taste of his public and was dexterous in the -manipulation of his matter. Scribe was not then at anything like the -zenith of his power, yet was possessed of a finish and delicacy in -writing that Wagner admired. Lastly, Kietz, a painter from Germany, of a -certain merit, was perhaps one of his most intimate friends. He painted -a portrait of Richard Wagner which is now regarded as very excellent. -Full of fun, his jocularity harmonized completely with Wagner’s own -humour, and, united with Louis, the three were ever at their most -comfortable and happy ease.<a name="page_099" id="page_099"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X"></a>CHAPTER X.<br /><br /> -<small>PARIS, 1839-1842. <i>Continued.</i></small></h2> - -<p>V<small>IEWED</small> from an art standpoint, those dreary years of misery, spent in -the centre of European gaity, were the crucial epoch of Richard Wagner’s -career. Then, for the first time, was he filled with the consciousness -of the complete impossibility of the French operatic stage and its -kindred institutions outside France, ever becoming the platform from -which he could preach his doctrine of earnestness and truth. The Paris -grand opera was the hothouse of spurious art. The master who would -succeed there must abandon his inspiration and make concessions to -artists and to managers. He found the so-called grand opera tainted, an -unreal thing which dealt not with verities, but was the handmaid of -fashion. It had no heart, no living, free-flowing blood, but was a -patchwork of false sentiment rendered attractive by its gorgeous -spectacular frame.</p> - -<p>But it was not at one bound that Wagner arrived at this conclusion. The -turning-point was not reached until after he had himself essayed a grand -opera success, and found how inadequate and imperfect fettered -utterances were to free thoughts. Indeed, by degrees he discovered that -realism, the prime element of the grand historic opera, was completely -antagonistic to the tenderness of his own poetic instinct, idealism. He -looked<a name="page_100" id="page_100"></a> too, to the grand opera for expression of the feelings of a -people, and found works manacled by a rigid conventionality.</p> - -<p>He had come to Paris with the “Das Liebesverbot” (the manuscript of -which, by the by, I believe passed into the possession of King Ludwig of -Bavaria: it would be interesting to see the score of this early work -written in 1834) and a portion of “Rienzi.” His aspirations were to -complete this latter in a manner worthy of the Paris stage. He attended -much the productions of the opera house. He heard Auber, Halévy, -Meyerbeer, Rossini, and Donizetti, and, as the months rolled by he grew -sick in heart at seeing the sumptuous settings devoted to works that -were paltry, mean, and artificial compared with his own.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A CHAMPION OF AUBER.</i></div> - -<p>Wagner was now a young man rapidly nearing thirty winters of life. He -was in a foreign land, earning a bare existence, but withal full of -earnest enthusiasm and vigorous work. A thinker always, he set himself -the problem in the midst of pinching poverty, why was it that an -unmistakable and growing aversion for the grand opera had been awakened -in him? He pondered over it. For months it exercised his mind and then, -suddenly, the revolutionary spirit of the age took possession of him, -and he threw over once for all preconceived operatic notions, and -resolved to be no longer the slave of a form walled in by -conventionality, nor the puppet of an institution like the grand opera -house, controlled by innumerable anti-artistic influences. It is from -this time that we date that glorious change in his art work which has -made music an articulate language understood by all, whereas hitherto it -had been but a lisping speech,<a name="page_101" id="page_101"></a> with occasional beautiful moments -undoubtedly, but for all that, an imperfect art.</p> - -<p>Poor Wagner, what sorrows did he not pass through in 1840 and 1841! Now -he has stolen into the opera house to listen to the sensuous melodies of -Rossini and Meyerbeer, and afterwards wended his way home dejected and -disconsolate, with his heart a prey to the bitterest pangs. He could -vent a little of his imprisoned indignation in the “Gazette Musicale,” -and availed himself of this channel of publicity. He fell upon Rossini -and Donizetti. Why should they, aliens, dominate the French stage to the -exclusion of superior native worth and pure national sentiment? In his -opinion Auber was badly treated by the Parisians, “La Muette de -Porticci” (Masaniello), contained germs of a real national French opera. -It was a work of excellence and merited a better reception at the hands -of the composer’s countrymen. “Poor Wagner!” I feel myself again and -again unconsciously uttering, when I remember that his championship of -Auber nearly cost him the little emolument his newspaper articles -brought him, for Schlesinger administered a sharp rebuke, and told him -that if he wished to enter the political arena he must write for a -political and not a musical journal. That Wagner’s attitude toward Auber -was based on purely artistic grounds will be admitted, I think, when it -is known that during these three years of Paris life the two men never -met.</p> - -<p>But if the grand opera procured him no pleasure he was compensated by -the orchestral performances at the Conservatoire de Musique. Wagner has -often related an incident connected with one of his visits to the<a name="page_102" id="page_102"></a> -miserable rooms of the Conservatoire in the Rue Bergère, that will never -fail to make affection’s chords vibrate with compassionate sympathy for -the beloved master. I remember well Wagner telling the story to me. It -was during his worst hours of poverty. Disappointments had fallen thick -around him. For two whole days his food had been almost nothing. -Hungered and wearied, he silently and unobtrusively entered the -Conservatoire. The orchestra were playing the “Ninth Symphony.” What -thoughts did it not recall! It was more than ten years since he had -heard the symphonies of Beethoven. Then he was in his Leipzic home. How -changed were all things now! But the music was the same! The old -enchantment overcame him. The genius of Beethoven again dazzled his -senses, and he left the concert-room broken down with grief, but more -determined and with a fixity of purpose more resolute than he had had at -any time during the Paris period. “It was,” he says, “as a blessed -reality in the midst of a maze of shifting, gloomy dreams.” He went home -invigorated with the healthy, refreshing draughts of the “Ninth -Symphony,” bent upon pouring out the feelings of his early manhood, but -falling sick, his original intentions were abandoned.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS OPINION OF THE FRENCH.</i></div> - -<p>The concerts at the Conservatoire afforded him genuine pleasure. The -director, Habeneck, seems to have been a zealous, painstaking artist, -all works conducted evidencing the very careful study they had received -at his hands. It was at the Conservatoire that Wagner’s soul of music -was fed, his heart and mind satisfied, the eye was gratified by the -magnificent mise-en-scene of the grand opera. These two institutions -exercised a<a name="page_103" id="page_103"></a> vast and wholesome influence over him, though he rebelled -wholly against the dicta of the grand opera. Perhaps had it not been for -the violent antagonism the Paris opera excited within him, and the deep -feeling of revulsion that it engendered, Richard Wagner would not so -soon have come to that invaluable knowledge of himself, nor the art-fire -within have glowed with such clearness and intensity.</p> - -<p>To Wagner the Gallic character was at once the source of attraction and -repulsion. He admired the light-hearted gaiety, the racy wit, and -agreeable tact which seems to be the birthright of even the lowest and -least educated. Such qualities were akin to his own being. At all times -he sparkled with witty remarks, and as for tact, the times are without -number when I have seen him display a discretion and dexterity of tact -which belong only to the born diplomat. It was not tact in the common -understanding of the term, but a keen sense of perceiving when to -conciliate, when to hit hard, and when to stop. I have been present on -occasions when his language has been so intemperate and severely -sarcastic that I have expected as the only possible consequence an -unpleasant dénouement; but his fine discernment, aided by undoubted -skill and adroitness of speech, have produced a marvellous change, and I -am convinced that the happy termination was only arrived at because of -the tone of conviction in which he expressed himself. His words bore so -plainly the stamp of unadulterated truth, that those who could not agree -with him were captivated by his enthusiasm and earnestness. On the other -hand, he was repelled by the frivolous tone with which the Parisians<a name="page_104" id="page_104"></a> -characteristically treated serious topics. There was a want of causality -in them. His conception of the world with its duties and obligations was -in complete contrast to theirs. Moreover, he felt they lacked true -poetic sentiment. Their poesy was superficial. It was replete with grace -and charm, nor was beauty occasionally wanting. But it did not well up -from their hearts. They associated it closely with every action of life -but it was more often the veneer than the thing itself that shone. And -again, their proclivities were in favour of realism, whereas his own -sentiments were entwined round a poetic ideal. It was during this Paris -period that the aspiration for the ideal burst forth with an intensity -that never afterwards dimmed. The longing for the ideal was no new -sensation. Flashes had been observed earlier at Leipzic when under the -fascination of Beethoven’s symphonies, but, ambition, love of fame, and -a not unnatural youthful desire to acquire wealth had diverted him from -the ideal to the real, and it was not till saddened with disappointments -and sorely tried in the crucible of misfortune that he emerged purified, -with a vision of his ideal beautified and enthroned on high, resolved -henceforth never to tire in his efforts to achieve his purpose.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE REVOLUTIONARY SPIRIT.</i></div> - -<p>I should not omit to refer to certain observations Wagner made upon the -military and police element in these early Paris years. He was a keen -scrutinizer of men and manners, and failed not to observe the power -wielded by the army. The French were a pageant-loving people, but were -heavily burdened to maintain their large military force. Poverty was a -natural result, and bitter feelings were engendered towards a -government<a name="page_105" id="page_105"></a> which employed the army as an awe-inspiring power towards -peaceful citizens. Though the soldier was drawn from the people, yet as -the unit of an army he came to be regarded as an enemy of his class. Nor -was Wagner more satisfied with the police. He said he never could be -brought to regard them as custodians of the peace and protectors of the -rights of citizens. Instead of being well-disposed, they assumed a -hostile attitude towards civilians. Perhaps these may seem items of no -great importance, but to me the shrewd, perceptive Wagner of 1840-41, -with his revolt against an overbearing military and police is the father -of the revolutionist of 1848. It is but a short space of seven years.</p> - -<p>With all its attendant suffering and weariness Wagner was accustomed to -regard his first sojourn in Paris as the most eventful period of his -life in the cause of art. There he burnt the ships of the youthful -aspirant for public renown. Worldly tribulation tried and proved him, -and the art genius emerged from the conflict purified and strengthened. -As he says in his short autobiographical sketch, “The spirit of -revolution took possession of me once forever.” As it is not an uncommon -fact in history that great events have often been brought about by most -trifling incidents, so now did the first step in this wondrous -development arise out of an apparently unimportant conversation to which -I shall shortly refer. He had come to Paris sustained by an -over-sanguine conviction of compelling French admiration by a rich -display of its own art proclivities. Omitting for the moment his “Faust” -overture, he first completed “Rienzi,” in the all-spectacular spirit<a name="page_106" id="page_106"></a> -suited to the grand opera house. Then, as far as actual production went, -ensued nearly a year of sterility, only to be followed by the advent of -the poetic ideal which, when once cherished, was never afterwards cast -aside. It was the poet who was now asserting his power. Poesy was -claiming its birthright with the tonal art, and as the holy union of the -twin arts manifested itself before his seer-like vision, so the artist, -Wagner, the creator of a music whose every phase glows with the blood of -life, so the poet-musician clearly perceiving his ideal, strove towards -its attainment and never abated his efforts to realize his object, nor -turned aside from its pursuit.</p> - -<p>It is a matter of vast interest to learn how he was led in this -direction. Some months after he had been in Paris, with little prospect -of obtaining a hearing at the grand opera house, and suffering the -keenest pangs of poverty, he heard the “Ninth Symphony” at the -Conservatoire. He had heard it years ago, but now its story, its -“programme,” was clear before him. He too would write a symphony. He -would speak the feelings within him, and music should be a “reality” and -not the language of mysticism.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>“EINE FAUST” OVERTURE.</i></div> - -<p>Overburdened with such feelings as these, a few days later he entered -the music shop of Schlesinger. There was news for him. The publisher had -a proposition which he thought promised well for Wagner. Deeply -interested in his penniless, enthusiastic compatriot, he had almost -brought to a successful conclusion an arrangement by which Wagner was to -write a piece for a boulevard theatre. The conditions were that the -trifle should be light and showy, nothing serious, but attractive. Such -an offer at any other period prior to this,<a name="page_107" id="page_107"></a> Wagner said he would have -gladly welcomed. The time, however, was inopportune. Unfortunately for -him, but to the incalculable gain of the art, just now he was under the -magnetic influence of the “Ninth Symphony.” He seems to have burst into -an uncontrollable onslaught upon the trivialities that ruled the French -stage. He would have none of them. Music now for him was a “blessed -reality,” and the hollow fictions of the boulevard theatres were -unworthy of a true artist. Schlesinger reasoned with him, urged the -wisdom of accepting the offer, though at the same time uncompromising in -his demand that the proposed piece must not be serious, and must be -written to suit the tastes of the uneducated public. But Wagner was not -to be won over, quoting the dictum of Schiller, a great favourite with -him, that “the artist should not be the bantling of his period, but its -teacher.” No arrangement come to, Wagner went home. It was raining -heavily. Excited and wet through, he talked wildly to Minna, the result -being that he was put to bed with a severe attack of erysipelas. -Brooding over his position, angered with the world and himself, caring -not for life, his thoughts reverted to the “Ninth Symphony,” and he, -with the energy of a sick, strong-willed man, resolved to write -forthwith that which should be the expression of his pent-up rage with -the world, and, as by magic, he fell upon the story of Faust. To Wagner, -then, as to the aged student, “Life was a burden, and death a desired -consummation.” And so he plunged with his woes thick upon him into the -composition, superscribing his work with the words of Faust:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Thou God, who reigns within my heart,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Alone can touch my soul.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p><a name="page_108" id="page_108"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HEINE’S “FLYING DUTCHMAN.”</i></div> - -<p>While writing this, Wagner told me, that then for the first time did -music speak to him in plain language. The subjects poured hot out of his -heart as molten metal from a furnace. It was not music he wrote, but the -sorrows of his soul that transformed themselves into sounds. His illness -lasted for about a week, the erysipelas attacking his face and head. The -forced reflection upon the past that his confinement induced was bitter, -but his floating ideas about the poetic drama were cemented. That -sick-chamber was the hothouse of the “romantic” Wagner. There the -revolutionary views first gathered strength and the germs of the “art of -the future” consolidated themselves. All his thoughts and feelings upon -the future he communicated to his gentle nurse, Minna, who was always a -ready listener to his seemingly random talk. This quality of “a good -listener,” of always lending a sympathetic ear, was perhaps more -soothing and valuable than a criticising, discerning companion might -have been to him, especially during his days of sickness. He had also -another ever-ready and attentive auditor, his dog, the companion of his -voyage from Riga to London and thence to Paris. How fond he was of that -dumb brute! The innumerable times he addressed it as if it were a human -being! And Wagner was not forgetful of its memory. During the worst -hours of want he wrote for a newspaper a short story entitled, “The end -of a German Musician in Paris”; in that one sees with what affection he -regarded his devoted friend. The principal character in this realistic -romance is himself, whom he causes to die through starvation. In that -the sorrow and suffering endured by Wagner are set forth in a manner -that<a name="page_109" id="page_109"></a> touches one to the quick. As soon as he was sufficiently -recovered, he did not, as the majority of natures would have done, rest -from all active mental work, but at once vigorously attacked his -unfinished “Rienzi,” the remaining acts of which were completed by the -end of the year 1840. A curious fate Wagner’s. He had embarked upon a -hazardous voyage to the French capital with the view of producing -“Rienzi” there, and yet no sooner was the work quite finished than he -despatched it to Germany, hoping to get it performed at Dresden. A -glance at the music reveals the gulf that separates the Wagner of the -first two acts—composed before he came to Paris—from the writer of the -remaining three. Yet another composition, a complete opera, was given to -the world in Paris in the end of 1841. It has the unique distinction of -being the work of Wagner that occupied the shortest time in writing. -From the time of its inception—I am now speaking only of the music—to -its completion, about seven weeks sufficed for the work. The poem had -been completed some months earlier. He had submitted “Rienzi” to the -director of the grand opera, who gave him no tangible hope of its being -accepted, but promised to do his best in producing a shorter opera by -him. This engagement on the part of the director, though not couched in -unequivocal terms, was not to be allowed to drop. Wagner went to Heine -and discussed the situation. Among the subjects proposed for an opera -was Heine’s own treatment of the romantic legend of “The Flying -Dutchman” and his spectral crew. The story was not new to Wagner. He had -heard it for the first time from the lips of the sailors<a name="page_110" id="page_110"></a> on his voyage -to London. Then it had impressed him. Now it took hold of him.</p> - -<p>How this legend of the ill-fated mariner came to form the basis of an -opera text is curious and interesting. There are few, perhaps, who have -any notions from what crude material the significant “Dutchman,” as we -know it, was fashioned.</p> - -<p>There existed in England, and a copy can still be obtained from French, -the Strand theatrical publisher, a melodramatic burlesque by Fitzball, a -prolific writer for the English stage, entitled “Vanderdecken, or The -Phantom Ship.” To mention the names of three of the original dramatis -personae, Captain Peppersal, the father of the Senta, Von Swiggs, a -drunken Dutchman in love with Senta, and Smutta, a black servant, the -character and mode of treatment of the story will be at once perceived. -Vanderdecken retains much of the legendary lore with which we are -accustomed to surround him, except that Fitzball causes him occasionally -to appear and disappear in blue and red fire. Vanderdecken too is under -a spell; the utterance of a single word though it be joy at his -acceptance by Senta, will consign him again to his terrible fate for -another thousand years.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>WAGNER’S “FLYING DUTCHMAN.”</i></div> - -<p>It was a perusal of this medley, of the spectral and burlesque, which -led Heine to treat the story after his own heart, and it was the -discussion with the poet that determined Wagner in his choice of -subject. The libretto was finished and delivered to the director, who, -whilst expressing entire satisfaction at the work, only asked its price -so that he might deliver it to a composer to whom a text had been -promised, and whose opera had the next right of being accepted. The poem -was<a name="page_111" id="page_111"></a> not sold, and Wagner turned again to his “arranging” drudgery. -Later, however, he retook his text. The subject-legend was in the -highest manner adapted for musical treatment. Whilst writing the poem he -had felt in a very different mood than when writing the “Rienzi” text. -In the latter, his object was a story so arranged as would admit of the -then orthodox operatic treatment with its set forms of solos, choruses, -ensembles, etc., etc. Wagner was a man of thought. He did not perform -things in a haphazard manner. He saw his mark and flew to it. The -historic opera, he reasoned, demanded a precise and careful treatment of -detail incidents. This was not the province of music. The tonal art was -a medium for the expression of feelings, to illustrate the workings of -the heart. Now with legend the conditions are entirely opposite to those -demanded by the historic opera. It is of no consequence among what -people a particular legend originated. Place and period are equally -unimportant. Romantic legends possess this superlative advantage over -historical subjects; no matter when the period, or where the place, or -who the people, the legends are invested with none of the trammelling -conditions of nationality or epoch, but treat exclusively of that which -is human. This is an immense gain to both poet and musician. By this -process of reasoning, Wagner gradually came to exclude word-repetition. -In the “Dutchman” much verbal reiteration is still indulged in; but the -story and treatment show us the real Wagner of the future.</p> - -<p>As to the composition of the music, I have heard so much from Wagner on -this particular opera, to convince me that, though it occupied but a few -weeks, it was not<a name="page_112" id="page_112"></a> done without much careful thought. The scaffolding -upon which it was constructed is very clear. Indeed, the “make” of the -whole work is most transparent. There are three chief subjects. (1) -Senta’s song, (2) Sailor’s and (3) Spinning chorus, and those have been -woven into an organic whole by thoughtful work.</p> - -<p>In the summer of 1866, I was sitting with Wagner at dinner in his house -at Munich. It chanced that the conversation turned upon the weary -mariner, his yearning for land and love, and Wagner’s own longing for -his fatherland at the time he composed the “Dutchman,” when going to a -piano that stood near him, he said, “The pent-up anguish, the -homesickness that then held complete possession of me, were poured out -in this phrase,”—playing the short cadence of two bars thrice repeated -that preludes Vanderdecken’s recital to Daland of his woeful wanderings. -“At the end of the phrase, on the diminished seventh, in my mind I -paused and brooded over the past, the repetitions, each higher, -interpreting the increased intensity of my sufferings,” and, Wagner went -on, that with each note he originally intended that Vanderdecken should -move but one step, and move only in time with the music. Now this -careful premeditated tonal working in the young man of twenty-eight is -indicative, as much as any portion of Wagner is, of his <i>style</i>, a word -of pregnant meaning when used in relation to Wagner’s works.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HE LEAVES PARIS.</i></div> - -<p>The “Dutchman” was written at Mendon, a village about five miles from -Paris. It was composed at the piano. This incident is of importance, -since for several months he had not written a note, and knew not whether -he still possessed the power of composing. He had left<a name="page_113" id="page_113"></a> Paris because of -the noise and bustle, and to his horror discovered that his new landlord -was a collector of musical instruments, so there was little likelihood -of securing the quietude he so much desired. When the work was finished, -conscious that realistic France was not the place where he could produce -his poetic ideal, he despatched it to Meyerbeer, then in Germany, whose -aid he solicited in getting it performed. Replies were not encouraging. -Meanwhile, sorely harassed how to provide life’s necessities, he sold, -under pressure, his manuscript of the poem for £20.</p> - -<p>The sole ray of hope, the one chance of rescue from this sad plight, lay -in “Rienzi.” It had been accepted at Dresden and in the spring of 1842 -he was informed that it was about to be put into preparation and his -presence would be desirable. He therefore left Paris for Germany after -nearly three years of absence.<a name="page_114" id="page_114"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI"></a>CHAPTER XI.<br /><br /> -<small>DRESDEN, 1842-1843.</small></h2> - -<p>F<small>ROM</small> now begins a new epoch in Wagner’s life. The call he had received -from Dresden filled him with delirious joy. The world was not large -enough to hold him. He trod on air. That Dresden, the hallowed scene of -Weber’s labours, possessing the then first theatre in Germany, famed -alike for its productions, style, and artists, should accept his work, -and request his presence to supervise the rehearsals, was an -acknowledgment which transformed, as by magic, a sombre, cruel outlook -into a gloriously bright and warm future.</p> - -<p>He was very sanguine of succeeding with “Rienzi.” It was completely in -the style of the foreign operas then in vogue among his countrymen. -Germany had no opera of her own. Mozart and Gluck both composed in the -French and Italian style, and Meyerbeer, the then ruler of the German -operatic stage, fashioned his popular works on the spectacular style of -the grand French opera. “Rienzi” was spectacular, with plenty of the -same description of material as “Les Huguenots.” So Wagner’s hopes ran -high, and a vista of happiness spread itself before him as an enchanted -fairy-land.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE CHOSEN OF DRESDEN.</i></div> - -<p>With joy he took leave of Schlesinger and his few Parisian intimates, -and set out for Germany, his fatherland. His fatherland! what a sea of -tumultuous feelings<a name="page_115" id="page_115"></a> did that thought of returning home produce in him. -He was going back a conqueror. The creative artist was at last -recognized; he was rescued from desperate distress at the very moment it -seemed as if he were going to succumb to the conflict. It is difficult -to at all thoroughly understand what Wagner went through after he had -been summoned to Germany. The transformation scene in his life’s drama -was taking place. Again and again has he expatiated upon it with an -honesty characteristic of him, and with a volubility that laid bare all -his heart’s hopes and emotions at the time.</p> - -<p>Paris had not accepted him. He came, he saw, but had not conquered. His -soul had swelled with artistic ambition; he was enthusiastic, desiring a -platform from which to expound his cherished tenets; and Paris ignored -him, treated his projects and himself as nought, and for all it cared, -he might have perished unheeded, with none but his dog to mourn his -loss. And now, from an unacknowledged artist, he was the chosen of -celebrated Dresden, still warm with the inspired accents of his -“beloved” Weber. Well might he become delirious with joy.</p> - -<p>His homeward journey was full of happy incident and profit. He heard his -native language again as the common tongue. Of German as a language -Wagner was always enamoured. He possessed a large vocabulary himself, -was a poet of no mean rank, and had always a wealth of illustration -ready at command. Now to hear German spoken about him was delight. He -was in a happy frame, ready to be touched with whatever he saw. The -Rhine unusually excited him. In later years, when writing of the period, -he tells us that at sight of the Rhine he vowed eternal fidelity to his -country.<a name="page_116" id="page_116"></a> He remarked to me, in his poetic language, that its eddying -wavelets seemed to be telling him its legends, and dolefully inquiring, -Why did you leave us? He was happy to come home. His escape from -feverish, sensuous Paris, to his healthy, honest fatherland, was, to use -his own graphic analogy, as Tannhäuser emerging from the Venus grotto to -breathe the invigorating, bracing atmosphere of the German mountains. It -was the awakening from an oppressive nightmare. The unvarnished -straightforwardness of the German character welcomed him with the -affection of fond parents. With all its rude plainness and stolidity, he -loved the German mind. It was sincere, true, and made the French -courteous polish, which he had just quitted, seem as a thing unreal, a -lacquer, an affection that became offensive.</p> - -<p>The return of Wagner and his wife to Dresden was particularly agreeable -to the latter. In Dresden, she had a reputation as an actress, though -not in the first rank, yet she was somebody, and would be so recognized. -Besides, there she could have the respect paid to her due to the wife of -the composer of “Rienzi.” Poor Minna! what a patient and gentle woman -she was. To hear her unaffected talk of the change in her own position, -on their coming to live in Dresden, was touching, indeed. In Paris she -had been a drudge, and no one knew but Wagner the half of her heroism, -self-denial, and suffering. Now for her, too, the horizon was clearing, -and it was with difficulty that she endeavoured to restrain the -overflowing hopefulness of Richard. But he would not be repressed, and -on nearing Dresden the two who had suffered together consoled and -encouraged each other with visions of prospective prosperity.<a name="page_117" id="page_117"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A VISIT TO REISSIGER.</i></div> - -<p>A change of scene was always conducive to happiness in Wagner. For the -first few days he visited well-remembered spots. He had a veritable -passion for at once setting off to see familiar places. The joy of -Dresden homely life contrasted with the Paris mode of living, acted like -a charm on him. His spirits were at their best, his health good, and the -kindly greetings he met everywhere worked together to make him -thoroughly enjoy life. His sister Rosalie, the actress, was dead, so -that all that was really known of him when he came to Dresden was that -he was born at Leipzic, had been educated at the Dresden Schule, and had -wholly written and composed two operas, and was the brother of the late -Rosalie Wagner.</p> - -<p>One of his first visits was to Reissiger, chief conductor at the Royal -Opera (where Wagner’s “Rienzi” was to be performed), and of the Royal -Chapel. Reissiger was some fifteen years older than Richard Wagner. He -had been trained in the school of strict fugue and counterpoint at -Leipzic, and as a musician was prolific and clever, but lacked poetical -inspiration and intellectual power. He was eminently a professor. He -received Wagner politely, praised the “Rienzi,” the score of which he -knew, but with it all maintained an attitude of reserve. Wagner, who was -on the best terms with himself and the world, ready to embrace -everybody, was cooled by his reception, and felt that he could never be -intimate with Reissiger, who occupied the greater part of their first -interview with complaints about his own non-success on the operatic -stage, all of which he peevishly attributed to the shortcomings of the -<i>libretti</i>.</p> - -<p>If, however, Wagner was disappointed with his probable<a name="page_118" id="page_118"></a> standing with -Reissiger, he was amply compensated by the warmth and spontaneity of -Fischer’s greeting. Fischer was stage manager and chorus director. He -was a musician of superior attainments, a man of sound reflection, and -felt that theirs was to be a friendship for life. He was enthusiastic -about “Rienzi,” foretold a certain success, and showed his earnestness -by untiring activity in training the chorus, so important in the new -work. He proved of invaluable service to Wagner by describing the -character and temperament of the many individuals connected with the -theatre with whom he would come into contact.</p> - -<p>There was yet another friend who affectionately greeted Wagner. -Tichatschek, the “Rienzi” of the forthcoming performance. Tichatschek -was of heroic stature, finely proportioned, and dignified in bearing. He -was enraptured with his part. He saw in it one which fitted him to -perfection, both as to physical appearance and vocal powers, which, in -his case, were strong and enduring.</p> - -<p>A passing cloud was the absence of the “Adriano,” his womanly ideal, -Schroeder-Devrient. But she soon came to Dresden and was present at the -“Rienzi” rehearsals. Wagner related to her the episode of the -<i>Dreadnought</i>, and the fate of her precious gift, the snuff-box, when -she pleasantly rejoined that “Rienzi” would produce him a shower of -golden snuff-boxes from all the potentates of Germany, so convinced was -she of its success.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>PRODUCTION OF “RIENZI.”</i></div> - -<p>“Rienzi” was performed at the end of 1842. An unquestioned success, -everybody enthusiastic, the orchestra played with an energy that went -quite beyond the <a name="page_119" id="page_119"></a>phlegmatic Reissiger who conducted. Apart from the -effective situations, the well-treated story and verve with which the -chief characters worked, there is no doubt that a great portion of the -success was due to the splendid appearance of Tichatschek. Commanding in -stature and clad in glittering armour, possessing a powerful voice which -he used to advantage, the audience were enraptured with the hero and -cheered him lustily. The processions, the conflagrations, and all those -stage effects so skilfully calculated by Wagner and intended for the -grand opera house, Paris, appealed to the spectacle-loving portion of -the playgoers. The plot, the revolt of an oppressed people, was -unquestionably in harmony with the spirit of the period, for revolution -was in the air; all over Germany there were disquieting signs. It has -often been suggested that “Rienzi” was a confession of faith of Wagner’s -political, so-called revolutionary, principles, and was a forecast of -the democratic storm of 1848, but it need scarcely be said that it was -mere coincidence.</p> - -<p>I have now arrived at the time when my own acquaintance with Richard -Wagner began. It was in the beginning of the spring of 1843. Wagner had -been appointed in January of that year co-chief conductor at the opera -with Reissiger, but the superiority of his intellectual and artistic -abilities over the homespun plebeian Reissiger soon gave him the first -position in Dresden. Their second in command was August Roeckel. Roeckel -was my most intimate friend. We were of the same age, and had but one -judgment upon music. He was the nephew of Nepomuck Hummel and possessed -much of the talent of that celebrated pianist. He was also a composer of -merit; indeed, it was by reason of the sound<a name="page_120" id="page_120"></a> musicianly skill displayed -in his opera “Farinelli” that he was appointed second music director at -Dresden, similarly as Wagner had been appointed chief director through -the success of “Rienzi.” The director of the opera had accepted -“Farinelli” and announced a performance, but so dazzled was Roeckel by -the brilliancy of Wagner’s genius that he withdrew “Farinelli” and would -under no circumstances permit its production. This act of -self-effacement accurately paints the character of the over-modest man. -Between Wagner and Roeckel the closest intimacy sprang up. Through all -that stormy period of the revolution, Wagner thought and spoke of none -other as he did of Roeckel. They were twin souls. For range of -knowledge, active intelligence, and similarity of thought, Wagner had -met with no one more congenial to him, and, I must add, none worshipped -Wagner as August Roeckel did. He had resided in London and Paris, and -the literature of both countries was as familiar to him as that of his -native land. The first description I had of Richard Wagner was from -August Roeckel. I had such complete confidence in his perception and -judgment that I was at once won over to Wagner’s side by the tone of -hero-worship that pervaded the letter. Happily it has been preserved and -I now reproduce it:—</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>INFLUENCE OF ROECKEL.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>At last fortune smiles on me. Think, I have been appointed -Sachsischer music director, at the head of the most celebrated -orchestra of Germany, no longer doomed to give lessons, my horror -and abomination. “Farinelli,” after all, was the right thing, but -what chiefly reminds me of your perspicacity was the encouragement -in regard to my pianoforte playing. Now that is of the greatest -importance in helping me to establishing a name here. It was but -natural that I doubted my gift as a pianist, when Edward (his -brother)<a name="page_121" id="page_121"></a> was the favourite of uncle “Hummel,” but when at Vienna, -I remembered your prophecy, and worked at the piano harder than -ever, and now it stands me in good stead. Henceforth, I drop myself -into a well, because I am going to speak of the man whose greatness -overshadows that of all other men I have met, either in France or -England,—our new friend, Richard Wagner. I say advisedly, our -friend, for he knows you from my description as well as I do. You -cannot imagine how the daily intercourse with him develops my -admiration for his genius. His earnestness in art is religious; he -looks upon the drama as the pulpit from which the people should be -taught, and his views on a combination of the different arts for -that purpose opens up an exciting theory, as new as it is ideal. -You would love him, aye, worship him as I do, for to gigantic -powers of intellect he unites the sportive playfulness of a child. -I have a great advantage over him in piano-playing. It seems -strange, but his playing is ludicrously defective; so much so, that -when anything is to be tried I take the piano and my sight-reading -seems to please him vastly.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dresden</span>, March, 1843.</p></div> - -<p>My correspondence with August Roeckel was at this period a large one. He -had a religious reverence for the gift, intellectual attainments, and -eloquence of his new friend, topics which constitute the main theme of -his letters. That Roeckel had an equal sway over Wagner in another -direction, viz. politics, arose, too, from that same earnest enthusiasm, -the parent of Wagner’s own successful art efforts. It is necessary that -I should explain that Roeckel was Wagner’s shadow. They were -inseparable, visiting each other during the day and at the theatre -together at night. They had, so Wagner told me afterwards, a life in -common. He was as much fired by Roeckel’s wealth of literary lore, his -heroic notions of life and duty, and the claim of a people to be well -governed, as Roeckel was sympathetic and<a name="page_122" id="page_122"></a> appreciative of those art -theories which, according to Wagner, formed the upper stratum of man’s -existence. Roeckel’s view is therefore the judgment of Wagner’s other -self, and as such has a right of existence here. It is full of warm -interest about Wagner, who, in later years, greatly enjoyed the perusal -of the correspondence. The absolute worship of Roeckel for his chief -shows itself in the following letter written under the influence of -early relations:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>I have the most affectionate letter from Bamberg. They want me back -there, offer me greater advantages, urging that I was the first and -only conductor there, whilst at Dresden I am but second. But can -they understand to whom I am second? Such a man as Richard Wagner I -never yet met, and you know I am not inclined to Caesar’s maxim, -that it were better to be the first in a village than the second in -Rome. I have begun to rescore my opera under Wagner’s supervision; -his frank criticism has opened my eyes to some very important -instrumental defects. His notions of scoring are most novel, most -daring, and altogether marvellous; but not more so than his -elevated notions about the high purpose of the dramatic art; -indeed, they foreshadow a new era in the history of art.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dresden.</span></p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>BERLIOZ AND WAGNER.</i></div> - -<p>An incident of interest in the first part of 1843 was a visit of Hector -Berlioz to Wagner. The great Frenchman came to hear “Rienzi.” Satisfied -he was not; about the only number that he thought meritorious was the -prayer. With the “Dutchman,” which he also heard, he was even still less -contented. He complained of the excess of instrumentation. This is -curious, to put it gently, that a composer who employs four orchestras -with twelve kettledrums in one work, whose own scoring is noted for -excessive employment of means,<a name="page_123" id="page_123"></a> should make such a charge. It is -inexplicable. The truth is, Berlioz was jealous of Wagner. Roeckel had -been intimate with Berlioz in Paris. The father of Roeckel was the -impressario who introduced the first complete German opera troupe to -Paris and London. He had been an intimate friend of Beethoven, had -impersonated “Florestan” in “Fidelio,” and, indeed, had been tutored by -the composer for the tenor part. The elder Roeckel’s company included -Schroeder-Devrient when he went to Paris. August Roeckel was therefore -well known to Berlioz, and Schroeder-Devrient, having travelled with -Roeckel’s father, and being known intimately by August, was also a link -between Wagner and himself. When, therefore, Berlioz came to Dresden, -August was delighted, and was always present at the friendly meetings of -the two composers. He wrote to me that their meetings were embarrassed. -Wagner was first attracted, but the cold, austere, though always -polished demeanour of Berlioz checked Wagner’s enthusiasm. He had the -air of patronizing Wagner; his speech was bitter, freezing the -boisterous expansiveness of Wagner. At times the conversation was so -strained that Roeckel was of opinion that Berlioz intentionally slighted -Wagner. The more they were together, the less they appeared to -understand each other; and yet, notwithstanding the fastidious -criticism, the constant fault-finding of Berlioz, he took pains to -arrange meetings with Wagner, naturally fascinated by the vigour with -which Wagner discussed art.<a name="page_124" id="page_124"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII"></a>CHAPTER XII.<br /><br /> -<small>1843-1844.</small></h2> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A TOUCH OF HIS HUMOUR.</i></div> - -<p>However inclined the Dresden musical press may have been to be captious -and antagonistic towards Wagner, there were certain decided evidences of -gifts whose existence they could not deny, and which they were -reluctantly compelled to acknowledge, in spite of their openly -pronounced hostility. The rehearsing and conducting of “Rienzi” and the -“Dutchman” had established Wagner’s reputation as a conductor of unusual -ability. “But,” said his censorious critics, “that proves nothing, for -he worked with heart and soul to secure success, just because the operas -were his own. Wait until he is called upon to produce a classic; then we -shall see.” They had not to wait long. Within a month, Gluck’s “Armide” -and Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” were performed under his bâton. His reading -of both was original. He had, first, his individual conception of the -opera as an organic art work, and then very pronounced views as to the -manner in which each should be studied and performed. He spared not the -orchestra. This not unnaturally created among the less intelligent some -amount of irritation. Custom had sanctioned a certain slovenly -rendering, and they revolted at the revolutionary spirit of the new -conductor. But the openly expressed appreciation of the unquestioned -abilities<a name="page_125" id="page_125"></a> of the conductor by the leading members of the orchestra, was -not without effect upon the malcontents. The friction did not last long; -a marked improvement was felt by all, and Wagner’s irrepressible animal -spirits and jocularity won over even the drudges. I have it from August -Roeckel, his colleague at the desk, that the intelligent members of the -orchestra idolized Wagner, and never wearied under his bâton.</p> - -<p>Wagner was possessed of a keen sense of euphonic balance. The -predominance of one section of the orchestra over another, except where -specially required to produce certain effects, he would not tolerate, be -the defaulting instrument ever so difficult to control. On one occasion -the trombones were excessively noisy at a “Rienzi” rehearsal in the -overture, where they should accompany the violins <i>piano</i>. Their braying -aroused Wagner’s anger; however, with ready wit, instead of a reproof, a -joke, and turning good-humouredly to the culprits, he laughingly said, -“Gentlemen, if I mistake not, we are in Dresden, and not marching round -Jericho, where your ancestors, strong of lung, blew down the city -walls.” The humour of the admonition was not lost, and after a moment’s -general hilarity Wagner obtained the desired effect.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>SPOHR’S KINDLY DEED.</i></div> - -<p>Wagner was a born disciplinarian. He held the orchestra completely in -the palm of his hand. The members were so many pawns which he moved at -will, responding to his slightest expressed wish. The rigid enforcement -of his will upon the players became talked of outside the doors of the -theatre. The critics could not understand why he should wish to change -the order of things, have a greater number and longer rehearsals<a name="page_126" id="page_126"></a> than -any one else, and have the works performed in his heterodox way; and so, -they first ridiculed him, and then uncompromisingly attacked him, -attacks which, it is regrettable to add, lasted all the years he -remained in Dresden. But for all this, he was not to be deterred from -his purpose. He knew what he wanted, and meant to have it, and in this -Wagner has again and again acknowledged to me his indebtedness to August -Roeckel, who so ably seconded his chief. According to Wagner’s notions -the masterpieces of German musicians could never be properly understood -by the music-loving public, owing to their imperfect and faulty -rendering under conductors who were so many automaton time-beaters. -Great works of all descriptions were produced in a styleless manner, no -regard, indeed, but very little effort, being made to discover the -intention of the composer. All were rendered in the same pointless -manner. This was revolting to his sense of artistic probity, therefore -when he held the office of conductor he altered this almost dishonest -state of things, for it was dishonest not to seek to reproduce a -composer’s intention. Thus the works of all masters suffered. Therefore -Wagner made it a rule that whatever he conducted should be, when -possible, entirely committed to memory. His earnestness became -infectious, until players and singers became animated by one feeling. -They felt that he, at the desk, was as much a worker as any of them, and -the result was a performance hitherto unknown for perfection. It -happened, therefore, that when “Don Giovanni” was given, according to -his feelings and as he willed it, the critics fell upon him fiercely, -going so far even as to declare he did not understand Mozart, so -unexpectedly<a name="page_127" id="page_127"></a> new did they find his conception. The contest waged hotly. -A large and important body of directors of art opinion selected the -phlegmatic Reissiger as their idol, and lauded him indiscriminately. It -is, to say the least, strange that there should have been found any one -to prefer a man of the diminutive talents of Reissiger to Richard -Wagner. The former was a pure mechanic, respectable in his way, but -completely overshadowed by the mighty genius of Wagner. This study of -conductors and conducting was a phase of his art to which Wagner devoted -much careful thought, embodying at a later period his views in a -pamphlet on the subject, which will be found invaluable by orchestral -conductors of every degree.</p> - -<p>An incident of this year, 1843, his first at Dresden, to which Wagner -referred with pleasure, was the performance of the “Dutchman” at Cassel -by Spohr. It was done entirely on its merits, without any solicitation -from Wagner, the pleasure being intensified by reason of the ripe age of -the conductor and his well-known reverence for the orthodox. Spohr was -sixty-nine, and Richard Wagner thirty. Wagner felt and expressed himself -as deeply touched at the interest a musician of such opposite tendencies -should take in his work, particularly, too, on receiving later a letter -from Spohr expressing the delight he experienced on making the -acquaintance of a young artist who showed in all he did such earnestness -and striving after truth. When Wagner related this to me, wondering at -the curious contradiction in Spohr’s character, I remarked that the -solution seemed to lie in the gentle, almost effeminate nature of Spohr, -which<a name="page_128" id="page_128"></a> found its completion in the robust, manly vigour of Wagner’s own -conceptions.</p> - -<p>How Spohr could have been attracted by Wagner, and repulsed by the “last -period” of Beethoven, is a contradiction difficult to account for; but -that it existed is beyond doubt, for the last time he was in London, -about 1850-51, I put the question direct to him whether it was true, as -asserted, that he had stigmatized the third period of Beethoven as -“barbarous music,” to which he promptly and emphatically replied, “Yes, -I do think it barbarous music.” After the performance at Cassel, Wagner -endeavoured to get the “Dutchman” accepted elsewhere, but signally -failed; from Munich, where a quarter of a century later he was to be the -ruling spirit, came the discouraging response that “it was not German -enough,” though the composer thought this its distinguishing merit.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS PECULIAR DRESS.</i></div> - -<p>The acrimoniously bitter attacks that were made upon Wagner, during his -first year at Dresden, increased in poignancy, as he showed himself -uncontrolled by custom’s laws. He affected a careless, defiant attitude -towards all criticism, whereas he was abnormally sensitive to -journalistic opinion. He could scoff, play the cynic, treat his opponent -with derisive scorn, but it was all simulated; the iron entered into his -soul, and he chafed and grew irritable under it. It was as though he -suffered a bodily castigation. He brooded over the attacks, and there -can be no doubt that they caused him moments of acute pain. It is true -that in combat he could parry and thrust with as much vigour as his -opponents; that the sting of his reproof was as torturing as any he -suffered; perhaps even that his<a name="page_129" id="page_129"></a> assaults were more annihilating than -the occasion demanded; yet with it all, though he emerged from the -contest victorious, he suffered deeply, acutely. There can be no doubt -that the genesis of this hostile criticism was directed more against the -man than his art work, and that wounded personality played an important -part in it. Richard Wagner was seen to be a man of artistic taste, with -proclivities which were exhibited in his domestic surroundings, novel, -perhaps, to the somewhat heavy Dresdenites. First, Wagner’s attire was -different from that of the ordinary individual. He persisted in wearing -in the house a velvet dressing-gown and a biretta, truly an uncommon -head-gear. His apartments were asserted to be upholstered luxuriously. -And in these things the art critics (?) saw a target for ridicule and -sarcasm. Now that his apartments were furnished in a costly manner is -absolutely untrue. Wagner had a keen appreciation of the beautiful, and -loved tasty decoration, but it was secured at the minimum of cost. The -thrifty Minna contrived and invented, to gratify Wagner’s fancies, at an -outlay which does credit to German thrift. And yet there were found -Dresden journals that went so far as to discuss his mode of living, -attributing all the apparent extravagance to gratification of an -over-rated self-esteem, the appeasing of an inordinate vanity.</p> - -<p>A year of vexation! a year of consolidation was 1844! From Wagner I have -often heard it: “My failures were the stepping-stones to success”; and -this year, when the hot blood of ambition coursed violently through his -youthful veins, when he aimed as high as the heavens, and met with -failures everywhere, when<a name="page_130" id="page_130"></a> directors of German opera houses returned his -scores “unopened” or pronounced them unripe and lacking in melody, -truly, it was an epoch of bitter disappointment. Attacked relentlessly -by journalistic hacks, imbued with the bitter feeling that he was the -rejected of his countrymen; that for him there was not a glimmer of hope -of success on the German stage, and yet convinced of his own exceptional -gifts, and the living truth of the mission he was destined to -accomplish, he, broken down in spirit, angered with the world, and -fractious with himself, retired from all intercourse with his -fellow-men, shunned society as the plague, appeared at the Dresden -theatre only when absolutely necessary, and went into seclusion, -accessible to none except August Roeckel. Of this gloomy period, and the -devotion of his friend, Wagner has left it on record. “I left the world, -retired from public life, and lived in the closest communion with one -intimate companion only, one friend, who was so full of sympathy for me, -so wholly engrossed in my artistic development, that he ignored his own -unquestioned talents, artistic instinct, and inventive powers, and cast -to the winds his own chances of worldly success. This companion of my -gloom was Roeckel.” In referring to his friend’s self-abnegation, Wagner -evidently alludes to Roeckel’s opera, “Farinelli,” which the composer -had withdrawn from the Dresden repertoire through excess of modesty, -over-awed, as he was, by his conception of Richard Wagner’s genius.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HE PRODUCES “ARMIDE.”</i></div> - -<p>This tribute to the constancy and humble workship of August Roeckel is -not a whit too much. Roeckel idolized Wagner. The two men were the -complement<a name="page_131" id="page_131"></a> of each other; whilst the vivacious imagination of Wagner -inspired admiration in Roeckel, the latter’s placid, closely-reasoned -logic soothed the excitable poet-musician. All Roeckel’s letters to me -of this period—and he was an excellent correspondent—might be summed -up in the word “Wagner.” The minutest incidents of work and details of -their conversations are related. This poor Roeckel suffered thirteen -years imprisonment, from May, 1849, when his friend Wagner escaped. At -the termination of his confinement, the two friends met with a warmth of -affection difficult to describe. Seeing, then, the intimacy of the men -during this year of retirement, it is the letters of August Roeckel -which will supply the faithfullest record of Wagner’s life and work.</p> - -<p>He tells me that Wagner spoke of himself as “one crying in the desert.” -But few sympathized with him, his breaking away from the “Rienzi” period -being frowned upon, but that through all disappointment Wagner’s -inexhaustible animal spirits never left him. The following letter is -dated March, 1844:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Wagner has returned from Berlin, very morose in temper; the “Flying -Dutchman” did not touch the scoffing Berliners, who certainly have -less poetical feeling than most Germans; they only saw in -Schroeder-Devrient a star, and in the touching drama an opera like -other operas; yet they pose as profound art critics. Bah! they are -simply stupid!</p> - -<p>Since then we have had “Hans Heiling” and “Vampyr.” Wagner thinks -much of Marschner’s natural gifts, but finds that his general -intelligence is not on a level with his musical gifts, and that -this is often painfully evident in his recourse to commonplace -padding.... I wish you could have witnessed the work of the old -Gluck “Armide,” most tenderly cared for by Wagner. I doubt that<a name="page_132" id="page_132"></a> it -ever was rendered with such reverence,—nay, not even in Paris. We -have also had what Wagner considers the masterwork of Mendelssohn, -“Midsummer Night’s Dream,” with which he also took considerable -pains, although fully aware of the composer’s unfriendly feeling -towards himself.</p></div> - -<p>Later I find the following:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>You cannot conceive what a system of espionage has grown up about -Wagner, how keenly all his actions are criticised. He deemed it -advisable to rearrange the seating of the band (I send you a plan); -but oh! the hubbub it has produced is dreadful. “What! change that -which satisfied Morlacchi and Reissiger?” They charge Wagner with -want of reverence for tradition and with taking delight in -upsetting the established order of things.</p></div> - -<p>In the middle of the year it seems the “Faust” overture was performed; -the reception was disheartening. It was another disappointment, and -showed Wagner how little the public was in sympathy with his art ideal. -Although performed twice, it produced no effect.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>SPONTINI AND “LA VESTALE.”</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>This is not to be wondered at [writes Roeckel]; for in the judgment -of some here it compares favourably with the grandest efforts of -Beethoven. Such a work ought to be heard several times before its -beauties can be fully perceived.</p> - -<p>Wagner day by day becomes to me the beacon-light of the future; his -depth of thought, his daring philosophical investigations, his -unrestrained criticism, startle one out of the every-day optimism -of the Dresden surroundings. The only ready ear besides myself is -Semper, who, however, agrees with Wagner’s outbursts only so far as -they are applicable to his own art, architecture, as in music he is -but a dilettante. Much of Wagner’s earnestness in his demands for -improvement in art matters is attributed by the opposition to -self-glorification. At the head of it stands Reissiger, who can not -and will not accept the success of “Rienzi” as <i>bona fide</i>. He is -forever hinting at some nefarious means, and cannot understand why -his own operas should fail with the same public, unless, indeed, -he<a name="page_133" id="page_133"></a> stupidly adds, it is because he neglected to surround himself -with a “life-guard of claqueurs”; but he was a true German, and -against such malpractices. You can imagine how such things annoy -Wagner; and although he eventually laughs, it is not until they -have left a scar somewhere. For myself, I wonder how he can mind -such stuff. I keep it always from him, but nevertheless it always -seems to reach him; and Minna is not capable of withholding either -praise or blame from him, although I have tried hard to prove to -her that it affects her husband deeply, whose health is none of the -strongest. Another annoyance is the Leipzic clique, with -Mendelssohn at the head, or, to put the matter into the right -light, as the ruling spirit. He gives the watchword to the clique, -and then sneaks out of sight, as if he lived in regions too refined -and sublime to bother himself about terrestrial affairs. But the -worst sore is that coming from our intendant. He has not the shadow -of an idea upon music; takes all his initiative from current -phrases learnt by heart; he is the veriest type of a courtier, and -hates nothing so much as “revolutionary” suggestions from a -subordinate, for as such he rates the conductors, nor has he a -glimpse of discernment as to their relative merits, and finding -Reissiger always ready to bow to his aristocratic acumen, he -evidently thinks him the more gifted. The matter is not made better -by the bitter tone of the press, which, arrogating to itself the -office of defenders of true art, smites heavily the “iconoclast -Wagner.” Schladebach leads them, and unfortunately, his prominent -position inspires courage in scribblers.</p> - -<p class="cb">. . . . . -. . . . . -. . . . . -. . . . . -. . . . . -. . . . . -. . . . .</p> - -<p>We have had a very interesting event here. Spontini came to conduct -his “Vestal.” It was done twice. He is a composer who has said what -he had to say in his own manner. He commands respect, is full of -dignity and amiability. Wagner had trained the orchestra well; his -respectful bearing to the veteran composer incited them to exert -themselves heart and soul. The result was a very satisfactory -rendering. But after the second performance, a peremptory order -came from Luttichorn, that the “Vestal” was not to be repeated, and -Wagner was to convey the decision to Spontini. Wagner prayed me to -accompany him; first, because he does not speak French so fluently -as I do; and secondly, since Spontini had shown himself very -friendly towards me, and it was hoped my presence might calm<a name="page_134" id="page_134"></a> the -composer’s expected anger, for Spontini is known for his -irritability on such occasions. We went. The time was most -opportune, for as a new dignity had just been conferred upon him by -the Pope, his vanity was so flattered that he listened with -unruffled temper to what was, for him, unpleasant news.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">December</span>, 1844.</p></div> - -<p>Perhaps the event of the year was the removal of the remains of Weber -from London to Dresden. An earnest committee had been working some time -towards this end; concerts and operatic performances had been given in -Germany and subscription lists opened to provide the necessary funds. -Wagner was truly enthusiastic in the matter, but August Roeckel merits -equal tribute. It was arranged that the deceased musician’s eldest son, -Max von Weber, should come to London to carry out the necessary -arrangements. He came in June, 1844, and was the guest of Edward -Roeckel. We met daily. Max von Weber was a bright, intelligent man. -Enthusiastic for the cause, I accompanied him everywhere, soliciting -subscriptions from compatriots in this country and interviewing the -authorities to facilitate the removal.</p> - -<p>August Roeckel writes:—</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>AT THE GRAVE OF WEBER.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>All Dresden was in excitement; the event produced a profound -sensation. The body was received by us all. We had been rehearsing -for some time a funeral march arranged by Wagner from themes in -“Euryanthe.” The loving care bestowed by Wagner on the rehearsals -touched every one. It was clear that his whole heart was in the -work. His own opinion is that he never succeeded in anything as in -this. The soft, appealing tones of the wood-wind were wonderfully -pathetic, and when the march was performed in the open air, -accompanying the body, not a member of the cortège or bystander but -was moved. And then the scene at the grave! Schulz delivered an -oration, and Richard Wagner too. Wagner<a name="page_135" id="page_135"></a> had composed and written -his out. Think of the care! He wished to avoid being led away at -the sight of the mourners’ grief, and the great concourse which was -sure to be present, and so he learned his speech by heart. The -impression produced upon me was such a one as I never before -experienced. Deep sympathy reigned everywhere; all the musicians -adored Weber; and the towns-people, members of whom had known that -lovable man personally, did honour to Germany’s great son, for -national sentiment played an important part in the matter. You know -that in ordinary conversation, the strong accent of the Leipzic -dialect is the common speech of Richard Wagner, but when delivering -his oration, his utterance was pure German, his measured periods -were declaimed in slow, clear, ringing tones, showing unmistakable -evidence of histrionic power. As an effort of will it was -remarkable, and surprised all his intimate friends.</p></div> - -<p>This curious and interesting feature of dropping the somewhat harsh -Leipzic accent and delivering himself in the purest German remained with -Wagner to the last. On all what might be termed state occasions, when -addressing an assembly his speech was clear, measured, and dignified; -not a trace of his Leipzic accent was observable. It should be explained -that the Leipzic accent is a sort of sing-song, almost whining -utterance, with as strongly marked a pronunciation compared to pure -German as that of a broad Somerset dialect to pure English.<a name="page_136" id="page_136"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII"></a>CHAPTER XIII.<br /><br /> -<small>1845.</small></h2> - -<p>T<small>HE</small> story of the composition of “Tannhäuser,” poem and music, is a -forcible illustration of the proverb, that the life of a man is -reflected in his works. Of the music and the performance of “Tannhäuser” -in October, 1845, at Dresden, I wrote a notice for a London periodical, -called the “English Gentleman.” This was the first time, I believe, that -Wagner’s name was mentioned in England. They were exciting times, and it -is of exceptional interest at this epoch to reflect upon the judgment of -the composer at the birth of “Tannhäuser.”</p> - -<p>When the legend first engaged Wagner’s attention, with a view to its -composition, he was not thirty years old. It will be remembered that the -transformation from Paris poverty to a comparative Dresden luxury -infused new life into him. He tells me, “I resolved to throw myself into -a world of excitement, to enjoy life, and taste fully its pleasures.” -And he did. It was in this mood of feverish excitation that the Venus -love invaded him. His state was one of intense nervous tension. The poem -was worked out, but not in the shape we now have it. The end was -subsequently changed. The poetry and music simmered in his brain for -three years. He began elated, filled with sensations of ecstasy. He -ended dejected, fearing that death would intervene before the last notes -were written.<a name="page_137" id="page_137"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE WRITING OF “TANNHÄUSER.”</i></div> - -<p>Now wherein lies the explanation of this? Let me recount briefly his -life during these three years, and the reason will at once be perceived. -He had opened his Dresden career with brilliancy. “Rienzi” had proved a -great success; he had been appointed conductor to the court, a -competence of 1500 thalers or £ 225 yearly was guaranteed him, and his -horizon seemed brighter;—but the reverse soon began to show itself. The -“Dutchman,” by which he had hoped to increase his reputation, proved a -failure; even “Rienzi” was refused outside Dresden, and the press was -violently inimical. His excited sanguine temperament had received a -grievous shock. At Berlin, the “Dutchman” proved so abortive, that he -took counsel with himself, and resolved that this “Tannhäuser” should -not be written for the world, but for those who had shown themselves in -sympathy with him. As “Tannhäuser” neared its completion, his state grew -more morbid and desponding. His only solace, outside Roeckel, was his -dog. It was a common saying with Wagner that his dog helped him to -compose “Tannhäuser.” It seems that when at the piano, at which he -always composed, singing with his accustomed boisterousness, the dog, -whose constant place was at his master’s feet, would occasionally leap -to the table, peer into his face, and howl piteously. Then Wagner would -address his “eloquent critic” with, “What? it does not suit you?” and -shaking the animal’s paw, would say, quoting Puck, “Well, I will do thy -bidding gently.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE REVOLUTION OF 1849.</i></div> - -<p>During the composition Tichatschek, who was to impersonate the hero, -practised such portions as were already written. His enthusiasm was -unbounded, and with Roeckel, he urged the Dresden management to provide<a name="page_138" id="page_138"></a> -special scenery. The appeal was responded to, and painters were even -brought from Paris. On the 19th October, 1845, the opera was performed, -Johanna Wagner, aged nineteen, the daughter of his brother Albert, -singing the part of Elizabeth. As an illustration of Richard Wagner’s -thoroughness and attention to detail, I would mention that for this -performance he wrote a prefatory notice to the book of words, in which -he explained the purport of the story, with the object of ensuring a -better understanding of the drama by the public. The performance, alas, -was only a partial success, nor was a second representation, given -within a fortnight, any more successful. The music was unlike anything -heard before. It was noised abroad that passages had been written for -the first violins which were unplayable, and the audience listened -expectantly for the “scramble.” No doubt there were violin passages as -difficult as original, but the heart of the leader, Lipenski, was in his -work, and he set himself so earnestly to teach individually each -violinist difficult phrases, even carefully noting the fingering, that -the performance was anything but a “scramble.” Then the critics -ridiculed the hundred and forty-two bars of repetition in the overture -for the violins. This confession of superficial intellect was not -confined to Dresden critics; a dozen years later, that sound musician, -Lindpaintner, expressed the opinion to me that the first eight bars of -the overture were “sublime,” but that the remainder was all “erratic -fiddling.” Such were the criticisms (?) passed upon the work. Wagner saw -there was no hope of its acceptation elsewhere, and thinking to bring it -prominently before Germany, wrote in the following year for<a name="page_139" id="page_139"></a> permission -to dedicate the work to the king of Prussia. The reply was to the effect -that if he would arrange portions of it for military performance, it -might in that manner be brought to the notice of the king, and perhaps -his request complied with. It is needless to say Wagner did nothing of -the kind, and “Tannhäuser” sank temporarily into oblivion.</p> - -<p>As the part which Richard Wagner played in the Revolution of 1848-49 is -of absorbing interest, the incidents which led up to it are of -importance to be carefully noted. The first sign of the coming -opposition to the government appeared in 1845. In itself it was slight, -when we think of the terrible struggle that was shortly to be carried on -with such desperation, but it shows the embers of revolt in Wagner, -which were later fanned into a glowing flame by the patriot, August -Roeckel. Wagner’s heart, as that of all men, revolted at the cause, but -had it not been for the “companion of my solitude,” as Wagner calls -Roeckel, he would never have taken so active a part in the struggle for -liberty. Upon this part, I cannot lay too much stress.</p> - -<p>Throughout Saxony, a feeling had been growing against the restraint of -the Roman Catholic ritual. One Wronger, a Roman Catholic priest, -proposed certain revisions and modifications. To this the Dresden court, -steadfastly ultramontane, offered violent opposition, and Duke Johann, -brother of the king, showed himself a prominent defender of the faith.</p> - -<p>The struggle was precipitated by the following incident. In his capacity -as general commandant of the Communal guard, the Duke entered Leipzic -one day in August, to review the troops. He and his staff were<a name="page_140" id="page_140"></a> -received, on the parade ground, by a large concourse of spectators with -such chilling silence that, losing command of himself, the Duke at once -broke off the projected review. Later in the day, while at an hotel on -the city boulevard, some street urchins marched up and down singing, -“Long live Wronger.” In a moment a tumult arose, upon which the royal -guard stationed outside the hotel, by whose order is not known, fired -upon the citizens promenading in the town. “The street,” writes Roeckel, -“was bathed in blood.” This caused a tremendous stir throughout Saxony. -This wanton act of butchery was openly denounced by Roeckel and Wagner, -in terms so emphatic that they were called upon to offer some sort of -apology to the court. The two friends arranged a meeting with Reissiger, -Fisher, and Semper, when the subject was discussed, with the result that -it was deemed advisable, while holding service under the court, to -express regret at the exuberance of the language, and the matter was -allowed to drop. But it rankled in Wagner. His position of a servitor -was irksome; he became restive in his royal harness, and vented his -annoyance in anonymous letters to the papers. From this time his -interest in the political situation increased; continually stimulated by -Roeckel, his sympathies were always with the people, his pen ready to -support his feelings. And so the time wore on till the outbreak of 1848.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>BEETHOVEN’S “NINTH SYMPHONY.”</i></div> - -<p>In the spring of 1846 an event occurred which had a great deal to do -with my subsequent introduction of Wagner to the London public. It was -his conducting of the “Ninth Symphony.” A custom existed in Dresden, of -giving annual performances on Palm Sunday for the<a name="page_141" id="page_141"></a> benefit of the -pension fund of the musicians of the royal opera. Two works were usually -produced, one a symphony, the two conductors dividing the office of -conductor. This year the symphony fell to Wagner, and he elected to -perform the “Choral.” When a youth he had copied it entirely at Leipzic, -knew it almost by heart, and regarded it as the greatest of Beethoven’s -works, the one in which the great master had felt the inadequacy of -instrumental music to express what he wished to convey, and that the -accents of the human voice were imperatively necessary for its full and -complete realization. When it became known what symphony had been -selected the orchestra revolted. They implored Wagner to produce -another. The ninth had been done under Reissiger and proved a failure, -in which verdict Reissiger had agreed, himself going so far as to -describe that sublime work as “pure nonsense.” But Wagner was -inexorable. The band, fearing poor receipts, sought the aid of Intendant -Luttichorn: to no purpose, however. Wagner’s mind was made up, and he -set to work with his usual thoroughness and earnestness. To avoid -expense he borrowed the orchestral parts from Leipzic, learned the -symphony by heart, and went through all the band parts himself, marking -the nuances and tempi. As to rehearsals, he was unrelenting. For the -double basses he had special meetings, would sing and scream the parts -at them. He increased the chorus by choir-boys from neighbouring -churches, and worked for the success of the performance with an energy -hitherto unknown. To Roeckel he detailed the practice of the best -portion of the band, whilst he persisted with the less skilful. The -result<a name="page_142" id="page_142"></a> was a performance as successful financially as artistically. -More money was taken than at any previous concert, and the fame of -Richard Wagner increased mightily. This performance brings out -prominently certain features in Wagner’s character which enable us to -see how, through subsequent reverses, he was able to achieve success. -First, witness his courage and indomitable will in overcoming the -obstacles of Luttichorn’s opposition and the ill-will of the orchestra, -the want of funds; then his earnestness and care in committing the score -to memory, his energy at rehearsals, his forethought and wondrous grasp -of detail evident in the programme he wrote explaining the symphony, and -his untiring efforts to succeed. Such points of character show of what -material the man was made, how in all he did he was thorough, and how -firmly impressed with the conviction that he must succeed.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE FASHIONABLE OPERA.</i></div> - -<p>The analytical remarks he appended to the symphony were not those that -the musical world now know as Richard Wagner’s programme, but a shorter -and more discursive exposition. The year was 1846, but two from the -revolution. The spirit of the brotherhood of nations was in the air, and -the references of Schiller to this world’s bond of union were seized by -Wagner as presenting the means of contemplating Beethoven’s work from a -more exalted elevation than that of an ordinary symphony. It was -currently known that the poet had originally addressed his “Ode to -Liberty! the beautiful spark of heaven,” but that the censor of the -press had struck out “Freiheit” (liberty), and Schiller had substituted -“Freude” (joy). The sentiment, then, was one shared by all, and there -can be no question<a name="page_143" id="page_143"></a> that the success of the final chorus was as much -owing to the inspiriting language as to the tonal interpretation.</p> - -<p>Of recent years much has been said of Wagner’s attitude towards the -opinions upon Italian opera. The years he served at the conductor’s desk -at Dresden, at the period when the sap of his art ambition was rising -rapidly, truly brought him into intimate acquaintance enough with the -fashionable works of French and Italian masters, but his resentment, I -can vouch, was not directed against the composer. He often and often -pointed out to me what, in his opinion, were passages which seemed to -betoken the presence of real gift. What he did regret was that their -faithful adherence to an illogical structure should have crippled their -natural spontaneity. That the talent of the orchestra, too, should be -thrown away on puerile productions annoyed him. But Wagner was nothing -if not practical, and after a season of light opera, the conducting of -which was shared by Reissiger and Roeckel, he writes, “After all, the -management are wise in providing just that commodity for which there is -demand.” When his own “Tannhäuser” was produced with its new ending, he -was charged in the press with being governed too much by reflection, -that his work lacked natural flow, that he was domineered by reasoning -at the expense of feeling. To this Wagner replied in very weighty words, -significant of the thought which always governed the earnest artist, -“The period of an unconscious productivity has long passed: an art work -to endure the process of time, and to satisfy the high culture which is -around us, must be solidly rooted in reason and reflection.” Such -utterances<a name="page_144" id="page_144"></a> are clearly traceable to his elevated appreciation of poetry -and keen reasoning faculties.</p> - -<p>“Lohengrin,” beyond contradiction the most popular of all Wagner’s -operas, or music-dramas, for it should be well remembered that Wagner in -all his literary works up to the last persistently applies the term -“opera” to “Lohengrin,” and its two immediate predecessors, whilst -music-drama was not employed until 1851, and then only for compositions -subsequent to that period. The popularity of “Lohengrin” is not confined -to its native soil, Germany, but all Europe, England, Russia, Italy, -Spain, Portugal, and Denmark (shameful to add, France alone excepted), -and America and Australia, have received it with acclamations. And why? -The secret of it? For learned musicians too, anti-Wagnerians though they -be, accepted it. From notes in my possession, I think the explanation -becomes clear. Wagner writes at that time, “Music is love, and in my -projected opera melody shall stream from one end to the other.” The -form, too, does not break from traditions. It is the border between the -old and new. When “Lohengrin” was composed, not one of his theoretical -works had been penned. He was untrammelled then. The principles upon -which his subsequent works were based can only be applied, he says, to -the first three operas “with very extensive limitations.” Hence he -satisfies the orthodox in their two fundamental principles, “form and -melody.” “Lohengrin” is a love-poem; to Wagner, then, music was love, -and he was intent on writing melody as then understood throughout the -new work.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>AT WORK ON “LOHENGRIN.”</i></div> - -<p>The network of connection that exists between Wagner<a name="page_145" id="page_145"></a>’s opera texts, is -but one of the many examples which might be adduced of the sequential -thought characteristic of the composer. Each was suggested by its -predecessor. The contest of the Minnesingers’ “Tannhäuser” was naturally -followed by the story of the Mastersingers, first sketched in 1845, the -year of the “Tannhäuser” performance, and then Elsa the love-pendant of -innocence and purity to the material, voluptuous Venus.</p> - -<p>In this story of “Lohengrin,” Wagner wavered for a time whether the hero -should not remain on earth with Elsa. This ending he was going to adopt, -Roeckel informs me, out of deference to friends and critics, but Wagner -told me that Roeckel argued so eloquently for the return of Lohengrin to -his state of semi-divinity, that to permit the hero to lead the life of -a citizen would clash harshly with the poetic aspect, and so Wagner, -strengthened in his original intention, reverted to his first -conception. Allusion is made to this by Wagner in “A Commutation to my -Friends,” written in Switzerland, 1851; the friend there referred to is -August Roeckel.</p> - -<p>During the composition of “Lohengrin” Wagner was at deadly strife with -the world. He flattered where he despised. He borrowed money where he -could. Just then the world was all black to Wagner. Of no period of his -life can it be said that Wagner managed his finances with even ordinary -care. He always lived beyond his means. Though he was in receipt of £225 -a year from the Dresden theatre, a respectable income for that period be -it remembered, he did not restrict his expenses. And so his naturally -irritable temperament was intensified and he resolutely threw himself -into the “Lohengrin<a name="page_146" id="page_146"></a>” work, determined not to write for a public whose -taste was vitiated by “theatres having no other purpose but amusement,” -but to pour his soul out in the love-strains with which his heart was -bursting. The original score shows that the order of composition was Act -III, I, II, and the prelude last, the whole covering a period of eleven -months, from September, 1846, to August, 1847. It was unusual for Wagner -to compose in this manner; indeed, as far as I am aware, it was the only -work so written.</p> - -<p>At the time Wagner was meditating upon the “Lohengrin” music, when it -was beginning to assume a definite shape in his mind, weighed down with -the feeling of being “rejected” by his countrymen and depressed in -general circumstances, the following letter, written to his mother, -throws a charming sidelight upon Wagner, the man. The deep filial -tenderness and poetic sentiment that breathe throughout it, touch and -enchant us.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A LETTER TO HIS MOTHER.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">My Darling Mother</span>: It is so long since I have congratulated you on -your birthday, that I feel quite happy to remember it once at the -right time, which I have, alas, in the pressure of circumstances, -so often overlooked. To tell you how intensely it delights me to -know you body and soul among us; to press your hand from time to -time; and to recall the memory of my own youth so lovingly tended -by you. It is the consciousness that you are with us that makes -your children feel one family. Thrown hither and thither by fate, -forming new ties, they think of you, dearest mother, who have no -other ties in this world than those which bind you to your -children. And so we are all united in you: we are all your -children. May God grant thee this happiness for years yet to come, -and keep you in health and strength to see your children prosper -until the end of your time.</p> - -<p>When I feel myself oppressed and hindered by the world, always -striving, rarely enjoying complete success, oft a prey to -annoyances<a name="page_147" id="page_147"></a> through failure, and wounded by the rough contact with -the outer world, which, alas, so rarely responds to my inner wish, -nothing remains to me but the enjoyment of nature. I throw myself -weeping into her arms. She consoles me, and elevates me, whilst -showing how imaginary are all those sufferings that trouble us. If -we strive too high, Nature shows us that we belong to her, are her -outgrowth, like the trees and plants, which, developing themselves -from her, grow and warm themselves in the sun of heaven, enjoy the -strengthening freshness, and do not fade or die till they have -thrown out the seed which again produces germs and plants, so that -the once created lives an eternity of youth.</p> - -<p>When I feel how wholly I belong also to nature, then vanishes every -selfish thought, and I long to shake every brother-man by the hand. -How can I then help yearning for that mother from whose womb I came -forth, and who grows weaker while I increase in strength? How do I -smile at those societies which seek to discover why the loving ties -of nature are so often bruised and torn asunder.</p> - -<p>My darling mother, whatever dissonances may have sounded between -us, how quickly and completely have they disappeared. It is like -leaving the mist of the city to enter into the calm retreat of the -wooded valley, where, throwing myself upon mossy earth, with eyes -turned towards heaven, listening to the songsters of the air, with -heart full, the tear unchecked starts forth, and I involuntarily -stretch my hand towards you, exclaiming, “God protect thee, my -darling mother; and when He takes thee to Himself, may it be done -mildly and gently.” But death is not here: you live on through us; -and a richer and more eventful life perhaps awaits you through us -than yours ever could have been. Therefore, thank God who has so -plentifully blessed you.</p> - -<p>Farewell, my darling mother,</p> - -<p class="r"> -Your son,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Dresden</span>, 19th September, 1846.</p></div> - -<p>It was well for Wagner that his mind was occupied with the composition -of “Lohengrin” during 1846-47, for by the summer of the latter year the -pressure of circumstances<a name="page_148" id="page_148"></a> had become so acute that notwithstanding his -exceptional elasticity of spirits the mental worry must have resulted in -a more distressing depression than that which we know did take hold of -him. This exuberance of youthful frolic is an important characteristic -of Wagner. It was his sheet anchor, a refuge from annoyances that would -have incisively irritated or crushed another. True, he would burst into -a passion at first,—there is no denying his passionate nature,—but it -was of short duration and once over the boisterous merriment of a -high-spirited school-boy succeeded. Though deeply wounded, as only -finely strung sensitive natures can be, he was quick to recover, and -whilst animadverting upon the denseness of those who slighted his art, -he distorted the incident and treated it as worthy of affording fun -only. Wagner identified himself with his art body and soul, his breath -of life was art, his pulse throbbed for art, and to wound him was -insulting art. His success was the triumph of art, and the sacrifices -his friends made of mental energy, wealth, and time were regarded by him -but as votive offerings to the altar of the divine art, honouring the -donor. Then when his scores of “Rienzi,” the “Dutchman,” and -“Tannhäuser” were returned unopened by managers, he turned with -undiminished ardour upon “Lohengrin,” doubting his capacity to realize -in tones his feelings, but with dauntless fortitude to write his -“love-music” for the glory of art, conscious that its scenic -interpretation was, for the present at least, a very improbable -circumstance.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>PUBLISHING THREE OPERAS.</i></div> - -<p>What, in Wagner’s character at all times, inspires our admiration is his -courage. “He never knew when he was beaten.” Weighed down with monetary -difficulties,<a name="page_149" id="page_149"></a>—though his poor means were made rich by the wealth of -love and ready invention of Minna, whose patience and self-denial he was -always ready to extol,—with a cloudy art horizon, he sought to approach -the great public in a more direct manner than by stage representations, -by publishing the three operas already composed. It was not a difficult -matter; he was a local celebrity, and on the strength of his reputation -he entered into an engagement with a Dresden firm, Messrs. Meser and Co. -The large initial cost was borne by the firm, but the liability was -Wagner’s. Messrs. Meser and Co. predicted a success, and risking -nothing, or comparatively nothing, urged the issue of “Rienzi,” -“Dutchman,” and “Tannhäuser.” The contract was signed, the works were -produced, but alas, the forecast was pleasant to the ear but breaking in -the hope. There was absolutely no sale, and claims were soon preferred -on the luckless composer for the cost of production. Of course they -could not be met. Wagner had no available funds, his income was -insufficient for his daily needs, and so he borrowed, borrowed where he -could, sufficient to temporarily appease the publishers. This debt, paid -by instalments, hung over him as a black cloud for years, always -breaking when he was least equal to meet it. How he has stormed at his -folly, and regretted his heedlessness of the future, but the demand met, -his tribulation was immediately forgotten. A brother of mine, passing -through Dresden in 1847, wrote to me of his surprise at the state of -Wagner’s finances, and of the sum that was necessary to keep him afloat, -which under my direction was immediately supplied.</p> - -<p>It was then that Wagner wrote to me: “Try and negotiate<a name="page_150" id="page_150"></a> for the sale of -my opera ‘Tannhäuser’ in London. If there be no possibility of -concluding a bargain, and gaining a tangible remuneration for me, -arrange that some firm shall take it so as to secure the English -copyright.” I went off at once to my friend Frederick Beale, the head of -the house Cramer, Beale and Co., now Cramer and Co. Though Frederick -Beale was an enthusiast in art, with a sense beyond that of the ordinary -speculator in other men’s talent, yet “he could not see his way to -publishing ‘Tannhäuser.’” I knew Beale would have done much for me, our -relations being of so intimate a character, but the times “were out of -joint,” his geniality had just then led him to accept much that proved a -financial loss to the firm, and so the work which, as time now shows, -would have produced a future, was rejected, yes, rejected, though on -behalf of Wagner I offered it <i>for nothing</i>. It is the old, old story; -Carlyle offering his “Sartor Resartus” for nothing, Schubert his songs, -etc., etc., and rejected as valueless by the purblind publisher. The -publisher invariably is the man of his period; he is incapable of seeing -beyond his age, and thrusts aside the genius who writes for futurity. -“Wouldst thou plant for eternity?” asks Carlyle, “then plant into the -deep, infinite faculties of man, his fantasy and heart; wouldst thou -plant for a year and a day? then plant into his shallow, superficial -faculties, his self-love and arithmetical understanding.<a name="page_151" id="page_151"></a>”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV"></a>CHAPTER XIV.<br /><br /> -<small>1848.</small></h2> - -<p>I <small>NOW</small> come to perhaps the most important period in Richard Wagner’s -life, full of deep interest in itself, and pregnant with future good to -our art. Additional interest is further attached to it because of the -incomplete or inaccurate accounts given by the many Wagner biographers. -For this shortcoming, this unsatisfactory treatment, Wagner is himself -to blame. He has left behind him rich materials for an almost exhaustive -biography; he was a man of great literary power, a clear and full -writer, and yet, with reference to the part he played in the revolution -in Saxony, of 1848-49, he is singularly, I could almost say -significantly, silent, or, when he does allude to it, his references are -either incomplete or misleading.</p> - -<p>Wagner was an active participator in the so-called Revolution of 1849, -notwithstanding his late-day statements to the contrary. During the -first few of his eleven years of exile his talk was incessantly about -the outbreak, and the active aid he rendered at the time, and of his -services to the cause by speech, and by pen, prior to the 1849 May days; -and yet in after-life, in his talk with me, I, who held documentary -evidence, under his own hand, of his participation, he in petulant tones -sought either to minimize the part he played, or to explain it away<a name="page_152" id="page_152"></a> -altogether. This change of front I first noticed about 1864, at Munich. -But before stating what I know, on the incontestable evidence of his own -handwriting, his explicit utterances to me, the evidence of -eyewitnesses, and the present criminal official records in the -procès-verbal Richard Wagner, of his relations with the reform movement -(misnamed the Revolution); I will at once cite one instance of his—to -me—apparent desire to forget the part he enacted during a trying and -excited period.</p> - -<p>Wagner was a member of a reform union; before this body he read, in -June, 1848, a paper of revolutionary tendencies, the gist of which was -abolition of the monarchy, and the constitution of a republic. This -document, of somewhat lengthy proportions, harmless in itself, which was -printed by the union, constituted part of the Saxon government -indictment against Richard Wagner. From 1871-1883 Wagner edited his -“Collected Writings,” published by Fritsch, of Leipzic, in eleven -volumes; these include short sketches on less important topics, written -in Paris, in 1841, but this important and interesting statement of his -political opinions is significantly omitted. Comment is needless.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE REVOLUTION AGAIN.</i></div> - -<p>To help in forming an accurate judgment of Richard Wagner’s -“revolutionary tendencies” (?) a slight sketch of the outbreak, its -objects, and the means employed, will be of assistance. Secondly, as the -head and front of Wagner’s offending, according to the government, -rested on a letter he had written from Dresden to August Roeckel at -Prague, on the first day of the rise, which letter was unfortunately -found on Roeckel when taken prisoner, references to Roeckel’s -participation will be necessary. Indeed, from an intimate knowledge<a name="page_153" id="page_153"></a> of -the two men, I place my strong conviction on record, that had it not -been for August Roeckel, the patriot, Wagner, revolutionary demagogue, -would never have existed nor have been expatriated. True and undoubted -it is, that Richard Wagner’s nature was of the radical reformer’s type, -but in these matters he was cautious, and would not have played the -prominent part he did, had it not been for the stirring appeals of “the -friend who sacrificed his art future for my sake.” The feeling already -existed in him; it was fanned into a glowing flame by his colleague, -Roeckel. When aroused, Wagner was not the spirit to falter.</p> - -<p>Wagner has often been charged with base ingratitude towards his king. -The accusation is absurd, and proceeds solely from ignorance, forsooth, -indeed, it is disproved emphatically in the very revolutionary paper -which forms part of the official government indictment against him. -Although he therein argues in favour of a republic, his personal -references to the king of Saxony are inspired by feelings of reverential -affection. Wagner was no common trickster, or prevaricator, and when he -speaks of the “pure virtues” of the king, “his honourable, just, and -gentle character,” of the “noblest of sovereigns,” we may unhesitatingly -acquit him of any personal animosity. He even seems to have had a -prophetic instinct of this charge, and meets it by, “He who speaks this -to-day, and ... is most firmly convinced that he never proved his -fidelity to the oath of allegiance he took to the king, on accepting -office, more than on the day he penned this address.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS INCENDIARY PAPER.</i></div> - -<p>In the year 1848 the kingdom of Saxony, and other German principalities, -were in a state of much unrest.<a name="page_154" id="page_154"></a> The outbreak of the French Revolution -caused an onward movement, and the German people clamoured for -constitutional government, and demanded (1) freedom of the press, (2) -trial by jury, (3) national armies, and (4) political representatives. A -deputation set out from Leipzic, in February, 1848, and pleaded -personally before the king of Saxony. He replied by a more rigorous -press censorship. The people congregated in thousands before the Leipzic -town hall, to hear the royal reply read. Enraged at the refusal of their -requests, and at the tone of that refusal, they determined on sending a -second deputation. Wagner was present when this arrived. They no longer -prayed, but plainly told the king that the press was free, demanded -another minister, and intimated that if the freedom was not officially -recognized, Leipzic would march <i>en masse</i> on Dresden. Six other towns -then sent deputations; the king was advised not to receive them, but -they forced their way to the presence chamber, which the king left by -another door, exclaiming, “I will not listen—go!” As a reply to such -unwise treatment, Wagner’s townsmen prepared to make good their words, -and marched on Dresden. Prussian aid was sought, and promptly given, -troops mobilizing on the northern frontier, the Saxon soldiery being -despatched to surround Leipzic. Other towns arranged mass deputations to -the king, who despatched a minister to report on the attitude of -Leipzic. The report came, “The people are determined and orderly.” The -whole report was favourable to the town; upon which, the king changed -his ministers, abolished the press censorship, instituted trial by jury, -and promised a reform of the electoral laws. The people became<a name="page_155" id="page_155"></a> -delirious with joy, and received the king everywhere with acclamations.</p> - -<p>It was during these stirring times that Wagner and Roeckel became -members of the “Fatherland Union,” a reform institution with a modest -propaganda. The Union was really a federation of existing reform and -political institutions, adopting for its motto, “The will of the people -is law,” leaving the question of a republic or a monarchy an open one.</p> - -<p>There was plenty of enthusiasm and strong determination among members of -the Union, but they lacked organization. The drift of the government’s -attitude was clear, seemingly conciliatory, but really more oppressive. -The Union felt that until the electoral laws were altered and national -armies instituted, the people would never be in a position to cope with -the government. It was not that they desired the abolition of the -monarchy so much as the acknowledgment that capable, law-abiding -citizens had a right to a voice in the selection of their rulers. The -Union had its own printing-press, and distributed largely political -leaflets, a proceeding carried on openly, though the members knew -themselves exposed to every hazard.</p> - -<p>It is a fact that one of the best papers read before the members of the -Union was written by Richard Wagner. It was not possible that a man of -Wagner’s excitable temperament, with his love of freedom, his -deep-rooted sympathy with the masses, would have joined such a society -without actively exerting himself to further its objects. In his heart -he was not a revolutionist, he had no wish to overturn governments, but -his principles were decidedly utilitarian, and to secure these he did -not<a name="page_156" id="page_156"></a> scruple to urge the abolition of the monarchy, although represented -by a prince he dearly loved. His argument was delivered against the -office and not against the man. Among the many reforms he advocates in -this paper are two to which democratic England has not yet attained: (1) -manhood suffrage without limitation or restriction of any kind, and (2) -the abolition of the second chamber. Though he urges the substitution of -a republic for a monarchy, he strives at the impossible task of proving -that the king can still be the first, the head of a republic, and that -the name only would be changed, and that he would enjoy the heart’s love -of a whole people in place of a varnished demeanour of courtiers. His -paper was read on the 16th June, 1848, before the Fatherland Union. It -was ordered to be printed and circulated among the various federated -societies. A copy of this paper was sent to me, of which I give a -translation here. It will be noted that it is not signed Richard Wagner -but only “A Member of the Fatherland Union.” This mattered not, as the -author was well known, and when Wagner was numbered among those accused -by the government, this paper was filed as part of the indictment -against him. It is entitled:—</p> - -<p>“What is the Relation that our Efforts bear to the Monarchy?” and is as -follows:—</p> - -<div class="sidenote">“<i>STRIP HIM OF HIS TINSEL.</i>”</div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>As it is desirable that we become perfectly clear on this point, -let us first closely examine the essence of republican -requirements. Do you honestly believe that by marching resolutely -onward from our present basis we should very soon reach a true -republic, one without a king? Is this your deliberate opinion, or -do you say so only to delude the timorous? Are you so ignorant, or -do you intentionally purpose to mislead?</p> - -<p>Let me tell you to what goal our republican efforts are tending.<a name="page_157" id="page_157"></a></p> - -<p>Our efforts are for the good of all and are directed towards a -future in which our present achievements will be but as the first -streak of moonlight. With this object kept steadily in view, we -should insist on the overthrow of the last remaining glitter of -aristocracy. As the aristocracy no longer consists of feudal lords -and masters who can enslave and bodily chastise us at their will, -they would do wisely to obliterate old grievances by relinquishing -the last remnants of class distinction which, at any moment, might -become a Nessus shirt, consuming them if not cast off in time.</p> - -<p>Should they answer us that the memory of their ancestors would -render it impious to resign any privileges inherited by them, then -let them remember also that we too have forefathers, whose noble -deeds of heroism, though not inscribed on genealogical trees, are -yet inscribed—their sufferings, bondage, oppression, and slavery -of every kind—in letters of blood in the unfalsified archives of -the history of the last thousand years.</p> - -<p>To the aristocracy I would say, forget your ancestors, throw away -your titles and every outward sign of courtly favour, and we will -promise you to be generous and efface every remembrance of our -ancestors. Let us be children of one father, brothers of one -family! Listen to the warning—follow it freely and with a good -will, for it is not to be slighted. Christ says, “If thy right eye -offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee, for it is better -that one of thy members should perish than that thy whole body -should be cast into hell.”</p> - -<p>And now another point. Once for all, resign the exclusive honour of -ever being in the presence of our monarch. Pray him to cease -investing you with a medley of useless court offices, distinctions, -and privileges; in our time they make the court a subject for -unpleasant reflection. Discontinue to be lords of the chamber and -lords of the robes, whose only utterance is “our king,”—strip him -of his tinsel, lackeys, and flunkeys, frivolous excrescences of a -bad time—the time of Louis the Fourteenth, when all princes sought -to imitate the French monarch. Withdraw from a court which is an -almshouse for idle nobility, and exert yourselves, that it may -become the court of a whole and happy people, which every -individual will enjoy and will be ready to defend, and smile on a -sovereign who is the father of a whole contented people.<a name="page_158" id="page_158"></a></p> - -<p>Therefore, do away with the first chamber. There is but one people, -not a first and a second, and they need but one house for their -representation. This house, let it be a simple, noble building, -with an elevated roof, resting on tall and strong pillars. Why -would you disfigure the building by dividing it with a mean -partition, thus causing two confined spaces?</p> - -<p>We further insist upon the unconditional right of every -natural-born subject, when of age, to a vote. The more needy he be, -the more his right, and the more earnestly will he aid in keeping -the laws which he himself assisted in framing and which, -henceforth, are to protect him from any similar future state of -need and misery. Our republican programme further includes a new -system of national defence, in which every citizen capable of -bearing arms shall be enrolled. No standing army. It shall be -neither a standing army nor a militia, nor yet a reduction of the -one nor an increase of the other. It must be a new creation, which -in its process of development, will do away with the necessity of a -standing army as well as a militia.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>NOT THREATS, BUT WARNING.</i></div> - -<p>And when all who draw breath in our dear German land are united -into one great free people, when class prejudices shall have ceased -to exist, then do you suppose we have reached our goal? Oh, no; we -are just equipped for the beginning. Then will it be our duty to -investigate boldly, with all our reasoning power, the cause of -misery of our present social status, and determine whether man, the -crown of creation, with his high mental abilities and his wonderful -physical development, can have been destined by God to be the -servile slave of inert base metal. We must decide whether money -shall exert such degrading power over the image of God—man—as to -render him the despicable slave of the passions of usury and -avarice. The war against this existing evil will cause neither -tears nor blood. The result of the foregone victory will be a -universal conviction that the highest attainable happiness is -commonwealth, a state in which as many active men as Mother Earth -can supply with food will join in the well-ordered republic, -supporting it by a fair exchange of labor, mutually supplying each -other’s wants, and contributing to the universal happiness. Society -must be in a diseased state when the activity of individuals is -restrained and the existing laws imperfectly administered. In the -coming contest we shall find<a name="page_159" id="page_159"></a> that society will be maintained by -the physical activity of individuals, and we shall destroy the -nebulous notion that money possesses any inherent power. And heaven -will help us to discover the true law by which this shall be -proved, and dispel the false halo with which the unthinking mind -invests this demon money. Then shall we root out the miseries -engendered and nourished by public and secret usury, deceptive -paper money and fraudulent speculations. This will tend to promote -the emancipation of the human race (whilst fulfilling the teachings -of Christ, a simple and clear truism which it is ever sought to -hide behind the glamour of dogma, once invented to appeal to the -feeble understanding of simple-minded barbarians), and to prepare -it for a state towards the highest development of which we are now -tending with clear vision and reason.</p> - -<p>Do you think that you scent in this the teachings of communism?</p> - -<p>Are you then so stupid or wicked as to confound a theory so -senseless as that of communism with that which is absolutely -necessary to the salvation of the human race from its degraded -servitude? Are you not capable of perceiving that the very attempt, -even though it were allowed, of dividing mathematically the goods -of this world, would be a senseless solution of a burning question, -but which attempt, fortunately however, in its complete -impossibility, carries its own death-warrant. But though communism -fails to supply the remedy, will you on that account deny the -disease? Have a care! Notwithstanding that we have enjoyed peace -for thirty-three years now, what do you see around you? Dejection -and pitiful poverty; everywhere the horrid pallor of hunger and -want. Look to it while there is yet time and before it becomes too -late to act!</p> - -<p>Think not to solve the question by the giving of alms; acknowledge -at once the inalienable rights of humanity, rights vouchsafed by -the Omnipotent, or else you may live to see the day that cruel -scorn will be met by vengeance and brute force. Then the wild cry -of victory might be that of communism, and although the -impossibility of any lengthened duration of its principles as a -ruling power can be boldly predicted, yet even the briefest reign -of such a thraldom might be sufficient to expunge for a long time -to come all the advantages of a civilization of two thousand years -old.</p> - -<p>Do you believe I threaten? No; I warn! When by our republican<a name="page_160" id="page_160"></a> -efforts we shall have solved this most important problem for the -weal of society, and have established the dignity of the freed man, -and established his claim to what we consider his rights, shall we -then rest satisfied? No; then only are we reinvigorated for our -great effort. For when we have succeeded in solving the -emancipation question, thereby assisting in the regeneration of -society, then will arise a new, free, and active race, then shall -we have gained a new mean to aid us towards the attainments of the -highest benefits, and then shall we actively disseminate our -republican principles.</p> - -<p>Then shall we traverse the ocean in our ships, and found here and -there a new young Germany, enriching it with the fruits of our -achievements, and educating our children in our principles of human -rights, so that they may be propagated everywhere. We shall do -otherwise than the Spaniards, who made the new world into a -papistic slaughter-house; we shall do otherwise than the English, -who convert their colonies into huge shops for their own individual -profit. Our colonies shall be truly German, and from sunrise to -sunset we shall contemplate a beautiful, free Germany, inhabited, -as in the mother country, by a free people. The sun of German -freedom and German gentleness shall alike warm and elevate Cossack, -Frenchmen, Bushmen, and Chinese. You see our republican zeal in -this respect has no termination; it pushes on further and further -from century to century, to confer happiness on the whole of the -human race! Do you call this a Utopian dream? When we once set to -work with a good will, and act courageously, then every year shall -throw its light on a good deed of progress.</p> - -<p>But you ask, will all this be achieved under a monarchy? My answer -is that throughout I have persistently kept it in view, but if you -have any doubts of such a possibility, then it is you who pronounce -the monarchical death-warrant. But if you agree with me, and -consider it possible as I realize it, then a republic is the exact -and right thing, and we should but have to petition the king to -become the first and most genuine republican.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE QUESTION TO BE SOLVED.</i></div> - -<p>And who is more called upon to be the most genuine republican than -the king? <i>Res-publica</i> means the affairs of the people. What -individual can be destined more than the king to belong with his -whole soul and mind to the people’s affairs? When he has been -convinced of this undeniable truth, what is there possible that<a name="page_161" id="page_161"></a> -could induce him to lower himself from his exalted position to -become the head of a special and small section only of his people.</p> - -<p>However deeply any republican may feel for the general good, he -never can emulate the feelings of the king, nor become so genuine a -republican, for the king’s anxiety is for his people as a whole, -whilst every one of us is, in the nature of things, compelled to -divide his attention between private and public affairs. And in -what would consist a sacrifice, which it might be supposed the king -would have to make in order to effect so grand and noble a change? -Can it be considered a sacrifice for a king to see his free -citizens no longer subjects? This right has been acknowledged and -granted by the new constitution, and he who confirms its justice -and adopts it with fidelity, cannot see a sacrifice in the -abolition of subjects, and the substitution of “free men.” Would it -be possible that a monarch could view the loss of the idle, vapid -court attendance, with its surfeit of extinct titles and obsolete -offices, as a sacrifice? What a contemptuous notion we should have -of one of the most gentle-minded, true-hearted princes of our -period, were we to assume that the fulfilment of our wishes -entailed a sacrifice on his part, when we feel convinced that even -a real sacrifice might with safety be expected from him, and the -more so, when it is proved to him that the love of his people -depended on the removal of an obstacle. What gives us the right to -suppose this? that by our interpretation of the feelings of so -exceptional a prince, we are able to infer that he would grant our -request when we could not dare act thus with one of our body? It is -the spirit of our time, the new state of things, that has grown up, -which seems to give to the simplest among us the power of prophecy. -There is a decided pressure for a decision. There are two camps -amongst the civilized nations of Europe; from one we hear the cry -of monarchy; republic, is the cry of the other.</p> - -<p>Will you deny that the time has come when a solution of this -question must be arrived at, a question, the reply to which -embodies all that which, at the present moment, excites human -sympathies down to their lowest depths? Do you mean to say that you -do not recognize the hour as inspired by God, that all this had -been said and attempted before, and would again pass off like a fit -of inebriation, and would fall back into its old place? Well,<a name="page_162" id="page_162"></a> -then, it would seem as though the heavens had stricken you with -blindness. No; at the present moment we clearly perceive the -necessity of distinguishing between truth and falsehood, and -monarchy as the embodiment of autocracy is a falsehood—our -constitution has proved it to be so.</p> - -<p>All who despair of a reconciliation throw yourselves boldly into -the arms of the republic; those still willing to hope, lift their -eyes for the last time to the points of existing circumstances to -find a solution. The latter see that if the contest be against -monarchy, it is only in isolated cases against the person of the -prince, whilst everywhere war is being waged against the party that -lifts the monarch on a shield, under the cover of which they fight -for their own selfish ends. This is the party that has to be thrown -down and conquered, however bloody the fight. And if all -reconciliation fail, party and prince will simultaneously be hit. -But the means of peace are in the hands of the prince; if he be the -genuine father of his people, and by one single noble resolution he -can plant the standard of peace, there where war seems otherwise -inevitable peace will reign. Let us then cast our glance around, -and seek among the European monarchs those said to be the chosen -instruments of heaven for the great work of paternal government, -and what do we see? A degenerated race, unfit for any noble -calling! What a sight we find in Spain, Portugal, or Naples. What -heartache fills us when we look in Germany, on Hanover, Hesse, -Bavaria. Let us look away from these! God has judged the weak and -wicked; their evils extend from branch to branch. Let us turn our -eyes towards home. There we meet a prince beloved by his people, -not in the old traditional sense, but from a genuine acknowledgment -of his real self, his pure virtues, his honourable, just, and -gentle character; therefore, we cry aloud, “This is the man -Providence has chosen!”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A SELF-DEPOSING KING.</i></div> - -<p>If Prussia insists on monarchy, it is to suit its notion of -Prussian destiny, a vain idea that cannot fail to pale soon. If -Austria is of the same mind, it is because she sees in her dynasty -the only means of keeping together a conglomeration of people and -lands thrown into an unnatural whole and which cannot by any -possibility hold together much longer. But if a Saxon chooses -monarchy, it is because he loves his king, is happy in calling such -a prince his own,<a name="page_163" id="page_163"></a> not from a cold, calculating spirit of -advantage, but from genuine affection. This pure affection shall be -our beacon-light, our guide not only during this troubled state of -things, but for the future and forever. Filled with this -unspeakably grand and important thought, we with inspired -conviction courageously exclaim, “We are republicans!”</p> - -<p>By what we have achieved we are rapidly nearing our goal,—the -republic,—and although much anger and deception attach themselves -still to the name, all doubts can be dispelled by one word from our -sovereign. It is not we who shall proclaim the republic; it will be -our king, the noblest of sovereigns; he shall say:—</p> - -<p>“I declare Saxony to be a free state, and the first of this free -state shall give to every one the fullest security of his station, -and we further proclaim that the highest power in the land of -Saxony is invested in the royal house of Wettin to descend from -branch to branch by the right of the firstborn. And we swear to -keep the oath that the law shall never be broken, not that our -taking it will be the safeguard of its being kept, for how many -oaths are continually broken to such covenants! No; its safeguard -will be the conviction we had before we took the oath, that the law -will be the beginning of a new era of unchangeable happiness, not -only for Saxony, but the whole of Germany, aye, to all Europe will -it carry the beneficent message.”</p> - -<p>He who speaks this to-day, emboldened by inspired hope, is most -firmly convinced that he never proved his fidelity to the oath of -allegiance he took to the king on accepting office more than on the -day he penned this address. Does it appear to you that by this -proposition, <i>monarchy would be altogether abolished? Yes, so it -would!</i> But the kingdom would thereby be emancipated. Do not -deceive yourselves, ye who clamour for “a constitutional monarchy -on the broadest basis.”</p> - -<p>You are either not honest in reference to that basis, or if you are -in real earnest, you will torture your artificial monarchy to -death, for every step you take in advancing on that democratic -basis will be an encroachment on the power of the monarch, viz.: -his autocracy; and in this light only can a monarchy be understood, -therefore every step you take in a democratic direction will be a -humiliation to the monarch, since it will bespeak a distrust of his -rule. How can love<a name="page_164" id="page_164"></a> and confidence prosper in a continual conflict -between totally opposed principles? A monarch cannot fail to be -thwarted and annoyed in a contest in which very often undignified -measures are employed that cannot but produce an unhealthy state of -things. Let us save the monarch from such an unhappy half-life. -<i>Therefore, let us abolish monarchy altogether</i>, as autocracy, -<i>i.e.</i> sole-reigning, becomes impossible by the strong opposition -of democracy,—the reign of the many,—but, on the other hand, let -us set against this the complete emancipation of royalty.</p> - -<p>At the head of the free state—the republic, the king by lineal -descent, will be what he in the noblest sense should be, viz. the -first of the people, the freest of the free!</p> - -<p>Would this not be the grandest realization of Christ’s teaching, -“the highest among you shall be the servant of all,” for in serving -and upholding the liberty of all, he raises in himself the -conception of liberty to the highest pinnacle, the divine. The more -earnestly we dive into the annals of German history, the more we -become convinced that the signification of sovereignty, as we have -given it, is but a resuscitated one. The circle of historical -development will be closed when we have adopted it, and its -greatest aberration will be found in the present un-German -conception of monarchy.</p> - -<p>Should we wish to formulate our heartfelt wishes into a petition, -then I am convinced we should have to count our petitions by the -hundred thousands, for their contents would lead to a -reconciliation of contesting parties, at least of all of them that -mean well. But only one signature is wanted here to be conclusive, -that is, the signature of our beloved king, whom from the innermost -depth of our hearts we wish a happier lot than he can at present -enjoy!</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">A Member of the Fatherland Union.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">16th June, 1848.</span></p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HE BECOMES A MASKED MAN.</i></div> - -<p>It may be supposed with such documents scattered broadcast by a great -political institution, that the government would have shown discretion -and endeavoured to conciliate the people by judicious concessions. Their -action, however, was in the contrary direction. They<a name="page_165" id="page_165"></a> were well aware -they could crush the people at the first appearance of an outbreak, and -cared not. As long as they had control of the army they felt secure. -This question of natural armies was for the moment pressing. Wagner had -endeavoured to solve it in his paper, but his were more suggestions than -a detailed plan, so his talk with his friend, August Roeckel, led to the -latter attempting a solution. Roeckel took for his basis the various -military organizations in force in Switzerland. His paper was read -before the Fatherland Union, and Wagner told me, he was loudly -applauded. Like his own paper it was printed, and in thousands. He, too, -signed his scheme, “A Member of the Fatherland Union,” but it was an -open secret who was the author. The result was that he was dismissed -from his post of assistant court conductor, after five years of service. -The Union then resolved to hold themselves in readiness for extreme -measures, and with that view directed Roeckel to amplify his plan. As -this was a question of technical skill and practical experience, the aid -of officers in the army was sought. The movement was popular with the -troops, and advice was readily forthcoming. The government, becoming -aware of this, at once dismissed all military men who had aided in -formulating the plan. From this time Wagner was what might be termed a -marked man. It was known that “the companion of my solitude” was his -offending assistant director, and means were taken to indicate the -disapprobation of the court. August Roeckel was dismissed in the autumn -of 1848, just at the time all Dresden was celebrating the three-hundred -years’ jubilee of its theatre. Among the favours bestowed by the<a name="page_166" id="page_166"></a> king -were decorations for Chapel Master Reissiger, (a man vastly the inferior -of Wagner) and other subordinates, but Wagner was passed over. The -slight was intentional.</p> - -<p>But a few weeks later Liszt was going to produce “Tannhäuser” at Vienna. -To secure as perfect a representation as possible, Jenasst, the Vienna -stage manager, visited Richard Wagner, for consultation, and he relates -how Wagner took him to a meeting of republicans where the men all wore -large hats, and behaved themselves generally in a wild, excited fashion.</p> - -<p>No longer a musician by profession, but engaged entirely in the cause of -the people, August Roeckel founded a small weekly paper called the -“Volksblatte” (People’s Paper), naturally supported by the Union; it was -narrowly watched by the government. Occasionally seizures were made, but -no charge was brought against Roeckel. In this Wagner wrote, and I know -that the tenour of his articles was, “Destroy an interested clique of -flatterers who surround the King; and let the royal ear be open to the -prayers of all the people.” The government contemplated a prosecution of -Roeckel, but refrained solely because of the difficulty of securing a -conviction.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>ROECKEL’S PROMINENCE.</i></div> - -<p>In November the <i>Prussian National Gathering</i> was dissolved. This -procedure exasperated the people, upon which Berlin openly announced -that any exhibition of revolt would be at once put down mercilessly by -bayonet and cannon. August Roeckel was appealed to, and he wrote a -letter to the Prussian military authorities on the subject, copies of -which he sent to the public journals. For this the government arrested -him and put him<a name="page_167" id="page_167"></a> in prison, where he remained three days without trial; -a generous unknown friend, putting ten thousand dollars as bail, secured -his release. Shortly after, he was tried and acquitted, but to this day -it is not known who was the benefactor on that occasion. So popular was -August Roeckel with the people, that on his acquittal, he was met by a -large concourse of friends, to which joined a detachment of Life Guards, -some two dozen, from the barracks close at hand, and headed a procession -through the town. As may be expected, the whole of the troop of soldiers -were tried, punished, and dismissed from the army. I mention this -incident as bearing upon the prominence of Roeckel in the eyes of the -government; and because the charges against Wagner rested on his -friendship with Roeckel, and on papers found at Roeckel’s house, -implicating Richard Wagner.</p> - -<p>In the opening winter months of 1848, the air was thick with reform. A -new chamber was to be elected; every one was straining his utmost for -the cause. It was felt that on the result of the elections the fate of -the people rested. The Fatherland Union determined to run as many -candidates of their own as possible, and Roeckel was of the chosen -number. He was elected deputy for Limbach, near Chemnitz, the electors -purchasing and presenting him with the freehold property, which it was -required all members should possess. The result of the elections gave an -overwhelming majority for what were termed the people’s candidates. -Roeckel wrote me the result, which was as follows:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Government party, nil seats.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Moderate liberals, one-tenth.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Democratic party, nine-tenths.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p><a name="page_168" id="page_168"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A GERMAN NATIONAL THEATRE.</i></div> - -<p>The democratic party as a body had pledged itself to a revision of -taxation. It was felt that the new chamber would not trifle with an -iniquitously large court list, nor would it tolerate luxuries on the -civil list. This was openly talked about. Wagner was in distress. The -subsidy granted by the government to the theatre was one of the items of -the civil list; was this to go? He saw Roeckel; there was the man most -fitted to urge the wisdom of retaining the charge. His devotion to the -cause of the masses was unhesitatingly admitted on all hands, and he -knew the theatre and its necessary expenditure better than any one. It -was decided that while Roeckel should work in the chamber, Wagner -should, as conductor, draw out a scheme and submit it to ministers, -independently of his coadjutor. The plan once begun assumed much larger -proportions than was intended for the occasion. It was delivered, and he -heard nothing of it for months, officially, but he knew that the -discussion was being shirked. When it was returned to him, there was -evidence in the shape of pencil-marks that he had been laughed at as a -visionary, anticipating a great measure of reform when it was intended -none should be granted. Communications had been opened up secretly with -the Prussian government, who promised on the first show of discontent to -enter Saxony with their troops and very effectively stamp it out; and so -the king’s advisers had no intention of considering any plan the newly -elected chamber might submit. In itself the plan is a marvel of -administrative and constructive ability. He entitled it, “Scheme for the -Organization of a German National Theatre.” There are many propositions -advanced in it<a name="page_169" id="page_169"></a> which are very moot points, in urging which Wagner, in -my judgment, was in error; <i>e.g.</i> private enterprise was to be -discountenanced for the reason that an impressario might produce immoral -pieces. To him the theatre was a great educator of a nation, and he -would insist on all theatres being under the direct control of the -government. But apart from this, which is a matter of opinion, the -scheme is a logical and exhaustive treatment of the whole question of -dramatic and vocal art, from the training-school for girls and boys to -their retirement on a pension to be allowed by the government. I will -briefly mention the main features of his plan: (1) Girls to enter -training-schools at fourteen, boys at sixteen, for three years; (2) -curriculum to embrace dancing, fencing, and general culture; (3) pupils -to first appear in the provinces; (4) pensions to be guaranteed, and -innumerable details as to construction of chorus, orchestra, -qualification of directors and instructors, practice, etc.<a name="page_170" id="page_170"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV"></a>CHAPTER XV.<br /><br /> -<small>1849-1851.</small></h2> - -<p>T<small>HE</small> year of the Revolution, Wagner’s flight and exile,—to comprehend -the full significance of these three incidents of magnitude, the -condition of society, the determination of the masses, and the unwise -prevarication of the ministry must be understood. Before stating what I -know of Wagner’s active participation during the next few exciting -months, I will describe the events themselves, and then treat of Wagner.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>LEANING ON A REED.</i></div> - -<p>The newly elected chamber met on the 10th January. For weeks they -struggled to make headway. Whatever measure they passed was vetoed or -postponed by the king’s advisers. The excuse ever was, “Wait until the -constitution of the Frankfort diet has been promulgated”; or, when the -chamber insisted on reforms as regards the jury system and law -procedure, they were hung up on the miserable plea that the minister of -justice was ill, and could not devote himself to a careful study of the -changes proposed. The constitution as laid down by the federated German -parliament at Frankfort gave to every native German equal civil rights -and freedom of speech and press. Special civil privileges for the -nobility were not recognized; all Germans were to be governed by the -same laws. Out of the thirty-four principalities, twenty-nine had -accepted<a name="page_171" id="page_171"></a> the enactment wholly, but Saxony held out. The Dresden chamber -resolved on coming to close quarters; they insisted on its official -recognition. Matters were assuming a cloudy aspect, but the king had no -intention of granting what a representative parliament of the whole -German people held to be the just rights of every man. The ministry, -therefore, at the wish of the king, resigned on the 24th February. This -purchased a short period of tranquillity. The new ministry would require -time to examine the question. False hopes were held out, but nothing was -done in the shape of advance or concession. The people refrained from -breaking out, expecting the Frankfort diet to insist on the Saxon -monarch acknowledging the constitution. But they leaned on a reed. The -king of Prussia, aware of the disturbed state of Saxony, sent a note to -the king, intimating that at a word from him he was ready to overrun -Saxony with his soldiers. Thus supported, there was no hope of any -reform passing into Saxon law. And so, on the 23d April, August Roeckel -writes to me, “This day we have passed a vote of want of confidence in -the king’s advisers.” Five days later, the 28th, I hear again that “the -ministry had the temerity to demand the imposition of a new tax.” This -was fiercely resisted, and the king, to bring his unfaithful commons to -their senses, issued a proclamation dissolving the chamber. This -unconstitutional and high-handed act was protested against with -vehemence, and was denounced in plain terms by Roeckel. The chambers -would not dissolve then, but arranged a final meeting two days hence. -Rough work was expected by the ministry; orders were given to confine -all troops<a name="page_172" id="page_172"></a> to barracks on the 29th April, the day before the final -meeting arranged for; armaments were to be held ready for use.</p> - -<p>On the 3Oth April the angered and excited chambers met. The debate was -stormy, for the members were aware that troops and police were held in -readiness to seize certain of their members, immediately on the rising -of the house. Richard Wagner still held his office under the government. -In a sketch of these exciting days, written and published by Roeckel, at -my instigation, he states that Wagner, by some means, became aware that -his friend Roeckel was to be taken prisoner; at once making his way to -the house, he called Roeckel out, while the debate was in progress. -Deputies had an immunity from arrest while the house was sitting, a -privilege similarly enjoyed by English members of Parliament.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>MICHAEL BAKUNIN.</i></div> - -<p>Roeckel desired to stay till the end of the sitting. He had long felt, -he says, that the government wished to force a decision by an appeal to -arms, and he was anxious to remain to the last, to hear what the -intentions of the government were. To this Wagner would not listen, but -finding his own entreaties not strong enough, he quickly brought a few -friends together, Hainberger, Bakunin, and Semper, and to their -unanimous decision he gave way. They urged that he should not even go -home to take farewell of his wife and five young children, but escape at -once. The question then was—where? Roeckel proposed Berlin, as he -thought there the revolt would first break out, but Bakunin advised -Prague, where the cause had some staunch friends, as safer. It was -decided then for<a name="page_173" id="page_173"></a> Prague. Roeckel was to be recalled immediately there -was need for his presence.</p> - -<p>The men who advised this temporary flight were important leaders of the -people during the outbreak. First, Hainberger, son of Herr von -Hainberger, one of the eight imperial councillors of the emperor of -Austria. A musician of gift, his father wished him to enter the law, his -studies in which drove him into the ranks of democracy. He came to -Dresden, and took up his abode with August Roeckel, was a member of the -Fatherland Union, addressed public gatherings, and though but twenty -years of age, was of invaluable service in the organizing (such as it -was) and controlling of the people. He was on the staff, too, of -Roeckel’s paper.</p> - -<p>Michael Bakunin, an historic revolutionary figure, was, by birth, a -Russian. Driven into exile by the severity of the laws in his own -country, he had taken refuge in Dresden, where he was hidden by Roeckel. -A man of imposing personality, high and noble-minded, of impassioned -speech, he was one of the greatest figures during those terrible May -days. As gentle and inoffensive as a lamb, his intellect and energy were -called into action by the unjust treatment of the people. He -unfortunately gave Roeckel a letter addressed to the heads of the -movement in Prague, urging no precipitation, but combination, unity of -action.</p> - -<p>Here, for a moment, I must turn aside to the most prominent of Wagner’s -biographers, Glasenapp. In vol. I, p. 267, it is stated that Roeckel had -left Dresden to escape the consequences of a law-suit. This is totally -inaccurate. My information is derived from<a name="page_174" id="page_174"></a> manuscript now before me, -under Roeckel’s own hand, and I will produce textually what he says:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>I had scarcely been three days in Prague, when a premature outbreak -recalled me. Richard Wagner, whose later long years of persecution -can but find their explanation in that he dared to distinguish -between his duties as a court conductor and his conscience as a -citizen, he who as conductor insisted on being unfettered, had long -since been wearied out in bitter disappointment, by the -non-fulfilment of the promises of 1848. Wagner wrote to me during -the feverish excitement of 3d May. “Return immediately. For the -moment you are not threatened with any danger, but there is a fear -that the excitement will precipitate a premature outbreak.” These -last words [Roeckel goes on to add], were held by his judges to -imply a preconcerted plot to overthrow all German princes, whereas -his letter had reference solely to Dresden. The inference was -erroneous. As you know, no organization existed by which the -principalities could be united.</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HE MUST HAVE ICE.</i></div> - -<p>Simultaneously with this incriminating note from Wagner, a messenger -arrived from Bakunin urging Roeckel to return with all possible speed, -as directing heads were sorely needed, and particularly popular men. -This was on the 4th. He left Prague immediately, arriving outside -Dresden on Sunday, the 6th May, whence he heard the booming of guns, -ringing of church bells, fusillading of musketry, and saw two columns of -fire rising to the sky. From his position, he discerned that one was -from the site of the old opera house. His heart sank. Had the people -grown wild? Were they reckless, and was the grand cause to be lost in -fury and ill-directed efforts? The gates of the town were held open to -him by citizens. He made his way at once to the town hall. In his -patriotism he thought not of wife or children. The streets presented an -appearance akin to<a name="page_175" id="page_175"></a> the sickening, horrible sight he had seen in Paris -during the July Revolution of 1830,—shops closed, paving-stones doing -duty as barricades, strengthened by overturned carts, etc., etc., a -miscellaneous collection of domestic articles.</p> - -<p>Hurrying along, he came suddenly upon Hainberger. The incident is -curious and characteristic. Rapid inquiries and answers passed. It -appeared that Hainberger was at the same barricades as Richard Wagner, -who, he said, had just returned to the town in charge of a convoy of -provisions, and a strong detachment of peasants, and Hainberger was sent -in search of an ice for the parched Wagner. The significance of this -incident should not be lost sight of. The character of “Wagner as I knew -him” is herein painted accurately in a few lines. He was fond of luxury; -a sort of Oriental craving possessed him; and, whether weighed down with -debt and the horizon obscure, or in the midst of a nation’s throes for -liberty, he would appease his luxurious senses. Hainberger was the -messenger, first, because of his devotion, and secondly, because of his -long legs, which enabled him to step over the barricades.</p> - -<p>At the town hall he found the members of the provisional -government—Heubner, Todt, Tzchirner—that had been appointed on the -flight of the king, 4th May. With them were Bakunin and Heinze, a first -lieutenant in the army, who had thrown in his lot with the people, and -took the military lead during the outbreak. Heinze had no means of -communicating his orders to anybody. Every man guarded the post he -thought best, and left it at his discretion. The commander had no notion -how many men he commanded; it was a chaos, a seething<a name="page_176" id="page_176"></a> medley of -uncontrolled enthusiasm. Up to the 5th May no one had realized the -serious nature of the conflict; masses streamed hither and thither, were -in a rough sort of manner marshalled and directed to defend certain -streets; but it was a terribly unorganized mass, each man fighting as he -thought best.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE ARREST OF ROECKEL.</i></div> - -<p>Roeckel placed himself at the disposal of the provisional government, -and was appointed director of a district,—that in which Wagner worked. -Roeckel visited the barricades, encouraged the people, and to open up -communications with comrades in neighbouring streets, he had walls -broken down and passages made through houses. But his chief crime, -according to the government, was the making of pitch rings to be flung -burning into public buildings held by the soldiers. The actual facts of -the case were these: The barricades were too low; men could with little -effort step over them. He hurriedly consulted Wagner, and it was agreed -that a storming by the soldiers could only be prevented by covering the -top of the barricades with some substance easy of ignition. Then Roeckel -suggested tar or pitch rings; and while Wagner went off to his convoy -supervision, Roeckel, with a body of men, set to work making these rings -in the yard opposite the town hall. The work had only proceeded an hour -when he received a message from the provisional government. His presence -was urgently required elsewhere, so the ring-making was discontinued at -once. This was on the Monday, or but one day after he had entered -Dresden. That evening information was received that a convoy of -provisions and a detachment of peasants were a few miles outside the -city waiting to enter. It was raining hard, and very<a name="page_177" id="page_177"></a> dark; only some -person acquainted with the road and place would be of service. Roeckel -knew both, and started with Hainberger. As their mission was of such -importance, they deemed it advisable to wait until night had completely -set in. The rain and darkness increasing, the utmost caution was -imperative; but alas! they were met by a patrol of the Saxon troops, and -Roeckel was taken prisoner, his companion Hainberger escaping, owing to -his nimbleness. Roeckel was immediately taken before an officer and -searched. On him were found papers inculpating Wagner and others. A few -lines, too, from Commander Heinze as to the conduct of the people in the -event of a sortie taking place, caused him considerable discomfort. His -hands were tied behind him with rope which cut the flesh, and for the -night he was left in a barn. Next morning, still tied, he was sent down -the Elbe to Dresden under a strong escort, for the importance of the -capture was soon known. On his way down, he passed his own house; his -wife was at the window, and his children, attracted by the helmets of -the troops, were on the banks, unconscious that their father was a -prisoner on board. He was confined in a narrow, dark room, in his wet -clothes, and saw no one for two days, by which time the firing in the -town had ceased, and he knew then that the outbreak was at an end.</p> - -<p>And now, to measure accurately the extent of Wagner’s culpability or his -claim to eulogy, the precise nature of the revolt should be understood, -the class and character of the insurgents, and their avowed purpose, -plainly stated. Further, the source of the government indictment against -Wagner and the reason of their<a name="page_178" id="page_178"></a> relentless persecution should both be -fully comprehended.</p> - -<p>First, the revolt. It began through pure accident. Naturally the -townspeople were excited at the knowledge of the military being held in -readiness to suppress, by force of arms, any public expression at the -arbitrary dissolution of the chambers. They gathered in groups about the -streets, the pressure being greatest near the town hall. As the crowd -swayed, a wooden gate, opening upon a military magazine, gave way. The -troops were turned out, and defenceless people fired upon,—men, women -and children dying in the streets. This was May 3d. Then began that -loose organization. And who took part in it? Let the official records -supply the answer. I find that when the insurrection was suppressed the -government indicted twelve thousand persons, this lamentably lengthy -list including thirty mayors of different towns, about two-thirds of the -members of the dissolved chambers, government officials, town -councillors, lawyers, clergy, school-masters, officers and privates of -the army, men of culture, position, and social influence.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>WAGNER’S SEDITION.</i></div> - -<p>Well might Herr von Beust, the king of Saxony’s chosen prime minister -during March and April, 1849, when speaking in the Dresden chamber on -the 15th August, 1864, or fifteen years after the terrible May days of -1849 that condemned Richard Wagner to exile, describe this revolt as an -“insurrection that embraced the whole of the people of Saxony.” After -such striking, conclusive testimony to the character of the revolt, from -the highest minister of the crown, no stigma can attach to Wagner or any -member who united in defence<a name="page_179" id="page_179"></a> of the liberty of the subject, but rather -is such action to be commended.</p> - -<p>One more fact from the official report now before me: of Prussian and -Saxon troops thirty-four are recorded dead and a hundred wounded; -whereas, of the people, or “insurgents,” one hundred and ninety men, -seven women killed, and a hundred and eleven men and four women wounded, -besides “about fifty more” of the people admittedly killed by the -soldiery, and then thrown into the Elbe, or a gross total of a hundred -and thirty-four soldiers killed and wounded against three hundred and -sixty-two people.</p> - -<p>And now as to the source of the government charge and the reason of its -intolerant bearing for thirteen years towards Richard Wagner. I have -already referred to the note taken upon Roeckel, which Wagner wrote and -addressed to him at Prague, urging his immediate return. Further, I have -reproduced the revolutionary paper which Wagner read before the -Fatherland Union, a copy of which figures in the official indictment -<i>re</i> Wagner. There yet remain other incriminating documents, and -occasional words uttered by prisoners under examination, besides the -knowledge the government possessed of his close intimacy with that -revolutionary directing spirit, Bakunin, and also with August Roeckel; -and further, his membership in the Union. But the chief materials for -the government accusation were furnished by poor Roeckel himself. There -was, first, the letter taken upon him—“Return immediately ... -excitement may precipitate a premature outbreak.” Then his house was -sacked. He was the editor and proprietor of the “Volksblatte,” the -people’s paper.<a name="page_180" id="page_180"></a> Naturally, therefore, documents and papers of every -description were found in profusion, held to incriminate several -persons. Here copies were found of the June, 1848, paper, by Richard -Wagner, on the “Abolition of the Monarchy,” and articles written by him -for the “Volksblatte,” then minutes of meetings of the Fatherland Union -and of the sub-committee. In a letter from his wife to me, detailing the -incidents of the sacking of his house in Dresden, she says, “Every -paper, printed and in manuscript, was taken away by the police officer -who accompanied the military guard”; and, further, she says, “When I was -ordered to leave Dresden I went first to Leipzic and Halle, thence to -Weimar, and at each town, when it became known who we were, I and my -five children were received with every sign of affection; at Leipzic the -townspeople coming out in a body to welcome us.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A CHIEF OF INSURRECTION.</i></div> - -<p>Roeckel’s wife was ordered to quit Dresden so that she might not witness -the execution of her husband. Both Bakunin and Roeckel were, by order of -the Prussian commander, to be shot in the market place, an order only -countermanded when it was thought that further information could be -extracted from them. Ten days after Roeckel’s capture he was brought up -for investigation, in company with Heubner, the head of the provincial -government, Heinze, the military commander of the people, and Bakunin, -directing spirit. These four men were all chained. From this time each -was examined and interrogated separately. Roeckel’s investigations were -endless. He could not at the time perceive why he was repeatedly -cross-questioned on the same point. Alas, it was too cruelly potent -when, on<a name="page_181" id="page_181"></a> the 14th January, 1850, or nineteen months after he was taken -prisoner, for the first time he heard specifically with what he was -charged, and his sentence,—death. He saw then clearly that the last -part of Wagner’s note to him had been interpreted as implying a general -organized rising throughout Saxony at a moment to be decided upon by the -leaders, Bakunin, Heubner, Todt, Wagner, and Roeckel—“return -immediately ... the excitement will precipitate a premature outbreak.” -The official interpretation was entirely wrong. No decision of the kind -had been arrived at. There was a complete lack of organization. They -wished to be prepared for emergencies, but a deliberate attack was not -contemplated. However, it sufficed to include Wagner among the chiefs of -the insurrection.</p> - -<p>Then there were Bakunin’s letters to the sympathizers at Prague, -unaddressed. By all manner of cunning questions that legal ingenuity -could suggest was it sought to drag out from Roeckel in his cell, the -names of the leaders at Prague. The addresses of several personages were -found in the sacking of Roeckel’s house, and these were all arraigned. -For a year these secret investigations were carried on, in June, July, -and August at Dresden, and subsequently at the fortress of Königstein. -On the last day of August, 1849, Heubner, Bakunin, and Roeckel seem to -have been confronted separately by a witness who swore to the part -actually played by Wagner during the rising. Refusing to utter a word -that should incriminate their friend, they were transported that night -in three separate wagons to the impregnable fortress of Königstein. -Officers with loaded revolvers sat inside each conveyance, a troop of -mounted<a name="page_182" id="page_182"></a> soldiery forming the van and rear of the cavalcade. The night -had been chosen, as these men were known to be beloved of the people; -they were martyrs in a nation’s cause, and it was feared that, should it -become known who were the prisoners being conveyed, a rescue might be -attempted. Inside the prison house, Roeckel met with kind treatment and -was permitted to receive letters from his friends. The nobility of his -character, his integrity, fearlessness, and unselfishness had rendered -him so popular that the directors of the Royal Library at Dresden placed -their whole store of books at his disposal. Within the walls of his -prison he was equally popular, warders and soldiers uniting to form a -plan for his escape, and that of Heubner and Bakunin. Roeckel and -Bakunin declared themselves ready, but Heubner refused, whereupon -Roeckel and Bakunin declined to hazard the attempt without their friend. -It is to these efforts of the soldiers that Wagner refers in a letter to -Edward Roeckel, brother of August, which appears later on. The -friendliness of the warders being perceived by the authorities, Roeckel -was removed to that Bastille of Saxony, the fortress of Waldheim, and -Bakunin to Prague.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>WAGNER’S ACTIVE PART.</i></div> - -<p>And now for the first time was Roeckel brought before a properly -constituted tribunal. It was on the morning of the 14th January, 1850, -that he heard for the first time the charge formulated against him and -the sentence. The official accusation of my friend is before me, and as -Richard Wagner is concerned, I will summarize the charge. It consists of -eight distinct counts to the effect that he, Roeckel, had placed himself -at the disposal of the provisional government, constructed barricades,<a name="page_183" id="page_183"></a> -was present at military councils, received the convoys of men and -provisions that were brought into Dresden by Wagner and others, prepared -tar brands, was concerned in a plot for a general uprising in the -principalities to overthrow the lawful rulers, as proved by the letter -from Richard Wagner taken upon him, etc., etc. The sentence passed upon -Roeckel was death, Heubner and Bakunin having been brought up for trial -and sentenced at the same time. The friends shook hands for the last -time.</p> - -<p>Outside a party had arisen demanding a second trial. The clamour was -strong, so that a rehearing was conceded, but the second court, on 16th -April, 1850, only confirmed the judgment of the first, the extreme -penalty, however, being commuted by the king, who had under all -circumstances shown himself averse to capital punishment, to -imprisonment for life. Roeckel was, however, reprieved after having been -incarcerated nearly thirteen years.</p> - -<p>And now for the actual part played by Wagner. Throughout he was most -active. He was, as he says, “everywhere.” His genius for organizing and -directing, which we have seen carried to such perfection on the stage, -proved of infinite value during those anxious days. An outbreak had long -been expected, but not at the moment it actually took place, and when it -came he was found ready to carry out the work appointed him. Though not -on the executive of the provisional government, he was consulted -regularly by the heads, and as he says, “it was pure accident” he was -not taken prisoner with Heubner and Bakunin, as he had but “left them -the night before their arrest to meet them in the morning for -consultation.<a name="page_184" id="page_184"></a>”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>LEAD FROM THE HOUSE-TOPS.</i></div> - -<p>His temperament, all who have come into contact with him well know, was -very excitable, and under such a strain as he then endured it was at -fever pitch. Hainberger related to me a dramatic episode which thrilled -Wagner’s frame and stirred the whole of the eye-witnesses. I recounted -it subsequently to Wagner, and he agreed entirely as to the truth of -Hainberger’s recital. It was in the morning about eight o’clock, the -barricade at which Wagner and Hainberger were stationed was about to -receive such morning meal as had been prepared, the outposts being kept -by a few men and women. Amongst the latter was a young girl of eighteen, -the daughter of a baker belonging to this particular barricade. She -stood in sight of all, when to their amazement a shot was suddenly -heard, a piercing shriek, followed by the fall of the girlish patriot. -The miscreant Prussian soldier, one of a detachment in the -neighbourhood, was caught redhanded and hurried to the barricade. Wagner -seized a musket and mounting a cart called out aloud to all, “Men, will -you see your wives and daughters fall in the cause of our beloved -country, and not avenge their cowardly murder? All who have hearts, all -who have the blood and spirit of their forefathers, and love their -country follow me, and death to the tyrant.” So saying he seized a -musket, and heading the barricade they came quickly upon the few -Prussians who had strayed too far into the town, and who, perceiving -they were outnumbered, gave themselves up as prisoners. This is but one -of those many examples of what a timid man will do under excitement, for -I give it as my decided opinion, and I have no fear of lack of -corroboration, that Richard Wagner was not personally brave. I have<a name="page_185" id="page_185"></a> -closely observed him upon many occasions, and though entering into a -quarrel readily enough,—once in the London streets with a grocer who -had cruelly beaten his horse,—he always moved away when it looked like -coming to blows. This might be termed discretion; well, he was discreet, -there are no two opinions about that, but I distinctly affirm that what -is commonly understood by personal bravery, Wagner possessed none of it.</p> - -<p>He was ever ready to harangue the people; his volubility, excitability, -and unquenchable love of freedom instigating him at all times. This was -well known to the government, as also the foregoing incident, I am -convinced, for, be it remembered, Wagner and his companions only made -the Prussian soldiers prisoners, and it is not supposing the impossible -that on release they would have reported fully who it was that led, -musket in hand, the people against them.</p> - -<p>Another incident of the campaign, and this time the author is Wagner. -When it was reported that the ammunition was running short, the not very -original idea sprang from him in this instance to use the lead from the -house-tops. That Wagner’s very active participation was fully reported -to the government, is proved by their attitude towards him. They -expected to take him prisoner with Heubner and Bakunin, for he was -constantly with them, and they were betrayed by the Prussians; and, as -Wagner says, it was “pure accident” only that he was not taken with -them.</p> - -<p>As soon as the leaders were taken, and Wagner saw there was no use in -continuing the conflict, he fled. He knew not in what direction to turn, -but the thought of his precious manuscripts which he had with him<a name="page_186" id="page_186"></a> -determined his course—Weimar, Liszt. And so it fell out. Liszt was good -and sheltered him, and interested himself so far as to go to the police -official at Weimar to try and discover whether any warrant had been -issued for his apprehension. Wagner remained below while Liszt entered -to inquire. He was not kept in suspense long. Liszt hurried out -breathless and excited. “For the love of God, stay not a moment; a -warrant has been issued and is upstairs now waiting to be executed, but -I have prevailed upon H——, who out of friendship will not put it into -execution for an hour.” Under Liszt’s advice he left for Paris, the -Weimar virtuoso being intrusted with Wagner’s precious manuscripts. He -went to Paris, but remained a few weeks only, seeking an asylum in -Zurich, of which city in the October following he became a naturalized -subject.</p> - -<p>In the summer of 1853 he thought of quitting Zurich, information which -was soon conveyed to the Dresden government, who at once issued the -following proclamation. I draw attention to the words “most prominent,” -and further to the date, June, 1853; or, it should be borne in mind, -four years after the Revolution. It ran as follows:—</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A HAPPY ACCIDENT.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Wagner, Richard, late chapel master of Dresden, one of the most -prominent supporters of the party of insurrection, who by reason of -his participation in the Revolution of May, 1849, in Dresden, has -been pursued by police warrant, this is to give notice that it -having transpired he intends to leave Zurich, where he at present -resides, in order to enter Germany, he should be arrested; whereby, -for the better purpose of apprehension, a portrait of the said -Richard Wagner is hereby given, so that should he touch German land -he may at once be delivered over to the police authorities at -Dresden.</p></div> - -<p><a name="page_187" id="page_187"></a></p> - -<p>The question then arises, is it to be supposed that a man thus pursued -by the Saxon government had taken little or no part in the insurrection? -There cannot be any doubt as to the answer. As I have before stated, -Richard Wagner was deeply implicated in revolutionary proceedings before -the May days of 1849, facts within the cognizance of the government. -They knew he was a member of the political society, Fatherland Union, -the centre of Saxon discontent; it was notorious that the conductor, -Wagner, had written and read a celebrated paper in June, 1848, before -the society, advocating the abolition of the monarchy; his most intimate -companion and confidant was the second conductor, Roeckel, dismissed -from office by reason of his revolutionary (?) practices, and he, -Wagner, had already expressed his regret for hasty language condemnatory -of the powers, and what was even still more convincing evidence, did he -not stand convicted by his own handwriting—the short note taken on the -person of August Roeckel, besides the evidence of his having contributed -articles to Roeckel’s paper? It is then a matter of universal rejoicing, -that the “pure accident” did prevent his meeting Bakunin and Heubner, -for, judging from the sentence of death passed upon those two, and upon -Roeckel, it is more than probable that the same sentence would have been -pronounced against him.</p> - -<p>That the government regarded Roeckel and Wagner in much the same light, -is to my mind further shown by the similarity in time of their -respective imprisonment and exile—August Roeckel serving nearly -thirteen years, and Richard Wagner’s amnesty dating March, 1862. Several -persons of high rank interceded<a name="page_188" id="page_188"></a> for him, among them Napoleon the Third, -who, after the “Tannhäuser” fiasco in Paris of 1861, expressed himself -amazed at the fatherland exiling so great a son. After the perusal of -the following letter, dated by Wagner, Enge, near Zurich, 15th March, -1851, future biographers can no longer ignobly treat the patriotism of -Wagner by striving to whitewash or gloss over the part he played during -those sad days. It is addressed to my life-long friend, Edward Roeckel -(the brother of August), now living at Bath, where he has resided since -1849.<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>LETTER TO EDWARD ROECKEL.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="r"><span class="smcap">Enge, near Zurich</span>, 15th March, 1851.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Dear Friend</span>: Many a time have I longed to write to you, but have -been compelled to desist, uncertain as to your address. But now I -must take my chance in sending you a letter, as the occasion is -pressing, and I have to claim your kindness in the interest of -another. I will, therefore, at once explain matters, and so have -done with the immediate cause of this letter.</p> - -<p>A young man, Hainberger, still very young, half German, half Pole, -at present my exile companion in Switzerland, originally found -refuge in the Canton Berne. This canton has expelled all political -refugees, refusing to harbour them any longer, and, indeed, no -canton will now receive another exile, at most keeping those -already domiciled there; thus Hainberger is obliged to seek -sanctuary either in England or America. Being a good violinist, I -had already secured for him several months’ engagement in the -Zurich orchestra. His present intention, if possible, is to go next -winter to Brussels, in order to profit by lessons from de Beriot, -but alas! for him, his most reactionary Austrian parents and -relations are as yet too angry with him to permit him to hope of -their furnishing the necessary money for that plan. Until he can -expect a change in that quarter, he does not wish to go as far as -America, but prefers London, there to await that happy -reconciliation with his relations. Meanwhile, and in order to -ensure the means of subsistence, he would much like to find an -engagement in one of the London<a name="page_189" id="page_189"></a> orchestras. As he does not know a -soul in London to whom he could apply for help in this case, I turn -to you in friendship, to assist in procuring him such an -engagement. And, further, besides knowing no one in London, my -young friend does not speak English. If, therefore, you could -indicate any house where he could live moderately, and make himself -understood, you would confer a great favour on me. Could we not -direct him at once to Praeger? I take a deep interest in this young -man, as he is of an amiable disposition, and I have become closely -acquainted with him at Dresden, where indeed he stayed for some -long time, with August. He is really a talented violinist, and -possesses letters of recommendation from his masters, Helmsberger -and David (in the first instance, he was a pupil of Jansa), which -he wishes to be known, as he believes the name of Helmsberger a -guarantee. If you are willing to do me this service I beg, in my -name, that he may be sustained in all power.</p> - -<p>Now to another matter. During the last few years much has occurred -of a most painful nature, and oft have I thought of your sorely -tried brotherly devotion. We were all compelled to be prepared for -extremes during those times, for it was no longer possible to -endure the state of things in which we lived, unless we had become -unfaithful to ourselves. I, for my part, long before the outbreak -of the Revolution, was incapable of anything but contemplating that -inevitable catastrophe. What in me was a mixture of contemplation, -was with August all action. His whole being was impelled to -energetic activity. It was not until the fourth day of the outbreak -at Dresden that I saw him on a Monday morning for the first and -last time. For some time after he was captured, I could get no news -of him but what I gathered from the public journals. Although I had -not accepted a special rôle, yet I was present everywhere, actively -superintending the bringing in of convoys, and indeed, I only -returned with one from the Erzgebirge<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> to the town hall, Dresden, -on the eve of the last day. Then I was immediately asked on all -sides after August, of whom since Monday evening no tidings had -been received, and so, to our distress, we were forced to conclude -that he had either been taken prisoner or shot.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A CONVENIENT MEMORY.</i></div> - -<p>I was actively engaged in the revolutionary movement up to its<a name="page_190" id="page_190"></a> -final struggle, and it was a pure accident that I, too, was not -taken prisoner in company with Heubner and Bakunin, as I had but -taken leave of them for the night to meet in consultation again the -next morning. When all was lost, I fled first to Weimar, where, -after a few days, I was informed that a warrant of apprehension was -to be put in motion after me. I consulted Liszt about my next -movements. He took me to a house to make inquiries on my behalf. -While awaiting his return in the street, I suddenly caught sight of -Lullu,<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> who told me her mother had arrived at Weimar, was living -close by, and gave me their address, I promising to call at once; -but on Liszt returning he told me that not a moment was to be lost, -the warrant of apprehension had been received, and I must quit -Weimar at once. It became, therefore, impossible to call on -August’s wife; and only now, as I am writing, does it strike me -that “Linchen”<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> might perhaps think my behaviour unfeeling. I beg -of you, then, when you have an opportunity, if she may have -considered me wanting in sympathy, to explain how the matter then -stood, as I should feel deeply distressed at such a belief -existing. I heard from Dresden that, thanks to your brotherly -devotion, the family of the unhappy August have been well provided -for. Where they at present reside I do not know. As regards August, -from whom, alas, I have not yet received any detailed information, -I can, thinking of the terrible trial he is now undergoing, have -only one profound anxiety, that is, his health. Should he lose -this, it would be the worst possible thing; for his imprisonment -cannot last eternally, of that there is no doubt. I cannot speak of -“plots,” as of them I know nothing authoritatively, and most likely -they even do not exist, but a glance at the affairs of Europe -clearly shows that the present state of things can be but -shortlived. Good health and patience are most to be desired for -those who suffer the keenest under existing circumstances. Happily, -August’s constitution is of the kind that gives every hope for him. -I know, from his manner of living, that neither an active nor a -sedentary life affect him deeply. But one thing is to be feared, -viz. that his patience will not last him; and alas, in this respect -I have heard, to my sorrow, that he has been incautious, and -suffers in consequence stricter discipline. Altogether, however, I -believe that the political prisoners in Saxony are treated -humanely,<a name="page_191" id="page_191"></a> and we must hope that by prudent behaviour August will -soon experience milder treatment, could we but influence him in -respect to his easily understood passionate outbreaks.</p> - -<p>I live here very retired with my wife, receiving from certain -friends in Germany just sufficient monetary assistance. My special -grief is my art, which, though I had my freedom of action, I could -not unfold. I was in Paris, intended even going to London, but the -feeling of nausea, engendered by such art excursions, drove me back -here; and so I have taken to write books, amongst others, “Das -Kunstwerk der Zukunft,” and, on a larger scale, “Oper und Drama,” -my last work. I could also turn again to composing “Siegfried’s -Tod,” but after all, it would only be for myself, and that in the -end is too mournful. Dear Edward, write to me. Perhaps I may hear -much news from you, and I would greatly like to hear how you are -getting on. Farewell. Be assured of my heartiest devotion.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner.</span><br /> -</p> -</div> - -<p>And now for a few closing remarks upon this revolutionary epoch. I have -alluded to the whitewashing, as it were, of Wagner by his biographers -when treating of this period. If it were asked who is to blame, the -answer might fairly be, “Imperfect or inadequate knowledge of the -facts,” fostered, I regret to add, by Wagner’s own later utterances and -writings upon the point. When Wagner visited London in 1855, the -Revolution and the thousand and one episodes connected therewith were -related and discussed fully and dwelt upon with affection, but as the -years rolled on he exhibited a decided aversion towards any reference to -his participation. Perhaps we should not judge harshly in the matter; he -had suffered much and there were not wanting, and I fear it may be said -there are still not wanting, those who speak in ungenerous, malignant -tones about the court conductor being false to his oath of allegiance,<a name="page_192" id="page_192"></a> -of the demagogue luxuriating in the wealth of a royal patron. Wagner’s -art popularity was increasing and his music-dramas were gradually -forcing themselves upon the stage, and he did not wish his chance of -success to be marred by the everlastingly silly and spiteful references -to the revolutionist. But whether he was justified in writing as he did, -in permitting almost an untruth to be inferred and history falsified, I -should not care to decide. As, however, I am of opinion that the lives -of great men (their public actions at least) are the property of -posterity, I have stated what I know to have been the true facts, and -will bring my remarks to a close by appending a few extracts from -Wagner’s early and later writings upon this point which, read by the -light of the uncontrovertible facts, I leave for each to form his own -opinion:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hang">(1) Paper on the “Abolition of the Monarchy,” read before the -Fatherland Union, dated 16th June, 1848.</p> - -<p class="hang">(2) Note to August Roeckel: “Return immediately; a premature -outbreak is feared.”—May, 1849.</p> - -<p class="hang">(3) Letter to Edward Roeckel: March, 1851:</p> - -<div class="blockquot2"> -<p>(<i>a</i>) “It was no longer possible to endure the state of things in -which we lived.”</p> - -<p>(<i>b</i>) “I was present everywhere, actively superintending the -bringing in of convoys, etc.”</p> - -<p>(<i>c</i>) “I was actively engaged in the revolutionary movement up to -its final struggle.”</p> -</div> - -<p class="hang">(4) His active participation, related by himself to me, -corroborated by Hainberger’s testimony. (I should add that -Hainberger came to London in April, 1851, stayed with me, and that -I secured for him lessons and a place in the orchestra of the New -Philharmonic.)<a name="page_193" id="page_193"></a></p> - -<p class="hang">(5) Max von Weber, son of Carl Maria von Weber, told me that he was -present during the Revolution, and saw Wagner shoulder his musket.</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A SIGNIFICANT OMISSION.</i></div> - -<p>As I have stated, the general drift of Wagner’s references to the -Revolution is to minimize his share; I content myself with two extracts -only:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p class="hang">1. From “Eine Mittheilung an meine Freunde” (a communication to my -friends), vol. IV. of his collected writings, and dated 1851: “I -never had occupied myself really with politics.”</p> - -<p class="hang">2. “The Work and Mission of my Life,” the latest of Wagner’s -published writings, written in 1876 for America: “In my innermost -nature I really had nothing in common with its political side,” -<i>i.e.</i> of the Revolution.</p></div> - -<p>The significant omission of “The Abolition of the Monarchy” paper from -his eleven volumes of “Collected Writings,” a collection which includes -shorter papers written too at earlier periods than the above, may also -be noted.<a name="page_194" id="page_194"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI"></a>CHAPTER XVI.<br /><br /> -<small>1850-1854.</small></h2> - -<div class="sidenote">“<i>TERRIBLY IN EARNEST.</i>”</div> - -<p>P<small>URSUED</small> by a police warrant, Wagner first sought refuge and a home in -Paris. The French capital possessed alluring attractions for him, but -his reception, in 1849, was no brighter or more promising than it had -been ten years earlier. He therefore left Paris, after a few weeks, and -went to Zurich. Here he found a true home and hearty friends, and felt, -as far as was possible, so contented that in the autumn following he -became a naturalized subject. And yet Wagner used to say his forced -exile pressed sore upon him, and there is no doubt he did chafe under -it, and strove hard to free himself from its galling chains. He could -not settle to work. He endeavoured to open communications with August -Roeckel, through influential friends in Dresden, but was unsuccessful. -When in Paris, and whilst still under the influence of the -multitudinous, unsettling thoughts that had pressed him into the ranks -of liberty, making him one of its most energetic champions, he -endeavoured to negotiate with the editor of a newspaper of standing, for -a series of letters, on the interesting and timely topic of “The -Revolution, and its Relation to Art.” But the proposal came to nothing. -He was told the time was inopportune. “Strange and silly people,” was -his comment, and he left the Parisians<a name="page_195" id="page_195"></a> for the more homely, though -heavier folk, of Zurich.</p> - -<p>And still he could not tear himself away from Paris. The city and people -fascinated him then and at all times, and he returned, in the early part -of 1850, to make another effort in the cause of art. Though his -invectives were frequent and bitter, yet I have seen enough, and know -enough, of the inner Wagner, to state positively that he highly esteemed -the French intellect and judgment in matters of art. This is one of -those curious paradoxes in Richard Wagner’s character. He could never -refer to the French without some sarcastic allusion to their frivolity. -At all times Wagner was “terribly in earnest,” and he almost took it as -a personal insult to see the French full of sensuous enjoyment, and -regarding art as a pleasant, agreeable relaxation, at the end of the -day’s labour. And yet he strove to succeed there for all that; even in -1860, when he was again in Paris, his feelings were precisely the same. -Writing on this point, some sixteen years later, he says: “I thought -that it was there (<i>i.e.</i> Paris) only that I could find the atmosphere -so necessary to the success of my art,<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> that element of which I so -much stood in need.”</p> - -<p>His success in 1849-50, however, was no more than it had been hitherto. -His vanity was piqued at his reception. He visited old acquaintances, -and was received with a patronizing friendship, as one who had come to -Paris, an aspirant for fame. They would not see in him the “Tannhäuser” -composer, the prophet who had come to baptize them with the pure, holy -water of the true in art. His pride was wounded.<a name="page_196" id="page_196"></a></p> - -<p>He was envious, too, of that smooth, highly polished gracefulness which -the French possess in the small matters of every-day life, and which he -was conscious he lacked. Though refined in intellect, courteous in -bearing, carrying himself with majestic dignity when occasion demanded, -yet Richard Wagner’s natural characteristic was a plainness and -directness of speech, which often took the form of abruptness. -“Amiability usually runs into insincerity,” says Mr. Froude, when -describing Carlyle’s character in the “Reminiscences,” and Wagner was at -all times sincere. Sensitive, too, as artists commonly are, he saw the -Parisians resolving life and art into a pastime, and doing it with an -elegant, natural gracefulness that was absent in his own serious -utterances of the heart. Impatient of incapacity, blunt in speech, and -vehement in declamation, even with bursts of occasional rudeness, he was -angered and jealous, that a people—his intellectual inferior—should -take life so easily.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>NOT FOND OF EXILE.</i></div> - -<p>Sick in heart, he soon became sick in body; seriously ill indeed. On his -recovery, feeling naught congenial to him in Paris, he left again for -Zurich, via Bordeaux and Geneva. At Bordeaux an episode occurred similar -to one which happened later at Zurich, about which the press of the day -made a good deal of unnecessary commotion and ungenerous comment. I -mention the incident to show the man as he was. The Opposition have not -spared his failings, and over the Zurich incident were hypercritically -censorious. The Bordeaux story I am alluding to, is, that the wife of a -friend, Mrs. H——, having followed Wagner to the south, called on him -at his hotel, and throwing herself at his feet, passionately<a name="page_197" id="page_197"></a> told of -her affection. Wagner’s action in the matter was to telegraph to the -husband to come and take his wife home. On telling me the story, Wagner -jocosely remarked that poor Beethoven, so full of love, never had his -affection returned, and lived and died, so it is said, a hermit.</p> - -<p>Another adventure of this description took place at Berlin, which to my -mind is a verification of the homeopathic doctrine, <i>similia similibus -curantur</i>, for I often taunted him with possessing, though in -homeopathic doses, just those very failings he denounced in others, viz. -amorousness, Hebraic shrewdness, and the Gallic love of enjoyment. When -he was in a jocular mood he would laugh heartily at my endeavour to -prove the truth of my opinions by the citation of instances, and -occasionally he would admit the impeachment, whereas, at other times, he -would become irritated, and put an end to any such conversation by -charging me with having lost all my German feeling under the pernicious -influence of a London fog.</p> - -<p>Back in Zurich, he could not force himself to compose. He could not, and -never did, take kindly to his compulsory exile, even appealing himself -to the authorities more than ten years later for permission to re-enter -his fatherland. And yet I have no hesitation in asserting that the world -should regard it as a boon for art that he was thus driven into exile. -Away from the theatre and the busy activity connected with his office of -conductor, he had time to reflect over the many schemes for the -elevation of art that constantly held communion with his inner self. -Freed from the contact of that vortex of petty agitation which -constitutes the<a name="page_198" id="page_198"></a> active life of the stage, and of which every -individual, no matter how inferior his grade, thinks himself the chief -attraction, he gained that repose which enabled him to see art matters -in their just proportion. His state, he described to me, as that spoken -of by both Aristotle and Plato: “One of the highest happinesses attained -through the pleasures of the intellect by the contemplative life.” -Indeed, it can be maintained, that all the great works of his after-life -were either completed or sketched during those years of exile.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE VILLA AT ZURICH.</i></div> - -<p>To begin with his literary work. In this branch of thought he was -remarkably active. For five whole years, the first five of his Zurich -life, I remember he said he did not compose a bar; all was literary -outpouring, and so much was he given to reflection on the strange -position in which he found himself in the art world, and the manner in -which his operas had been received, that he even seriously considered -the question whether music was his province, whether he should not -reject tonal composition entirely in favour of the spoken drama. In a -letter of that period he says, “I spend my time in walking, reading, and -literary work.” And when one considers what Wagner did during those -years of banishment, it will be seen how hard a worker he was. His exile -lasted for something like twelve years, and during that time he wrote -those masterly expositions: “Art and Revolution,” “The Art Work of the -Future,” “Art and Climate,” “Judaism in Music,” and “Opera and Drama,” -whilst, as regards the music-drama, he wrote the whole of the words and -music of the “Nibelung’s Ring,” “Tristan and Isolde,” the -“Mastersingers<a name="page_199" id="page_199"></a>” (1861-62), and a fragment of music subsequently -embodied and amplified in “Parsifal.”</p> - -<p>Wagner met with many reverses in the early portion of his career, but he -also, on occasions, enjoyed exceptionally good fortune. Though caged, as -he said, like an angry, irritable lion in Zurich, longing to burst his -prison door, yet he met everywhere with troops of friends. The personnel -of the opera house united to do him honour, and individually he was -treated with hearty good will. One of his ardent admirers and intimate -friends was Madame Wesendonck, the wife of a wealthy retired merchant -who had come, with her husband, to take up her abode in Zurich. -Wesendonck was a musical amateur, but not so gifted as his wife, who was -enthusiastic for Wagner. Wesendonck had purchased some land overlooking -the beautiful lake, and was building himself a house there. For that -purpose he had brought architects and upholsterers from Paris. While the -building was in course of erection, a very pretty chalêt adjoining the -property became untenanted, which it was stated was about to be used as -an asylum. Such information was not pleasant to Wesendonck, and at the -suggestion and wish of his wife he purchased it and rented it to Wagner -for a nominal sum. This really charming villa was an immense delight to -Wagner. Hitherto, living in the town, he had grown fractious under the -infliction of noises and cries inseparable from the bustle of civic -life, and the “Retreat,” as he called the chalêt, afforded him a -pleasure, and procured that quiet comfort invaluable to him at that -period of thought.</p> - -<p>At the house of his friends there were frequent gatherings of musicians -from Zurich and neighbouring towns,<a name="page_200" id="page_200"></a> at which, it seems, he often -delivered himself of lengthy harangues on his view of art, to find that -one only of those who applauded him comprehended the heart of the thing -he spoke of. He said it was with him, just as it had been with the -unfortunate Hegel, the philosopher, who with facetious cynicism -remarked, that “nobody understands me, except one disciple, and he -misunderstands me.” Perhaps the fault was partly his own. His fervid -perorations were ambitious, and he spoke above the heads of his hearers. -They saw in him only the composer of “Tannhäuser” and “Lohengrin,” -whereas he felt within himself the embryo of the colossal tetralogy; and -how could they comprehend, then, a man who addressed his inward -clamourings rather than his auditors. When I say the embryo of the -tetralogy, I include the musical sketch of certain of the leading ideas, -for the whole of the Nibelung poem was completed, and a few copies -printed in 1853 for his intimate friends, of one copy of which I am the -fortunate possessor.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>CONDUCTING THE OPERA.</i></div> - -<p>On recalling the occasion, when in 1855 Wagner gave me a bound copy of -his “Nibelung lied,” one incident stands out prominently. On studying -the poem I had been struck with the keen dramatic insight displayed by -Wagner throughout his treatment of the old Norse sagas: the laying out -of the ground plan, the sequence of the story, the exclusion of -extraneous and subsidiary matter, the many powerful and striking -tableaux presented, the crisp dialogue and scholarly retention of the -alliterative verse, the merit of these features being increased by the -high literary standard attained throughout the work. Now when I -congratulated Wagner on the literary skill he had shown, he grew -peevish;<a name="page_201" id="page_201"></a> and indeed he resented at all times praise of his poetic -ability, seeming to think that in some measure it was a denial of his -musical power.</p> - -<p>Some portion of the Nibelung poem Wagner read to his small circle of -intimates in London. At that time Richard Wagner was forty-two years of -age, and his histrionic powers, at all times great, were perhaps then at -their best. With his head well thrown back, he declaimed his poem with a -majestic earnestness that cast a spell over all. But of his histrionic -and mimetic powers I shall have something to say later on.</p> - -<p>At Zurich he interested himself largely in the opera house. He sought to -control the local taste, but the directors were governed with one -thought and that, that only such works as bore the hall-mark of Paris -success could succeed in Zurich. Accepting the state of things, he -conducted performances of “Robert le Diable,” “Les Huguenots,” -“Guillaume Tell,” Halévy’s “La Juive,” Donizetti’s “La Fille du -Regiment,” and other works of similar type. He even conducted the -rehearsals, attending and exerting himself at these for the benefit, -however, of Hans von Bülow, who had become his pupil. I know he was -deeply attached to Bülow; he spoke of him with enthusiasm, praised his -wonderful reading at sight, and was much impressed by his general -culture. There is no doubt that Bülow merited the high opinion Wagner -held of him, as subsequent events have proved.</p> - -<p>On Richard Wagner’s fortieth birthday, 22 May, 1853, a grand Wagner -festival was held at Zurich, musicians from neighbouring towns being -invited. All the principal theatres responded with the exception of -Munich, which through its conductor, Lachner, refused to permit<a name="page_202" id="page_202"></a> -orchestral members of the theatre to attend, giving as the flimsy -pretext that journeymen, <i>i.e.</i> orchestral performers, could not be -granted passports. Lachner as a composer has found his level, and there -it is wise to leave him. I will only note the curious fate which later -made Wagner supreme at Munich and, further, how odd it was that when -Wagner was conducting the Philharmonic concerts in London, Mr. Anderson -informed him that it was the wish of the directors he should produce a -prize symphony of Lachner. The proposition startled Wagner and perhaps, -somewhat contemptuously, he exclaimed, “What! have I come all this way -to conduct a prize symphony by Lachner? No! no!” and he would not -either, not because the composition was superscribed “Lachner,” but -because of the really wretched Kapellmeister music it was.</p> - -<p>The Wagner festival at Zurich was very gratifying to him. For a whole -week he was fêted, and at the close received an ovation that took all -his self-control. He addressed the audience in faltering accents, and on -bidding his friends farewell he broke down entirely—that they should -return to the fatherland and he an exile. Such a wail of anguish went -out from his heart as only those who have known the sensitive character -of the man can understand.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>LOVE FOR HIS DOG.</i></div> - -<p>From the time Wagner went into exile his health generally gave way. -Constant brooding over his enforced isolation from his countrymen -induced melancholia, and in its train a malignant attack of his old -enemy, dyspepsia. His wife, fortunately, was of a homely nature with a -buoyancy of spirits, the value of which cannot be over-estimated, nor, -must I add, was Wagner insensible to<a name="page_203" id="page_203"></a> her worth. But with these terrible -fits of dyspepsia which prostrated him for days, there also came, as one -ill upon another, attacks of erysipelas. When he had the strength, he -fought against them, but more often he succumbed. He sought relief at -hydropathic establishments, for which form of prevention and cure he -retained a fancy for many years. The bracing air of the mountains, too, -he sought as a means of removing the ills under which he suffered. He -was fond, too, of taking “Peps” with him in these rambles. “Peps,” it -will be remembered, was the dog who, he used to assert, helped him to -compose “Tannhäuser.” He was passionately fond of his dog, referred to -him in his letters with affection, and ascribed to him feelings and a -perceptiveness only possible from a man loving the animal kingdom as he -did. All who remember the last sad incidents connected with the -interment at Wahnfried will think of the faithful canine creature (a -successor of “Peps”), who came to lie on the grave, and could not be -induced to quit the spot where his master was buried. As it was there, -so it was at Zurich. He loved “Peps” with a human love. Taking his -constitutional on the Zurich mountains, “Peps” his companion, reflecting -upon his treatment by his fatherland, he would declaim against imaginary -enemies, gesticulate, and vent his irascible excitement in loud -speeches, when “Peps,” “the human Peps,” as he called him, with the -sympathy of the intelligent dumb creation, would rush forward, bark and -snap loudly as if aiding Wagner in destroying his enemies, and then -return, plainly asking for friendly recognition for the demolition. Such -an expression of sympathy delighted Wagner, and he was very pleased to -rehearse it all to his<a name="page_204" id="page_204"></a> friends, calling in “Peps” to go through the -performance, and I must say the dog seemed to understand and appreciate -it all. Numerous anecdotes of this kind he could tell, and he generally -capped them with such a remark as, “‘Peps’ has more sense than your -wooden contrapuntists,” pointing his speech by naming the authors of -some concocted Kappelmeister music who were specially objectionable to -him.<a name="page_205" id="page_205"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII"></a>CHAPTER XVII.<br /><br /> -<small>“JUDAISM IN MUSIC.”</small></h2> - -<p>A<small>S</small> regards his literary productions, that which provoked most discussion -and engendered a good deal of acrimonious hostility towards him was -“Judaism in Music.” No one knowing Wagner, and writing any reminiscences -of him, no matter how slight, could omit reference to this subject. Any -such treatment would be incomplete, though it would be easy to -understand such omission, for no friend of Richard Wagner would elect to -put him in the wrong, nor care to admit that his attitude towards the -descendants of Abraham, in certain phases, was as unreasoned, and -perhaps as ungenerous, as that of earlier anti-Semitic agitators of the -fatherland. However, an impartial critic must confess that in Wagner’s -attacks on the Jews and their treatment of art, he has, in much that he -says, force and truth on his side. Unfortunately, much of the cogency of -his reasoning is weakened in the eyes of many by the introduction of the -names of two of his prominent contemporaries, Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, -both of Hebraic descent. His attack is put down to personal spite, -jealousy born of anger at the success of his rivals. Never was charge -more groundless. Richard Wagner was high above such small-minded enmity. -His was a nature incapable of mean, paltry envy. Rancour was<a name="page_206" id="page_206"></a> not in -him. Yet how could an attack upon “Judaism in music” be maintained -without indicating Semitic composers, in whose works supposed -shortcomings and spurious art were to be found? That he was not animated -by any personal motive I am convinced, and that the things he wrote of -lay deep, deep in his heart, I am equally persuaded. Finding in me a -partial antagonist, he debated the question freely. Perhaps, too, it was -a subject impossible of exclusion from our discussion, since, when he -came here (London) in 1855, or three years after his Jew pamphlet had -been published, the press spared not its sneers and satire for a man who -only saw in the grand composer of “Elijah” “a Jew,”<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a> the man Wagner, -whom “it would be a scandal to compare with the men of reputation this -country (England) possesses, and whom the most ordinary ballad writer -would shame in the creation of melody, and of whose harmony no English -harmonist of more than one year’s growth could be found sufficiently -without ears or education to pen such vile things.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>TROUBLE FOR BRENDEL.</i></div> - -<p>To understand this “Jew” question thoroughly, one should remember the -admiration, the just admiration, in which Mendelssohn was held in this -country. He was the idol of English musicians. That he should have been -“assailed” by Wagner because of his Hebraic descent was unpardonable. -This was the spirit of hostility with which the larger proportion of the -press received him, seeing in him the personal enemy of the “Jew” -Mendelssohn. And thus it happened that references to this question were -continually being made, and discussions, occasionally of an angry -character, were<a name="page_207" id="page_207"></a> thrust upon us. What Richard Wagner wrote in 1852, the -date the paper was first published, he adhered to in 1855, and what is -more, in 1869, when he was master of the situation, he somewhat -pertinaciously appended a letter to the original indictment, from which -he did not recede one step.</p> - -<p>When Wagner had almost attained the zenith of his fame, at a time when -his weight and genius were admitted, he then deliberately placed on -record that years of his earlier suppression and ostracism from great -musical centres were due, and due alone, to the power wielded by the -Jews, and their determination to keep his works out of sight where -possible.</p> - -<p>The article, “Judaism in Music,” was originally published in “Die Neue -Zeitschrift,” under the nom de plume of “Freethought.” At the time the -journal was edited by Franz Brendel, and when the subject-matter of the -article is known, it will be admitted that the editor was courageous, -and perhaps no one will be surprised at the hostile acts which followed. -Poor Wagner seems to have been much troubled at the difficult position -in which he had placed his friend. No sooner had the article appeared, -he told me, than about a dozen of Brendel’s co-professors at the Leipzic -conservatoire sent forward a petition to the directors of the Institute -urging the dismissal of the editor, but, though the signatories of the -document were such names as Moritz Hauptmann, David, Joachim, Rietz, -Moschelles (all Jews), Brendel retained his post. Of course there was no -attempt at withholding the name of the real author; it was at once -admitted. It was a bold act to first publish the paper in Leipzic, for -though Richard Wagner<a name="page_208" id="page_208"></a>’s birthplace, it had received, as it were, a -Jewish baptism from the lengthened sojourn of Mendelssohn there.</p> - -<p>Certainly the article contained enough to create enmity on the part of -the Jews. It opened with an assertion that one has an involuntary and -inexplicable revulsion of feeling towards the Jews; that, as a people, -there is something objectionable in them, their person repellant, and -manner obnoxious. Now when it is remembered that Wagner’s daily visitor -during his first sojourn in Paris was Dessauer, a Jew, that the man who -brought about his own death for love of Wagner was a Jew, and that the -music-publisher Schlesinger, his friend, was also a Jew, it will be -confessed that this was a startling charge to come from him. I must add -that Wagner always insisted it was not a personal question, and pointed -out that some of his staunchest friends were Jews.</p> - -<p>Then he further asserted, in the “Judaism” pamphlet, that it mattered -not among what European people the Jew lived, he was always a foreigner, -and our wish was to have nothing to do with him. This, again, was -surprising, for Wagner was not slow to admit the loyalty of the people -of Shiloh to the government of the country in which they were domiciled, -and there is no doubt they are eminently patriotic, calling themselves -by the name of the country in which they live. Indeed, it cannot be -contended that the Jews are one nation; they are many.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>FOR AND AGAINST JEWS.</i></div> - -<p>Wagner’s antipathy towards the Hebrew people was, he felt, partly -inherited by him as a German. He knew them to be observant, discerning, -energetic, and ambitious, yet he could not put away from him an -instinctive<a name="page_209" id="page_209"></a> feeling of repugnance, and could not understand why the -“Musical World” and the London press should so severely flagellate him -because of his attitude towards the Jews. He found the Semitic race -regarded here in an entirely different manner from what it was in -Germany. Here it was much the same as in France. Civil disabilities had -been removed, and the Israelites had proved themselves as great patriots -as English Christians, one, Mr. Solomons, filling the post of alderman -of the city of London at the time Wagner was here. This Mr. Solomons had -been, with others of his co-religionists, previously elected a member of -Parliament, and Wagner used often to express his wonder how a man -waiting for the advent of the Messiah could sit in a house of Gentiles. -Wagner marvelled, too, how the citizens of London could permit the Jews -to amass such a large proportion of the wealth of the country, but he -soon came to admit the force of the argument, that special laws having -been enacted against them, preventing the acquisition of land, denying -them the professions, and restricting them to certain trades, it was -unreasonable, after having driven them to mean occupations, to reproach -them for not having embraced honourable professions. I pointed out to -him that in bygone centuries, when the Germans were barbarians, this -much-despised people had produced poets, men of letters, statesmen, -historians, and philosophers, all, too, of such brilliant genius as -would add lustre to any galaxy of modern luminaries. He was struck by -this, and, as his bent was art, fully admitted the poetic fancy and -genius of the harpist David, the imagination of Solomon, and other of -the old Hebraic writers.<a name="page_210" id="page_210"></a></p> - -<p>And yet he would insist on the truth of his own assertion in the -pamphlet. “If in the plastic art a Jew has to be represented,” he said, -“the artist models after an ideal, or, if working from life, omits or -softens those very details in the features which are the characteristic -of the countrymen of Isaiah.”</p> - -<p>As regards the histrionic art, he laid it down that it is impossible to -picture a Jew impersonating a hero or lover without forcing a sense of -the ridiculous upon us. And this feeling he felt of an actor, -irrespective of sex. It would not be difficult to destroy this argument -now: the names of Rachel, Sarah Bernhardt, Patti at once cross the mind. -He asserted that their strength in art lay in imitation and not in -creation.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>MAKING STRANGE STATEMENTS.</i></div> - -<p>In speech, too, the Jew was offensive to him. The accent was always that -of a foreigner, and not of a native. The language was spoken as if it -had been acquired, as something alien, and had not the ring of -naturalness in it; for language, he argued, was the historic growth of a -nation, and the Jew’s mother tongue, Hebrew, was a dead language. To the -Jew, our entire civilization and art had remained a foreign language. He -could only imitate it; the product, therefore, was artificial; and as in -speech, so in song. “Notwithstanding two thousand years of contact with -European peoples, as soon as a Jew spoke our ear was offended by a -peculiar hissing and shrill manner of intonation.” Moreover, he -contended, in their speech and writing there was a wilful transposition -of words and construction of phrases, characteristics of an alien -people, also discernible in their music. These racial characteristics -which Wagner asserted were repugnant, were intensified<a name="page_211" id="page_211"></a> in their -offensiveness in his eyes by an absence of genuine passion, <i>i.e.</i> -strong emotion coming deep from the heart. In the family circle he -allowed the probability of the Jews being earnest and impassioned, yet -in their works it was absent. On the stage he would have it that the -passion of a child of Israel was always ridiculous. He was incapable of -artistic expression in speech, and therefore less capable of its -expression in song; for true song is speech raised to the highest -intensity of emotion.</p> - -<p>It will not be difficult to call to the mind the names of celebrated -Hebrews, great as histrionic artists, who at once appear to confute this -statement; and for my part, one name is sufficient, viz. Pauline Viardot -Garcia, though it will be admitted, on closely examining Wagner’s -feeling, there is a vein of truth in it, which grows upon one on -reflection.</p> - -<p>And then Wagner turns towards the plastic art, and examines the position -of the Jew under that art aspect. He states as his opinion that the -Hebrew people lack the sense of balance and proportion, and in this he -sees the explanation of the non-existence of Jewish sculptors and -architects. Now it is regrettable that Wagner should have committed -himself to so faulty a statement. The sculptor’s art was not practised -by the Jews, because it was prohibited by the Mosaic law, and to this -day strict Hebrews would not fashion “any graven image, nor the likeness -of anything that is in heaven above, or in the earth beneath, or in the -waters under the earth.” But Wagner was of opinion that the Jew was too -practical to employ himself with beauty, and yet he was unable to -explain the Jew’s acknowledged supremacy as a connoisseur in works of -art.<a name="page_212" id="page_212"></a></p> - -<p>In such a general indictment, it is hardly to be expected that Wagner -would have omitted the vulgar charge of usury, nay, he even went so far -as to assert that it was their chief craft. This, I told Wagner, was -hardly generous or fair on his part. By persecution and restriction of -the Jew to certain trades we had driven him to the tables of the -money-changers, and then charged, as crime, the very vice persecution -had engendered.</p> - -<p>Nor was he less severe towards the cultivated Jew, charging him with a -desire to disown his descent, and wipe out his nationality, by embracing -Christianity, but whatever his efforts, he remained isolated in a -society he did not understand, with whose strivings and likings he had -no sympathy, and whose history and development had remained indifferent -to him.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>MUSIC OF THE SYNAGOGUE.</i></div> - -<p>With such convictions, strong and deep, it follows that Wagner would not -allow that Hebraic tonal art could be acceptable to European peoples. -The Jew, he said, was unable to fathom the heart of our civilized life; -he could not feel for or with the masses. He was an alien, and at the -utmost, the cultured Jew could only create that which was trivial and -indifferent to us. Not having assimilated our civilization, he could not -sing in our heart’s tones. He could compose something pleasant, slight, -and even harmonious, since the possibility of babbling agreeably, -without singing anything in particular, is easier in music than in any -other art. When the Jew musician tried to be serious, the creative -faculty was entirely absent; all he could do was to imitate the earnest, -impressive speech of others, and then the imitation was of the parrot -kind, tones, without the purport<a name="page_213" id="page_213"></a> being understood, and occasionally -exhibiting an unconscious gibberishness of utterance. Now this seemed to -me the denial of pure feeling to the Jew, and so I sought to get from -Wagner precisely what he did mean by his charges on this point in the -“Judaism” pamphlet. Music, I urged, was the art of expressing feelings -by sounds; did he deny feelings to the Semitic people? “No.” Then it is -only the mode of utterance, I urged, to which you so strongly object. -But he would not wholly subscribe to this view, though he confessed it -was an important element in the question. His view was, that the true -tone poet, the genius, was he who transfixed in immortal tones the joys -and sorrows of the people. “Now,” said he, “where is the Jew’s people to -be found, where would you go to see the Hebrew people, in the practice, -as it were, of unrestrained Judaism, which Christianity and civilization -have left untouched, and where the traditions of the people are -preserved in their purity? Why, to the synagogue.” Now if this be -admitted, Wagner has certainly made out a strong case. Truly, the folk -melody proper of the Hebrews is to be found in the song service of the -synagogue, and a dreadful tortuous exhibition it is. As Wagner said, “it -is a sort of ‘gargling or jodelling,’ which no caricature could make -more nauseous than it is in its naïve seriousness.” There was the proper -sphere for the Hebrew musician, wherein to exercise his art, and when he -attempted to work outside his own people’s world he was engaged in an -alien occupation. The melodies and rythmical cadences of the synagogue -are already discernible in the music of Jewish composers, as our folk -melodies and rhythm are in ours. If the Jew listened to<a name="page_214" id="page_214"></a> our music and -sought so dissect its heart and nerves, he would find it so opposed to -his own cult, that it were impossible for him to create its like from -his own heart; he could only imitate it. Following up this reasoning, -Wagner argued that the Hebrew composer only imitated the external of our -great composers, and that his reproductions were cold and false, just as -if a poem by Goethe were delivered in Jewish jargon. The Hebrew musician -threw the most opposed styles and forms about, regardless of period, -making what Wagner called, with his usual jocularity, a Mosaic of his -composition. A real impulse will be sure to find its natural expression, -but a Jew could not have that, since his impulse would not be rooted in -the sympathies of the Christian people. Then he enters into a -description of Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, or of the men and their music. -Of Mendelssohn he says:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>In this man we see that a Jew may be gifted with the most refined -and great talent, that he may have received a most careful and -extensive education, that he may possess the greatest and noblest -ambition, and yet, with the aid of all these advantages, be unable, -even once, to impress on our mind and heart that profound sensation -we look for in music, and which we have so many times experienced -as soon as a hero of our art intones one single chord for us. Those -who specially occupy themselves with musical criticism, and who -share our opinion, will, on analyzing the works of Mendelssohn, be -able to prove the truthfulness of this statement, which, indeed, -can hardly be contested.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>COLD WORDS FOR MEYERBEER.</i></div> - -<p>In order to explain the general impression which the music of this -composer makes upon us, it will be sufficient to state that it -interests us only when our imagination, always more or less eager -for distraction, is excited in following in its many shapes, a -series of forms most refined, and most carefully and artistically -worked. These several forms only interest us, in the same manner as -the<a name="page_215" id="page_215"></a> combinations of colour in a kaleidoscope. But when these forms -ought to express the profoundest and most forcible emotions of the -human heart, they entirely fail to satisfy us.</p></div> - -<p>No one, judging dispassionately, will contend that Wagner has exceeded -the legitimate limits of criticism. It is not dogmatism, since he -appealed to the reasoning faculty and adduced proof in favour of his -deduction. The context of the article naturally imparts additional force -to his statements. Mendelssohn is credited with the highest gifts, -natural and acquired, and yet falls short in the production of a -masterpiece that appeals direct to the heart, because by ancestry and -surroundings he has stood without the pale of our European civilization, -and consequently has not assimilated the feelings of the masses.</p> - -<p>In his observations upon Meyerbeer he says:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>A musical artist of this race, whose fame in our time has spread -everywhere, writes his works to suit that portion of the public -whose musical taste has been so vitiated by those only desiring to -make capital out of the art. The opera-going public has for a long -time omitted to demand from the dramatic art that which one has a -right to look for from it.</p> - -<p>This celebrated composer of operas to whom we are making allusion, -has taken upon himself to supply the public with this deception, -this sham art. It would be superfluous to enter upon a profound -examination of the artistic means which this artist employs with -profusion to achieve his aim; it will be sufficient to say that he -understands perfectly how to deceive the public. His successes are -the proof of it. He succeeds particularly in making the bored -audience accept that jargon which we have characterized as a -modern, piquant expression of all the trivialities already served -up to them so many times in their primitive absurdity. One will not -be astonished that this composer equally takes care to introduce -into his works those grand catastrophes of the soul which so -profoundly<a name="page_216" id="page_216"></a> stir an audience, for one knows how much those people -who are the victims of boredom seek such emotions. Whoever reflects -upon the reasons which insure success under such circumstances, -will not be surprised to see that this artist succeeds so -completely.</p> - -<p>The faculty of deceiving is so great with this artist, that he -deceives himself. Perhaps, indeed, he wishes it as much for himself -as for the public. We verily believe that he would like to create -works of art, but that he knows he is not able of doing so. In -order to escape from this painful conflict between his wish and his -ability, he composes operas for Paris, and has them produced in -other countries, which in these days is the surest means of -acquiring the reputation of an artist without being one. When we -see him thus overwhelmed by the trouble he gives himself in -practising self-deception, he almost assumes, in our eyes, a -tragical figure, were there not in him too much personal interest -and self at work, the amalgamation of which reduces it to the -comic. Besides the Judaism which reigns generally in art, and which -this composer represents in music, he is distinguished by an -impotence to touch us, and further by the ridiculous which is -inherent in him.</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>OFFENDING THE CRITICS.</i></div> - -<p>This criticism upon Meyerbeer is caustic and unsparing. Yet even now -public opinion has testified to its veracity. It is not making too bold -a statement to say that no musician of taste, no musician—it matters -not of what nationality or school—of to-day will accord Meyerbeer that -exalted position he occupied when Wagner had the temerity to show the -sham and unreal art in the man. At that time, now nearly forty years -ago, Richard Wagner suffered severely for his fearless and outspoken -criticism. Personal jealousy was freely hurled at him as the paltry -incentive of his article. I frankly admit, with an intimate acquaintance -of Wagner’s feelings regarding Meyerbeer, that he despised the -“mountebank,” hating cordially the thousand commercial incidents -Meyerbeer associated with the production of his<a name="page_217" id="page_217"></a> works. Schlesinger told -me indeed of well-authenticated instances where Meyerbeer had gone so -far as to conciliate the mistresses of critics to secure a favourable -verdict. It can easily be understood that Wagner could not help feeling -contempt for such a man, for when he himself came to London in 1855, he -absolutely refused to call on any single critic, notwithstanding I -impressed upon him how necessary and habitual such custom was. The -result we know. He offended them all.<a name="page_218" id="page_218"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII"></a>CHAPTER XVIII.<br /><br /> -<small>1855.</small></h2> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE LONDON PHILHARMONIC.</i></div> - -<p>T<small>HE</small> story of the invitation of Richard Wagner, the then dreaded -iconoclast of music, to London, to conduct the concerts of the -conservative Philharmonic Society, is both curious and interesting, in -the history of the tonal art. Costa, the previous conductor, had -resigned. The pressing question was, who could succeed so popular a man? -The names of many German notabilities were proposed, and as soon -dismissed. In England there was Sterndale Bennett, but he had quarrelled -with the directors; the field was therefore open. It was then that the -appointment of Wagner was suggested and agreed to. The circumstances -were as follows. Prosper Sainton, the eminent violinist, was both leader -of the orchestra of the Philharmonic, and one of the seven directors of -the society. He was and is<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> an intimate friend of mine, and to him I -proposed Richard Wagner. At that time Sainton was living with Charles -Lüders, a dear, lovable German musician, with whom he had travelled on -concert tours throughout Europe. From the time the two men met in -Russia, they lived together for twenty-five years, until the marriage of -Sainton with Miss Dolby, since which time Lüders was a daily visitor at -his friend’s house,<a name="page_219" id="page_219"></a> Sainton administering always to his comfort, and -tending him on his death-bed, in the summer of 1884. Lüders and I were -heart and soul, and catching my enthusiasm he pressed Sainton so warmly, -that the name of Wagner was at once proposed. Richard Wagner was then -but a myth to the average English musician. However, as Sainton was a -general favourite with his colleagues, and was, further, held in high -esteem on account of his artistic perception, I was requested, through -his influence, to appear before the directors. I had then been a -resident in the metropolis for twenty-one years; I attended at a -directors’ meeting in Hanover Square, and stated my views.</p> - -<p>Up to the present time, I have never been able to discover how it was -that seven sedate gentlemen could have been so influenced by my red-hot -enthusiasm as to have been led to offer the appointment to Richard -Wagner. I found that they either knew very little of him or nothing at -all, nor did I know him personally; I was but the reflection of August -Roeckel; as a composer, however, I had become so wholly his partisan as -to regard him the genius of the age. The crusade in favour of Richard -Wagner, upon which I then entered with so much fervour, will be best -understood by an article contributed by me at the time to the “New York -Musical Gazette,”<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> parts of which I think it advisable to reproduce -here, even at the expense of repeating an incident or two. The article -was summarized in the London musical papers, and immediately a shower of -virulent abuse fell upon me which, however, at no period affected in the -slightest my ardour for Wagner’s cause.<a name="page_220" id="page_220"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>AN EDITOR AGITATED.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>The musical public of London is in a state of excitement which -cannot be described. Costa, the autocrat of London conductors, is -just now writing an oratorio, and no longer cares for what he would -have sacrificed anything for before he got possession of it, -namely, the conductorship of the Old Philharmonic; and whom to have -in his place, has for some time sorely puzzled the directors of the -said society. No Englishman would do, that is certain, for the -orchestra adores Costa; and besides, it belongs to Covent Garden, -where Costa reigns supreme (and where he really does wonders; being -musical conductor and stage manager; looking after the <i>mise en -scène</i> and everything else with remarkable intelligence). Whom to -seek for, the government knew not. They made overtures to Berlioz, -but he had already signed an engagement with the New Philharmonic, -their presumptuous and hated rival. Things looked serious, -appalling, to the Old Philharmonic; they were in danger of losing -many subscribers, and a strong tide was setting in against them. At -last, seeing themselves on the verge of dissolution, and the New -Philharmonic ready to act as pall-bearers, they resolved upon a -risk-all, life-or-death remedy, and Richard Wagner was engaged! -Yes; this red republican of music is to preside over the Old -Philharmonic of London, the most classical, orthodox, and exclusive -society on this globe.</p> - -<p>Mr. Anderson, the conductor of the queen’s private band, and acting -director of the Old Philharmonic, was despatched as minister -plenipotentiary and envoy extraordinary to Zurich, where Wagner is -staying, to open negotiations and conclude arrangements, and -happily succeeded in his mission. Wagner agreed to give up certain -previously made conditions (some correspondence had taken place on -the subject), which required a second conductor for the vocal part -of the concerts, and unlimited rehearsals. In regard to pecuniary -considerations, Wagner rather astonished the entire John Bull; he -coolly told Mr. Anderson that he was too much occupied to give that -point much thought, and only desired to know at what time he -(Wagner) would be wanted in London. The society has requested -Wagner to have some of his works performed here. He, however, has -written nothing for concerts on former occasions; he has arranged a -suite of morceaux from each of his three operas, and these give a -public, unacquainted with his works, some idea of his -peculiarities.<a name="page_221" id="page_221"></a></p> - -<p>To see Wagner and Berlioz, the two most ultra red republicans -existing in music, occupying the two most prominent positions in -the musical world of this classical, staid, sober, proper, -exclusive, conservative London, is an unmitigatedly “stunning” -fact. We are now ready for anything, and nothing more can astonish -us. Some of our real old cast-iron conservatives will never recover -from this shock—among others, the editor of the London “Musical -World.” This estimable gentleman is in a truly deplorable state, -whereby his friends are caused much concern. The engagement of -Wagner seems to have affected his brain, and from the most amiable -of men and truthful of critics, he has changed to the—well, see -his journal. He lavishes abuse, in language no less violent than -vehement, upon Wagner and all who will not condemn “poor Richard” -without hearing him. Wagner once wrote an article, “Das Judenthum -in der Musik” (“Judaism in Music”), in which he conclusively proves -that a Jew is not a Christian, and neither looks nor “feels,” nor -talks nor moves like one, and consequently does not compose like a -Christian; and in that same article, which is written with -exceeding cleverness, Wagner makes a severe onslaught upon -Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer, on Judaistic grounds. The editor of the -London “Musical World,” considering himself one of Mendelssohn’s -heirs, and Mendelssohn having (so it is said) hated Wagner, <i>ergo</i>, -must the enraged editor also hate him? He certainly seems to do so, -“con molto gusto.”</p> - -<p class="cb">. . . . . -. . . . . -. . . . . -. . . . . -. . . . . -. . . . . -. . . . .</p> - -<p>Wagner is at Zurich, quietly industrious, and does not even know or -care about the hue and cry concerning him, which is raised by a set -of idlers, who wish to identify themselves with something new and -great; being nothing themselves, nor likely ever to be anything.</p></div> - -<p>It having been decided that the directors were to make proposals to -Richard Wagner, I wrote to him detailing the events that had occurred, -and stating that he might expect at any moment to receive a -communication from the society. He did hear almost immediately, and on -the 8th January, 1855, he wrote to me from Zurich.<a name="page_222" id="page_222"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HE ACCEPTS THE POSITION.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>I enter into correspondence with you, my dear Praeger, as with an -old friend. My heartiest thanks are due to you, my ardent champion -in a strange land and among a conservative people. Your first -espousal of my cause, ten years ago, when August<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> read to me a -vigorous article, from some English journal,<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> by you on the -“Tannhäuser” performance at Dresden, and the several evidences you -have given subsequently of a devotion to my efforts, induce me to -unhesitatingly throw the burden of somewhat wearisome arrangements -upon your shoulders, as papa Roeckel<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> urges me in a letter which -I inclose.</p> - -<p>I must tell you that before concluding arrangements with the -directors of the Philharmonic, I imposed two conditions: first, an -under conductor; secondly, the engagement of the orchestra for -several rehearsals for each concert. You may imagine how enchanted -I am at the promised break of this irritating exile, and with what -joy I look forward to an engagement wherein my views might find -adequate expression; but frankly, I should not care to undertake a -journey all the way to London only to find my freedom of action -restricted, my energies cramped by a directorate that might refuse -what I deem the imperatively necessary number of rehearsals; -therefore, am I willing to agree with what papa Roeckel advises, if -it meets, too, with your support, viz. to forego the engagement of -a second conductor. In such an event, I would beg of you to talk -over, in my name, this affair with Mr. Hogarth,<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> and so far to -arrange that only the question of honorarium be left open for -settlement, for which I would then ask your friendly counsel. -Altogether, what specially decides me to come to London, is the -certainty of your help in the matter, for, being totally incapable -to do that which may be necessary there, I shall be compelled in -many more respects to have recourse to your decision. If you will -venture to burden yourself with me, then tell me in friendship, and -take your chance how you fare with me. My position forces me to -wish again to undertake something desirable, but in how far that is -possible, without lending myself to anything unworthy, I have to -find out.</p> - -<p>Be not angry with me that I have thus bluntly cast myself upon you. -If you receive my entreaty, then act in my name as you consider<a name="page_223" id="page_223"></a> -good. Heartily shall I be glad of such an opportunity of becoming -more intimate with you.</p> - -<p class="r"> -With best greeting to you, yours heartily,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Zurich</span>, 8th January, 1855.</p> - -<p>P.S. Hogarth’s letter I received twelve days ago, and I answered -immediately, but up till to-day I have had no reply, most likely -for the reason which papa Roeckel surmises.</p></div> - -<p>The inclosure to Wagner’s letter was a long epistle from papa Roeckel, -advising him to accept the Philharmonic engagement as a means of -introducing some of Wagner’s own works to a London public in a worthy -manner, the orchestra of the Philharmonic having acquired a continental -reputation. Wagner had respect for the opinion of old Mr. Roeckel, -taking counsel with him immediately the Philharmonic conductorship was -proposed to him.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS WORKS NOT WELCOMED.</i></div> - -<p>The next letter is dated—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="r"><span class="smcap">Zurich</span>, 18th January, 1855.<br /> -</p> - -<p>Hearty thanks, dear Praeger. You show yourself in your letter -exactly as I expected, and that gives me great courage for London. -You no doubt know that I have given my word to Mr. Anderson. He was -anxious to telegraph it at once to London in order to have the -advertisement printed. I received your letter after Mr. Anderson -had left. I was glad to find from you that you had been informed -officially of my having accepted the engagement. What I think of -this engagement I cannot briefly explain to you. I feel positive, -however, that I make a sacrifice. I felt that either I must -renounce the public and all relations with it once and for all, and -turn my back upon it, or else, if but the slightest hope were yet -within me, I must accept the hand which is now held out to me. I -have repeatedly experienced, however, that where I was most -sanguine I have ever been most positively in error; and although I -have again and again felt this, yet I have been induced by this -offer<a name="page_224" id="page_224"></a> to make a last attempt, and as such I look upon the whole -transaction. That the directors of the Philharmonic have no idea -whom they have engaged, I am perfectly sure; but they will soon -discover. They might have been more generous, for if these -gentlemen intentionally go abroad to find a celebrity, they ought -to have been inclined to spend a little extra. As to the question -of emolument, I answered Mr. Anderson with tolerable indifference. -They seem to attach great importance to the performance of my -works. You no doubt are aware that I have never written anything -for concert performances, and only on special occasions have I -arranged characteristic movements from my three last operas, and -even those which might perhaps give a concerted impression would -occupy a whole concert. By these means I have been enabled to give -to a public unacquainted with the peculiarities of my music an -intelligent first impression. I might have wished to have begun -with such a concert in London, but as this would entail somewhat -heavy expenses at first starting, the concert might be repeated. Do -you think this is practicable, or do you think I, myself, could -undertake it as an enterprise? In which case I would keep back my -compositions from the Philharmonic. I surmise, however, that such a -speculation would encounter insurmountable difficulties in London, -and therefore I shall be obliged after all to give detached -selections in the concerts of the Philharmonic, whereby my meaning -will be considerably weakened. If you think it worth while to give -me an answer on this point, I beg of you to tell me whether I -should have the parts of my compositions copied out here (Zurich), -or whether I should only bring the scores, or, perhaps, should I -previously send them to you so that they might be copied in London. -Of course you can only inform me as to this after an official -interview with the directors of the Philharmonic. In any case the -choral sections would have to be translated. As regards my lodgings -and London diet, Mr. Anderson mumbled something that this could be -arranged to be free for me. I was, however, so preoccupied that I -did not pay much attention to it. Have I, after all, correctly -understood? He spoke, I think, of a pleasant residence near -Regent’s Park which could be procured for me. Would you have the -amiability, when opportunity presents itself, to question Mr. -Anderson on this point? If they could provide me such a pretty, -friendly, and quiet lodging,<a name="page_225" id="page_225"></a> with a good piano, from the 1st -March, it would suit me well, for I would then save you trouble, -and it would free me from all anxiety on that score, especially -about my supposed daintiness. Now I presume I shall soon have -something more to say about this. Meanwhile, I pity you beforehand -on account of my acquaintanceship, and for the trouble I shall be -to you. May heaven help that I shall have something good and noble -to offer you.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>On reading this letter, admiration for the fearless courage of Wagner -grows upon one. A whole concert devoted to his own works! He little knew -with whom he was dealing. Wagner’s temper was quick, and I feared to -irritate him by conveying the certain refusal of the directors, but it -had to be done. It was a difficult and delicate matter to prevent -friction between Richard Wagner, possessed with the exalted notion of -his mission, on the one hand, and the steady-going time-serving -directors on the other. I saw Mr. Anderson. Timorous of the leap in the -dark he and his colleagues had made in engaging Wagner, they feared -hazarding the reputation of their concerts by the devotion of a whole -evening to Wagner’s works, but a compromise—that some selections should -be given—was readily effected. The conveyance of this news to Wagner -brought from him the following letter:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>My best thanks to you for so amiably taking such trouble. That you -sounded the directors of the Philharmonic as to the question -whether they would fill up a whole evening with selections from -those of my operas which I have arranged specially for concert -performances, although fully authorized to do so, produced a -somewhat disagreeable effect upon me. Heaven knows how strange it -is to me that I should force myself upon any body, and originally, -I only wished your<a name="page_226" id="page_226"></a> opinion whether I had any chance to have one -concert set apart for my works, for in such case I should have held -back the various selections. I had a similar intimation from -Hogarth, to whom I briefly answered that I would conduct the -classical works only, and that if the directors later on wished to -perform any of my compositions, they might tell me so, when I -should select such as I deemed most appropriate, for which -contingency I should bring the orchestral parts with me, some of -which, no doubt, would require additional copies, the expense of -which, in London, could not be of much account. I am quite -satisfied with this arrangement, and the people will learn to know -me there. On the whole, I have really no special plan for my London -expedition, except to essay what can be done with a celebrated -orchestra, and further, a little change for me is desirable, but -under no circumstances can London even be a home for me. As you -open your hospitable doors to me, I shall avail myself of your -kindness, and if you will let me stay until I have found a suitable -apartment, I shall be grateful to you, and shall heartily beg -pardon of your amiable wife for my intrusion. I shall be in London -in the first days of March. I sincerely repeat to you that I have -no great expectations, for really I do not count any more upon -anything in this world. But I shall be delighted to gain your -closer friendship. The English language I do not know, and I am -totally without gift for modern languages, and at present am averse -to learn any on account of the strain on my memory. I must help -myself through with French. Now for mutual personal acquaintance,</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours very faithfully,<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Zurich</span>, 1st February, 1855.</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HE STARTS FOR LONDON.</i></div> - -<p>The following incident, as showing the enmity towards Wagner prior to -his landing on these shores, should be noted. It was after receiving the -previous letter that I met James Davison, the editor of the London -“Musical World,” and also musical critic of the “Times,” at the house of -Leopold de Meyer, the pianist. We had hitherto been on terms of -friendship. The power of this gentleman was enormous. He told me, “I -have<a name="page_227" id="page_227"></a> read some of Richard Wagner’s literary works; in his books he is a -god, but as long as I hold the sceptre of musical criticism, I’ll not -let him have any chance here.” He did his utmost. With what result is -matter of history.</p> - -<p>The next letter from Wagner is dated Zurich, 12th February. In it he -speaks of “wishing for some quiet room, free from annoying visitors, -where no one but yourself, knowing of my existence, will come to pester -me while scoring part of my tetralogy. Your house I will gladly make as -my own, but as a number of strangers are likely to call, I hope to -escape them in solitude of unknown regions. You must not think this -strange, as I isolate myself at home the whole morning, and do not -permit a soul to come near me when at work, unless it be ‘Peps.’ You -will remember, too, when I did something similar to this at Dresden, and -left the world to go into retirement with August Roeckel.”</p> - -<p>A few days after he left Zurich for London, his next letter being -dated—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="r"><span class="smcap">Paris</span>, 2d March, 1855.<br /> -</p> - -<p>I am on the road to you. I expect to leave here Sunday morning -early, and shall accordingly arrive in London in the evening, -probably somewhat late. If, therefore, without further notice, I -must be so unceremonious with you, the friend, whom, alas, I am not -yet personally acquainted with, as to tumble right into the house, -then must I beg of you to expect me on Sunday night. Trusting that -I shall not ill-use your friendly hospitality, if only for this -night, for I suppose we shall succeed in trying to find on Monday -morning an agreeable lodging, in which I might at once install -myself, for from the many exertions, I fear I shall come very -fatigued to you. I do not doubt that you will have the kindness to -inform Hogarth that, dating from Monday morning early, I shall be -at the disposition of the directors of the Philharmonic. In so -doing I keep my promise<a name="page_228" id="page_228"></a> to be in London a week before the first -concert. With the entreaty to best excuse me to your wife, and in -hearty joy of your personal acquaintanceship,</p> - -<p class="r"> -I am yours very faithful,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>Wagner arrived at midnight precisely on Sunday, the fifth of March.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS HAT WOULD NOT DO.</i></div> - -<p>If I had not already acquired through the graphic letters of August -Roeckel an insight into the peculiarities of Richard Wagner’s habits of -thought, power of grasping profound questions of mental speculation, -whilst relieving the severity of serious discourse by the intermingling -of jocular ebulitions of fancy, I was soon to have a fair specimen of -these wondrous qualities. One of the many points in which we found -ourselves at home, was the habit of citing phrases from Schiller or -Goethe, as applicable to our subjects of discussion, as often ironically -as seriously. To these we added an almost interminable dictionary of -quotations from the plays and operas of the early part of the century. -These mental links were, in the course of a long and intimate -friendship, augmented by references to striking qualities, defects, or -oddities, our circle of acquaintances forming a means of communication -between us which might not inaptly be likened to mental shorthand. -Nothing could have exceeded the hilarity, when, upon showing him, at an -advanced hour, to his bedroom, he enthusiastically said, “August was -right; we shall understand each other thoroughly!” I felt in an exalted -position, and dreamed that, like Spontini, I had received a new -decoration from some potentate which delighted me, but the pleasant -dream soon turned to nightmare,<a name="page_229" id="page_229"></a> when I could find no room on my coat to -place the newly acquired bauble. The next morning I found the -signification of the dream. Exalted positions have their duties as well -as their pleasures, and it became my duty to acquaint Wagner that a -so-called “Necker” hat (<i>i.e.</i> a slouched one) was not becoming for the -conductor of so conservative a society as the Philharmonic, and that it -was necessary that he should provide himself with a tall hat, indeed, -such headgear as would efface all remembrance of the social class to -which his soft felt hat was judicially assigned, for, be it known, in -some parts of Germany the soft slouched felt hat had been interdicted by -police order as being the emblem of revolutionary principles. I think it -was on the strength of the accuracy of this last statement that Wagner -gave way, and I at once followed up the success by taking the composer -of “Tannhäuser” to the best West End hatter, where, after an onslaught -on the sons of Britannia and their manias, we succeeded in fitting a hat -on that wondrous head of the great thinker. I could not help -sarcastically joking Wagner on his compulsory leave-taking with the -“revolutionary” hat for four months,—the time he was to sojourn amongst -us,—by citing from Schiller’s “Fiesco” the passage about the fall of -the hero’s cloak into the water, upon which Verina pushes him after it -with the sinister words, “When the purple falls, the duke must follow.” -As to Richard Wagner’s democratic principles, I observed that the -solitude of exile had considerably modified them. This I noticed to my -surprise and no less pain, for, when I anxiously inquired after our poor -friend, August Roeckel, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “Perhaps he -tries to<a name="page_230" id="page_230"></a> revolutionize the prison warders, for the ‘Wuhlers’” -(uprooters, a name of the period) “are never at rest in their -self-elected role of reformers!” I, who knew the unambitious, -self-sacrificing nature of the poor prisoner, felt a pang of -disappointment at Wagner’s remark, and had often to suffer the same when -the year 1849 was mentioned.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A DIFFICULT INTERVIEW.</i></div> - -<p>We drove from the hatmaker straight to the city to inquire after a box -containing the compositions Wagner had been requested to bring over with -him. The box had arrived, and then we continued our peregrination back -to the West, alighting at Nottingham Place, the residence of Mr. -Anderson. The old gentleman possessed all the suave, gentle manner of -the courtier, and all went well during the preliminary conversation -about the projected programme, until Mr. Anderson mentioned a prize -symphony of Lachner as one of the intended works to be performed. Wagner -sprang from his seat, as if shot from a gun, exclaiming loudly and -angrily, “Have I therefore left my quiet seclusion in Switzerland to -cross the sea to conduct a prize symphony by Lachner? no; never! If that -be a condition of the bargain I at once reject it, and will return. What -brought me away was the eagerness to head a far-famed orchestra and to -perform worthily the works of the great masters, but no Kapellmeister -music; and that of a ‘Lachner,’ bah!” Mr. Anderson sat aghast in his -chair, looking with bewildered surprise on this unexpected outbreak of -passion, delivered with extraordinary volubility and heat by Wagner, -partly in French and partly in German. I interposed a more -tranquillizing report of the harangue and succeeded in assuring Mr. -Anderson<a name="page_231" id="page_231"></a> that the matter might be arranged by striking out the “prize” -composition, to which he directly most urbanely acceded. Wagner, who did -not fail to perceive the startling effect his derisive attack on the -proposed work had produced on poor Mr. Anderson, whose knowledge of the -French language was fairly efficient in an Andante movement, but quite -incapable of following such a <i>presto agitato</i> as the Wagner speech had -assumed, begged me to explain the dubious position of prize compositions -in all cases, and certainly no less in the case of the Lachner -composition, and Wagner himself laughingly turned the conversation into -a more general and quiet channel. After thus having tranquillized the -storm, the interview ended more agreeably than the startling episode had -promised. I, however, then clearly foresaw the many difficulties likely -to occur during the conductorship of a man of Wagner’s Vesuvius-like -temper, and the sequel amply proved that I had not been unduly -prejudiced in this respect. Yet in all his bursts of excitability, a -sudden veering round was always to be expected, should it chance that -the angry poet-musician perceived any ludicrous feature in the -controversy, when he would turn to that as a means of subduing his -ebullition of temper, and falling into a jocular vein, would plainly -show he was conscious of having exceeded the bounds of moderation. I was -glad that we had passed the Rubicon of our difficulties for the present, -for I was fully aware that whatever difficulties might arise with regard -to Wagner’s relation to the other directors, they would be easily -overcome by Mr. Anderson’s support, for it was he who unquestionably -ruled the “Camarilla,” or secret Spanish council, as<a name="page_232" id="page_232"></a> Wagner styled the -“seven,” when any work proposed by them for performance met with -disapproval. I never could well understand how the Lachner episode -became known, but it is certain that it did, for the German opposition -journals, and there were many, made great capital out of the refusal of -Wagner to conduct a prize symphony.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS CHILDLIKE JOLLITY.</i></div> - -<p>Our next visit was an unclouded one. We went to call on Sainton, who was -as refined a soloist as he was an intelligent and energetic orchestral -leader. His jovial temperament, Gasconic fun (born at Toulouse), his -good and frank nature, pleased Wagner at once. Charles Lüders, a German -musician, “le frère intime” of Sainton, formed the oddest contrast to -his friend’s character. Quiet, reflective, and somewhat old-fashioned, -he nevertheless became an ardent admirer of Wagner’s music, and proved -that “extremes meet,” for in his compositions, and they are many, known -in Germany and in France, the good Lüders tenaciously clung to the -traditions of a past period. We soon identified him in gentle fun with -the “contrapuntista.” Notwithstanding the marked contrast of the -quartette, Wagner, Sainton, Lüders, and myself, we harmonized remarkably -well, and many were our pleasant, convivial meetings during the time of -Wagner’s stay in London. As Sainton had always been very intimate with -Costa, and was his recognized deputy in his absence, he accompanied us -on the first visit to the Neapolitan conductor, Wagner expressing a wish -to make Costa’s acquaintance. This was the only visit of etiquette -Wagner paid. He sternly refused to pay any more, no matter to whom, and -I gladly desisted from advocating any,<a name="page_233" id="page_233"></a> though he suffered severely in -consequence from a press which stigmatized him as proud and unsociable.</p> - -<p>We went home to dine. What a pleasant impression did the master give us -of his childlike jollity. Full of fun, he exhibited his remarkable power -of imitation. He was a born actor, and it was impossible not to -recognize immediately who was the individual caricatured, for Wagner’s -power of observation led him at all times to notice the most minute -characteristics of all whom he encountered. A repast in his society -might well be described as a “feast of reason and flow of soul,” for, -mixed in odd ways, were the most solid remarks of deep, logical -intuition, with the sprightliest, frolicsome humour. Wagner ate very -quickly, and I soon had occasion to notice the fatal consequences of -such unwise procedure, for although a moderate eater, he did not fail to -suffer severely from such a pernicious practice. This first day afforded -a side-light upon the master’s peculiarities. Never having been used to -the society of children, he was plainly awkward in his treatment of -them, which we did not fail to perceive whenever my little boy was -brought in to say “good-night.”</p> - -<p>As soon as we had discovered a fitting apartment at Portland Place, -Regent’s Park, within a few minutes’ walk of my house, the first thing -he wanted was an easel for his work, so that he might stand up to score. -No sooner was that desire satisfied than he insisted on an eider-down -quilt for his bed. Both these satisfied desires are illustrative of -Wagner. He knew not self-denial. It was sufficient that he wished, that -his wish should be gratified. When he arrived in London<a name="page_234" id="page_234"></a> his means were -limited, but nevertheless the satisfaction of the desires was what he -ever adhered to.</p> - -<p>He had not been here a day before his determined character was made -strikingly apparent to me. In the matter of crossing a crowded -thoroughfare his intrepidity bordered close upon the reckless. He would -go straight across a road; safe on the other side, he was almost boyish -in his laugh at the nervousness of others. But this was Wagner. It was -this deliberate attacking everything that made him what he was; -timorousness was not in his character; dauntless fearlessness, perhaps -not under proper control, naturally gave birth to an iconoclast, who -struck with vigour at all opposition, heedless of destroying the penates -worshipped by others.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS FIRST LONDON CONCERT.</i></div> - -<p>The rehearsal and the introduction of the band of the Philharmonic was a -nervous moment for me. I knew the spirit of opposition had found its way -among a few members of the orchestra; indeed, it numbered one at least, -who felt himself displaced by Wagner’s appointment. However, Wagner -came. He addressed the band in a brotherly manner, as co-workers for the -glory of art; made an apt reference to their idol, his predecessor, and -secured the good-will at once of the majority. I say advisedly the -majority only, because they had not long set to work when he was gently -admonished by some that “they had not been in the habit of taking this -movement so slowly, and that, perhaps, the next had been taken a trifle -too fast.” Wagner was diplomatic; his words were conciliatory, but, for -all that, he went on his way, and would have the <i>tempi</i> according to -his will. At the end he was applauded heartily, and<a name="page_235" id="page_235"></a> henceforth the band -apparently followed implicitly his directions.</p> - -<p>The first concert took place on the 12th March; the programme was as -follows:—</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony</td><td align="left">Hadyn.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Operatic terzetto (vocal)</td><td align="left">Mozart.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Violin Concerto</td><td align="left">Spohr.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Scena (“Ocean, Thou Mighty Monster”)</td><td align="left">Weber.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“The Isle of Fingal”)</td><td align="left">Mendelssohn.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">The “Eroica”</td><td align="left">Beethoven.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Duet (“O My Father”)</td><td align="left">Marschner.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Zauberflöte”)</td><td align="left">Mozart.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>The effect of the concert will be best understood by the following -notice, which I contributed at the time for the “New York Musical -Gazette”:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>The eagerly looked for event has taken place. Costa’s bâton, so -lately swayed with such majestical and even tyrannical ardour, this -self-same bâton was taken on Monday last (12th March) by Richard -Wagner. The audience rose almost <i>en masse</i> to see the man first, -and whispers ran from one to another: “He is a small man, but what -a beautiful and intelligent forehead he has!” Haydn’s symphony, No. -7 (grand) began the concert, and opened the eyes of the audience to -a state of things hitherto unknown, as regards conducting. Wagner -does not beat in the old-fashioned, automato-metronomic manner. He -leaves off beating at times—then resumes again—to lead the -orchestra up to a climax, or to let them soften down to a -<i>pianissimo</i>, as if a thousand invisible threads tied them to his -bâton. His is the beau ideal of conducting. He treats the orchestra -like the instrument on which he pours forth his soul-inspired -strains. Haydn’s well-known symphony seemed a new work through his -inexpressibly intelligent and poetical conception. Beethoven’s -“Eroica,” the first movement of which used to be taken always with -narcotic slowness by previous conductors, and in return the funeral -march always much too fast, so as to rob it of all the magnificent -<i>gran’dolore</i>; the scherzo, which always came out<a name="page_236" id="page_236"></a> clumsily and -heavily; and the finale, which never was understood.—Beethoven’s -“Eroica” may be said to have been heard for the first time here, -and produced a wonderful effect. As if to beat the Mendelssohnian -hypercritics on their own field, Wagner gave a reading of -Mendelssohn’s “Isle of Fingal” that would have delighted the -composer himself, and even the overture of “Die Zauberflöte” -(“Magic Flute”) was invested with something not noticed before. Let -it be well understood that Wagner takes no liberties with the works -of the great masters; but his poetico-musical genius gives him, as -it were, a second sight into their hidden treasures; his worship -for them and his intense study are amply proved by his conducting -them all without the score, and the musicians of the orchestra, so -lately bound to Costa’s reign at Covent Garden, and prejudiced to a -degree against the new man, who had been so much abused before he -came, and judged before he was heard (by those who are not capable -of judging him when they do hear him!)—this very orchestra already -adores Wagner, who, notwithstanding his republican politics, is -decidedly a despot with the orchestra. In short, Wagner has -conquered, and an important influence on musical progress may be -predicted for him. The next concert will bring us the “Ninth -Symphony” and a selection of “Lohengrin,” which the directors would -insist on, notwithstanding the refusal of the composer. The “Times” -abuses Wagner and revenges the neglected English conductors; mixes -up his music with the Revolution, 1848, and falsely states that he -hates Mozart, Beethoven, etc., etc., and furthermore asserts, just -as falsely, that he wrote his books in defence of his operas; but -is so virulent against the man, and says so little about his -conducting, that it strikes us the article must have been written -some years ago, as an answer to “Judaism in Music.” The “Morning -Post” agrees perfectly with us as to Wagner being the conductor of -whom musicians have dreamed, when they sought for perfection, -hitherto unbelieved.</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>SUPPER AFTER THE CONCERT.</i></div> - -<p>After the first concert, we went by arrangement to spend a few hours at -his rooms. Dear me, what an evening of excitement that was! There were -Wagner, Sainton, Lüders, Klindworth (whom I had introduced<a name="page_237" id="page_237"></a> to Wagner as -a pupil of Liszt), myself and wife. Animal spirits ran high. Wagner was -in ecstasies. The concert had been a marked success artistically, and -Richard Wagner’s reception flattering. On arriving at his rooms, he -found it necessary to change his dress from “top to toe.” He had -perspired so freely from excitement that his collar was as though it had -that moment been dipped into a basin of water. So while he went to -change his attire and don a somewhat handsome dressing-robe made by -Minna, Sainton prepared a mayonnaise for the lobster, and Lüders rum -punch made after a Danish method, and one particularly appreciated by -Wagner, who, indeed, loved everything unusual of that description. -Wagner had chosen the lobster salad, I should mention, because crab fish -were either not to be got at all in Germany, or were very expensive. -When he returned he put himself at the piano. His memory was excellent, -and innumerable “bits” or references of the most varied description were -rattled off in a sprightly manner; but more excellent was his running -commentary of observations as to the intention of the composer. These -observations showed the thinker and discerning critic, and in themselves -were of value in helping others to comprehend the meaning of the music. -What he said has mostly found its way into print; indeed, it may be -affirmed that the greater part of his literary productions was only the -transcription of what he uttered incessantly in ordinary conversation. -Then, too, he sang; and what singing it was! It was, as I told him then, -just like the barking of a big Newfoundland dog. He laughed heartily, -but kept on nevertheless. He cared not. Yet though his “singing” was<a name="page_238" id="page_238"></a> -but howling, he sang with his whole heart, and held you, as it were, -spellbound. There was the real musician. He felt what he was doing. He -was earnest, and that was, and is, the cause of his greatness. Then when -we sat at supper he was in his liveliest mood. Richard Wagner a German? -Why, he behaved then with all that uncontrolled expansion of the -Frenchman. But this is only another instance of those contradictions in -Wagner’s life. His volubility at the table knew no bounds. Anecdotes and -reminiscences of his early life poured forth with a freshness, a vigour, -and sparkling vivacity just like some mountain cataract leaping -impetuously forward. He spoke with evident pleasure of his reception by -the audience; praised the orchestra, remarking how faithfully they had -borne in mind and reproduced the impressions he had sought to give them -at the rehearsal. On this point he was only regretful that the -inspiration, the divination, the artistic electricity, as it were, which -is in the air among German or French executants, should be wanting here; -or, as he phrased it, “Ils jouent parfaitement, mais le feu sacré leur -manque.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>CONDUCTING WEBER’S MUSIC.</i></div> - -<p>Then followed his abuse of fashion. White kid gloves on the hands of a -conductor he scoffed at. “Who can do anything fettered with these -things?” he pettishly insisted; and it was only after considerable -pressure, and pointing out the aristocratic antecedents of the -Philharmonic and the class of its supporters, that he had consented to -wear a pair just to walk up the steps of the orchestra on first -appearing, to be taken off immediately he got to his desk. That evening, -at Wagner’s request, we drank with much acclamation eternal<a name="page_239" id="page_239"></a> -“brotherhood,” henceforth to “tutoyer” each other, and broke up our -high-spirited meeting at two in the morning.</p> - -<p>But the second concert, 26th March, 1855, the programme was after -Wagner’s own heart. It was, perhaps, the <i>one</i> of the whole eight which -delighted him the most, embracing as it did the overture to “Der -Freischütz,” the prelude and a selection from “Lohengrin,” and -Beethoven’s “Ninth Symphony.” It was the first time any of Wagner’s -music was to be performed in England, and Wagner was anxious. But the -rehearsal was reassuring. At first the orchestra could not understand -the <i>pianissimo</i> required in the opening of the “Lohengrin” prelude; and -then the crescendos and diminuendos which Wagner insisted upon having -surprised the executants. They turned inquiringly to each other, -seemingly annoyed at his fastidiousness. But the conductor knew what he -wanted and would have it. Then came the overture to “Der Freischütz.” -Now this was exceedingly popular in England, and it was thought nothing -could be altered in the mode of rendering it. Traditions, however, of -the “adored idol,” Weber, were strong in Wagner, and he took it in the -composer’s way; the result was, that at the concert the applause was so -boisterous, and the demands of the audience so emphatic, that a -repetition was at once given. That the overture was repeated will show -how insistent were the audience, for Wagner then, as afterwards, was -decidedly opposed to encores; however, upon this occasion there was no -way of avoiding the repeat. Though, as I have said, the overture was -extremely popular, yet the reading was so new and striking, the phrasing -and<a name="page_240" id="page_240"></a> <i>nuances</i> marked with such decision, that the people were startled, -and expressed their appreciation heartily.</p> - -<p>The reception of the “Lohengrin” selection, too, was unmistakably -favourable. The delicately fragile orchestration of the sweetly melodic -prelude, followed by the bright and attractive rhythmical phrases of the -bridal chorus, caused a bewildered, pleased surprise among the audience, -who had expected something totally different. The “music of the future -was noise and fury,” so said the leading English musical journal, and -this authority counted for something; but the “Lohengrin” prelude was -very inaccurately described, if that had been included, and Wagner felt -pleased and contented at the impression which the first performance of -any of his music had created in this country.<a name="page_241" id="page_241"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX"></a>CHAPTER XIX.<br /><br /> -<small>1855. <i>Continued.</i></small></h2> - -<p>O<small>N</small> the “Ninth Symphony,” that colossal work, Richard Wagner expended -commensurate pains. I remember how surprised the vocalists were at the -rehearsal, when he stopped them, inquiring did they understand the -meaning of what they were singing, and then he briefly explained in -emphatic language what he thought about it. The bass solo was especially -odd: the vocalist was taking it as though it were an ordinary ballad, -when Wagner burst in fiery song, natural and falsetto, illustrating how -it should go, singing the whole of the solo of Mr. Weiss (the bass -vocalist) in such a decided, clean cut manner that it was impossible for -the singer to help imitating him, and with marked effect too. As for the -band, that rehearsal was a revelation to them. That symphony was a -stupendous work, yet the conductor knew it by heart and was conducting -without score. They felt they were in the hands of a man whose artistic -soul was fired with enthusiasm; his earnestness infected them; they -caught it quickly and responded with a zealousness that only sympathetic -artists can put forth, ably supported by Sainton, whom the Prince -Consort complimented to Wagner as a splendid “Chef d’attaque.” The -concert performance created, too, such a stir that even the most violent -of all the anti-Wagner<a name="page_242" id="page_242"></a> critics spoke of it as an “intellectual and -elevated conception.” This concert placed Wagner permanently in the -heart of his band; they loved to be under the command of such an earnest -art worker and yielded willingly to his inspirations.</p> - -<p>That evening after the concert, at our now established gathering, Wagner -was positively jubilant. He had been able to produce the “Ninth -Symphony” in London as he wished, and he hoped the “traditions” would -remain. He emphasized “traditions” in a slyly sarcastic manner, and well -had he reason to do so. Traditions of Mendelssohn and Spohr were -omnipotent, and omnipotent with the orchestra, and Wagner hoped the -conservative English mind would retain “his” traditions of the “Choral -Symphony,” among which would be found how he had sung the long -recitative for the strings,—double-basses,—that ushers in the choral -portion of the work. When Wagner first sang this part to the orchestra, -they all engaged in a good-humoured titter, which speedily gave way to -respect; for Wagner certainly was marvellously successful in explaining -how he wanted a phrase played by first singing it,—a gift it -undoubtedly was.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A VISIT TO ST. PAUL’S.</i></div> - -<p>He said he would not do any work next day, and arranged that we should -visit the city. We went first to the Guildhall. It was astonishing how -he absorbed everything to himself, to his purposes, how his fancy freely -exercised itself. Gog and Magog! they were his Fafner and Fasolt; then -his humour leaped in advance of the period, and he laughingly asked me -whether there was a “Götterdämmerung” in store for the City Fathers, and -whether Guildhall, their Walhalla, supported by the<a name="page_243" id="page_243"></a> giants Gog and -Magog, would also crumble away through the curse of gold. We next went -to the Mint. There, too, the central figure was Wagner; the main theme -of discussion, Wagner. When the attendant put into his hands, as was the -custom, a roll of cancelled bank notes, amounting to thousands of pounds -sterling, he turned to me and said, “The hundredth part of this would -build my theatre, and posterity would bless me.” His speech certainly -savoured of the consciousness of genius. I do not think this is a -euphemistic way of saying he had a good opinion of himself. I say it, -because I feel it to be the truth. It was through this very -consciousness that he triumphed over the many difficulties that beset -him. Without it he could not have achieved what he did. The buoyancy of -hope begotten of conscious strength is a powerful factor in the securing -of success. The theatre he had in his mind then, I thought to be that -which he had urged the Saxon authorities to establish, the scheme for -which I was then well acquainted with, but his latter discourse showed -how, during his exile, that original thought had amplified itself. Of -our visit to St. Paul’s Cathedral I can recall but one observation of -Wagner, to the effect that it was as cold and uninspiring as the -Protestant creed—a strange remark from one whose own religious -tendencies were Lutheran, and who could express his religious -convictions so powerfully and poetically in his last work, “Parsifal.”</p> - -<p>Richard Wagner’s intense attachment to the canine species led him to -make friends with our dog, a large, young, black Norwegian beast, given -me by Hainberger, the companion of Wagner in the forward movement of<a name="page_244" id="page_244"></a> -1848-9, and sharer of his exile. The dog showed in return a decided -affection for his newly made acquaintance. After a few days, when Wagner -found that the dog was kept in a small back yard, he expostulated -against such “cruelty,” and proposed to take the dog’s necessary -out-door exercise under his own special care—a task he never shirked -during the whole of his London stay. Whenever he went for his daily -promenade, a habit never relinquished at any period of his life, the dog -was his companion, no matter who else might be of the party. Nor was the -control of the dog an easy task. It was a curious sight to witness -Wagner’s patience in following the wild gyrations of the spirited -animal, who, in his exultation of that semi-freedom, tugged at his -chain, dragging the Nibelung composer hither and thither.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>ANIMALS ON THE STAGE.</i></div> - -<p>Part of Wagner’s daily constitutional was to the Regent’s Park, entering -by the Hanover Gate. There, at the small bridge over the ornamental -water, would he stand regularly and feed the ducks, having previously -provided himself for the purpose with a number of French rolls—rolls -ordered each day for the occasion. There was a swan, too, that came in -for much of Wagner’s affection. It was a regal bird, and fit, as the -master said, to draw the chariot of Lohengrin. The childlike happiness, -full to overflowing, with which this innocent occupation filled Wagner, -was an impressive sight never to be forgotten. It was Wagner you saw -before you, the natural man, affectionate, gentle, and mirthful. His -genuine affection for the brute creation, united to a keen power of -observation, gave birth to numberless anecdotes, and the account of the -Regent<a name="page_245" id="page_245"></a>’s Park peregrinations often formed a most pleasant subject of -after-dinner conversation. I should explain that though Wagner had rooms -in Portland Place, St. John’s Chapel, Regent’s Park, he only took his -breakfast there, and did such work in the matter of scoring in the -morning, coming directly after to my house for his dog and rolls, -returning for dinner and to spend the rest of the day under my roof, -where also a room was provided for him.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THAT UNHAPPY DRAGON.</i></div> - -<p>In our friendly talks upon the animal kingdom, we soon came to a decided -dissension. I casually remarked on the ludicrous effects animals produce -at times, and under all circumstances on the stage; here I found myself -in direct opposition to Wagner’s notions on the subject. Had he not the -dragon Fafner, the young bear in “Siegfried,” the Gräne, the steed of -the Valkyrie, even the fluttering bird in the tetralogy? Was not the -swan in “Lohengrin” another proof of his predilection for realistic -representation of animals on the stage? It was in vain that I cited the -lamentable failure of the serpent in Mozart’s “Magic Flute,” which, even -at the best theatres in Germany, never produced other than a burst of -hilarity at its wriggling in the pangs of death, when pierced by the -three donnas; or again the two lions in the same opera which are rolled -on to the stage like children’s wooden horses; or Weber’s mistake of -introducing a serpent in his “Euryanthe,” which always mars that scene! -But I found myself obliged to cease quoting examples, and seek a basis -for establishing principles for my argument against the introduction of -animals on the stage. Here more success awaited me on the strength of -Wagner’s own exalted notion of the histrionic<a name="page_246" id="page_246"></a> art; viz. that an actor, -to be worthy of the name, must possess the creative power of a poet, and -become, as it were, inspired into the state impersonated, which might -not inaptly be likened to that of mesmerism. The actor must believe -himself another being, must be unconscious of aught else. One such -artist, he asserted, was Garrick, in the delivery of monologues, when -the great tragedian was said to have isolated himself to such a degree, -that though with his eyes wide open, he became, as it were, visionless. -It was on this ground that I attempted my argument against Wagner’s -illogical and intemperate introduction of the brute creation into his -dramas. If, I argued, you will not accept an actor properly so-called, a -reasoning man, unless his poetic creative fancy can enable him to -transport his identity into a character entirely different from his own, -how still less can you expect any animal to impersonate a set rôle in -any performance? Whatever actions may be required from it, a dog will -always represent a dog; a horse, a horse. Wagner saw the argument, but -reluctant as at all times to confess himself beaten, he advanced -“training” as a defence. This, however, served only to destroy his case -the more; for he had previously reasoned, and with much force, that all -training for the stage as a profession was useless, and but so much -mis-directed effort and waste of time, unless the student had given -evidence of a genius, which nature, alas! is chary in bestowing. So much -for the introduction of real animals upon the stage; there the case is -bad enough, and the results occasionally disastrous and ludicrous; but -when one has to make shift with imitation, the matter is still worse. -Here, too, however, Wagner was<a name="page_247" id="page_247"></a> reluctant to forego the semblance as -much as he was the reality. Yet, let the case be tested by oneself. -Recall the bear Siegfried brings with him into the smithy, think of the -ridiculous effect produced by the actor’s antics in his vain efforts to -worthily perform his part and seem a real bear. There is no margin left -for the imagination, and the sad attempt at a mistaken realism defeats -its own purpose. It is an extraordinary feature in a poetic brain like -that of Wagner, that he would cling persistently to such a realism. This -subject remained always one on which we dissented, and I never failed to -prognosticate a failure for his pets in the Nibelung tetralogy, which to -my mind was fully proved even under his own supervision, and on the -hallowed ground of Bayreuth at the performances there, which were, in -all other respects, so marvellously perfect. Who is there that was -terribly impressed by the sight of the dragon, or who could divest -himself of the thought that a recital of the combat would have proved -infinitely more impressive than the slaying of the snorting monster, -however well Siegfried bears himself towards the pasteboard pitiful -imitation of a fabulous beast? Who, again, would not sooner have heard a -description of the wild, spirited steed, Gräne, than witness the nervous -anxiety of Brünhilde in mounting and dismounting a funeral charger, -which is the cynosure of all eyes while on the stage, to the loss of the -music-dramatic setting? The attention of the dramatis personæ and -audience is distracted from the action of the drama, and centred on the -probable next movement of an animal unable to grasp the situation. This -question of realism is a debatable point; but if it be not kept within -strictly defined<a name="page_248" id="page_248"></a> limits, I fear there will be danger of the ludicrous -triumphing over the serious.</p> - -<p>An inquiry into the probable causes of an exaggerated tendency to -realism, in a man like Wagner, cannot but be interesting to those who, -without bias, accept him as a master-mind. After many years of an ardent -study of his character, compelled by his commanding genius, I am forced -to a conclusion, the key to many of his actions, which is equally the -explanation in the present instance, is the lack of self-denial. He -yearned for unlimited means to achieve his purpose, and would have the -most gorgeous and costly trappings, to set off his pictures of the -imagination. It was the same in every-day matters of life. Nor, must I -add, did he ever care from whence the means came. That this was the case -in real life, all who know him will testify. How much more, then, would -such a tendency be fed in realizing the vivid impressions with which his -active poetical fancy so freely provided him. Unlimited means! that was -the dream of his life, and up to a late period, when these means at last -realized themselves by the astounding success of his works and the -enormous sums they produced, his inability to curb his wants down to his -actual means kept him in a state of constant trouble and yearning for -freedom from those shackles.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE THIRD LONDON CONCERT.</i></div> - -<p>He accepted his humble descent, fully convinced from earliest time of -having the patent of nobility in his brain—in his genius! He ever bore -himself with the consciousness of superiority, but as for titles and -decorative distinctions, he disdained them all. Were they not bestowed -on numskulls? therefore, he has<a name="page_249" id="page_249"></a> loudly proclaimed genius should not -dishonour its lofty intelligence in accepting empty baubles. But riches -and the profuse luxurious splendour that can be purchased thereby would -not have seemed too much for him, had they equalled the fabulous -possessions of a Monte Cristo. The traditional humble state of the great -composers, if not actual poverty, as compared with the fortunes amassed -in other arts, was a continual source of complaint with him.</p> - -<p>The programme of the third concert was as follows:—</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="center" colspan="2">Third Concert, 16th April.</td></tr> -<tr><td colspan="2"> </td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony in A</td><td align="left">Mendelssohn.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Aria from “Faust”</td><td align="left">Spohr.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Concerto, pianoforte</td><td align="left">Beethoven.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Aria</td><td align="left">Mozart.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Euryanthe”)</td><td align="left">Weber.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony in C minor, No. 5</td><td align="left">Beethoven.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Recitative and Aria</td><td align="left">Spohr.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Les deux journées”)</td><td align="left">Cherubini.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>That evening, the 16th April, there was a stir among the Mendelssohnian -supporters. They mustered in force; for it had been rumoured that at the -rehearsal Wagner had not stopped the orchestra once. But however Wagner -may have regarded the works of the composer of “Elijah,” he was -straightforward enough to do with all his might what he put his hand to, -as the sequel proved, since the “Daily News” reported that it “never -heard the ‘Italian’ Symphony go so well.” That there were some whose -prejudice was not appeased, is to be accepted as a matter of course, and -Wagner was taunted in the “Times,” “with a coarse and rigorously frigid” -performance.<a name="page_250" id="page_250"></a></p> - -<p>As for the overture to “Euryanthe,” it is not too much to say the -audience was startled out of itself; there was a dead silence for a -moment on the work being brought to a close, and the enthusiasm, -vigorous and hearty, burst forth. It was a new reading. Such was the -surprise with which we witnessed the rapturous applause, that at the -convivial gathering after the concert Wagner set himself at the piano, -and from memory poured forth numerous excerpts from “Euryanthe.” Then we -learned that that opera was intensely admired by Wagner. He thought it -“logical” and “philosophical,” and throughout showed that Weber was a -reflective musician, and, as he himself forcibly argued, that only works -of reflection could ever be immortal. The plot, its treatment, and the -language employed were, he felt, the causes of the opera’s -non-popularity, and that these wretched drawbacks dreadfully changed the -intrinsically beautiful music.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A FONDNESS FOR SNUFF.</i></div> - -<p>Reflections upon the habits and customs of a past generation sometimes -introduce us to situations that produce in the mind wonder and perhaps a -feeling of disgust. Who can picture the composer of that colossal work -of intellect, the “Nibelung Ring,” sitting at the piano, in an elegant, -loose robe-de-chambre, singing, with full heart, snatches and scenes -from his “adored” idol, Weber’s “Euryanthe,” and at intervals of every -three or four minutes indulging in large quantities of scented snuff. -The snuff-taking scene of the evening is the deeper graven on my memory, -because Wagner abruptly stopped singing, on finding his snuff-box empty, -and got into a childish, pettish fit of anger. He turned to us in -deepest concern, with “Kein schnupf tabac mehr<a name="page_251" id="page_251"></a> also Kein gesang mehr” -(no more snuff, no more song); and though we had reached the small hours -of early morn, would have some one start in search of this “necessary -adjunct.” When singing, the more impassioned he became, the more -frequent the snuff-taking. Now, this practice of Wagner’s, one -cultivated from early manhood, in my opinion pointedly illustrates a -phase in the man’s character. He did not care for snuff, and even -allowed the indelicacy of the habit, but it was that insatiable nature -of his that yearned for the enjoyment of all the “supposed” luxuries of -life. It was precisely the same with smoking. He indulged in this, to -me, barbarous acquirement more moderately, but experienced not the -slightest pleasure from it. I have seen him puffing from the mild and -inoffensive cheroot, to the luxurious hookah—the latter, too, as he -confessed, only because it was an Oriental growth, and the luxury of -Eastern people harmonized with his own fondness for unlimited profusion. -“Other people find pleasure in smoking; then why should not I?” This is, -briefly, the only explanation Wagner ever offered in defence of the -practice—a practice which he was fully aware increased the malignity of -his terrible dyspepsia.</p> - -<p>There was in Wagner a nervous excitability which not infrequently led to -outbreaks of passion, which it would be difficult to understand or -explain, were it not that there existed a positive physical cause. -First, he suffered, as I have stated earlier, from occasional attacks of -erysipelas; then his nervous system was delicate, sensitive,—nay, I -should say, irritable. Spasmodic displays of temper were often the -result, I firmly feel, of purely physical suffering. His skin was so -sensitive<a name="page_252" id="page_252"></a> that he wore silk next to the body, and that at a time when -he was not the favoured of fortune. In London he bought the silk, and -had shirts made for him; so, too, it was with his other garments. We -went together to a fashionable tailor in Regent Street, where he ordered -that his pockets and the back of his vest should be of silk, as also the -lining of his frock-coat sleeves; for Wagner could not endure the touch -of cotton, as it produced a shuddering sensation throughout the body -that distressed him. I remember well the tailor’s surprise and -explanation that silk for the back of the vest and lining of the sleeves -was not at all necessary, and that the richest people never had silk -linings; besides, it was not seen. This last observation brought Wagner -up to one of his indignant bursts, “Never seen! yes; that’s the tendency -of this century; sham, sham in everything; that which is not seen may be -paltry and mean, provided only that the exterior be richly gilded.”</p> - -<p>On the matter of dress he had, as on most things, decided opinions! The -waistcoat he condemned as superfluous, and thought a garment akin to the -mediæval doublet in every way more suitable and comely, and was strongly -inclined at one time to revert to that style of costume himself. He did -go so far as to wear an uncommon headgear, one sanctioned by antiquity, -the <i>biretta</i>, which few people of to-day would have courage to don. -Thus it was that from physical causes Wagner preferred silks and -velvets, and so a constitutional defect produced widespread and -ungenerous charges of affected originality and sumptuous luxuriousness.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>TOO MUCH GOOD MUSIC.</i></div> - -<p>Wagner was greatly amused at the references to him in the London -Charivari “Punch,” wherein his “music<a name="page_253" id="page_253"></a> of the future” was described as -“Promissory Notes,” and on a second occasion when it was asserted that -“Lord John Russell is in treaty with Dr. Wagner to compose some music of -the future for his Reform Bill.”</p> - -<p>The fourth concert on the 30th April nearly led to a rupture between -Wagner and the directors. The programme was as follows:—</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony in B flat</td><td align="left">Lucas.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Romanza (“Huguenots”)</td><td align="left">Meyerbeer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Nonetto for string and wind instruments</td><td align="left">Spohr.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Recitative and Aria</td><td align="left">Beethoven.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Ruler of the Spirits”)</td><td align="left">Weber.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony No. 7</td><td align="left">Beethoven.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Duetto (“cosi fan Tutti”)</td><td align="left">Mozart.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“l’Alcade de la Velga”)</td><td align="left">Onslow.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>Wagner had a decided objection to long programmes. The London public, he -said, “overfeed themselves with music; they cannot healthily digest the -lengthy menu provided for them.” This programme was distasteful, and -what a scene did it produce! During the aria from “Les Huguenots,” the -tenor, Herr Reichardt, after a few bars’ rest, did not retake his part -at the proper moment, upon which Wagner turned to him,—of course -without stopping the band,—whereupon the singer made gestures to the -audience indicating that the error lay with Wagner. At the end of the -vocal piece a slight consternation ensued. Wagner was well aware of the -unfriendliness of a section of the critics, and in all probability -capital would be made out of this. At the end of the first part of the -concert I went to him in the artists’ room. His high-pitched excitement -and uncontrolled<a name="page_254" id="page_254"></a> utterances, it was easy to foresee, boded no good. And -so when we reached home after the concert there ensued a positive storm -of passion. Wagner at his best was impulsive and vehement; suffering -from a miserable insinuation as to his incapacity, he grew furious. On -one point he was emphatic,—he would return to Switzerland the next day. -All entreaties and protestations were unavailing. Sainton, Lüders, and -myself actually hung upon him, so ungovernable was his anger. He knew -how I had suffered in the press for championing his cause. -“Chef-de-claque,” “madman,” and “tutto quanti” were the elegant epithets -bestowed upon me in print; and if Wagner left now, the enemy would have -some show of truth in charging him with admitted incompetence: however, -after two or three hours’ talking he engaged to stay and see whether he -could not win success with the “Tannhäuser” overture, which was to be -performed at the next concert.</p> - -<p>A distorted report of this event appearing in certain German musical -papers, he wrote an explanatory letter to Dresden, in which he stated, -“I need not tell you that it was only the entreaties of Ferdinand -Praeger and those friends who accompanied me home, that dissuaded me -from my somewhat impulsive determination.”</p> - -<p>At the fifth concert, 14th May, the “Tannhäuser” overture was performed. -It came at the end of the first part of another of those long programmes -which Wagner disliked so much. In a letter to me to Brighton, where I -had gone for a few days, he writes: “These endless programmes, with -these interminable masses of instrumental and vocal pieces, torture me.” -The programme of the fifth concert was:—<a name="page_255" id="page_255"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE “TANNHÄUSER” OVERTURE.</i></div> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony</td><td align="left">Mozart.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Aria</td><td align="left">Paer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Concerto (pianoforte)</td><td align="left">Chopin.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Aria</td><td align="left">Mozart.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Tannhäuser”)</td><td align="left">Wagner.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony (“Pastorale”)</td><td align="left">Beethoven.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Romance</td><td align="left">Meyerbeer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Barcarola (vocal)</td><td align="left">Ricci.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Preciosa”)</td><td align="left">Weber.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>How those violin passages on the fourth string in the “Tannhäuser” -overture worried the instrumentalists! But as Lipinski had done at -Dresden, so Sainton did now in London, and fingered the passages for -each individual performer. The concert room was well filled. At the -close of the overture tumultuous applause followed, the audience rising -and waving handkerchiefs; indeed, Mr. Anderson informed me that he had -never known such a display of excitement at a Philharmonic concert where -everything was so staid and decorous. As this overture has become -perhaps one of the most popular of Wagner excerpts, it will be -interesting to read what the two acknowledged leading musical critics in -London, i.e. of the “Musical World” (who was also the critic of the -“Times”) and the “Athenæum,” said with reference to it. The former -wrote: “The instrumentation is always heavy and thick”; and the -“Athenæum” said: “Yawning chromatic progressions ... a scramble; ... a -hackneyed eight-bar phrase, the commonplace of which is not disguised by -an accidental sharp; ... the instrumentation is ill-balanced, -ineffective, thin, and noisy.”</p> - -<p>On the morning of the 22d May, Wagner came to Milton Street very early. -It was his birthday; he was<a name="page_256" id="page_256"></a> forty-two, and the good, devoted Minna had -so carefully timed the arrival of her congratulatory letter, that Wagner -had received it that morning. He was informed that her gift was a -dressing-gown of violet velvet, lined with satin of similar colour, -headgear—the <i>biretta</i>, so well known—to match,—articles of apparel -which furnished his enemies with so much opportunity for charges of -ostentation, egregious vanity, etc. Minna knew her husband well; the -gift was entirely after his heart. He read us the letter. The only -portion of it which I can remember referred to the animal world,—the -dog, Peps, who had been presented with a new collar; and of his parrot, -who had repeated unceasingly, “Richard Wagner, du bist ein grosser mann” -(Richard Wagner, you are a great man). Wagner’s imitation of the parrot -was very amusing. That day the banquet was spread for Richard Wagner. -How he did talk! It was the never-ending fountain leaping from the rock, -sparkling and bright, clear and refreshing. He told us episodes of his -early career at Magdeburg and Riga. How he impressed me then with his -energy! Truly, he was a man whose onward progress no obstacles could -arrest. The indomitable will, and the excision of “impossible” from his -vocabulary, were prominent during the recital of the stirring events of -his early manhood. Certainly it was but a birthday feast, and the talk -was genial and merry; yet there went out from me, unbidden and -unchecked, “Truly, that is a great man.” Yes, though it was but -after-dinner conversation, the reflections were those of a man born to -occupy a high position in the world of thought and to compel the -submission of others to his intellectual vigour.<a name="page_257" id="page_257"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote">“<i>THE PHILHARMONIC OMNIBUS.</i>”</div> - -<p>At the sixth concert, 28th May, another of those lengthy programmes was -gone through, and comprised—</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony in G minor</td><td align="left">C. Potter.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Aria (“Il Seraglio”)</td><td align="left">Mozart.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Concerto, violin, Mr. Sainton</td><td align="left">Beethoven.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Sicilienne</td><td align="left">Pergolesi.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Leonora”)</td><td align="left">Beethoven.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony, A minor</td><td align="left">Mendelssohn.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Aria (“Non mi dir”)</td><td align="left">Mozart.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Song, “O ruddier than the cherry”</td><td align="left">Handel.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Der Berg-geist”)</td><td align="left">Spohr.</td></tr> -</table> -<p>Think of the anger of Wagner! two symphonies and two overtures in the -same evening, besides the vocal music and concerto! This was the fourth -concert at which a double dose of symphony and overture was administered -to an audience incapable of digesting such a surfeit; it was these -“full” programmes, reminding him of the cry of the London omnibus -conductors, “full inside,” which led him humorously to speak of himself -as “conductor of the Philharmonic Omnibus.” In the subjoined letter -addressed to my wife, anent their daily promenade for the “banquetting,” -as he called it, of the ducks in the Regent’s Park, he subscribes -himself as above.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Carissima Sorella</span>: Croyez-vous le temps assez bon, pour -entreprendre notre promenade? Si vous avez le moindre doute, et -comme l’affaire ne presse pas du tout, je vous prie de vous en -dispenser pour aujourd’hui. Faites-moi une toute petite reponse si -je dois venir vous chercher dans un Hansom, ou non?</p> - -<p>En tous cas je gouterai des 4 heures des delices de votre table!</p> - -<p class="r"> -Votre cordialement, dévoúé frère,<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>,<br /> -<i>Conductor d’omnibus de la Société<br /> -Philharmonique, 1855</i>.<br /> -</p></div> - -<p><a name="page_258" id="page_258"></a></p> - -<p>The letter was sent by hand, as his rooms were but ten minutes from my -house. Perhaps I may here reproduce another short note from Wagner to my -wife, with no other intention than showing the degree of close -friendship that existed between him and us:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Ma Très Chère Sœur Léonie</span>: Si vous voulez je viendrai demain -(Samedi) diver avec vous à 6 heures le soir. Pour Dimanche il m’a -fallu accepter une invitation pour Camberwell, que je ne pouvais -absolument pas refuser. Serez-vous contente de me voir demain?</p> - -<p class="r"> -Votre très obligé frère,<br /> - -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Vendredi Soir, 1865.</span></p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>MR. POTTER MADE HAPPY.</i></div> - -<p>Reverting to the concert, the universal criticism was that Wagner had -achieved great things with Cipriani Potter’s symphony. The music Wagner -thought the exact reflection of the man, antiquated but respectable. -Potter was a charming man in daily intercourse, of short stature, thin, -ample features, huge shaggy eyebrows, stand-up collars behind whose -points the old man could hide half his face, and a coat copied from a -Viennese pattern of last century. Wagner was genuinely drawn to the man; -and as the inimical “Musical World” said, “took great pains with the -symphony” (p. 347). Wagner used to declaim greatly against -Mendelssohnian tradition, in the orchestra,—that no movement should be -taken too slow, for fear of wearying the audience. However, being a man -of strong independent character, he would have his way, and movements -were taken as slow as the spirit appeared to require. The critics abused -him heartily; indeed, to such an extent that when the Mozart symphony in -E flat was to be done, the directors implored Wagner<a name="page_259" id="page_259"></a> to allow the -orchestra to take the slow movement in the quick <i>tempo</i> taught by -Mendelssohn. Similarly, when Potter’s symphony was to be done, Mr. -Potter particularly requested Wagner to take the <i>andante</i> somewhat -fast, otherwise he feared a failure. But Wagner, who, with his -accustomed earnestness had almost the whole by heart, told the composer -that the <i>andante</i> was an extremely pretty, naïve movement, and that no -matter the speed, if the expression were omitted or slurred, the whole -would fall flat; but, added Wagner, it should go thus: Then he sang part -to Mr. Potter, who was so touched that he grasped Wagner’s hand, saying, -“I never dreamed a conductor could take a new work so much to heart as -you have; and as you sing it, just so I meant it.” After the concert Mr. -Potter was very delighted.</p> - -<p>But the work of the evening was the “Leonora” overture. Here again -Wagner had his reading, one which the orchestra fell in with -immediately, for they perceived the truth, the earnestness of what -Wagner taught.</p> - -<p>At the seventh concert, 11th June, the “Tannhäuser” overture was -repeated, by royal command. The programme, again “full,” included three -overtures and two symphonies.</p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Chevy Chase”)</td><td align="left">Macfarren.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Air (“Jessonda”)</td><td align="left">Spohr.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony (“Jupiter”)</td><td align="left">Mozart.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Scena (“Oberon”)</td><td align="left">Weber.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Tannhäuser”)</td><td align="left">Wagner.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony (No. 8)</td><td align="left">Beethoven.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Song (“Ave Maria”)</td><td align="left">Cherubini.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Duet</td><td align="left">Paer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Anacreon”)</td><td align="left">Cherubini.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p><a name="page_260" id="page_260"></a></p> - -<p>The press did Wagner the justice to state that he showed himself earnest -in the matter of Macfarren’s “Chevy Chase.” His own overture, -“Tannhäuser,” was again a brilliant success. The queen sent for him into -the royal salon, and, congratulating him, said that the Prince Consort -was “a most ardent admirer of his.” Richard Wagner was pleased at the -unaffected and “winning” manner of Her Majesty, who spoke German to him, -but as his own account of the interview, written to a friend at Dresden -two days after the concert, is now before me, I will reproduce it.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>...It was therefore the more pleasing to me that the queen (which -very seldom happens, and not every year) had signified her -intention of being present at the seventh concert, and ordered a -repetition of the overture. It was in itself a very pleasant thing -that the queen overlooked my exceedingly compromised political -position (which with great malignity was openly alluded to in the -“Times”), and without fear attended a public performance which I -directed. Her further conduct towards me, moreover, infinitely -compensated for all the disagreeable circumstances and coarse -enmities which hitherto I had encountered. She and Prince Albert, -who sat in front before the orchestra, applauded after “Tannhäuser” -overture, which closed the first part, with such hearty warmth that -the public broke forth into lively and sustained applause. During -the interval the queen sent for me into the drawing-room, receiving -me in the presence of her suite with these words: “I am most happy -to make your acquaintance. Your composition has charmed me.” She -thereupon made inquiries, during a long conversation, in which -Prince Albert took part, as to my other compositions; and asked if -it were not possible to translate my operas into Italian. I had, of -course, to give the negative to this, and state that my stay here -could only be temporary, as the only position open was that of -director of a concert-institute which was not properly my sphere. -At the end of the concert the queen and the prince again applauded -me....</p></div> - -<p><a name="page_261" id="page_261"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>BURLESQUE OF HIS OWN SONG.</i></div> - -<p>That evening after the concert our usual meeting included Berlioz and -his wife. Berlioz had arrived shortly before this concert. Between him -and Wagner I knew an awkward constraint existed, which I hardly saw how -to bridge over, but I was desirous to bring the two together, and -discussing the matter with Wagner, he agreed that perhaps the convivial -union after the concert afforded the very opportunity. And so Berlioz -came. But his wife was sickly; she lay on the sofa and engrossed the -whole of her husband’s attention, causing Berlioz to leave somewhat -early. He came alone to the next gathering.</p> - -<p>After such a triumph as Wagner had had that evening with the overture, -he was unusually excited. Hector Berlioz, too, was of an excitable -temperament, but could repress it. Not so Wagner. He presented a -striking contrast to the polished, refined Frenchman, whose speech was -almost classic, through his careful selection of words. Wagner went to -the piano, and sang the “Star of Eve,” with harmonies which Chellard, a -German composer of little note (he had composed “Macbeth” as an opera), -said “must be intended.” The effect was extremely mirth-provoking, for -Wagner could ape the ridiculous with irresistible humour.</p> - -<p>That evening Wagner, who was always fond of “tasty” dinners, spoke so -glowingly of the French, and their culinary art powers, that we arranged -a whitebait dinner at Greenwich at the Ship, one such as the ministers -sat down to. Edward Roeckel, the brother of August, came up from Bath -for the occasion, and was the giver of the feast. We went by boat. I -remember well the journey, for poor Wagner had an attack of -<i>malde<a name="page_262" id="page_262"></a>-mer</i>, as though he actually were at sea; the wind was blowing -hard, and the water rough. He appreciated highly the whitebait, -especially the dish of devilled ones, and the much-decried cooking of -the British ascended several degrees in his opinion.</p> - -<p>The attitude of the bulk of the London press towards Wagner I have -spoken of as unfriendly; they condemned him, indeed, before he was -heard. Not content with writing bitterly against him, some persons were -in the habit of sending him every scurrilous article that appeared about -him. Who was the instigator I could not positively say. On one occasion, -a letter was addressed to Wagner by an English composer, whom I will not -do the honour of naming, who had sought by every possible means to -achieve notoriety, stating that it was said Wagner had spoken -disparagingly of his name and music, and desiring an explanation with -complete satisfaction. Wagner was excessively angry. He had never heard -the name of the composer, wanted to write an indignant remonstrance, but -was dissuaded by me, for I saw both in this and the regular receipt of -the anonymously sent papers, an attempt to draw Wagner into a dispute. -Of course the writer was but the tool of others. In these matters Wagner -yielded himself entirely into my hands, though he was often desirous of -wielding a fluent and effective pen against his ungenerous enemies.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS FONDNESS FOR LUXURY.</i></div> - -<p>At that time I had in London a friend on a visit from Paris, a musical -amateur of gift, named Kraus. He was in the confidence of the emperor of -the French, holding the position of steward to a branch of the Bonaparte -family. I invited him to meet Wagner, of whom<a name="page_263" id="page_263"></a> he was an admirer. Now -listen to what took place. Wagner did all that was possible by -persuasive language to induce Kraus to move the emperor to do something -for Berlioz. It was to no purpose that we were told the emperor was not -enthusiastic for music, and that so many impossible difficulties were in -the way. Wagner kept to his point; Berlioz was poor, had been compelled -to resort to pledging trinkets, etc., whereby to live, and that it was a -crime to the art which he, Kraus, professed to love, that Berlioz should -be in want. I have thought this incident worthy of notice, as showing -the good-will of Wagner for a brother artist was stronger than the icy -restraint that existed between them when they met.</p> - -<p>Much has been written and said of Wagner’s extravagance, his prodigality -of luxury. Well, ‘tis true, Wagner knew not self-denial, and that his -taste was ever for the beautiful and costly. With such characteristics, -his indulgence in the choice and elegant can be understood. Should -something pretty attract his attention in the street, say in a shop -window, he would stop suddenly and exclaim aloud what he thought, -heedless of the people standing by. Wagner was not wealthy when in -London, yet he spent freely; silk for shirts for ordinary wear, and -costly Irish laces for Minna. In these shopping expeditions my wife was -his companion, and Wagner showed he possessed that kindly tact born of -natural goodness of heart, in discovering what might be considered -pretty, when it was straightway purchased and presented to her.</p> - -<p>I now come to the last concert, the eighth, which took place on the 25th -June. Again the programme included two symphonies and two overtures:—<a name="page_264" id="page_264"></a></p> - -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary=""> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony (No. 3, C minor)</td><td align="left">Spohr.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Scena (“Der Freischütz”)</td><td align="left">Weber.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Concerto (pianoforte)</td><td align="left">Hummel.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Song</td><td align="left">Haydn.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Midsummer Night’s Dream”)</td><td align="left">Mendelssohn.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Symphony (No. 4, B flat)</td><td align="left">Beethoven.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Duet (“Prophète”)</td><td align="left">Meyerbeer.</td></tr> -<tr><td align="left">Overture (“Oberon”)</td><td align="left">Weber.</td></tr> -</table> - -<p>At the close of this concert he met with applause, hearty from a -section, but I cannot say it was universal. He had won many friends and -had made many enemies, but on the whole, Wagner was satisfied. That -evening our last festive gathering was very jovial. Wagner expressed -himself with all the enthusiasm his warm, impulsive nature was capable -of; he was deeply sensible of the value of his stay here. He had almost -retired from the world, but now Paris and Germany would again be brought -to hear of him. He regretted much the spiteful criticism that had fallen -upon me, and which I was likely to meet with still more. We remained -with Wagner until about three in the morning, helping him to prepare for -his departure from London that 26th June.</p> - -<div class="sidenote">“<i>NOT A MUSICIAN AT ALL.</i>”</div> - -<p>I have refrained from making any quotations about myself. Those who are -interested enough to know how a pioneer is treated by his contemporaries -will discover many silly, impotent reflections upon me in the musical -journals of the period. I will content myself with reproducing a few -extracts about Richard Wagner and his music. The principal papers in -London, those that directed public opinion in musical matters, were the -“Musical World,” “Times,” “Athenæum,” and “Sunday<a name="page_265" id="page_265"></a> Times.” Four days -after Wagner had left, the following sad specimens appeared. The -“Musical World,” 30th June, 1855:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>We hold that Herr Richard Wagner <i>is not a musician at all</i> ... -this excommunication of pure melody, this utter contempt of time -and rhythmic definition, so notorious in Herr Wagner’s compositions -(we were about to say Herr Wagner’s music), is also one of the most -important points of his system, as developed at great length in the -book of “Oper und Drama.” ... It is clear to us that Herr Wagner -wants to upset both opera and drama. Let him then avow it without -all this mystification of words—this tortuous and sophisticated -systematizing.... He is just now cleansing the Augean stables of -the musical drama, and meanwhile, with a fierce iconoclasm, is -knocking down imaginary images, and levelling temples that are but -the creations of his own brain. When he has done this to his own -satisfaction, he will have to grope disconsolate among the ruins of -his contrivance, like Marius on the crumbled walls of Carthage, and -in a brown study begin to reflect, “What next?” For he, Wagner, can -build up nothing himself. He can destroy, but not reconstruct. He -can kill, but not give life.... What do we find there in the shape -of Wagnerian “Art Drama.” So far as music is concerned, nothing -better than chaos—“absolute” chaos. The symmetry of form—ignored -or else abandoned; the consistency of keys and their -relations—overthrown, contemned, demolished; the charm of rhythmic -measure, the whole art of phrase and cadence, the true basis of -harmony and the indispensable government of modulation, cast away -for a reckless, wild, extravagant, and demagogic cacophony, the -symbol of profligate libertinage!... Look at “Lohengrin”—that -“<i>best</i> piece”; hearken to “Lohengrin”—that “<i>best</i> piece.” Your -answer is there written and sung. Cast that book upon the waters; -it tastes bitter, as the little volume to the prophet. It is -poison—<i>rank poison</i>....</p> - -<p>This man, this Wagner, this author of “Tannhäuser,” of “Lohengrin,” -and so many other hideous things—and above all, the overture to -“Der Fliegende Holländer,” the most hideous and detestable of the -whole—this preacher of the “future,” was born to feed<a name="page_266" id="page_266"></a> spiders -with flies, not to make happy the heart of man with beautiful -melody and harmony. What is music to him, or he to music?... Who -are the men that go about as his apostles? Men like Liszt—the -apostle of Weimar and Professor Praeger, madmen, enemies of music -to the knife, who, not born for music, and conscious of their -impotence, revenge themselves by endeavouring to annihilate it.... -Wagner’s theories are impious. No words can be strong enough to -condemn them; no arraignment before the judgment-seat of truth too -stern and summary; no verdict of condemnation too sweeping and -severe.... Not to compare things earthly with things heavenly, has -Mendelssohn lived among us in vain?... All we can make out of -“Lohengrin,” by the flaming torch of truth, is an incoherent mass -of rubbish, with no more real pretension to be called music than -the jangling and clashing of gongs and other uneuphonious -instruments.... Wagner, on the contrary, who, though a mythical -dramatist, is no musician and very little poet.... He cannot write -music himself, and for that reason arraigns it. His contempt for -Mendelssohn is simply ludicrous; and we would grant him forty years -to produce one melodious phrase like any of those so profusely -scattered about in the operas of Rossini, Weber, Auber, and -Meyerbeer.... Wagner is as unable to invent genuine tune as pure -harmony, and he knows it. Hence “the books.” ... Richard Wagner and -his followers—sham prophets.... Listen to their wily eloquence, -and you find yourself in the coils of rattle-snakes.... There is as -much difference between “Guillaume Tell” and “Lohengrin” as between -the sun and ashes.</p></div> - -<p>From the “Sunday Times,” May, 1855:—</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>GEMS OF CRITICISM.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Music is not his special birthgift—is not for him an articulate -language or a beautiful form of expression.... Richard Wagner is a -desperate charlatan, endowed with worldly skill and vigorous -purpose enough to persuade a gaping crowd that the nauseous -compound he manufactures has some precious inner virtue, that they -must live and ponder yet ere they perceive.... Anything more -rambling, incoherent, unmasterly, cannot well be conceived. In -composition it would be a scandal to compare him with the men of -reputation this country possesses. Scarcely the most ordinary<a name="page_267" id="page_267"></a> -ballad writer but would shame him in the creation of melody, and no -English harmonist of more than one year’s growth could be found -sufficiently without ears and education to pen such vile things.</p></div> - -<p>The “Athenæum,” upon the fifth concert says:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>The overture to “Tannhäuser” is one of the most curious pieces of -patchwork ever passed off by self-delusion for a complete and -significant creation.</p></div> - -<p>The critic, after finding a plagiarism of Mendelssohn and Cherubini, -continues:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>The instrumentation is ill-balanced, ineffective, thin and noisy.</p></div> - -<p>The “Musical World” of 13th October, 1855, says:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Tannhäuser</span>—We never before heard an opera in which the orchestra -made such a fuss; the cacophony, noise, and inartistic -elaborations! We can detect little in “Tannhäuser” not positively -commonplace. It is tedious beyond endurance. We are made aware, by -a few bars, that he has never learned how to handle the implements; -and that, if it were given him as a task to compose the overture to -“Tancredi,” he would be at straits to accomplish anything so easy, -clear, and natural.</p></div> - -<p><a name="page_268" id="page_268"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XX" id="CHAPTER_XX"></a>CHAPTER XX.<br /><br /> -<small>1855-1856.</small></h2> - -<p>R<small>ICHARD</small> W<small>AGNER</small> left London for Paris, from whence he wrote immediately -the following letter. The humorously descriptive reference to the -Channel passage is characteristic.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Dearest Friends</span>: Heartiest thanks for your love, which after all is -the one thing which has made the dull London lastingly dear to me. -I wish you joy and happiness, and, if possible, to be spared the -dreariness of the London pavement. Were it not that I regret to -have left you, I would speak of the delightful feeling which has -taken possession of me since I have returned to the continent. Here -the weather is beautiful, the air balmy and invigorating. The past -night’s rest has somewhat recruited my strength after the recent -fatigue. At present I am enjoying peace and quiet, which I hope -will soon enable me to resume work, the only enjoyment in life -still left to me.</p> - -<p>I have not much to tell of adventures, except that when I went on -board I felt rather queer. I lay down in the cabin and had just -succeeded in getting into a comfortable position for sleep, hoping -thereby to keep off the sea-sickness, when the steward shook me, -wanting to look at my ticket. To comply, I had to turn over so as -to get to my pocket. This movement caused me to feel unwell; and -then the unhappy man claiming his steward’s fee, I was obliged to -sit up in order to find my money. This new movement brought on the -sea-sickness, so that just as he thankfully received his gratuity, -he also received the whole of my supper. Yet he still seemed quite -content, notwithstanding, whilst I had such a fit of laughter that -drove away both sickness and drowsiness so that I entered Calais in -tolerably good spirits.</p> - -<p>The custom-house visiting only took place in Paris. It was well<a name="page_269" id="page_269"></a> -for me that the lace I had secreted for Minna was not discovered. -Here I soon found my friend Kietz, to whom I poured out my heart -about you, dear friends. To-morrow I leave with a Zurich friend, -who has waited for me. From Zurich you shall have news. As I write -to you all, I beg you to divide my greetings, and do this from the -depth of your hearts. To my sister Léonie, give her as well a -hearty kiss for me.</p> - -<p>Adieu, good lovable humankind, think with love of thy</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Paris</span>, 28th June, 1855.</p></div> - -<p>From Paris he went direct to Zurich, where Minna was waiting for him. He -had scarcely arrived when he sent me the following. It is noteworthy, as -it illustrates how a great man could interest himself in the small -concerns of home life. His affection for domestic pets is once more -touched upon, and that humour, which but rarely forsook him even in his -pessimistic Schopenhauerian utterances, again playfully laughs -throughout the letter.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>GRIEF OVER HIS DOG.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Best greetings from Switzerland.</p> - -<p>I hope you have already received tidings of me from Lüders. From -you, however, I have not yet heard anything. You might at least -have written to say you were glad to have got rid of me, how sister -Léonie fares, and how Henry is, whether “Gypsy” (the dog) has made -his appearance in society, whether the cat has still its bad cough. -Heaven! how many things there are of which I ought to be informed -in order to be perfectly at ease. As for me, I am still idle. My -wife has made me a new dressing-gown, and what is more, wonderfully -fine silk trousers for home wear, so that all the work I do is to -loll about in this costume, first on one sofa and then on another.</p> - -<p>On Monday next I go with my wife, the dog, and bird, to Seelisberg; -there I think I shall at last get straight! If you could but visit -me there. My address for the present is Kurhaus, Sonnenberg, -Seelisberg, Canton Uri. I do not know how I can sufficiently<a name="page_270" id="page_270"></a> -express the pleasure which my wife wishes me to convey to you. -Whilst I unpacked I chatted, and kept on chatting and unpacking. -Several times she was deeply moved, particularly when we came to -the carefully marked and neatly folded socks. Again and again she -called out, “What a good woman that Léonie must be!” and then when -the needle-case came out and that beautiful thimble, both she and I -were mightily pleased. We wish your wife the happiest confinement -that woman ever had, and at least six healthy children all at once -with heavenly organized brains, every one to be born with a pocket -containing ten thousand pounds each, and further, that your wife -shall be able on the same evening of the confinement to dance a -polka in the Praeger drawing-room. May it please heaven that this -reverential wish shall be tenfold fulfilled, then your love for -children will be fully satisfied.</p> - -<p>In a few days you will receive a box with three medallions in -plaster of Paris. These were modelled by the daughter of “the -Princess Lichtenstein,” and are to be divided thus: one for the -Praeger family, one for the family Sainton and Lüders (who I -sincerely trust will never separate, and who are regarded by me as -one family), and the other for the poor fellow of Manchester -Street, Klindworth, the invalid, from whom I am expecting news -about his performance of last Wednesday. I trust he is already at -Richmond enjoying the benefit of hydropathy. I purpose writing to -him as soon as I know his address. For the present greet the poor -fellow heartily for me, and in my name try to console him for me. I -will soon write to Sainton, and for that occasion I will pull -together all the French I learned in London, so that I might be -able to express to him my opinion that he is a splendid fellow. And -what is dear Lüders about? I hear that he has headed the riot in -Hyde Park. Is that true?<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a> I hope he has not used my letter to -Prince Albert in making lobster salad. I have often been unlucky -with letters of mine. Even yesterday I found reproduced in -Brendel’s “Neue Zeitschrift” a letter I had written to my old -friend, Fischer, at Dresden. It has most disagreeably affected me, -for if I had wished to express myself about the London annoyances I -should have done it in a different manner, but I had not the<a name="page_271" id="page_271"></a> -slightest wish to do anything of the kind. However, I am heartily -glad my time of penance is past, and forgive with my whole heart -Englishmen for being what they are; still I am resolved, even in -thought, never to have anything more whatsoever to do with them. -But you, my dear friends, I will ever cherish in remembrance, and -if all that is agreeable be but a negative of pain, then by the -memory of your love and friendship is the period of my London -tribulation blotted out.</p> - -<p>A thousand hearty thanks for your love! Now you will, I hope, give -me the joy of good news, and say that you love me still. To dear -Edward<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> give my best greetings. It was a great pity I did not -see him again.</p> - -<p>Farewell, my dear Ferdinand; all happiness to yours, and to the -dear wife good wishes.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Zurich</span>, 7th July, 1855.</p></div> - -<p>The next letter, dated eight days later than the preceding, will be -admitted a jewel in Wagner’s crown. Picture this great intellect, the -creator of the colossal Nibelung tetralogy (with its Gräne, the steed of -the Valkyrie), crying “incessantly” over the grave of a dead dog, -postponing the removal of his household to nurse the dying creature -until its last moments, and then himself burying it in the garden. The -whole of this touching recital bespeaks a tenderness, a wealth of human -love and large-heartedness, which show Wagner, the man!</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>ILL-HEALTH OF MINNA.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Dearest Friend Ferdinandus</span>: A thousand hearty congratulations to -the newly born. Right gladly I agree to become god-father and, if -you think it will bring fortune, add my surname as well.</p> - -<p>I arrived here in this paradise a few days ago. I read your letter -on the left corner of the balcony of the hotel, the picture of -which heads this letter. Occasionally, while reading, I raised my -eyes<a name="page_272" id="page_272"></a> and looked beyond upon the magnificent Alps, which you cannot -fail to notice at the side of the hotel. I say that I looked from -the letter occasionally, since its contents afforded me matter for -reflection, and I found solace and comfort in the contemplation of -the sacred and noble surroundings. You have no conception how -beautiful it is here, how pure the air that one breathes, and how -beneficially this wonderful spectacle acts on me. I fancy you would -become delirious with joy at the prospect, so that the return to -London would be a sad event; yet you must undertake this trip next -year with your dear wife.</p> - -<p>But how strange that the same incident should have happened to us -both at about the same moment! You remember that I expected to see -my old and faithful dog, “Peps.”<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a> Well, shortly before my -arrival he had been taken ill, but nevertheless he received me with -the greatest delight, and soon began to improve somewhat in health. -The day of our departure for Seelisberg was already fixed, where, -as I wrote to you, I was going with my wife, my dog, and bird.<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> -Suddenly dangerous symptoms showed themselves in “Peps,” in -consequence of which we put off our journey for two days so as to -nurse the poor dying dog. Up to the last moment “Peps” showed me a -love as touching as to be almost heartrending; kept his eyes fixed -on me, and, though I chanced to move but a few steps from him, -continued to follow me with his eyes. He died in my arms on the -night of the 9th-10th of the month, passing away without a sound, -quietly and peacefully. On the morrow, midday, we buried him in the -garden beside the house. I cried incessantly, and since then have -felt bitter pain and sorrow for the dear friend of the past -thirteen years, who ever worked and walked with me. It has clearly -taught me that the world exists only in our hearts and conception. -That the same fate should befall your young dog at almost the same -moment has deeply affected me. I have often thought of “Gypsy,”<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a> -and wished I had taken him with me, and now that fiery creature too -is also suddenly dead!! There is something terrible in all this!!! -And yet there are those who would scoff at our feeling in such a -matter!<a name="page_273" id="page_273"></a></p> - -<p>Alas! I am often tired of life, yet life is ever returning in a new -guise, alluring us anew to pain and sorrow. With me now it is -sublime nature which ever impels me to cling to life as a new love, -and thus it is I have begun once more to work. You have again been -presented with a new-born life. I wish you happiness with all my -heart. I feel as though I had some claim to the boy, for it was -during the last four months prior to his entering the world that I -came a new member into your household. The affection I sought was -vouchsafed to me in the highest degree; the mother’s mind was no -doubt much occupied with that strange, whimsical individual, whom, -to his great joy, she so heartily welcomed. May it not be, perhaps, -that before he saw the light, this may have influenced the little -stranger! if so, my heartiest wish is that it may bring him -blessings. Now give my best greetings to sister Léonie, and thank -her heartily for all the kindness she showed me. I can but wish her -the happiest motherly joys; remember me to Henry; he is to care for -his little brother as if it were a sister.</p> - -<p>Farewell, and let me soon know how you all are, Keep up, and above -all, see well that you come to visit me next year; kindly remember -me also to my few London friends. Lüders and Sainton I thank for -their friendly letter; you will soon hear from me. Farewell, dear -brother,</p> - -<p class="r"> -Your<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>P.S. Liszt will not come until October. Ask Klindworth to write to -me. Thousand kind things from my wife.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Seelisberg, Canton Uri</span>, 15th July, 1855.</p></div> - -<p>In the next letter he speaks sorrowfully of the demon of ill-health -which had settled in his house. Poor Minna suffered with heart-disease, -an illness to which she eventually succumbed, whilst he, too, was -somewhat broken down, and shortly to be laid upon a sick-bed. His only -relief from worry and trouble was work. Indeed, the major portion of his -work was done at times when the horizon was dark for him.<a name="page_274" id="page_274"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>“TANNHÄUSER” AT MUNICH.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Best thanks, dear friend, for your letter, which was, alas, sad -enough to make me sad too. The worst of misfortune in a life like -yours is that in surveying all circumstances, it is positively -unrectifiable: to revolt against it, even at the best, has still -something ridiculous in it. To him, who like you suffers keenly -(and amongst your surroundings must perforce suffer the most), all -I can say is, think, dear friend, no man is happy except he who is -foolish enough to think that he is. You and I are not fit for this -life except to be tired of it; he who becomes so the soonest -finishes his task the quickest. All so-called “fortunate events” -are but deceptive palliations, making the evil worse. I know this -is capable of being understood in a double sense, so that it might -be interpreted either as a trivial commonplace or the deepest -possible reflection. I must leave it to chance how you will -understand it. The only ray of light in the dark night of our life -is that which sympathy affords us. We only lose consciousness of -our own misery when we feel that of others. Entire freedom from -one’s own sorrow is only possible if one could live solely for the -sorrows of others, but the evil of it is, that one cannot do this -continually, as one’s own troubles always return the stronger to -attack the feelings. I, for my part, must say that since in London -I have never had my mind free from troubles. The demon of sickness -has come to lodge in my house. My wife, particularly, causes me -great anxieties. Her ever-increasing ill-health helps to render me -very sad. Worried and troubled, I resumed work. I struggle at it, -as work is the only power that brings to me oblivion and makes me -free. Only look to it that next year you come to Switzerland; -meanwhile amuse yourself as much as you can in your polemical war -against London music-artists and critics, not on my account, -however, but only as I believe it is a good channel to absorb your -otherwise sad thoughts.</p> - -<p>From New York I have just received an invitation to go over and -conduct there for six months; it would be well paid. It is -fortunate, however, that the emolument is not after all so very -large, or else, perhaps, I might myself be obliged to seriously -consider the matter. But of course I shall not accept the -invitation. I had enough in London. I am somewhat fidgety that you -have not yet acknowledged my three medallions, one for you, one for -Sainton and Lüders, and one for Klindworth. I paid freight for them -some time ago, and<a name="page_275" id="page_275"></a> thought they would have been in your hands long -before this. If you have not yet received them, I beg of you to -make inquiries at the post-office, since I sent the little box from -Basle by the mail, and your address was correctly written. Do not -forget to speedily inform me of its arrival.</p> - -<p>Please send at once to Berlin the box which I left at your house, -containing my manuscripts, and address it to the Royal Music -Director, Julius Stern, Dessauer Strasse No. 2. Do not prepay it. -You may have some expense on my account which I will settle with -you when we meet. Do not forget to mention it.</p> - -<p>Perhaps you have heard already that “Tannhäuser” has created a -perfect furore at Munich. I felt constrained to laugh at the sudden -veering round in my favour when I remembered that only two years -ago Lachner contrived that the performance of the overture to -“Tannhäuser” should be a complete fiasco. On the whole, I live -almost entirely isolated. Working, walking, and a little reading -constitute my present existence. At present, I am expecting Liszt -at Christmas. How fares my sister Leonie? Well, I hope. You write -so ambiguously about it that I cannot make out the exact thing. How -is the boy? Is he really called Richard Wagner? Are you not right -glad to have him? Greet your dear wife for me with all my heart, -and tell her I often think of her with pleasure, and of the -friendly interest she took in me. My love to the poor -hypochondriacal Lüders. How well I ought to have felt myself in -London. When he became excited, he was irresistible. I will write -to Sainton soon. He is happy, and finds himself best where he is.</p> - -<p>Farewell, dear Ferdinand. A thousand thanks for your friendship. -When things go badly with you, laugh at them.</p> - -<p>Adieu,</p> - -<p class="r"> -Your<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Zurich</span>, 14th September, 1855.</p></div> - -<p>The next letter shows Wagner in a new light. It is addressed to my wife -in her native language, French. Wagner has freely admitted in his -published writings that he had no gift for languages, still he spoke -French well, truly, not as a born Frenchman, yet, as a<a name="page_276" id="page_276"></a> thoughtful man, -and moreover as an earnest student he was able to express himself with -clearness and freedom, and to a degree was master of the idiom. -Intellect, combined with earnestness, will forge a path through -difficulties where education alone would halt. Berlioz was an educated -Frenchman, and expressed himself in elegant and polished diction—it was -like music to hear him speak—yet he soon succumbed to Wagner’s torrent -of enthusiasm. Of course this in part finds its natural explanation in -Wagner ever having something new to say, and “Wagner eloquent” was -irresistible. But as he ever depreciated his ability in French, I have -inserted the following in the original (with translation) so as to -enable the reader to form his own judgment.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HE WRITES IN FRENCH.</i></div> - -<p>This letter is a well-drawn portrait of Wagner by himself. It shows the -boy in the man. Picture this man, after a serious illness of some weeks, -which must have been terribly irksome to a man of his active -temperament, setting himself the task the first day of his convalescence -to write in French and at such length. Instead of grumbling at the -mental miseries such an illness must have caused him, through the -interruption of that work so dear to him, he roused himself, in order to -amuse by his boyish, humorous chat, “his sister Léonie,” whom he knew -was all sympathy for him. The boy’s affectionate heart is plainly -discernible in the man, tried and battered as he was by the world. It -makes one think of the boy’s gentle love for his “little mother,” as he -endearingly spoke of his mother. In him there were always glimpses of -sunshine which would burst forth, aye, in the midst of the storms which, -caused by disappointment and ill-usage, raged within himself<a name="page_277" id="page_277"></a> or round -about him. It was impossible for those who knew Wagner not to love him, -notwithstanding those defects of character which he possessed; they -disappeared entirely in the love one bore him, and the worship his -mighty genius compelled. The sun itself has spots, which, -notwithstanding, do not prevent it from glittering with radiance. Why -should not Wagner be allowed the privilege of the sun?</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>LIFE IS BURDENSOME.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="r"><span class="smcap">Ansicht vom Kurhause Sonnenberg auf<br /> -Seelisberg, Ct. Uri.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Ma Très Chère Sœur!</span> Allons donc! Je vais vous écrire en -français. Dieu donne que vous en entendiez quelques mots—ce qui ne -sera pas chose facile. Mais je ne serai pas si absurde de me donner -de la peine, pour faire de bonnes phrases; cela sera l’affaire du -Dr. Wylde, qui s’y entend probablement aussi bien qu’à la musique! -Plutôt je porterai sur ce papier quelques bêtises de mon genre, qui -ne toucheront au caractère d’aucune langue, ni vivante, ni morte.</p> - -<p>Enfin, je vous félicité, ma sœur, d’être doublement mère! -L’événement que Ferdinand m’a annoncé il y a quelque temps, était -prévu par moi moyennant d’un pressentiment prophétique, qui me -naissait pendant mon séjour à Londres; car, pendant que je me -souhaitais au diable—c’est à dire: hors du monde—je m’avisais, -que le bon Dieu se preparait à remplir la lacune attendue, en -mettant au monde un remplaçant pour moi. Mais ce bon Dieu s’est -trompé, comme il lui arrivé quelques fois (en toute confiance soit -dit!); le diable ne m’a pas encore accepté; je suis resté au monde, -par obstination seulement, comme vous allez voir—et mon remplaçant -est arrivé pendant que je vis encore, de la sorte qu’il y a -maintenant deux Richard Wagner. Ainsi, je ne suis pas surpris de -cet événement, que j’ai plutôt préparé en quelque sorte (et sans la -moindre offense pour Ferdinand!) seulement par ma résolution de -quitter la terre, résolution, dont le changement me procure -maintenant le plaisir passablement rare, de vivre ensemble avec mon -remplaçant future, de faire sa connaissance personelle, de -m’entende avec lui<a name="page_278" id="page_278"></a> sur la direction des concerts de la Société -Philharmonique, enfin sur mille choses d’une importance extrême, -qui ne s’arrangent pas si bien par une distance si énorme que celle -de la mort à la vie.—Cette affaire a donc bien réussie. Seulement -je plains de vous avoir causé tout de désagrements et de -souffrances, comme vous les avez dû subir pour cela (je le dis vous -savez toujours sans la moindre offense pour Ferdinand!). Jugez donc -de la grande et intime satisfaction, que je viens d’eprouver à la -nouvelle de votre rétablissement complêt, et croyez à la sincérité -bien cordiale des félicitations, que je vous addresse.</p> - -<p>Maintenant je n’ai pas d’autre soin, que de m’entendre aussitôt que -possible avec ma doublette sur nos démarches réunies pour conquérir -le monde avant de le quitter de ma part c’est-à-dire: de la part de -Richard Wagner l’aîné. Ainsi je vous prie de me donner toujours des -nouvelles bien promptes et exactes sur l’état du développement de -mon remplaçant. J’ai déjâ très besoin de ses fonctions auxiliares. -On m’a invité de venir en Amérique, pour faire de la musique à New -York et à Boston on m’a promis des recettes très fortes, et mille -autres choses. Mais il m’est impossible d’y aller: cela serait -alors l’affaire de Richard Wagner le jeune; quand pourra-t-il -accepter l’invitation? Expliquez-vous, je vous en prie, très -clairement sur ce point là. Aussi j’ai une multitude de projets de -sujets d’opéras dans ma tête: Ferdinand les croît sous le toît de -ma maison; il se trompe, ma maison c’est moi, et le toît c’est mon -crâne. Je n’ai ni le temps, ni la tranquillité nécessaire pour les -ôter de leur cage, là, où ils sont encore enfermés: ainsi, ce sera -l’affaire de mon remplaçant de delivrer ces plans d’opéras et d’en -donner ce qui lui plaît à son petit père pour qu’il en fasse la -musique. Quand sera-t-il assez développé pour ce travail bien -pressant? Répondez-moi avec promptitude sur cette demande; demandez -à Ferdinand si elle est importante! Ah! mon dieu! il y a encore -tant d’autres choses à arranger ensemble qu’une conférence -prochaine me parait indispensable. Connaissez-vous le Dr. Wylde? Eh -bien! j’attends son invitation pour lui donner des leçons de -“musique du future.” Richard Wagner le jeune ne serait-il pas -encore mieux avancé que moi pour instruire ce genre de musique, -puis qu’il est encore plus du future que moi? Que voulez-vous? Il -n’y a pas de temps à perdu. Dépechez-vous du peu d’education qu’il -faudra pour mûrir<a name="page_279" id="page_279"></a> les facultés de mon remplaçant, et écrivez moi -aussitôt télégraphe quand le moment sera venu, ce moment de -développement accompli que j’attends avec impatience. N’est-ce pas, -chère sœur Léonie? N’est-ce pas, ma mère (entendez-bien!!) -n’est-ce pas, vous n’oublierez pas cela par hasard? Et surtout vous -ne manquerez pas d’instruire mon “alter-ego” de gagner de l’argent? -le seul talent (entre autres) que, par une faute incomprehensible -dans mon education, je n’ai pas cultivé dutout ce qui me cause -quelquefois, <i>i.e.</i> toujours—des peines horribles, puisque je suis -luxurieux, prodigue et dépensier par nature, beaucoup plus que -Sardanapale et tous les empereurs Romains pris ensemble. J’ai donc -besoin d’un autre moi! (“passez-moi le mot”) qui gagne énormément -d’argent pour moi. Vous n’oubliez pas cela, et m’enverrez sous peu -de temps quelques millions, volés par mon remplaçant aux -admirateurs innombrables que j’ai l’aissé en Angleterre. J’y pense -bien, je trouve que c’est là le point décisif, de la sorte que je -vous donne le conseil final, de faire apprendre à mon remplaçant -seulement ce que je n’ai jamais appris-moi; cela veut dire faire de -l’argent—“make money”—mais beaucoup! Beaucoup! Enormément -beaucoup!</p> - -<p>Voilà ma bénédiction:—que Dieu m’exance!!</p> - -<p>Quant à Richard Wagner l’aîné, je ne puis vous donner que des -nouvelles peu agréables: il se traîne à travers la vie comme un -fardeau. Sa seule réjouissance est son travail; son plus grand -déplaisir est quand il perd l’envie de travailler; mais la cause de -sa mort sera un jour le sort terrible auquel il lui faut livrer ses -travaux, à la mutilation et à la destruction parfaite par des -exécutants bêtes ou mérchants; contre lesquels il lui est défendu -de protéger son œuvre, puisqui’il est exilé de là, où il est -exécuté. (Pensez donc à mon remplaçant!) Tout autre malheur ne me -touche plus fortement: mais celui-là me touche au cœur et aux -entrailles. Sous de telles influences je perds quelques fois, -l’envie de travailler parfaitement et pour longtemps: ces époques -sont terribles, car alors il ne me resto rien, rien pour me -soulager. Aux derniers mois j’ai regagné heureusement un peu mon -ancien zêle, et je travaillais assez bien au second de nos drames -musicals; que je voulais finir à Londres (so’t que j’étais!) -Malheureusement j’étais forcé de passer les dernières sermaines au -lit, en proie d’une maladie, long temps cachée en moi, et enfin -éclatée—j’espère à mon salut. Je viens de quitter<a name="page_280" id="page_280"></a> le lit hier, et -me voilà aujourdhui à la table pour vous écrire. Soyez indulgent, -et pardonnez-moi le tas de bêtises que je vous envoie avec cette -lettre; mon écrit ne sera pas probablement mieux que ma -conversation, qui était bien triste et bêto. Mais néanmoins vous -m’avez voué votre amitié, car vous savez lire entre les lignes de -ma conversation. Soyez bien cordialement remercié pour ce -bien-fait! Maintenant soyez heureuse, ce qu’on est qu’au milieu de -désagrements et de souffrances de toute sorte—par un cœur plein -de compassion, de cette compassion qui s’égaie aussi à -l’apperception d’un sourire de l’autrui, même si ce n’était que le -sourire exalté de la mélancolie. Par example:—</p> - -<p>Vive le punch et la salade de hommard! Vive Lüders qui la -préparait! Vive Ferdinand qui devorait les os! Vive Sainton qui -venait tard, mais qui venait! Vive Klindworth, quine mangeait et ne -buvait pas, mais qui assistait! Vive, vive Léonie, qui riait de -compassion de notre hilarité! Cela n’était pas si mal! Soyons -reconnaissants, et restons amis! Et vous ma chère mère? restez ma -sœur!</p> - -<p class="r"> -Adieu.<br /> -Votre<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span> l’aîné.<br /> -</p> - -<p>P.S. La prochaine lettre sera à Sainton. Je ne puis pas dépenser -autant de Français dans un jour!—</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">3<sup>D</sup> Novembre, 1855.</span></p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>INVITED TO AMERICA.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="r"><span class="smcap">Ansicht von Kirhause Sonnenberg auf<br /> -Seelisberg, Ct. Uri.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Dear Sister</span>: Now, then, I am going to write to you in French. -May heaven help you to understand something of it, for I fear it -will not be an easy matter. I shall not, however, be foolish enough -to give myself the trouble of making fine phrases. That I leave to -Dr. Wylde,<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a> who, no doubt, understands that much better than he -does composing. Rather do I prefer to put down on paper some -stupidities of my own, which will have no relation either to a dead -or living language.</p> - -<p>Now, I congratulate you, my sister, in being doubly mother.<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a><a name="page_281" id="page_281"></a> -The event, Ferdinand had announced to me some time ago, I had -foreseen, by means of prophetic vision generated during my stay in -London; for whilst I was wishing myself to the devil—that is to -say, out of the world—I perceived that Providence was preparing to -fill the gap, by sending into the world a substitute. But the same -Providence made a mistake, as He occasionally does (this, remember, -is quite confidential!); the devil has not yet wanted me; I have -remained in the world, as you shall see, through sheer obstinacy, -and my other self has arrived whilst I am still living, so that now -there are two Richard Wagners!!</p> - -<p>I am not surprised, then, at the event, which, by my resolve to -quit the world, I had in some measure prepared (this without the -slightest offence to Ferdinand); but fate having ordained -otherwise, I have the rare pleasure of living at the same time with -my future substitute, of making his personal acquaintance, of -coming to some understanding with him about conducting the concerts -of the Philharmonic Society; in short, upon a thousand things of -the greatest importance, which could not conveniently be arranged -at such an enormous distance as that of the other world to this. So -the event has been quite a success. But I must ever regret to have -caused you so much pain and suffering on that account. I say it, -you know, always without any offence to Ferdinand. Think, then, of -the great personal relief I have just experienced at the news of -your convalescence, and believe in the warm-hearted sincerity of my -congratulations.</p> - -<p>I have no other care now but to come to an understanding as quickly -as possible with my other self, respecting our united efforts to -conquer the world before I myself (<i>i.e.</i> Richard Wagner the elder) -leave it. I therefore entreat you to keep me well informed of the -exact state of the development of my substitute. Even at this very -moment I very much need his help.</p> - -<p>I have received an invitation from America to conduct at New York -and Boston. In addition to a thousand other things I have been -promised very large receipts. It is, however, quite impossible for -me to accept; that must be the province of Richard Wagner the -younger. When will he be able to accept the invitation? I beg of -you to be very explicit on this point. Further, I have a multitude -of projects and subjects for operas in my head. Ferdinand imagines<a name="page_282" id="page_282"></a> -them under the roof of my house; he is mistaken, my house is -myself, the roof my skull. But, alas, I have neither the time nor -the requisite tranquillity to release them from the prison-house in -which they are confined: that also, then, must be the work of my -other self; and when he has liberated them he may give what he -likes of them to his father to set to music. When will he be -developed enough for this pressing work? Be prompt in your reply on -this point. Ask Ferdinand if it is not important! Ah! good heavens! -there are such a number of other things which we must arrange -together that an early conference is imperative.</p> - -<p>Do you know Dr. Wylde? Well, I am expecting an invitation from him -to give him lessons in the “music of the future.” But will not -Richard Wagner the younger be better fitted than I to teach that -kind of music, since he is still more closely connected with the -future? What think you? There is no time to lose. Make haste with -the little education absolutely necessary for ripening the -faculties of my <i>alter ego</i>, and telegraph to me the moment the -time has arrived—that time of complete development so anxiously -waited for by me. Is it not so, dear sister Léonie? Eh! my mother -(you understand!) Now you must not fail to remember this.</p> - -<p>But above all, you must not omit to teach my <i>alter ego</i> to make -money, the one talent of all others which, by some incomprehensible -fault in my education, has never been cultivated. And this causes -me sometimes (<i>i.e.</i> always) horrible anxieties, since by nature I -am luxurious, prodigal, and extravagant, much more than -Sardanapalus and all the old Roman emperors put together. In this I -am sadly in want of another self (pardon me for saying so), who -will gain money enormously. Now be sure and do not forget this and -send me as soon as possible a few millions, stolen by my double -from the innumerable admirers I have left behind in England! On -pondering over the situation, I perceive that herein lies the -crucial point, so that my last entreaty is that you instruct my -other self in that which I have never learnt, viz. making -money—make money—but much! Much! Enormously much!</p> - -<p>This is my prayer; may heaven hearken to me!</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>AFTER A LONG ILLNESS.</i></div> - -<p>Of Richard Wagner the elder I can only give you poor news. He drags -himself through life as a burden. His only delight is his work. His -greatest sorrow, the loss of desire to work. The cause<a name="page_283" id="page_283"></a> of his -death will one day be the terrible fate to which he cannot help -exposing his works, <i>i.e.</i> to their mutilation and complete -destruction by stupid or wicked executants, from whom he is -powerless of protecting them, since he is an exile from that land -where they are being performed. (Think, therefore, of my <i>alter -ego</i>!) No other misfortune affects me so keenly. This touches me to -the heart, to the very core. It is when under such feelings that I -occasionally lose completely—yes, even for a long time—the desire -to work. These periods are terrible, for then nothing remains, -nothing to comfort me. During the last few months I had happily -regained a little of my old enthusiasm, and I had been working -pretty well at the second of my musical dramas, which I had hoped -to finish in London (fool that I was!). But alas, I have been -confined, during the last few weeks, to my bed, a prey to a long -latent illness, which, having at last broken out, I hope has been -the saving of my life. I only left my sick-bed yesterday, and here -I am to-day at my table, writing to you. Be indulgent, and excuse -the mass of nonsense I am sending you in this letter. My -correspondence will probably be no better than my conversation, -which was very dull and stupid. But nevertheless, you vowed to me -your friendship, for you know how to read between the lines of my -conversation. I thank you very heartily for that kindness!</p> - -<p>Now be happy, although one lives in the midst of annoyances and -sufferings of all kinds—for it is only by a heart full of -compassion which brightens up even at the perception of a smile -from another, though it be but the forced smile of melancholy.</p> - -<p>Three cheers for the punch and lobster salad! Long live Lüders, who -prepared it! Long live Ferdinand, who devoured the bones! Long live -Sainton, who came late, but who came! Long live Klindworth, who -neither ate nor drank, but who was present! Long live, long live -Léonie, who laughed sympathetically at our boisterousness! That was -not so bad. Let us be grateful, and let us remain friends. And you, -my dear mother, remain my sister.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Adieu.<br /> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner the Elder</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">November</span> 3d, 1855.</p> - -<p>P.S. The next letter will be to Sainton. I cannot dole out so much -French in one day.</p></div> - -<p><a name="page_284" id="page_284"></a></p> - -<p>The next letter, written three months after the preceding, is of -interest in showing that Wagner kept up the practice of his daily -promenade.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Dearest Friend</span>: Thanks for your beautiful London notice, which I -have just read in Brendel’s “Zeitschrift.” As I am thoroughly -acquainted with all the circumstances, I pronounce it excellent; in -short, so important, and so always hitting the mark, that were I -not the leading subject I should have much less restraint in -praising it.</p> - -<p>Be assured that the remembrance I seem to have left with you will -always remain one of my most cherished thoughts. That I was so -fortunate to create a good opinion in you, is to me exhilarating -and touching. After all, what a lot of trouble we both had to -endure. Be content with these few words, written immediately after -reading your notice, and just before taking my accustomed stroll, -and be assured that they contain much joy.</p> - -<p>Farewell, dearest Ferdinand, and continue to love me.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>Many, many hearty greetings for sister Léonie and the god-child!</p> - -<p>Adieu.</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Zurich</span>, 15th January, 1856.</p></div> - -<p>Again was Wagner laid upon a sick-bed. One anxiety seems to have -possessed his mind—the longing to complete the “Walküre.” The following -letter is of importance, since it shows the composer’s frame of mind -during the composition of the above work, a state of “pure despair” -which, says Wagner, could alone have created it:—</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE “WALKÜRE” POETRY.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Best thanks, dearest friend for your letters. You are right; I have -again been laid on a sick-bed, and when at last I became -convalescent I was in a perfect rage to get to the score of my -“Walküre<a name="page_285" id="page_285"></a>” (in the composition of which I have been hindered for -the last year). So much do I long to finish it that I have entirely -ceased letter-writing. Altogether, the older one grows, that is to -say, in sense and reason, the more the worldly events of every-day -life dwindle away into nothingness. That which one experiences in -the inward heart becomes more and more difficult to explain. I do -not mean to say that the events one has passed through, and which -have touched you most intimately, cease to exist to live on; no, -no; therefore I assure you that you and your family are ever -vividly before me, yet as soon as one commences to write one finds -after all there is nothing of real worth to put down. On the whole, -we can only agree with each other, then there remains nothing but -actual occurrences, views, and intentions to discuss. In these my -life at present is as poor as my art creations are prolific, and -which, indeed, are surging to the surface and becoming richer and -richer. When you come to me, and I play my works to you, you will -agree with me. In so far as the world has a claim upon me I can -point solely to my work. I have nothing else to offer to it.</p> - -<p>If you read the poetry of the “Walküre” again, you will find such a -superlative of sorrow, pain, and despair expressed therein, that -you will understand me when I say the music terribly excites me. I -could not again accomplish a similar work. When it is once -finished, much will then appear quite different (looking at the -work as an art whole), and will afford enjoyment, whereas nothing -but pure despair could have created it. But we shall see!</p> - -<p>Altogether I live so secluded and retired that I feel at a loss -when I am anxious to talk to you about it. I look forward to the -time of Liszt’s coming to me as a bracing up of my heart. Alas! on -account of illness, I was compelled last winter to put off the -visit. About the illness in your little family I take a hearty -interest. In your new garden I picture you gambolling with your -children. How I wish that I had a little house with a little garden -attached; alas! an enjoyment hitherto unattainable.</p> - -<p>At first I was tolerably indifferent about the sad -conflagration,<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> but when I thought of Sainton it became painful -to me. Now I hear that Gye has managed to continue his opera -notwithstanding, and therefore Sainton’s income, no doubt, will not -be endangered,<a name="page_286" id="page_286"></a> and the misfortune overcome! That he now plays -under Wylde amuses me much. It was ridiculous that he had to resign -the Old Philharmonic. After all, Costa has succeeded in this! When -I recall my London visit, I find I do not remember much except the -friends I left there; they are all that remind me of it—happily!</p> - -<p>But now try and come to visit me. For my operas wait until you hear -them produced by me. Now you can get a very inadequate impression -of them. If, therefore, you desire more of me, come to me yourself; -in so doing you will give me great pleasure. I remain here during -the summer. If I can arrange it, I intend going in the autumn with -Semper to Rome; at least, such is my present hope. But continue to -give me frequent news of you, and be assured that in so doing you -give the greatest gratification to</p> - -<p class="r"> -Your<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>Greet your dear wife heartily for me; she is to continue to hold me -in good remembrance. Happiness and prosperity to my godchild!</p> - -<p>Kiss poor Lüders a thousand times; I shall soon inquire more -precisely after Bumpus.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Adieu,<br /> -R. W.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">ZURICH</span>, 28th March, 1856.</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>TROUBLED BY SCHOPENHAUER.</i></div> - -<p>The next letter is again dated from Zurich:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>That’s right, dearest Ferdinandus, to determine to leave Richard -Wagner of the future to come to the R. W. of the present. My <i>alter -ego</i> will not regret it. When you are here I will hammer out the -“Walküre” to you, and I hope it will force its way from ear to -heart. Then there is a bit of the “Siegfried,” and that, too, must -I sing to you. How my head is full of projects for work!</p> - -<p>Minna is very delighted at the prospect of seeing you, and says she -will treat you as a brother. I have told her how heartily you enter -into the mysteries of household matters, and are of just that -temperament to agree with her, and appreciate that domestic skill -for which I am totally unfitted. To me also your presence will be a -delight, for I can talk to you with open heart, and have much to<a name="page_287" id="page_287"></a> -say to you. Now see that you do not let anything intervene that -shall prevent your coming. I am just now full of work, and when you -are here I shall work all the same. Some hours during the morning -shall be devoted to work while you shall be sent upstairs to deeply -study Schopenhauer, and then shall we not argue and discuss like -orators in the old Athenian lyceum! Two months, and you will be -with me! ah! that is good! Then bring all your brain-power, all -your keen penetration, for you shall explain to me some obscure -passages in that best of writers, Schopenhauer, which now torment -me exceedingly. He will, perhaps, cause you many researches of the -heart, so you must come fully equipped with all your intellectual -faculties in the full vigorous glow of health, and then I promise -myself some happy hours. And what shall be your reward? Well, the -“Walküre” shall entreat you, and man, the original man, “Siegfried” -shall show you what he is! Now, good, dear friend, come!</p> - -<p>Mind, now, no English restraint and propriety; bother that -invisible old lady, Mrs. Grundy, that hovers over the English -horizon, ruling with a rod of iron what is supposed to be proper -and virtuous!</p> - -<p>Heartiest greetings to dear sister Léonie, and tell her that her -son, Richard Wagner the elder, sends his best affection to the -younger, and inquires whether he has yet been taught how to make -money.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p>P.S. Ferdinand, bring me a packet of snuff from that shop in Oxford -Street, you know, where you got it before for me.</p> - -<p class="r"> -R. W.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Zurich</span>, May, 1856.</p></div> - -<p><a name="page_288" id="page_288"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXI" id="CHAPTER_XXI"></a>CHAPTER XXI.<br /><br /> -<small>ZURICH, 1856.</small></h2> - -<p>I<small>N</small> the summer of 1856 I spent two months under Wagner’s roof at Zurich. -As it was holiday time for me, and Wagner had no engagements of any -importance, we passed the whole period in each other’s society debating, -in a most earnest, philosophical, logical manner, art matters, most of -our discussions taking place during our rambles upon the mountains.</p> - -<p>One figure I found in that quiet, tastily arranged chalet, who filled a -large portion of Wagner’s life; to whom, first, Wagner owed an unpayable -debt, and then that wide world of countless ones which has been enriched -by the artist’s creations. But that solitary, heroic Minna is, it -seems—judging from the many writings which have appeared of the -master—likely to be forgotten. Her glory is obscured by the more -brilliant luminary that succeeded her. Still a domestic picture of the -creator of the “Walkyrie,” whilst that work was actually in hand, is of -interest, as herein we see the man, the actual man, the human being, -with his irritabilities and good humour, all under the gentle sway of a -soft-hearted, brave woman.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>CHARACTER OF MINNA.</i></div> - -<p>Nor should the reader think that the worth of Wagner’s first wife is -here over-estimated through partiality. There is another witness to her -good qualities, who certainly<a name="page_289" id="page_289"></a> will not be suspected of friendly -feeling, viz. Count von Beust, the Saxon minister, who vigorously and -unrelentingly persecuted the so-called revolutionist in 1849. Beust knew -Minna in Dresden, and what he then learnt of the chapel master’s wife -was not obliterated by forty years active participation in the -diplomatic subtleties of European politics. In his autobiography,<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> -published the latter end of 1886, he speaks of Minna’s amiable -character, and describes her as an excellent woman.</p> - -<p>Minna may be spoken of as a comely woman. Gentle and active in her -movements, unobtrusive in speech and bearing, possessing a forethought -akin to divination, she administered to her husband’s wants before he -knew them himself. It was this lovable foresight of the woman which -caused such a horrible vacancy in Wagner’s life when, later, Minna left -him, a break which he so bitterly bemoaned, and which all the adoration -and wealth of Louis of Bavaria could not atone for. As a housewife she -was most efficient. In their days of distress she cheerfully performed -what are vulgarly termed menial services. In this she is as fitting a -parallel of Mrs. Carlyle, as Wagner is of Carlyle. Both the men were -thinkers, aye, and “original” thinkers (which in Carlyle’s estimation -was “the event of all others,” a fact of superlative importance). They -both elected hard fare, nay, actual deprivation, to submission to the -unrealities, and both are educators of our teachers: and Minna’s efforts -in the house and sustaining Wagner in the dark days is the pendant of -Mrs. Carlyle’s scrubbing<a name="page_290" id="page_290"></a> the floors of the little house at Scotsbrig in -the wilds of Scottish moors. But though Minna was not the intellectual -equal of this cultured Scottish lady, she is not to be confounded with -the German housewife, so often erroneously spoken of as a sort of head -cook. She was eminently practical, and full of remedies for sickness.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>NOT A TRUE PESSIMIST.</i></div> - -<p>In art, however, Minna could not comprehend the gifts of her husband. He -was an idealist; she, a woman alive to our mundane existence and its -necessities. She worshipped afar off, receiving all he said without -inquiry. In their early years their common youth glossed over -difficulties. Moreover, Wagner was not in the full possession of his -wings. He knew not his own power. For him exile was the turning-point of -his greatness, the crucible wherein was destroyed the dross of his art, -the fire from which he emerged, the teacher of a purified art. Exile was -the period of his literary achievements. There was the test of his -greatness. “A man thinks he has something to say. He indulges in an -abundance of spoken language, but when in the quiet of his study he -seeks to transfix on paper the fleeting theories of his brain, then is -he face to face with himself, with actualities. And in exile Wagner -first sought to set down in writing the theories which hitherto, in a -limited manner only, had governed his work.”<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a> From this -self-examination Wagner rose up nobler and stronger. And here it was -that Minna failed to keep pace with him. She had been a singer and an -actress, and could, in a manner, interpret his work, but the meaning of -it lay deep, hidden from her. It was not her fault, yet she was to -suffer for it. Still I must point out that all Wagner’s works were<a name="page_291" id="page_291"></a> -created during the period of his first marriage. His union with Cosima -von Bülow is dated 25th August, 1870, since which time “Götterdämmerung” -(a poem written in 1848) and “Parsifal” only, have been given to the -world.</p> - -<p>While I was with Wagner it was his invariable habit to rise at the good -hour of half-past six in the morning. If Minna was not about, he would -go to the piano, and soon would be heard, at first softly, then with odd -harmonies, full orchestral effects, as it were, “Get up, get up, thou -merry Swiss-boy.” That was his fun. Early breakfast would be served in -the garden, after which Wagner would hand me “Schopenhauer,” with my -allotted task for the morning study. This plan, though Wagner’s, was one -which coincided happily with my own inclinations. I was, as it were, -ordered up to my room, there to ponder over the arguments of the -pessimistic philosopher, and so be well prepared for discussion at the -dinner-table, or later, during our regular daily stroll.</p> - -<p>Now to me Schopenhauer was not the original great thinker that Wagner -considered him. Some of his most prominent points I had found enunciated -already by Burke, that eloquent and vigorous writer, in his “Enquiring -into the Origin of our Ideas on the Sublime and Beautiful.” The -personally well attested statement that “the ideas of pain are much more -powerful than those which enter on the part of pleasure,” was so well -reasoned by Burke, that Wagner induced me to read the whole of that -author’s work to him.</p> - -<p>Wagner a pessimist! So he would have had every one believe then, and for -some time later too. But my impression then and now is that, as with a -good many<a name="page_292" id="page_292"></a> people, pessimism is only pre-eminent when fortune fails to -favour. This feeling is confirmed by an extract recently published from -certain manuscripts found after Wagner’s death: “He who does not strive -to find joy in life is unworthy to live.” Certainly this was not the -utterance of Wagner in the dark days of his work. While on this subject -I may recall one incident which has remained prominently with me because -of the locality where it occurred. We were on the top of one of the -heights overlooking the Zurich Lake, discussing the much debated -Schopenhauer, when I observed that pessimism, in a well-balanced mind, -could only lead to optimism, on the ground that, “what cannot be cured -must be endured,” and jocularly cited from Brant’s “Narrenschiff,” -written in the quaint language of the fifteenth century:—</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i4">Wer sorget ob die genss gaut blos,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Und fegen will all goss und stross,<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Und eben machen berg und tal<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Der hat keyn freyd, raw überal.<br /></span> -</div><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">He who shall fret that the geese have no dress,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The sweeper will be of street, road and mess.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">He who would level both valley and hill<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Shall have of life’s gifts no joy, but the ill.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>Wagner stopped, shouted with exultation, and then commenced probing my -knowledge of one of our earliest German poets. He assumed the part, as -it were, of a schoolmaster, and so when we arrived home, in a boyish -manner, he, delighted, called aloud to Minna before the garden gate was -opened, “Ach, Ferdinand knows all about my pet poets.<a name="page_293" id="page_293"></a>”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE BIRTH OF “TRISTAN.”</i></div> - -<p>Every morning after breakfast he would read to Minna her favourite -newspaper, “Das Leipziger Tageblatt,” a paper renowned for its prosy -character. Imagination and improvisation played her some woeful tricks. -With a countenance blameless of any indication of the improviser, he -would recite a story, embellishing the incidents until their colouring -became so overcharged with the ludicrous, that Minna would exclaim, “Ah, -Richard, you have again been inventing.”</p> - -<p>He had spoken to me of Godfrey von Strassburg, saying, “To-morrow I will -read you something good.” He did next day read me “Tristan” in his -study, and we spoke long and earnestly as to its adaptability for -operatic treatment. Events have shown it to have been the ground-work of -the music-drama of the same name. But at the time he spoke, it appeared -to me he had no thought of utilizing it as a libretto. This intention -only presented itself to his mind while we three were at breakfast on -the following day. He was reading the notices in the Leipzic paper with -customary variation, when, without any indication, he dropped the paper -onto his knees, gazed into space, and seemed as though he were in a -trance, nervously moving his lips. What did this portend? Minna had -observed the movement, and was about to break the silence by addressing -Wagner. Happily, she caught my warning glance and the spell remained -unbroken. We waited until Wagner should move. When he did, I said, “I -know what you have been doing.” “No,” he answered, somewhat abruptly, -“how can you?” “Yes; you have been composing the love-song we were -speaking of yesterday, and the story is going to shape itself into a -drama!” “You are<a name="page_294" id="page_294"></a> right as to the composition, but—the libretto—I will -reflect.” Such is the history of the first promptings of that wondrous -creation, “Tristan and Isolde.”</p> - -<p>But how, how did this Titanic genius compose? Did he, like dear old papa -Haydn, perform an elaborate toilet, donning his best coat, and pray to -be inspired before setting himself to his writing-table away from the -piano? or were his surroundings and method akin to those of -Beethoven?—a room given over to muddle and confusion, the Bonn master -writing, erasing, re-writing, and again scratching out, while <i>at</i> the -piano! Well, distinctly, Wagner had nothing in common with Haydn. The -style of Beethoven is far removed from him as regards the state of his -working-room. I am desirous there should be no misunderstanding on -Wagner’s method of composing, because I find that my testimony is in -conflict with some published statements on this subject, from those -whose names carry some weight.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>WORKING AT THE PIANO.</i></div> - -<p>Wagner composed at the piano, in an elegantly well arranged study. With -him composing was a work of excitement and much labour. He did not shake -the notes from his pen as pepper from a caster. How could it be -otherwise than labour with a man holding such views as his? Listen to -what he says: “For a work to live, to go down to future generations, it -must be reflective,” and again in “Opera and Drama,” written about this -time, “A composer, in planning and working out a great idea, must pass -through a kind of parturition.” Mark the word “parturition.” Such it was -with him. He laboured excessively. Not to find or make up a phrase; no, -he did not seek his ideas at the piano. He went to the piano with his -idea already<a name="page_295" id="page_295"></a> composed, and made the piano his sketch-book, wherein he -worked and reworked his subject, steadily modelling his matter until it -assumed the shape he had in his mind. The subject of representative -themes was discussed much by us, and he explained to me that he felt -chained to the piano until he had found precisely that which shaped -itself before his mental vision. I had one morning retired to my room -for the Schopenhauer study, when the piano was pounded—yes, pounded is -the exact word—more vigorously than usual. The incessant repetition of -one theme arrested my attention. Schopenhauer was discarded. I came down -stairs. The theme was being played with another rhythm. I entered the -room. “Ah!” he exclaimed, “you have been listening!” “Who could help -it?” was my answer. “Your vigorous playing fascinated me more than -skilful philosophical dialectics!” And then I inquired as to the reason -of the change of rhythm. The explanation astonished me. Wagner was -engaged on a portion of “Siegfried,” the scene where Mime tells -Siegfried of his murderous intentions whilst under the magic influence -of the tarn helm. “But how did you come to change the rhythm?” “Oh,” he -said, “I tried and tried, thought and thought, until I got just what I -wanted.” And that it was perseverance with him, and not spontaneity, is -borne out by another incident. The Wesendoncks were at the chalet. -Wagner was at the piano, anxious to shine, doubtless, in the presence of -a lady who caused such unpleasantness in his career later on. He was -improvising, when, in the midst of a flowing movement, he suddenly -stopped, unable to finish. I laughed. Wagner became angry, but I -jocularly said,<a name="page_296" id="page_296"></a> “Ah, you got into a <i>cul-de-sac</i> and finished <i>en queue -de poisson</i>.” He could not be angry long, and joined in the laugh too, -confessing to me that he was only at his best when reflecting.</p> - -<p>The morning’s work over, Wagner’s practice was to take a bath -immediately. His old complaint, erysipelas, had induced him to try the -water cure, for which purpose he had been to hydropathic establishments, -and he continued the treatment with as much success as possible in the -chalet.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE RHINE MAIDENS’ MUSIC.</i></div> - -<p>The animal spirits and physical activity of Wagner have before been -referred to by me. He really possessed an unusual amount of physical -energy, which, at times, led him to perform reckless actions. One day he -said to Minna, “We must do something to give Praeger some pleasure, to -give him a joyful memento of his visit; let us take him to -Schaffhausen,” and though I remonstrated with him on account of his -work, he insisted, and so we went. We stayed there the night. Breakfast -was to be in the garden of the hotel. The hour arrived, but Wagner was -not to be found. Search in all directions, without results. We hear a -shout from a height. Behold! Wagner, the agile, mounted on the back of a -plaster lion, placed on the top of a giddy eminence! And how he came -down! The recklessness of a school-boy was in all his movements. We were -in fear; he laughed heartily, saying he had gone up there to get an -appetite for breakfast. The whole incident was a repetition of Wagner’s -climbing the roof of the Dresden school-house when he was a lad. Going -to and returning from Schaffhausen, Wagner took first-class railway -tickets. Now in Switzerland, first-class travelling<a name="page_297" id="page_297"></a> is confined to a -very few, and those only the wealthiest, so that Minna expostulated with -him. This was typical. As he described himself, he was more luxurious -than Sardanapalus, though he lived then on the generosity of his friends -to enjoy such comfort. Minna was the housewife, and strove to curb the -unlimited desires of a man who had not the wherewithal to purchase his -excess. And Wagner was not to be controlled, for he not only travelled -first-class, but also telegraphed to Zurich to have a carriage in -waiting for us.</p> - -<p>At Zurich Wagner had a sense of his growing power, and he cared not for -references to his early youthful struggles. I remember an old Magdeburg -singer, with her two daughters, calling to see her old comrade. The -mother and her daughters sang the music of the Rhine maidens, Wagner -accompanying, and they acquitted themselves admirably. But when the old -actress familiarly insisted on taking a pinch of snuff from Wagner’s -box, and told stories of the Magdeburg days, then did Wagner resent the -familiarity in a marked manner.</p> - -<p>When they finished singing, Minna asked me: “Is it really so beautiful -as you say? It does not seem so to me, and I am afraid it would not -sound so to others.” Such observations as these show where Minna was -unable to follow Wagner, and the estrangement arising from -uncongeniality of artistic temperament.</p> - -<p>When I was at Zurich, Wagner showed me two letters from august -personages. First, the Duke of Coburg offered him a thousand dollars and -two months’ residence in the palace, if he would score an opera for him. -The offer was refused, for he said, “Look, now,<a name="page_298" id="page_298"></a> though I want the money -sadly, yet I cannot and will not score the duke’s opera.”</p> - -<p>The second letter was from a count, favourite of the emperor of Brazil. -The emperor was an unknown admirer of Wagner’s, it appears, and was -desirous of commissioning Wagner to compose an opera, which he would -undertake should be performed at the Italian opera house, Rio Janeiro, -under his own special direction. Wagner did not care to expatriate -himself to this extent, but the offer spurred him on to compose an -opera, which he said, “shall be full of melody.” He did write his opera, -and it was “Tristan and Isolde.”</p> - -<p>How was Wagner as a revolutionist at this time? Well, one of his old -Dresden friends came to see him, Gottfried Semper. We spoke of the sad -May days, and poor August Roeckel. Again did Wagner evade the topic, or -speak slightly of it. The truth is, he was ready to pose as the saviour -of a people, but was not equally ready to suffer exile for patriotic -actions, and so he sought to minimize the part he had played in 1849. It -appears from “The Memoires of Count Beust,” to which I have before -alluded, that Wagner also sought to minimize his May doings, by speaking -of them as unfortunate, when he called upon the minister after his exile -had been removed, on which Beust retorted, “How unfortunate! Are you not -aware that the Saxon government possesses a letter wherein you propose -burning the prince’s palace?” I am forced to the conclusion that Wagner -would have torn out that page from his life’s history had it been -possible.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>DOMESTIC TROUBLES GATHERING.</i></div> - -<p>During my stay I saw Minna’s jealousy of another. She refused to see in -the sympathy of Madame Wesendonck<a name="page_299" id="page_299"></a> for Wagner as a composer, that for -the artist only. It eventually broke out into a public scandal, and -filled the opposition papers with indignant reproaches about Wagner’s -ingratitude toward his friend. On leaving Zurich I went to Paris. There -I wrote to Wagner an expostulatory letter, alluding to a couple of plays -with which we were both familiar, viz. “The Dangerous Neighbourhood” and -“The Public Secret,” with a view of warning him privately in such a -manner that Minna should not understand should she chance to read my -letter. The storm burst but too soon. Wagner wrote to me while I was -still in Paris: “The devil is loose. I shall leave Zurich at once and -come to you in Paris. Meet me at the Strassburg station.” ... But two -days after, this was cancelled by another letter, an extract from which -I give.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Matters have been smoothed over, so that I am not compelled to -leave here. I hope we shall be quite free from annoyance in a short -time; but ach, the virulence, the cruel maliciousness of some of my -enemies....</p></div> - -<p>I can testify Wagner suffered severely from thoughtlessness.<a name="page_300" id="page_300"></a></p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXII" id="CHAPTER_XXII"></a>CHAPTER XXII.<br /><br /> -<small>1857-1861.</small></h2> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>A STAY IN VENICE.</i></div> - -<p>F<small>ROM</small> the time I left Zurich in the autumn of 1856, to the untoward fate -of “Tannhäuser,” at Paris, in March, 1861, of the several letters which -passed between Richard Wagner and me I reproduce the few following, as -possessing more than a personal interest.</p> - -<p>On the 17th July he writes:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Hard have I toiled at “Siegfried,” for work, work, is my only -comfort. Unable to return to the fatherland! Cruel! cruel! and why? -The efforts of the grand duke<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a> are fruitless; one hopes for the -best, but that best comes not. Eh! is not Schopenhauer right? Is -not the degree of my torment more intense than that of any joy I -have experienced? Here I am working alone, with no seeming -probability of my compositions ever being performed as I yearn for. -My efforts are in vain, and then when I look round and see what is -being done at the theatres,—the list of their representations -<i>fills me with rage</i>,—such unrealities!</p> - -<p>You tell me that Goethe says, “The genius cannot help himself, and -that the demon of fate seizes him by the nape of the neck, and -forces him to work <i>nolens volens</i>.” And must I work on without a -chance of being heard? <i>Nous verrons</i>....</p> - -<p>But listen, Ferdinandus! I am pondering over the Tristan legend. It -is marvellous how that work constantly leaps from out the darkness -into full life, before my mental vision. Wait until next summer,<a name="page_301" id="page_301"></a> -and then you shall “hear something”! But now my health is poor, and -I am out of spirits....</p> - -<p>Keep me in thy love.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Thine,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>Not long after the above reached me, Wagner’s health did begin to give -way, so that his next letter is dated:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Venice</span>, October, 1858.<br /> -</p> - -<p>Yes; I have been long in writing, but you are a second me and -understand the cause. Since I have been here I have been very ill. -I have sought to avoid all correspondence, and have endeavoured to -restore my somewhat shattered self. Thank sister Léonie for her -account of my <i>alter ego</i>. Poor little fellow! he is in terribly -wondrous sympathy with me. Perhaps, were he here, we might together -come through our pains triumphantly.... What was good news for me -was that “Lohengrin” was done at Vienna, though I cannot understand -how it can be adequately given without me. Only “hearty love and -good-will could conquer....</p> - -<p class="r"> -Your<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> -</div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE TRIALS OF GENIUS.</i></div> - -<p>Wagner appears to have stayed at Venice through the winter of 1858-59, -going in the spring of 1859 to Lucerne. It was from this latter place he -wrote to me that he meant to go to Paris.</p> - -<p>Strange the fascination Paris possessed for Wagner! He always spoke -against it, yet when his fortunes were at the lowest, it was towards -Paris that he turned for succour. He has told me that he felt the French -were in a manner gifted in art as no other European people; that they -inherited a perception of the beautiful and sense of the delicate -refinement to a degree beyond that of other nations, though he saw it in -an artificiality which gave it an unsound basis. And thinking of -Meyerbeer,<a name="page_302" id="page_302"></a> he felt the French to be generous in their treatment of -aliens. So, in the autumn of 1859, again he attempts the conquest of -Paris. He wrote to me, asking for an introduction to certain friends who -would assist him in securing the legal copyright of his compositions. I -took steps to put him into communication with the desired advisers, and -he then did his best to make friends in all directions. He became -popular; gave musical parties, inviting art celebrities, beside -musicians. Minna was with him. They brought some of the furniture and -hangings from their Swiss chalet, and transformed the house of Octave -Feuillet, which Richard Wagner had taken, into the same agreeable and -pleasant abode as at Zurich. Of course there was the usual opposition -party, and they made the most out of the upholstery, charging Wagner in -the press with keeping his house like that of a <i>lorette</i>, and behaving -altogether with the vanity and ostentation of an Eastern potentate.</p> - -<p>“Look here,” said he to me, when I was with him in Paris, “now you know -this furniture, and how carefully Minna has preserved it, and yet see -how I am treated.” He was desirous of replying to the press notices, but -I endeavoured to dissuade him. He went to the Rue Newton, a street -situated on the left hand of the Champs Elysée, beyond the Rondpoint, -because it was quieter than the Rue Martignan, and he had trees near -him. The Rue Martignan was the first he went to on returning to Paris, -and where I visited him. It was in the Rue Newton, however, that his -reunions took place.</p> - -<p>And who were present at these gatherings? Well, occasionally men of -note: Villot, famed as the recipient of that lengthy exposition of -Wagner’s views in the shape<a name="page_303" id="page_303"></a> of a letter; Gasparini, a medical gentleman -from the south of France; Champfleury, an enthusiastic pamphleteer who -wrote then, and published his views of Wagner; and Olivier, the husband -of Cosima Bülow’s eldest sister. There doubtless were others, but I do -not know. What I do know is that I marvelled much at some of the -visitors who found themselves in Wagner’s salon. A very mixed assembly. -At one of his receptions, while Wagner was singing (in his way) and -accompanying himself at the piano, I remember an old lady (a Jewess) who -snored painfully audibly while Wagner was at the piano. Aroused by the -applause of the others, she suddenly burst into grunts of approval, -clapping her hands at the same time. I expostulated with Wagner. How -could he sing and play before such an audience? “How could he help it,” -was his reply; to that lady he was under obligations for £200. She -resided in Manchester, and had been introduced to him by a German -friend, a Bayreuth figure, known to all pilgrims to Wahnfried. His -singing was like that of a composer who tries over at the piano all the -parts of his score. What among musicians and composers would be regarded -as a grand boon seemed to me, before the uninitiated, as a profanation. -He hardly liked such references to his performance, but conscious of -their sincerity, he fully explained his position to me. The trials which -a genius is sometimes compelled to undergo are bitter, very.</p> - -<p>I was one day discussing with Wagner, when he was called away by a -visitor. On his return, he told me I should never guess who it was. M. -Badjocki, chamberlain of the Emperor Napoleon III., had been directed<a name="page_304" id="page_304"></a> -to arrange for a performance of “Tannhäuser” at the grand opera. The -story of the “Tannhäuser” disaster is now known to almost every one. I -therefore shall touch upon certain points, only particularly those with -which I am acquainted as an eyewitness, and which have not been spoken -of elsewhere. Richard Wagner told me that one day, at a reception, the -emperor had asked the Princess Metternich whether she had seen the last -opera of Prince Poniatowski. She replied, contemptuously, “I do not care -for such music.” “But is it not good?” doubtingly observed the emperor. -“No,” she said, curtly. “But where is better music to be got, then?” -“Why, Your Majesty, you have at the present moment the greatest German -composer that ever lived in your capital.” “Who is he?” “Richard -Wagner.” “Then why do they not give his operas?” “Because he is in -earnest, and would require all kinds of concessions and much money.” -“Very well; he shall have <i>carte blanche</i>.” This is the whole story.</p> - -<p>After many fluctuations, as to whether the performance would take place -or no, the translation was begun. On this were engaged at first one -Lindau and Roche, who shaped it in the rough, but so badly that it had -to be redone. This time Nuitre, a well-known poet, did it. Connected -with Roche is an incident which Wagner related to me, and perhaps has an -interest for all.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>“TANNHÄUSER” IN PARIS.</i></div> - -<p>On Wagner’s return to Paris, in 1859, he had some difficulty with his -luggage at the custom-house. He spoke to an officer who seemed in -command. “What is your name?” the officer inquired. “Richard Wagner.” -The French officer threw himself on his knees, and embraced Wagner, -exclaiming, “Are you the Richard<a name="page_305" id="page_305"></a> Wagner whose ‘Tannhäuser’ I know so -well?” It appears Roche was an amateur, and, alighting upon Wagner’s -“Tannhäuser,” had studied it closely. This was a good beginning in Paris -for Wagner.</p> - -<p>Well, Nuiter was the poet. The translation was in progress while I was -in Paris, and I was a daily witness of the combined efforts of Nuiter -and Wagner at the translation. How Wagner stormed while it was being -done. “Tannhäuser” teems with references to “love,” and every time such -words or references were to be rendered into French, Nuiter was -compelled to say, “No, master, it cannot be done like that,”—so many -were the possible double interpretations likely to be put upon such by -the public. To all Wagner’s anger Nuiter posed a soft answer. “It shall -be all right, master; it shall be done well, if I sit up all night;” and -this was the frequent response of the poor poet.</p> - -<p>The rehearsal began in September, 1860, and ended the first week in -March, 1861. Wagner applied to the authorities for permission to conduct -himself. The answer came: “The general regulations connected with the -performances at the grand opera house cannot be interfered with for the -proposed representation of ‘Tannhäuser.’” This was communicated -officially to Wagner, and he sent the letter to me. What did happen was -that Dietsch, the composer for whom Wagner’s poem, the “Flying -Dutchman,” had been purchased, conducted instead. Dietsch received -Wagner’s suggestions and hints in a good-natured manner, and worked as -well as he could for the success of the performance. Before the -rehearsals came to an end Wagner had become quite indifferent as to the -possible reception of “Tannhäuser.<a name="page_306" id="page_306"></a>” The first public representation was -to take place on the 13th March, 1861. On the 12th February Wagner wrote -me the following:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Come, dear old friend, now is the time when I want all my friends -about me. The opposition is malicious; fair play is no part of the -critic’s stock in trade.... I have had pressure put upon me from -high quarters, urging me to give way, and that unless I bend before -the storm my proud self-will will be snapped in twain.... But I -will have none of it. I hear David<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> has been subsidized by the -members of the Jockey Club to purchase tickets of admission for -himself and gang of hirelings, who are going to protest vigorously -against their exclusion. We may, therefore, expect much rough work, -and so I want you and others to be about me. I care not for all the -mercenaries in Paris. The work of my brain, the thought and labour -I have in solitude anxiously bestowed upon it, shall not (by my -will, at any rate) be left to the mercy of a semi-inebriated, -sensual herd. Here are artists working zealously for the success of -my work, men and women really exerting themselves in an astonishing -manner. There are truly some annoyances both on the stage and in -the orchestra; but on the whole, the energy shown is wonderful.... -My indignation was at a boiling-point when Monsieur Royer -insolently observed that if Monsieur Meyerbeer contrived a ballet -for half-past eight he saw no reason why I could not follow so -popular a composer. I!... Meyerbeer! Never! Fail me not then, -Ferdinand. You will find me in the most jubilant spirits, and well -supported, but in the moment of trial it is the old faces one longs -to see about. Bring “ma mère Léonie” to witness the downfall of her -son, and to console him in his anger. If good old Lüders could only -come, his quaint humour would be irresistible. Now come.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE JOCKEY CLUB CABAL.</i></div> - -<p>I returned, therefore, to Paris, and went with Wagner to the final -rehearsals. At the last, the dress <a name="page_307" id="page_307"></a>rehearsal, one of the chief -characters ... walked on the stage in ordinary morning attire, creating -a laugh and some confusion. Wagner might have avoided what was almost -the inevitable reception of the performance, for he told me he had -received a visit from some manager, whose name I now cannot recall, of a -theatre at St. Petersburgh, who had agreed to produce “Tannhäuser” -there, provided the Paris representations were foregone. To this he -refused. Thus the Paris performances took place.</p> - -<p>On the 13th March we were all assembled. In a private box sat the -Princess Metternich, whose influence with the emperor had brought about -the performance. Before the princess showed herself in the box, the -noisy hissing, which greeted her from a section of the audience, -indicated the hostility present. The overture was, on the whole, well -received. Indeed, altogether, the opera created a favourable impression -among those who had not come with the avowed intention of making the -performance a failure. When the dog-whistles of the “protectors” of the -<i>corps-de-ballet</i> were first heard, a goodly portion of the audience -rose indignantly, endeavouring to suppress the organized opposition, but -to no purpose, and the work dragged itself on to a torturing -accompaniment of strife among the audience.</p> - -<p>How indignant was Wagner! His excitement and anger were great. Annoyed -with himself for coming to Paris, with having so little perception in -seeking to succeed with an opera opposed to the formality where -tradition was king. But the second performance took place, all the same, -on the 18th March. Then the opposition was but little up to the end of -the first act, but from there it gathered in force. At the third and<a name="page_308" id="page_308"></a> -last representation, which was on Sunday, the 24th March, the members of -the Claque appeared in force, paid again, it was commonly asserted, by -the Jockey Club. This performance decided the fate of “Tannhäuser.” At -this last representation I was not present. The scenic artist, Monsieur -Cambon, however, came to London and gave me a description of it. The -whistles and toy flageolets of the enemy destroyed all hope of hearing -any portion comfortably, but as far as he could gather from independent -testimony of those musicians and artists outside the opera house, -“Tannhäuser” was regarded as a great work, and but for the persistent -tactics of the Jockey Club would have proved a success. Such was the -enthusiasm the work inspired in some of the artists, that Monsieur -Cambon told me he himself went specially to the Wartburgh, there to -prepare his canvas for the performances.</p> - -<p>There is now one point characteristic of Wagner’s earnestness. He went -through the score with me before the performances, I should add, and he -told me, “I have been through it before and found many bald places, -which required filling in, and which my long experience has taught me -how to improve.<a name="page_309" id="page_309"></a>”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIII" id="CHAPTER_XXIII"></a>CHAPTER XXIII.<br /><br /> -<small>LETTERS FROM 1861-1865.</small></h2> - -<p>F<small>ROM</small> Paris Wagner went to Carlsruhe, whence he wrote to me the following -letter. The allusion in the opening phrases of his letter is to my -inability to stay for the third performance of “Tannhäuser.”</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>You never heard such a din. It was a pity indeed you were away. I -would it had been possible to prevent it; however, it could not be -otherwise. But we did very well, until one whistle more shrill than -the rest screamed for fully a minute. It seemed an hour. Horrible! -horrible!—and my work was submitted to such an audience! Had I but -the strength—but no, my indignation is now nearly over; the joy of -being on my native soil once again, a free man, has removed a load -from me that really at moments felt insupportable. Aye, those who -have kept me from my fatherland little know how dearly they -punished me for my, perhaps, imprudence in those early Dresden -days. The sight is again reproduced before my vision, but in my joy -at being free to go—except in Saxony—where I choose, poor -August’s earnest face appears before me; and he is still the -political prisoner of a power that could crush him in a moment. It -is unkingly. Those days have made me suffer so keenly in what I -love the dearest and tenderest on earth, my art, that in my -happiness at being once more home I could shut out forever that sad -past. Now I may go forward with my work. I shall not rest contented -until Saxony once again is free to me as to the birds of the air; -but how my hopes are built upon the future, and I feel all the -confidence of success. I am sick again in body just now, but I will -be conqueror. Was ever work like mine created for no purpose? Is it -miserable egoism,<a name="page_310" id="page_310"></a> the stupidest vanity? It matters not what it is, -but of this I feel positive; yes, as positive as that I live, and -that is my “Tristan and Isolde,” with which I am now consumed, does -not find its equal in the world’s library of music. Oh, how I yearn -to hear it! I am feverish; I feel worn; perhaps that causes me to -be agitated and anxious, but my “Tristan” has been finished now -these three years and has not been heard. When I think of this I -wonder whether it will be with this as with “Lohengrin,” which now -is more than thirteen years old, and has been as dead to me. But -the clouds seem breaking—are breaking. The grand duke is good. He -shows himself desirous of befriending me; no doubt intends well, -and has even proposed that I shall return to Paris to engage -singers to perform “Tristan.” I am going to Vienna soon. There they -are going to give me a surprise. It is supposed to be kept a secret -from me, but a friend has informed me they are going to bring out -“Lohengrin.” You will hear about it.</p> - -<p>Ah! I have so run away with my thoughts that I have nearly failed -to tell you what I began to say; and that is, strong pressure was -brought upon me to consent to a fourth performance of “Tannhäuser.” -I was officially informed that all the seats had been taken; the -public were strongly desirous of hearing an opera which had caused -such a stir in high circles, that the sale of tickets had been so -brisk that now not one was unsold. But nothing, nothing would -induce me to submit again to such debasing treatment. I would -sooner lose all hope of assistance from imperial and noble -personages, and fight my battle alone, than again appear before -such tribunal. The royalty, £60, I left for Nuiter; it was a poor -recompense.... Now commend me to sister Léonie; tell her that Minna -is grateful for her thoughtful kindness, and bids me send her a -thousand hearty greetings.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Always thine,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Carlsruhe</span>, April, 1861.</p></div> - -<p>The next letter, August, 1862, is from Biebrich, near Mayence, on the -Rhine.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>SCHNORR VON CAROLSFELD.</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">My Dear Friend</span>: It is a long time since I wrote to you; yes, but I -have had a worrying, anxious time. I do not seem to be able<a name="page_311" id="page_311"></a> to -forge ahead. Each time I feel now I am within reach of my goal, it -flies from me like a “will o’ the wisp.”</p> - -<p>No, “Tristan” has not yet been done; but it will, it will soon be -done. I have found such a Tristan as charms my soul, such a one as -will worthily enact my hero. He has been here with me for a few -days studying it. Schnorr! Ah, the alighting upon him was -miraculous! At one time last winter, so saddened and broken down -was I by successive disappointments, that I had a presentiment of -approaching death. I actually had rehearsals of “Tristan” at -Vienna, and then the proposed performance does not take place. But -now it will. Yet I dare not be too positive. If it does, Schnorr -will be grand; then you must come. Why can’t you come now to me? I -am going to stay here till the end of the summer; that my poor -second self is so weakly as to compel you to go to the seaside, I -am concerned deeply. May the sea-breezes invigorate him, and soon -give his mother no cause for anxiety. But I intended telling you -how I heard Schnorr first.</p> - -<p>He was going to sing “Lohengrin” at Carlsruhe. I did not want him -or anybody to know I should be present, so I went secretly, for I -feared a disappointment; he is fat, and picture a corpulent Knight -of the Swan! I had not heard him before. I went, and he sang -marvellously. He was inspired, and I was enchanted; he realized my -ideal. So come now and see him; you will be delighted too.... I am -staying here because I want to superintend the printing of my -“Meistersinger.”</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Ah! Dear Ferdinand</span>: I am faring tolerably well; have made some good -friends, influential ones too, but that is not what I crave. -“Tristan”! that’s it! I am ready to go back to Vienna at any -moment, am expecting information from there, but again have -feelings that the performance will not take place. Here, as you -have doubtless seen through the press notices, my music has been -received with an enthusiasm beyond what it ever before achieved in -Germany. Tell Lüders that I called on his friends and they behaved -in the kindest manner to me. Give the dear fellow my heartiest -greetings. I would Minna were here with me; we might, in the -excitement that<a name="page_312" id="page_312"></a> now moves fast around me, grow again the quiescent -pair as of yore. The whole thing is annoying. I am not in good -spirits. I move about freely, and see a number of people, but my -misery is bitter. Can you not arrange to come and be with me in the -summer, wherever I may be? Write to me a long letter of how all is -with you.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours ever,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">St. Petersburgh</span>, February, 1863.</p></div> - -<p>I did not see him that year; matters could not be arranged. But since -that time the storm was gathering in intensity which was to soon break. -Minna had been in correspondence with me. Of her letters I publish -nothing. But the next from Wagner tells its own sad story in plain -language. It is dated—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Mariafeld</span>, April, 1864.<br /> -</p> - -<p>And so she has written to you? Whose fault was it? How could she -have expected I was to be shackled and fettered as any ordinary -cold common mortal. My inspirations carried me into a sphere she -could not follow, and then the exuberance of my heated enthusiasm -was met by a cold douche. But still there was no reason for the -extreme step; everything might have been arranged between us, and -it would have been better had it been so. Now there is a dark void, -and my misery is deep. It has struck into my health, though I -carefully attend to what you ever insist is the root of my -ills—diet. Yet I do not sleep, and am altogether in a feverish -state. It is now that I feel I have sounded my lowest note of dark -despair. What is before me? I know not! Unless I can shortly and -quickly rescue myself from this quicksand of gloom, it will engulf -me and all will then be over. Change of scene I must have. If I do -not I fear I shall sink from inanition. I like comfort, luxury—she -fettered me there—How will it end?</p> - -<p>Write to me soon.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner.</span><br /> -</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>LUDWIG’S PRINCELY HELP.</i></div> - -<p>But a startling change was nigh at hand. The curtain was about to rise -upon the “Wahnfried” act of the<a name="page_313" id="page_313"></a> hitherto stormy drama of Richard -Wagner’s life. As far as the wit of man could devise, Wagner was -henceforth to be relieved from all care and anxiety as to the future. -His wants—and be it remembered they were not few, for, on his own -confession, he stands described as “more luxurious than -Sardanapalus”—were all about to be provided for with regal liberality. -But the following extracts from a letter which conveyed to me the news, -will be noted with interest, since they give a vivid picture of the man -and his feelings, in a word, paint the human being in characters so -striking, and lay bare the workings of the heart in a manner which was -impossible for his most intimate friend to hope to achieve. It was not -wealth he wanted. Luxury when he possessed it in abundance did not -comfort him: the worship and close intimacy of a king solaced him not: -the void was sympathy, such as only a loving woman could give. The -gloomy picture he draws of desolation amidst plenty invokes our -heartiest compassion.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Dearest Ferdinand</span>: I owe it to you that you should be informed of -what my joy—clouded though it is by certain thoughts—has been -during the last few weeks. Such a state of intoxication have I been -cast into, that it has been as though I were another being than -myself, and I but a dazed reflection of the real mortal. It is a -state of living in another atmosphere, like that induced by the -drinking of hasheesh. A message from the sun-god has come to me; -the young king of Bavaria, a young man not yet twenty years of age, -has sent for me, and resolves to give me all I require in this -life, I in return to do nothing but compose and advise him. He -urges me strongly to be near him; sends for me sometimes two and -even three times in one day; talks with me for hours, and is, as -far as I can see, devoted heart and soul to me. There is but one -name for him—a god-like youth. But though I have now at<a name="page_314" id="page_314"></a> my -command a profusion of unlimited means, my feeling of isolation is -torturing. With no one to realize and enjoy with me this limitless -comfort, a feeling of weariness and desolation is induced which -keeps me in a constant state of dejection terrible to bear. The -commonest domestic details now must be done by me; the purchasing -of kitchen utensils and such kindred matters am I driven to—Ah! -poor Beethoven! Now is it forcibly brought home to me what his -discomforts were with his washing-book, and engaging of -housekeepers, etc., etc. I who have praised woman more than -Frauenlob, have not one for my companion. The truth is, I have -spoilt Minna: too much did I indulge her, too much did I yield to -her; but it were better not to talk upon a subject which never -ceases to vex me. The king strives his utmost to gratify me, and if -I do not seem happy when with him and show my appreciation of his -wondrous goodness, I should deserve to be branded as “ingrate.”</p> - -<p>There is one good being who brightens my household—the wife of -Bülow; she has been with her children. If you can come to see me I -shall be happy. My god-child, Richard Wagner, is now eight years -old, you tell me; bring him; the talk of a dear innocent child will -do me good; to have him near me will, perhaps, comfort me.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Your unhappy<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Starnberg</span>, June, 1864.</p></div> - -<p>The preceding letter is to me a landmark in Wagner’s life. The facts -have only to be recited for it to be clearly perceived what a striking -climax had been reached. Upon them I make no comment. They speak for -themselves—the sudden transformation from a state of hardship into one -of security; the powerful patronage and friendship of the king of -Bavaria; the absence of Minna; the presence of Madame von Bülow.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE LOVE OF A KING.</i></div> - -<p>New influences were now beginning to work upon Wagner; and—they were -not weak. I did not see Wagner until the next year, when the change was -pronounced.<a name="page_315" id="page_315"></a> During the winter the attachment of the king grew in -warmth, until in a manner Wagner may be said to have dominated the -youthful monarch completely. In the early spring of 1865, Wagner wrote -me the following short note. It was in reply to one from me, urging him -to find some occupation for August Roeckel, who had been released since -the January of 1862. When Roeckel was at Dresden, in 1849, with Richard -Wagner, he had effaced himself entirely for his friend. Then Wagner was -appreciative of sacrifices upon the altar of friendship, and regarded -them as done on his behalf entirely; but he later grew so absorbed with -his mission that no sacrifice did he regard as done to himself, but for -the glory of his art, and in this no sacrifice could be too great. The -short note after a private reference to Roeckel runs as follows:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>...At present I cannot. Time may be when the good August shall feel -that his old friend lives—now, all I can say is that the king -loves me with a love beyond description. I feel as sure of his love -for me till the end, as I am conscious of his unbounded goodness to -me now. It is a trial, though, of the heaviest; the formation of -his mind I feel it a duty to undertake. He is so strikingly -handsome that he might pose as the King of the Jews (and—this in -confidence—I am seriously reflecting on the Christian tragedy; -possibly something may come of it). But you must forgive me any -more correspondence just now, I am busy.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Munich</span> (London post-mark), 8th April, 1865.</p></div> - -<p>It appeared later that he was deeply engrossed in preparations for -“Tristan’s” performance, his next letter—but a short -invitation—bearing on the subject.<a name="page_316" id="page_316"></a></p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Dear Praeger</span>: 15, 18, 22 May: Wonderfully fine representations of -“Tristan” at Munich. Come, if you can, and write first. I should be -heartily glad to know you present at them.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Munich</span>, 7th May, 1865.</p></div> - -<p>I found it impossible to be present at the “Tristan” performances, and -was compelled to postpone my visit to the summer of the same year. On -the 27th July, Madame von Bülow wrote to me for “her friend,” explaining -that he was so much touched by the death of poor Schnorr (the Tristan of -the recent performances), that he was unable to write any letters, but -that Wagner would be at Munich up to the 8th August—though she “had -advised Richard very strongly to retire to the mountains there to -strengthen his nerves.<a name="page_317" id="page_317"></a>”</p> - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_XXIV" id="CHAPTER_XXIV"></a>CHAPTER XXIV.<br /><br /> -<small>1865-1883.</small></h2> - -<p>I <small>WENT</small> to Munich and found Wagner considerably depressed. “Tristan,” the -work he evidently loved with no ordinary affection, had, after seven -years of hoping against hope, but just been performed to his intense -satisfaction, when the ideal impersonator dies. The happiness he had -recently felt at the three “Tristan” performances, coupled with the -publication of the piano scores of the “Walküre” and “Tristan” had, to -an extent, kept his mind free. These events passed, and his friends -departed, he fell into a desponding mood. Minna, his wife, was not -there. This was a constant irritation to him. He affected to care -nothing about it, but his references to her absence showed how it -annoyed and preyed upon him. Then was he placed in delicate relations -with the young king of Bavaria. Louis constituted Wagner his -adviser—his Mentor. Questions of state were submitted to him. The -king’s personal advisers were aware of this, and resented it. Wagner -knew of the intrigues against him. He sincerely yearned for quietude; -all the more because he instinctively felt the coming storm. He showed -me all the letters that his royal devotee had written to him, and this I -can testify, that breathing as they did the fervid adoration of a -cultured, highly gifted youth for a<a name="page_318" id="page_318"></a> genius, Wagner on his side felt no -less intense admiration and affection for the “god-like” king. So great -was the influence it was assumed Wagner possessed over the monarch, that -his good-will was sought by all classes of petitioners for the royal -favour.</p> - -<p>The house inhabited by Richard Wagner was detached, an uncommon thing -for houses in Germany. It had been built, he told me, by an Englishman, -and now that he could command practically “unlimited means,” he did not -restrict his wants. I may say he positively revelled in his grandeur -like a boy. His taste in arranging his house once again provoked the -hostile comments of an ever-ready opposition press. As I have before -remarked, this charge of Oriental luxury was a stock one with some -people. Even now, his velvet coat and biretta are made the subject of -puerile attacks; but I cannot refrain from stating that Richard Wagner’s -house and decorations are far surpassed by the luxuriously appointed -palaces of certain English painters, musicians, and dramatic poetasters. -Wagner was fond of velvets and satins, and he knew how best to display -them. The arrangements in the house, too, showed the unmistakable -guiding of a woman. Madame von Bülow acted as a sort of secretary to -Wagner. Wagner was a prolific correspondent, but during the early -portion of the summer, he had, it seems, been busy finishing the score -of the second act of “Siegfried.”</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>WAGNER A BORN ACTOR.</i></div> - -<p>Wagner laid bare his hopes and wishes to me. He merits eulogy for his -fearlessness. With that trait I was particularly struck. In relating the -subject of a certain interview with the king, I was of opinion he had -been too blunt of speech, too outspoken in his criticism,<a name="page_319" id="page_319"></a> and I asked -what would he do were he to lose the royal favour, remembering how dark -and mournful had been his days at the moment the king sought him out. -His reply startled me. “I have lived before without the king, and I can -do so again.” Honour to Wagner! He was fearless here as he was in his -music—no concessions to false art.</p> - -<p>A born actor Wagner? Certainly. Out together one day he related to me -the story of his climbing the Urirothstock in company with a young -friend. Some distance up the mountain, his companion, who was following, -exclaimed he was giddy and falling, upon which Wagner turned round on -the ledge of rock, caught his friend, and passed him between the rock -and himself to the front. The scene was reproduced very graphically. His -presence of mind never left him. Truly, Wagner was born to teach actors.</p> - -<p>I found that the same boyish love of fun remained with Wagner. He dearly -loved a joke, a good story, a witty anecdote. Many did he tell me. Even -when I was leaving Munich, his stories came out, so that on saying -good-bye, he added, “Well, we have had some discomforts, but a good many -jokes.”</p> - -<p>Towards the end of the year the intrigues of his opponents proved too -strong for him. He left Bavaria; but I will give some few extracts from -his next letter, which will tell the history in his own way. It is -dated—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Campagne Aux Artichaux.</span><br /> -</p> - -<p>...The stories you read in the papers of my flying the country are -wholly untrue. The king did nothing of the kind. He <i>implored</i> me -to leave; said my life was in danger; that the director of the -police had represented to him the positive necessity for my<a name="page_320" id="page_320"></a> -quitting Munich, or he could not guarantee my safety. Think, so -greatly did he fear the populace! The populace opposed to me? No; -not if they knew me. My return, I am told, is only a question of -time; until the king is able to change his advisers. May he come -out of his troubles well....</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Geneva, 1866.</span></p></div> - -<p>The next letter of interest is dated nearly six months later. It shows -that Wagner and the king did not then always get on well together.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Munich</span>, June, 1867.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">My Good Ferdinand</span>: I will keep my promise about August. He is here. -I will see to it, but there are so many obstacles. The king is -influenced by innumerable enemies, who are jealous of me, and -angered at my influence with him. I have, indeed, almost broken off -our relations, only the scandal would be too great!</p> - -<p>“Lohengrin” and “Tannhäuser” were to be produced with the best -artists and dresses. I was anxious to have Tichatschek as -Lohengrin. He had, however, been singing elsewhere, in -“Masaniello,” so that he was hoarse. The <i>entourage</i> of the king -seemed to have conceived a thorough dislike of Tichatschek. But -what is more true, they were, I am convinced, desirous of -preventing my appearing with the king at the performance, because -they feared a demonstration.</p> - -<p>After the last rehearsal, a few days ago, the king, who was -present, sent for me. Tichatschek had displeased him, and he -asserted he would never again attend a performance or rehearsal in -which that singer took part. As this dislike referred only to the -stiff acting of Tichatschek (for he had sung splendidly), I felt -that the king’s enthusiasm inclined to the spectacular, and where -this was defective, he could not elsewhere find compensation. But -now comes the outrage. Without consulting me, he ordered -Tichatschek and the “Ortrud” to be sent away. I was, and am, -furious, and forthwith mean to quit Munich. Now you know the -situation, you will understand the impossibility of doing anything -at present.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p></div> - -<p><a name="page_321" id="page_321"></a></p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>THE MARRIAGE WITH COSIMA.</i></div> - -<p>Nothing came of the promise to help Roeckel, though Wagner and the king -were soon reconciled. Roeckel became editor of a democratic newspaper, -ceasing all active participation in the musical world. The friendship of -Louis grew stronger, if that were possible, and Wagner shows by his -letters that he was quite “the guide, philosopher, and friend” of the -young monarch. Of his communications to me during the next year, I -select the following short note, as possessing a wider interest than a -merely personal communication.</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Dear Old Friend</span>: The 21st June first performance of the -“Meistersinger” (model). On the 25th the second, and repetition of -it up to about the 20th July. Now see whether you can catch -something of it. It will be worth while, and will give me great joy -when you come. Many hearty greetings.</p> - -<p class="r"> -From yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Munich</span>, at Bülows, 11 Arcos Strasse, 11th June, 1868.</p></div> - -<p>As the above note shows, Wagner was living in Bülow’s house. I purposely -pass over the next two years. Events were coming to a climax. He and I -did not agree; but still his friendship never waned or abated one jot. -Meanwhile his wife, Minna, had died at Dresden. The two following notes -tell their own tale. The first is but a very short communication of what -the world had foreseen; the second was the printed card announcing his -second marriage, which I presume was sent to all his friends.</p> - -<p class="c"> -(1)<br /> -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">My Dear Ferdinand</span>: You will be no doubt angry with me when you hear -that I am soon to marry Bülow’s wife, who has become a convert in -order to be divorced.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">July, 1870.</span></p></div> - -<p><a name="page_322" id="page_322"></a></p> - -<p class="c"> -(2)<br /> -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>We have the honour to announce our marriage, which took place on -the 25th August of this year, at the Protestant Church of Lucerne.</p> - -<p class="r"> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Cosima Wagner</span>, <i>née</i> <span class="smcap">Liszt</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">25th August, 1870.</span></p></div> - -<p>In the following November Wagner wrote to me again. It was the first of -a series of letters relative to the purchase of a costly edition of -Shakespeare, in English, as a birthday present to Madame Wagner. I -publish six of these. They show Wagner by the fireside, at home with -wife and children. Nearly sixty, with the close of his life almost in -sight, he first bathes in that unspeakable happiness—the presence of -children constantly about him, ready to receive the pent-up affection of -half a century. It seems to me that his state of mind will be best -understood by a few words, taken from the closing paragraph of his -letter of the 25th November, 1870: “God make every one happy. Amen!”</p> - -<p class="c"> -(1)<br /> -</p> - -<div class="sidenote">“<i>A SPLENDID SON.</i>”</div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Dear Old One</span>: If you are still alive, and not angry with me for -various reasons, you could do me a right good service. I should -like to make a present to my wife (you know the deep, serious -happiness that has been mine) on her birthday, which falls just on -Christmas Eve,—a present of one of the most beautiful editions of -Shakespeare in English. I do not so much want one of those editions -with a voluminous appendix of critical notes as a really luxurious -edition of the text. If such an edition de luxe is only published -with notes, and so forth, well, then I will have that. I know that -in this respect the English have achieved something extraordinary, -and it is just one of their grand editions I should like to -possess. Further, it must be encased in a truly magnificent -binding,<a name="page_323" id="page_323"></a> and of the greatest beauty. All this, I feel sure, can -only be obtained for certain in London. Now be so good as to occupy -yourself in the most friendly manner for me. Deem me worthy of a -response and a note of the price, that we may arrange everything, -and I will forthwith send you the necessary funds.</p> - -<p>How are you all at home? I hear that the English are making -colossal profits by the war. I hope something of the good may fall -to you. Your last letter coming after such a long time was a -delightful surprise, and has given me much joy, for I perceive in -it that you still are actively employed. Often do I now think of -you because of your love for children. My house, too, is full of -children, the children of my wife, but beside there blooms for me a -splendid son, strong and beautiful, whom I dare call <i>Siegfried -Richard Wagner</i>. Now think what I must feel, that this at last has -fallen to my share. I am fifty-seven years old.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Be most fondly greeted.<br /> -From your<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lucerne</span>, 11 November, 1870.</p></div> - -<p>(In pencil on the last page of the letter.)</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Perhaps the director of the theatre might make me a present of a -copy of Shakespeare.</p></div> - -<div class="blockquot"> - -<p class="c"> -(2)<br /> -</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">When Ferdinand in pious rage,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The Moors afar did chase!<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p>Therefore, thou most excellent good one, quick to business!</p> - -<p>Your recommendation seems to point to the Cambridge edition of -Dyce. You say that the cost will be about three guineas (<i>i.e.</i> £3. -3<i>s.</i>) therefore—let us stop at Dyce’s—this Cambridge edition. -But you do not tell me, however, whether it is one volume or in -several. Further, how am I to decide about the binding? I know that -in London bookbinding is treated as an art, and I would much like -to have a good specimen of London art work for my wife (for I -cannot present her with anything else). Acting upon the hypothesis -that it is in one volume only, I have forwarded to you six pounds -for disposal upon the work, and therefore three pounds<a name="page_324" id="page_324"></a> less three -shillings will be available for the binding. Should there be two -volumes, then you must consider whether for the money you can still -obtain something remarkably good. If not—then order unhesitatingly -what is good, and write to me at once and I will send you a few -pounds more immediately. The chief point to be kept in view is that -you arrange with the bookbinder so as to have the work finished in -time to enable me to present it here on Christmas Eve.</p> - -<p>But now, above all, be not angry with me for thus earnestly -importuning you. If you but think of Milton Street and Portland -Terrace, lobster salad, punch, and Lüders, then shall I be -pardoned. And lastly will come your good wife to the rescue, who, -notwithstanding that she, as I see, has still little children, may -yet have some kind remembrance for me.</p> - -<p>I am glad that you write to me about yourself in full; one cannot -do anything better than write about one’s self to one’s friends, -for the more one reflects the less one seems to know of others. -According to this, I ought to write a great deal about myself, but -that I must defer for an ocular inspection by you; therefore, come -and see me. My son is Helferich Siegfried Richard. My son! Oh, what -that says to me!</p> - -<p><i>You</i> have plenty of children’s prattle, are used to it like the -English to hanging, but with me the hanging is only just beginning. -Now I must prepare to live to a good old age, for then will others -profit by it. Outside my home life, one thing only do I propose to -accomplish, and that, the performance of my “Nibelungen” drama as I -have conceived it. It appears to me that the whole German Empire is -only created to aid me in attaining my object. Carlyle’s letter in -the “Times” has caused me intense satisfaction. The Messieurs -Englishmen I have already learned to know through you. I need but -refer to divers data I have from you to be at once clear about the -character of this strangely ragged nation.</p> - -<p>God make every one happy. Amen! Now greet mamma and children, and -tell them of Milton Street. Come next summer into Switzerland and -keep me in your heart as I do you.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lucerne</span>, 25th November, 1870.</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS IDEA OF SHAKESPEARE.</i></div> - -<p><a name="page_325" id="page_325"></a></p> - -<p class="c"> -(3)<br /> -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">My Good Ferdinand</span>: Is it not too bad that I am still to give you so -much trouble? I thought there must be, especially in London, a -central depot where one could quickly be informed about the most -complicated matters of all kinds. Does there not exist, <i>i.e.</i> in -Regent Street, or in some other main thoroughfare, a bookseller who -keeps on hand a stock of editions de luxe of celebrated authors, in -elegant and costly bindings, ready for sale for certain festive -occasions? Certainly it would have been better could you have -alighted upon such an edition of “Shakespeare” already bound. That -a bookbinder would now undertake such a task, I myself feel it is -somewhat venturesome to hope. But as you are such a good fellow I -leave the whole business entirely in your hands. Do not let the -price frighten you, for when it is a question of a birthday gift -for such a noble, dear woman, then, in honour of Shakespeare, one -may afford to be liberal. Yet on this occasion, I insist that the -external must be the pre-eminent consideration, the thing to be -first thought of, viz. beautiful, correct print on beautiful paper, -artistic binding, and—the internal Shakespeare supplies himself; -but do not trouble at all about the critical notes of English -editors.</p> - -<p>As the time is now very close upon us, it would be best if you -could still discover, all ready and complete, a luxurious book, in -a luxurious shop, in a luxurious binding; for the rest—go on! I am -not sending you any further money to-day, as I want to leave the -matter entirely in your hands. How much more I am to send you we -will arrange later on.</p> - -<p>Adieu for to-day!</p> - -<p>Good old fellow!</p> - -<p>Make sure that we see you next summer here!</p> - -<p>Don’t be melancholy, and keep me in your love.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lucerne</span>, 9th December, 1870.</p> - -<p>(Herewith the addresses of the London banker: nice fellows those!!)</p></div> - -<p class="c"> -(4)<br /> -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Dear Good Praeger</span>: Ah, now all is right, and the trouble at an end. -You will have seen by my last letter that it seemed to me our<a name="page_326" id="page_326"></a> only -hope lay in finding an edition de luxe ready bound. That this -should have been in nine volumes, though not precisely an edition -de luxe, is satisfactory; therefore, have you acted most -blamelessly and correctly. Instead of having to transmit to you -further subsidies, you tell me there is even a balance at my -disposition. Now I have cudgelled my brains as to what can be -purchased with the remaining twelve shillings. In this matter it -will depend on the patience and perseverance of your wife, should -she see some pretty trifling <i>article-de-mode</i> to put on the -Christmas table, where it might look well, perhaps. My wife has -spoken to me about, and would like, if possible, an East India, or -even Chinese, foulard dress, rich, highly-coloured patterns on -satin ground, brilliant and luxurious, <i>i.e.</i> Orientally fantastic, -such as is sure to be found in London. Now if your good wife would -be kind enough to look to this, and should it not go into the -abnormal in cost, of which, naturally, there is no intention, since -the proposed costume is not to serve for ostentation, but for the -gratification of a fantastic taste, I would beg of you to make bold -and send me about twenty metres of such a material, and to send it -off at once. The settlement of the transaction on my side would -follow immediately. I do not restrict the price, as that might -hamper you; but on the other hand, I beg you to understand that, in -case it is really something beautiful and original, Oriental, do -not stop at the price. Only in respect of the design, I remember -there must be no figures, nothing but flowers—that much do I -remember. God knows to what new trouble I am putting you again. -Don’t take it too seriously, but remain good to me, for this is the -most important of your business.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Heart greetings to all of you, from yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lucerne</span>, 11th December, 1870.</p></div> - -<p class="c"> -(5)<br /> -</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>PREPARING FOR “DER RING.”</i></div> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Dear Old Friend</span>: Yes, yes! so it is, and I have neglected to inform -you that “Shakespeare” rightly and well came into my hands. It -arrived somewhat late, but for the efforts on your part to fully -gratify me I give you my thanks. Altogether I am sorry I did not -pay more thought to the gigantic proportions of London business,<a name="page_327" id="page_327"></a> -as I feel by that I have unknowingly thrown upon you a lot of -trouble in this affair. But now that everything has turned out -well, I thank you once more, and promise not to trouble you again -with such commissions. I write to you in haste, as I am preparing -for a journey; to-morrow I go with my wife into Germany, where I -propose to try and discover how matters stand. Several things are -in preparation, but all tend to one good, that is, the performance -of the “Nibelung” <i>after my own way</i>. Leipzic, Dresden, and above -all, Berlin, will be visited by me. In Berlin, where they have made -me a member of the Academy, I shall deliver a discourse on the -mission of the opera, etc.</p> - -<p>I will send to you the “Kaisermarsch,” and all else that comes out.</p> - -<p>Now look to it that you pay me a visit next summer in our beautiful -retreat. By the middle of May we shall have returned.</p> - -<p>And now, farewell!</p> - -<p>Be not angry with me!</p> - -<p>Greet wife and children, and keep loving</p> - -<p class="r"> -Your faithful friend,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lucerne</span>, April, 1871.</p></div> - -<p class="c"> -(6)<br /> -</p> - -<div class="blockquot"> -<p class="r"><span class="smcap">Leipzig</span>, 12th May, 1871.<br /> -</p> - -<p>This I have carried about with me on a long journey, for, when I -wanted to send it from Lucerne, I found I had mislaid your address. -It is fortunate that in your last letter, sent after me from -Lucerne, and which has just reached me, I have once again your -address.</p> - -<p>I am fatigued, and I return to-morrow.</p> - -<p>As regards the proposals and offer of the English music-sellers, I -would beg you to request them to address in the matter, Tausig, -Dessauer Strasse 35, Berlin. He has urged me to let him manage many -things in which I am always worsted. He will arrange with the -publishers, O. F. Peters, music bureau, in a manner that I shall -derive all possible advantage. Else, dearest, I am well, and my -undertaking bodes well for a success.</p> - -<p>Best greetings to wife and children.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Love me, and forever yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p></div> - -<p><a name="page_328" id="page_328"></a></p> - -<p>Then came the following:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p><span class="smcap">Dearest</span>: Come when you will! Alas, everybody comes in the few weeks -of the summer, and it is possible that you will find visitors -already when you come. In the quiet time not even a cock crows -after you, but you will find your place prepared for you; only, -therefore, to our next meeting.</p> - -<p class="r"> -Yours,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p> - -<p><span class="smcap">Lucerne, Tribschen</span>, 6th June, 1871.</p></div> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>STANDING ON HIS HEAD.</i></div> - -<p>In the summer I went to stay with Wagner. How changed! Fifty-eight years -old, and yet but one year in the possession of what is called home. His -had been a roving life. Not through choice, but necessity. Energetic and -persevering, never leaving a stone unturned or failing in an effort to -preach his creed. And so through the long years of early manhood and -middle age had he struggled with adversity, never finding an abiding -resting-place. But the sunset of his life was setting in rich, warm -colours. A feeling of serenity, born of the conscious security from -worldly anxieties, had taken possession of him. His work had been -acknowledged throughout Europe. He was ambitious, and his soul was -satisfied. Now was he for the first time living in that warm-hearted, -self-denying atmosphere of “home,” where dwelt a remarkably cultured, -intellectual wife and children. <i>There</i> “bloomed for him a splendid son, -strong and beautiful.” Yes; he was happy. His naturally buoyant -temperament had not lessened with years. I remember full well, one day -when we were sitting together in the drawing-room at Tribschen, on a -sort of ottoman, talking over the events of the years gone by, when he -suddenly rose and stood<a name="page_329" id="page_329"></a> on his head upon the ottoman. At the very -moment he was in that inverted position the door opened and Madame -Wagner entered. Her surprise and alarm were great, and she hastened -forward, exclaiming, “Ah! lieber Richard! Richard!” Quickly recovering -himself, he reassured her of his sanity, explaining that he was only -showing Ferdinand he could stand on his head at sixty, which was more -than the said Ferdinand could do. This was a ridiculous incident, but -strikingly illustrative of the “Wagner as I knew him.” I suppose there -are few thinking people who will deny the seriousness and profundity of -Wagner’s mind, and that perhaps in earnestness of purpose and power of -reflection, he may be said to have been the equal of Carlyle; yet who -can picture the “sage of Chelsea” standing on his head at sixty, or -indeed at any period of his life?</p> - -<p>Wagner’s tranquillity of mind was delightful to contemplate. He longed -for “peace on earth and good will to all men.” The desire of his heart, -the dream of those early Dresden days, was about to be realized. A -theatre constructed after his own theory was soon to be erected. The -architect and engineer, Neumann and Brandt, came to Lucerne during my -visit. I was privileged to be present at their discussions. It was -another illustration of “to have a clear notion of what you want is -half-way to get it.” “The theatre must be so built that it can be -emptied in the space of one or two minutes”; upon this Wagner insisted. -Did the experts explain some detail to him it was marvellous to see how -quickly he grasped the point and debated it with them. His heart was in -his work, in this as in all he did, and there lay the secret of his -success, for of this I am convinced,<a name="page_330" id="page_330"></a> that without his indomitable will, -that untiring perseverance which would not be conquered, the genius of -Wagner would have availed him but little.</p> - -<p>In writing of “Wagner as I knew him” I have touched upon certain -subjects and criticised him in a manner which I am aware many of his -worshippers might perhaps shrink from. But in this I have in no way -offended Wagner. He wished to be known as he was. Indeed, he has written -his own life, which, should it please the Wagner heirs, may one day be -given to the world to its great gain. I became aware of the existence of -this autobiography in the following manner. Wagner and his wife were -going out, leaving me alone at Tribschen. Before going, Wagner placed in -my hands a volume for my perusal during his absence. “It is my -autobiography,” he said. “Only Liszt has a copy; none other has seen it, -and it shall not be published until my Siegfried has reached his -majority.” I read it carefully, and I may state, without touching upon -any of the matter contained therein, that in my treatment of Wagner I -have not uttered one word to which he himself would not have subscribed.</p> - -<p>To see Wagner surrounded by children was a pleasant sight. He was as -frolicsome as they. He would have the children sing the “Kaisermarsch” -at the piano, and reward them with coins. As regards their discipline -and training, he effaced himself completely before Madame Wagner. To his -wife he showed the tenderest affection. It might almost be said of him -that he was the most uxorious of husbands.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>LISZT “BEGAN TOO LATE.”</i></div> - -<p>No matter the mood in which I found Wagner, it<a name="page_331" id="page_331"></a> was always the old -Wagner. Did we set out for a stroll, he would take me into some wayside -inn, there to eat sausages and drink beer. I must add that his drinking -was of the most moderate description. It was during one of these rambles -that we spoke of Liszt, and in the talking, he told me that Liszt had -been more pained at his daughter Cosima’s change of religion from Roman -Catholic to Protestant, than at her divorce from von Bülow. Among other -things, too, he said, speaking of Liszt as a composer, that “he [Liszt] -had begun too late in life.”</p> - -<p>To me Wagner was all affection. He played to me, showed me everything -received from the king (among the many presents were two handsome vases, -the equivalent of which in money Wagner said he would have preferred), -and did all that he could to make my stay agreeable. I did not stay the -whole time I had purposed; I left somewhat unexpectedly. My departure -brought the following letter from Wagner:—</p> - -<div class="blockquot"><p>Thou strangest of all men, why do you not give a sign of life? Is -it right or just? After having lived among us, as one of us, to -have left us so suddenly, and not without causing us some anxiety, -too, on your behalf. How wrong if you were in a dissatisfied mood -with us; but that cannot be; rather be convinced that we take the -most hearty interest in you, and that this is the sole reason which -induces me to make this inquiry.</p> - -<p>Let me hear from you, and be heartily greeted.</p> - -<p class="r"> -From yours ever,<br /> -<span class="smcap">Richard Wagner</span>.<br /> -</p></div> - -<p>From now to the day of his death I have but little to tell. He had -arrived at a time when the world accepted<a name="page_332" id="page_332"></a> him as one of its great men. -His movements were chronicled in the press as though he were some -minister of state. I saw him repeatedly since 1872, notably at the -opening of the Bayreuth theatre in 1874, and at the succeeding -representations there, and naturally on his coming to London for the -Albert Hall Wagner Festival in 1877, when at the banquet given at the -Cannon Street Hotel in his honour, he toasted me as the friend, “the -first in this country to nobly support him,” at a time when he was a -stranger in the land and the target of hostile criticism. Later on, I -saw him again at the “Parsifal” performances at Bayreuth, which proved -to be for the last time.</p> - -<p>My task is done.</p> - -<p>Wagner’s labours ceased at Venice on the 13th February, 1883. What he -has accomplished is beyond the power of any man to destroy. Were Wagner -himself to return to us, <i>he</i> could not undo what he has done. In future -years, aye, in future centuries, men will come from all parts of the -civilized globe to worship at Bayreuth; that is the Mecca of musicians. -There is the shrine of the founder of a new religion in art, pure and -ennobling to all who have ears to hear and human hearts that can be -touched. To use an old metaphor, but accurate and appropriate when -applied to Wagner, his work is as the boundless ocean; many will sail -their craft upon it, from the majestic ship of tragedy to the winsome -bark of comic opera, and then shall they not have navigated all the -seas.</p> - -<div class="sidenote"><i>HIS EARNESTNESS OF PURPOSE.</i></div> - -<p>The key of Wagner’s success is his truth. Look at his work from -whichever side we may, that is it which<a name="page_333" id="page_333"></a> ever finds its way into all -hearts. While the musicians were, and some still are, engaged in the -dissecting-room, with a bar here and bar there, with the people, the -laymen, he is universally popular. And what is the cause? His truth, his -earnestness. At bottom, it is this sincerity which has made him great. -Speaking of the laymen, I am forcibly reminded of perhaps the most -musically gifted and most devoted of all, one Julius Cyriax, a German -merchant of the city of London, whose friendship Wagner contracted here -in 1877, and with whom Wagner was in intimate correspondence down to the -last.</p> - -<p>And if this be the judgment passed upon his work, what shall be said of -the character of the man? Without fear, I say earnestness of purpose -guided him here too; that he was impatient of incompetence when it -sought to pose as the true in art was, and is, natural in a great -genius. Autocratic in bearing, and the intimate of a king, though -democratic in music and a professed lover of the <i>demos</i> in his earlier -career, this is but a seeming contradiction. Democratic describes his -music; no domineering there of one voice; and democratic, too, in the -last days, when he refused imperial distinctions, preferring to remain -one of the people. An opponent in art, he was to be dreaded. Why? -Because he fought for his cause with such a whole-heartedness that he -drove, as Napoleon used to say, “fear into the enemy’s camp.” His -memory, like that of all great men, was extremely retentive. He was a -hard worker, as his eleven published volumes of literary matter and -fourteen music-dramas abundantly testify. To accomplish<a name="page_334" id="page_334"></a> such work was -only possible to a man of method, and he <i>was</i> methodical and careful -withal in what he did. Look at his handwriting and music notation, small -but clear, neat and clean. He was not free from blemish or -prejudice,—who is?—but</p> - -<div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> -<span class="i8">Take him all in all,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">We ne’er shall look upon his like again.<br /></span> -</div></div> - -<p> </p> - -<p class="c"><small>Typogr<span class="ov">aphy by J. S. Cushing & Co., </span>Boston.</small></p> - -<p><a name="page_335" id="page_335"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="cb"><big><big>THE STORY OF MUSIC.</big></big></p> - -<p class="cb">BY W. J. HENDERSON.</p> - -<p class="cb">———</p> - -<p class="cb"><i>12mo, Ornamental Cloth Cover, $1.25.</i></p> - -<p class="cb">———</p> - -<p>“Mr. Henderson tells in a clear, comprehensive, and logical way the -story of the growth of modern music. The work is prefixed by a -newly-prepared chronological table, which will be found invaluable by -musical students, and which contains many dates and notes of important -events that are not further mentioned in the text.... Few contemporary -writers on music have a more agreeable style, and few, even among the -renowned and profound Germans, a firmer grasp of the subject. The book, -moreover, will be valuable to the student for its references, which form -a guide to the best literature of music in all languages. The story of -the development of religious music, a subject that is too often made -forbidding and uninteresting to the general reader, is here related so -simply as to interest and instruct any reader, whether or not he has a -thorough knowledge of harmonics and an intimate acquaintance with the -estimable dominant and the deplorable consecutive fifths. The chapter on -instruments and instrumental forms is valuable for exactly the same -reasons.”—<span class="smcap">New York Times.</span></p> - -<p>“It is a pleasure to open a new book and discover on its first page that -the clearness and simple beauty of its typography has a harmony in the -clearness, directness, and restful finish of the writer’s style.... Mr. -Henderson has accomplished, with rare judgment and skill, the task of -telling the story of the growth of the art of music without encumbering -his pages with excess of biographical material. He has aimed at a -connected recital, and, for its sake, has treated of creative epochs and -epoch-making works, rather than groups of composers segregated by the -accidents of time and space.... Admirable for its succinctness, -clearness, and gracefulness of statement.”—<span class="smcap">New York Tribune.</span></p> - -<p>“The work is both statistical and narrative, and its special design is -to give a detailed and comprehensive history of the various steps in the -development of music as an art. There is a very valuable chronological -table, which presents important dates that could not otherwise be well -introduced into the book. The choice style in which this book is written -lends its added charms to a work most important on the literary as well -as on the artistic side of music.”—<span class="smcap">Boston Traveller.</span></p> - -<p class="cb">———</p> - -<p class="c">LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.,<br /> -15 East 16th Street, New York.<a name="page_336" id="page_336"></a></p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="cb"><big><big>PRELUDES AND STUDIES.</big></big></p> - -<p class="c"><i>MUSICAL THEMES OF THE DAY.</i></p> - -<p class="c">BY W. J. HENDERSON,</p> - -<p class="c"><small>Author of “The Story of Music.”</small></p> - -<p class="cb">———</p> - -<p class="c"><i>12mo, Cloth, Extra, Guilt Top, $1.25.</i></p> - -<p class="cb">———</p> - -<p>“The questions which he handles are all living. Even the purely -historical lectures which he has grouped together under the general head -of “The Evolution of Piano Music,” are informed with freshness and -contemporaneous interest by the manner which he has chosen for their -treatment.... The concluding chapter of the book is an essay designed to -win appreciation for Schumann, ... and is the gem of the book both in -thought and expression.”—<span class="smcap">New York Tribune.</span></p> - -<p>“Leaving Wagner, of whom the book treats in a most interesting way, the -evolution of piano music is taken up and treated in such a way as to -convince one that the writer is a master of his subject. Mr. Henderson -dwells on the performances of some living players, their methods, -manner, etc., and closes his work with a number on Schumann and the -programme symphony.”—<span class="smcap">Detroit Sunday News.</span></p> - -<p>“The book is written by one who knows his subject thoroughly and is made -interesting to the general public as well as to those who are learned in -music.”—<span class="smcap">Boston Post.</span></p> - -<p>“All lovers and students of music will find much to appreciate.... Mr. -Henderson writes charmingly of his various subjects—sympathetically, -critically, and keenly. He shows a sincere love for his themes, and -study of them; yet he is never pedantic, a virtue to be appreciated in a -writer of essays upon any department of art.”—<span class="smcap">Boston Times.</span></p> - -<p>“Mr. Henderson’s clear style is well known to readers of the musical -criticism of the New York Times, and his catholicity of sentiment, and -freedom from prejudice, ... though this volume will be especially -valuable to the student of music, it will be helpful to the amateur, and -can be read with satisfaction by one ignorant of music, which, -altogether, is surely high praise.”—<span class="smcap">Providence Sunday Journal.</span></p> - -<p>“It is a volume of extremely suggestive musical studies.... They are all -full of appreciative comment, and show considerable clear insight into -the origin and nature of musical works. The author has a style which is -adapted to exposition. The book is an attractive one for the lover of -music.”—<span class="smcap">Public Opinion.</span></p> - -<p>“Mr. Henderson studies carefully and intelligently the evolution of -piano music and Schumann’s relation to the development of the programme -symphony. This is a suggestive, original, and well-equipped group of -essays upon themes which interest musicians.”—<span class="smcap">Literary World.</span></p> - -<p> </p> - -<p class="c">LONGMANS, GREEN, & CO.,<br /> -15 East 16th Street, New York.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><p class="cb">FOOTNOTES:</p> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> Letter to F. Villot.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> The original in the possession of Edward Roeckel, Bath.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> Neighbouring mountains.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> A daughter of August Roeckel.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> August’s wife.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> The Work and Mission of my Life, chap. ix.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> Sunday Times, 6th May, 1855.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> Written before his death in 1890.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> 24th February, 1855.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> Roeckel.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> English Gentleman.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> August’s father.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> Secretary of the Philharmonic Society.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> This is Wagner’s characteristic jocularity, Lüders being a -man of short and slight stature and most mild in temper.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> Edward Roeckel of Bath.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> “Peps” was the dog which helped to compose “Tannhäuser.”</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> The parrot.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> Wagner used to take “Gypsy” out for a walk daily.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> Then conductor of the New Philharmonic concerts, at -present director of the London Academy of Music.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> Meaning of two Richard Wagners.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> Burning of the opera house, Covent Garden.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> An English translation of these memoirs by Baron de Worms -was published in 1887.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> Letter to Mr. Villot, page 35.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> Alluding to the action taken by Frederick of Baden (whose -wife was a lover of Wagner’s music) to secure the reinstalment of Wagner -as a citizen of Germany.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> Then “Chef de claque.”</p></div> -</div> - -<p><a name="note" id="note"></a></p> -<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" summary="" -style="padding:2%;border:3px dotted gray;"> -<tr><th align="center">Typographical errors corrected by the etext transcriber:</th></tr> -<tr><td align="center">Seigfried=> Siegfried {pg 18}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">Kapelmeister=> Kapellmeister {pg 26}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">misletoe=> misletoe {pg 32}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">orchestra after Hadyn=> orchestra after Haydn {pg 42}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">the gift of Shroeder-Devrient.=> the gift of Schroeder-Devrient. {pg 74}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">Niebulungen=> Nibelungen {pg 97}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">as Tannhauser emerging from=> as Tannhäuser emerging from {pg 116}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">“Rienzi” rehersal in the overture=> “Rienzi” rehearsal in the overture {pg 125}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">order came from Luttichon=> order came from Luttichorn {pg 133}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">Liepzic dialect=> Leipzic dialect {pg 135}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">his easily understoood=> his easily understood {pg 191}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">Götterdamerung=> Götterdämmerung {pg 242}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">Aria (“Non mi du”)=> Aria (“Non mi dir”) {pg 257}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">cequi ne sera pas chose facile=> ce qui ne sera pas chose facile {pg 277}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">absolutely nesessary=> absolutely necessary {pg 282}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">Götterdammerung=> Götterdämmerung {pg 291}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">Nuitre posed a soft answer=> Nuiter posed a soft answer {pg 305}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">If it does=> It it does {pg 311}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">run as follows=> runs as follows {pg 315}</td></tr> -<tr><td align="center">Freischutz=> Freischütz {x3}</td></tr> -</table> - 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