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RICHARD WAGNER

HIS LIFE AND HIS DRAMAS

A BIOGRAPHICAL STUDY OF THE MAN AND AN EXPLANATION OF HIS WORK


BY

W.J. HENDERSON

AUTHOR OF "THE STORY OF MUSIC," "PRELUDES AND STUDIES," "WHAT IS GOOD
MUSIC?" ETC.


[Illustration]


  G.P. PUTNAM'S SONS
  NEW YORK AND LONDON
  _The Knickerbocker Press_
  1902

  Copyright, 1901
  BY
  W.J. HENDERSON

  Set up, electrotyped, and printed, November, 1901
  Reprinted February, 1902
  _The Knickerbocker Press, New York_




[Illustration: Richard Wagner]




TO

ROBERT EDWIN BONNER




PREFACE


The purpose of this book is to supply Wagner lovers with a single
work which shall meet all their needs. The author has told the story
of Wagner's life, explained his artistic aims, given the history of
each of his great works, examined its literary sources, shown how
Wagner utilised them, surveyed the musical plan of each drama, and
set forth the meaning and purpose of its principal ideas. The work
is not intended to be critical, but is designed to be expository.
It aims to help the Wagner lover to a thorough knowledge and
understanding of the man and his works.

The author has consulted all the leading biographies, and for
guidance in the direction of absolute trustworthiness he is directly
indebted to Mme. Cosima Wagner, whose suggestions have been carefully
observed. He is also under a large, but not heavy, burden of
obligation to Mr. Henry Edward Krehbiel, musical critic of _The New
York Tribune_, who carefully read the manuscript of this work and
pointed out its errors. The value of Mr. Krehbiel's revision and
his hints cannot be over-estimated. Thanks are also due to Mr. Emil
Paur, conductor of the Philharmonic Society, of New York, for certain
inquiries made in Europe.

The records of first performances have been prepared with great care
and with no little labour. For the dates of those at most of the
European cities the author is indebted to an elaborate article by E.
Kastner, published in the _Allgemeine Musik. Zeitung_, of Berlin, for
July and August, 1896. The original casts have been secured, as far
as possible, from the programmes. For that of the "Flying Dutchman"
at Dresden--incorrectly given in many books on Wagner--the author
is indebted to Hofkapellmeister Ernst von Schuch, who obtained it
from the records of the Hoftheater. The name of the singer of the
Herald in the first cast of "Lohengrin," missing in all the published
histories, was supplied by Hermann Wolff, of Berlin, from the records
of Weimar. The casts of first performances in this country are not
quite complete, simply because the journalists of twenty-five years
ago did not realise their obligations to posterity. The casts were
not published in full. The records have disappeared. The theatres
in some cases--as in that of the Stadt--have long ago gone out of
existence and nothing can be done. As far as given the casts are, the
author believes, perfectly correct.




CONTENTS


PART I--THE LIFE OF WAGNER

  CHAPTER                                                         PAGE

  I--THE BOYHOOD OF A GENIUS                                         1

  II--THE FIRST OPERAS                                              14

  III--KOeNIGSBERG AND RIGA                                          27

  IV--"THE END OF A MUSICIAN IN PARIS"                              38

  V--BEGINNING OF FAME AND HOSTILITY                                50

  VI--"LOHENGRIN" and "DIE MEISTERSINGER"                           64

  VII--"ART AND REVOLUTION"                                         73

  VIII--PREACHING WHAT HE PRACTISED                                 85

  IX--A STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND                                  96

  X--A SECOND END IN PARIS                                         