LONDON G. BELL AND SONS, LTD. [Second Edition] 1913 RICHARD WAGNER LIFE OF WAGNER MAGDEBURG, RIGA, PARIS, 1834-1842. DRESDEN, 1842-1849. ZURICH—PARIS (1849-1861). MUNICH—TRIEBSHEN, (1864-1871) BAYREUTH "PARSIFAL" (1882). TO SUM UP. WAGNER'S WORKS MINIATURE SERIES OF MUSICIANS...

HIS YOUTH 1813-1834. The old world is very remote from us now, but it is worth while making a small attempt to realize how it stood to Wagner. When he was born, in 1813, Bach had been dead only a little over sixty years; Mozart had been dead about twenty years, and Haydn about ten; Beethoven was in the full splendour of his tremendous powers; Weber and Schubert had still their finest work to do. To grasp all that this means, let us consider our relation to Mendelssohn. He died nearly sixty years

The trade he had chosen was that of operatic conductor. It was not until eight years later that he made a serious début as an operatic composer. The Forbidden Love (Das Liebesverbot) is entirely unknown to me; but it may be doubted whether Wagner, with his head full of confused ideas, and as yet no definite and distinctive plan or method, could at this time produce a great work of art. He had to pass through his Rienzi period first. But two points may be remarked. Already he had determined to ma

He was now thirty, and although he had written two long works, one of them a great one, they constituted the merest prelude to the gigantic achievements of the next forty years. He was busily engaged at the opera, but set to work at once on an endless number and variety of projects. Tannhäuser was finished by 1845, Lohengrin by 1847, and his brain was occupied with The Mastersingers of Nuremberg (Die Meistersinger) and The Nibelung's Ring , both to be completed long afterwards. During this perio

He was now, indeed, in a pretty pickle. At Dresden he had an assured livelihood and time to write operas; and, despite his former experience of hunger and want, he threw away his position for the sake of an idea. He afterwards was wont to complain that he only wished to be kept alive in reasonable comfort, and he would in return present the world with masterpieces. Yet he was not content when he was, for a comparatively slight return in daily labour, kept comfortably alive. But, after all, what

From the outset squabbles and intrigues made Wagner's life bitter. He did not do things by halves, and when he had succeeded in getting the music school of Munich re-organized to suit his wishes, with Bülow as chief director, the local musicians felt they had little cause to love him. Bülow was appointed kapellmeister of the Court Theatre; reforms, peculiarly disagreeable to those reformed, were set on foot; and singers, players, régisseurs , who had anticipated sleeping away their existence in

The establishment of a festival theatre where, humanly speaking, ideal performances of all the great operas could be given—this was long a dream of Wagner's. He knew what could be done and how to do it; he knew also that it was not done because managers, conductors, bandsmen and singers had formed careless and slovenly habits, and were blinded by prejudices and traditions surviving from the days of old Italian opera. King Ludwig helped him as far as he could, the good burghers of Bayreuth were r

This disastrous and evil opera was written in Wagner's old age, under the influence of such a set of disagreeably immoral persons as has seldom if ever been gathered together in so small a town as Bayreuth. The whole drama consists in this: At Montsalvat there was a monastery, and the head became seriously ill because he had been seen with a lady. In the long-run he is saved by a young man—rightly called a "fool"—who cannot tolerate the sight of a woman. What it all means—the grotesque parody of

Wagner died suddenly at Venice February 13, 1883, and a few days later was buried in the garden of Villa Wahnfried, Bayreuth. For a really great composer he had quite a long life, and he lived it out strenuously; and if he struggled and suffered during a great portion of it, at any rate his last years brought him peace, undisturbed by the old nightmare dread of poverty. His activity manifested itself in three forms: the reforms he effected in the theatre and the concert-room, his own music drama

OPERAS. The Fairies (Die Feen). Das Siebererbot. Rienzi. The Flying Dutchman. Tannhäuser. Lohengrin. Tristan. The Mastersingers. The Nibelung's Ring, which includes: The Rhinegold, The Valkyrie, Siegfried, The Dusk of the Gods. Parsifal. MISCELLANEOUS. A large number of prose essays. Some concert overtures, including the "Faust." The Love-feast of the Apostles. Several songs. Kaisermarsch. Huldigung's march....

Pott 8vo. Cloth, 1s. net; or in Limp Leather, with Photogravure Frontispiece, 2s. net . BACH. By E.H. THORNE. Second Edition. BEETHOVEN. By J.S. SHEDLOCK. Fourth Edition. BRAHMS. By HERBERT ANTCLIFFE. Second Edition. CHOPIN. By E.J. OLDMEADOW. Second Edition. GOUNOD. By HENRY TOLHURST. Second Edition. GRIEG. By E. MARKHAM LEE, M.A., Mus.D. HANDEL. By WILLIAM H. CUMMINGS, MUS.D., F.S.A., Principal of the Guildhall School of Music. Third Edition. HAYDN. By JOHN F. RUNCIMAN. MENDELSSOHN. By VERNON