Wagner's Letters
Correspondence by, to, and around Richard Wagner
Wagner’s letters form one of the great documentary records of nineteenth-century artistic life. They reveal the practical, intellectual, emotional, and ideological world behind the works: artistic plans, financial crises, theatrical battles, friendships, quarrels, patronage, exile, revolution, Bayreuth, family life, philosophical reflection, and the shifting circle of figures who helped shape Wagner’s public and private destiny.
This archive is organized chronologically, but it is also designed as a map of Wagner’s relationships. The letters may be browsed by year and month, by sender and recipient, or by major correspondents such as Friedrich Nietzsche, Theodor Uhlig, and Franz Liszt.
Letters from Wagner should be read beside letters sent to him. The outgoing letters often show Wagner fashioning his own cause, defending his works, pleading for help, or advancing his vision of art. The incoming letters reveal how that vision was received, resisted, misunderstood, supported, or transformed by those around him.
Because the collection contains thousands of letters, the table below is intended as a finding aid rather than a replacement for the individual letter pages. Use the filters to narrow the archive by year, month, correspondent, or direction, then open a letter to read the full text.
Note: An asterisk (*) next to the date indicates an exact date for the letter was unavailable and a date has been interpolated from context and ordering.
| Date | From | To | Place | Words | Subject |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 18, 1848 | Richard Wagner | Baron von Lüttichau | Dresden | 1,067 |
Wagner asks Lüttichau for leave in Dresden to treat gastric trouble, while explaining and defending his recent political pamphlet and public reading before a progressive association. He says he sought to reconcile republican aspirations with preservation of the monarchy by stripping away obsolete court forms, but now fears both popular radicalization and royal misunderstanding, and apologizes if his attempt at mediation caused offense.
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| June 20, 1848 | Richard Wagner | Baron von Lüttichau | Dresden | 181 |
Wagner writes emotionally to Lüttichau after receiving reassuring news through Edward Devrient, saying he now sees Lüttichau's nobility and true capacity for reconciliation. He apologetically drops formal address in the intensity of gratitude, explaining that the reassurance has deeply moved him.
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| No letters found. | |||||