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 19, 1848 | Richard Wagner | Edward Devrient | Dresden | 172 |
Wagner tells Edward Devrient that he regrets the heated public presentation of his pamphlet because it has been badly misunderstood and may be damaging his standing with the king. He asks Devrient to use his persuasive presence at court to defend Wagner's intentions and help prevent any harmful action against him.
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| May 17, 1849 | Richard Wagner | Edward Devrient | Weimar | 3,195 |
Writing from Weimar after the Dresden uprising, Wagner explains to Devrient his sympathy with the constitutional movement, his attempts to encourage fraternization between troops and people, his flight with Minna to Chemnitz, and his belief that the resistance grew from civic rage rather than a planned revolutionary conspiracy. Fearing reactionary prosecution and despairing of his Dresden office, he says Liszt and the Grand Duchess urge him toward Paris and London, asks Devrient to investigate whether he can safely retain leave or a right of return, and hopes to pursue Lohengrin abroad.
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| No letters found. | |||||