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.

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Date	From	To	Place	Words	Subject
June 7, 1855	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	London	409	Writing to Liszt, Wagner admires his friend's immense productivity and the projected Dante Symphony while warning that Paradise poses a serious artistic and philosophical problem. Drawing on Dante, Beethoven's Ninth, and his own bleak view of existence, he argues that Inferno and Purgatorio can be musically convincing but that conventional visions of heavenly felicity risk becoming vulgar and false.
June 12, 1855	Richard Wagner	Minna Wagner	London	531	Writing Minna from London, Wagner recounts being presented to Queen Victoria after a concert at which she and Prince Albert warmly applauded the Tannhäuser Overture and showed unusual interest in his conducting. He takes satisfaction in being received graciously by the English court despite his political exile and tells Minna to share the episode with friends and newspapers if it pleases her.
June 15, 1855	Richard Wagner	Minna Wagner	London	141	Writing Minna from London, Wagner describes a visit from Berlioz, whom he portrays as financially desperate and dependent on poorly paid concerts in England and Germany. He criticizes Berlioz's handling of Mozart and his accommodation to English taste, concluding harshly that Berlioz is driven by money and lacks depth.
July 5, 1855	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	1,112	Back in Zurich after the end of his London engagement, Wagner reports that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert treated him with marked kindness and that his final concert ended in a public and orchestral ovation that partly vindicated him against the critics. He remains bitter about the artistic vulgarity and exhaustion of the whole enterprise, but is glad it ended honorably, values his new friendship with Berlioz, and eagerly asks when Liszt will finally come to Switzerland.
July 5, 1855	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	462	Writing to Liszt after returning to Zurich, Wagner reviews his London season, gratefully recalling Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's public friendliness toward him despite his status as a political exile. He insists the concerts brought no true artistic triumph, only outward success after degrading programs, but notes a significant new friendship with Berlioz born from long conversation and shared suffering.
July 8, 1855	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	90	No summary available.
July 11, 1855	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Weimar	734	Liszt promises Wagner that he will visit Zurich in the autumn, probably after his uncertain Hungarian journey, and says he is pleased by the honorable close of the London season and by Wagner's new understanding with Berlioz. He thanks Wagner for the long Dante letter, explains that he is reworking Prometheus and preparing more material to discuss in person, and closes with family, theatrical, and travel news while renewing his gratitude for Wagner's kindness to Klindworth.
July 22, 1855	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Seelisberg	130	Wagner says he now thinks only of Liszt's coming visit and is glad it was postponed, since the delay will let him prepare more of Die Walkure for their meeting. He asks Liszt to regard the encounter as a climactic moment in both their lives and to arrange ordinary matters accordingly.
July 30, 1855	Richard Wagner	Louis Schindelmeisser	Seelisberg	1,197	Writing from Seelisberg to Schindelmeisser, Wagner reflects on the poor state of tenors and conducting in Germany, sends materials for Tannhäuser and Die Walküre, and asks about piano arrangements for Das Rheingold. He discusses the dramatic weight of Walküre Act II, his renewed confidence in Wotan's great scene, his recovery from London, his circle in Zurich, his interest in Berlioz's scores, and his dread that a lucrative American offer might derail work on The Nibelungs.
August 2, 1855*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	117	Wagner asks Liszt, whom he calls his permanent court business agent, to forward a letter to the King of Hanover through the Weimar minister because his theatrical agent has sold Lohengrin to Hanover without authorization and on poor terms. He wants Liszt to help him appeal directly to the king and reproaches him lightly for not answering an earlier question.
August 12, 1855*	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	456	Liszt returns Wagner's letter to the King of Hanover, saying he has found no reliable way of reaching the monarch and advising Wagner instead to write through Joachim or Capellmeister Wehner, who is on good terms with the king. He also discusses the timing of his November or Christmas visit, mentions family and publishing news, and complains that visits and business have left him little time for work.
August 23, 1855*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	533	Wagner says Liszt's silence has made him deeply anxious because the hoped-for visit is the only thing that gives him comfort or strength, and he fears his creative source will dry up if he cannot see Liszt more often or hear his works performed. He reports that the first half of Die Walkure has at last been finished and copied, but that illness, discouragement, and artistic isolation have made further work increasingly difficult.
September 1, 1855	Richard Wagner	Hans von Bülow	Zurich	999,999	Writing to Hans von Bülow, Wagner sends the programme for the Tannhäuser Overture and notes that he has written programmes only for Beethoven's Third and Ninth symphonies. He asks whether Bülow can quickly prepare a piano arrangement of Das Rheingold, while adding that Klindworth is available if the task proves too burdensome.
September 2, 1855*	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	435	Liszt forwards an American concert proposal through T. Hagen and the Mason brothers, asks Wagner for a prompt reply, and suggests that a Beethoven-centered visit to Boston might be financially worthwhile even if he doubts Wagner will accept. He also sends Weimar theatrical and family news, complains of tedious obligations, and looks ahead to their November meeting.
September 5, 1855*	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	28	No summary available.
September 13, 1855	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	777	Wagner proposes postponing Liszt's visit until Christmas so that he can present the whole of Die Walkure, whose tragic completion and eventual reading through with Liszt he regards as his only true reward. He declines the New York offer with thanks, worries over money and Hanover, and imagines instead a cheap but congenial winter arrangement in Zurich where he and Liszt might work together in peace.
September 23, 1855	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Weimar	167	Liszt repeats that Wehner is still the best route for the Hanover business and promises Wagner that he will be in Zurich around Christmas. He looks forward to feasting like the gods on Rheingold and Die Walkure, while bringing some artistic hors d'oeuvre of his own.
October 3, 1855	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	1,053	Wagner sends Liszt the finished first two acts of Die Walkure and explains why the second act, especially Wotan's great scene with Brynhild, is central to the whole tetralogy and must be judged by someone who truly understands his dramatic intentions. He looks forward with solemn anticipation to Liszt's visit, mentions several friends now around him in Zurich, says the Hanover issue has been resolved, and again recoils from the prospect of a lucrative but artistically ruinous American expedition.
October 3, 1855	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	999,999	Writing to Liszt from Zurich, Wagner sends the first two acts of Die Walküre and reflects anxiously on the immense dramatic demands of Act II, especially Wotan's revelation to Brünnhilde. He also reports Semper and Karl Ritter's presence in Zurich, asks to borrow or receive Berlioz scores for study, and dreads a possible American offer that could interrupt completion of The Nibelungs.
October 4, 1855	Richard Wagner	Karl Klindworth	Zurich	326	Writing to Klindworth, Wagner reports that he has sent Liszt the fair copy of the first two acts of Die Walküre and is beginning the third act. He asks Klindworth to turn the instrumentation drafts into a piano arrangement, promises ink copies for future work, mentions Bülow's inability to help, and offers only the prospect of a later publisher's honorarium.
October 5, 1855	Richard Wagner	Hans von Bülow	Zurich	648	Writing to Bülow, Wagner withdraws the request that he arrange Das Rheingold, arguing that Bülow should protect his creative energies as a composer while Klindworth can more readily handle pianist's work. He instead presses Bülow for an unpaid four-hand arrangement of the revised Faust Overture to prevent Härtel from publishing a bad version, urging a free, clear, playable treatment that serves the musical idea.
October 7, 1855*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	18	In this brief note Wagner acknowledges that the score he sent has arrived safely and says he is anxious for Liszt's reaction. The whole letter is a suspended moment of expectation.
October 12, 1855	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Weimar	265	Liszt greets the arrival of Die Walkure with ecstatic praise, calling it sublime and saying he is reading it in great inner excitement. He promises fuller comments in person, mentions Berlioz scores and upcoming performances of Wagner's operas in Weimar, and urges Wagner to continue fearlessly in the direction of the sublime.
November 2, 1855	Richard Wagner	Princess Caroline	Zurich	542	Writing to Princess Caroline, Wagner pleads that Liszt be allowed to visit Zurich in winter, saying illness has interrupted work on Die Walküre and that Liszt's presence matters more to him than finishing the score by Christmas. In a mood of despair, he argues that life should be organized around essential human bonds rather than routine, confessing that he feels abandoned and believes living near Liszt would relieve much of his misery.
November 16, 1855	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	152	Wagner thanks Liszt's daughter for her letter and says he is keeping her album until he can write something worthy in it, while also remaining indebted to the Princess for a proper reply. He is still confined indoors, doing a little work, and says he would gladly remain silent until Liszt's arrival because whatever he says or writes now seems foolish to him.
December 12, 1855	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	240	Wagner reports that he has been bedridden for three weeks with repeated attacks of erysipelas in the face and now expects a winter of continued danger from relapse. He says this illness makes Liszt's projected visit impossible for the present, deepens his already dark mood, and leaves him longing for more news from his friend.
December 12, 1855	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	106	Writing to Liszt from Zurich, Wagner reports that he is cautiously rising after three weeks in bed with repeated attacks of facial erysipelas. He expects to remain indoors for the rest of the year and fears winter relapses triggered by even slight excitement or chill.
December 19, 1855	Richard Wagner	Karl Klindworth	Zurich	113	Writing to Klindworth, Wagner asks for a prompt reply on whether he can quickly make the piano arrangement of Das Rheingold, in which case the score and part of Die Walküre will be sent at once. He explains that illness has kept him bedridden for much of two months, halted work, and forced him to postpone Liszt's planned visit until spring.
December 23, 1855	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	472	Princess Carolyne sends Wagner New Year's wishes from herself and her daughter, expresses their longing to see him again in 1856, and says both she and Liszt are saddened by his suffering. She reports Liszt's altered travel plans, his involvement with the Berlin Tannhauser rehearsals and surrounding criticism, and closes by asking Wagner to write more often and send the requested autograph while praising the Siegmund-Sieglinde duet in Die Walkure.
December 24, 1855	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	633	Liszt says illness and travel obligations have again delayed the longed-for meeting, since Vienna, Berlioz's coming visit, and Weimar performances will occupy him for months and may push any Zurich journey into the summer. He reports encouraging prospects for Tannhauser in Berlin and continuing success for Wagner's works in Weimar, while noting that he is postponing publication of some of his own scores until he can present them under his own direction.
December 26, 1855*	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	25	No summary available.
December 29, 1855	Richard Wagner	Julie Ritter	Zurich	410	Writing to Julie Ritter, Wagner looks back on 1855 as a bleak year dominated by the misery of London, the death of his old dog Peps after his return, bad weather at Seelisberg, and months of illness in Zurich that delayed Die Walküre. He finds one consolation in Karl Ritter's arrival in Zurich, noting his escape from political homelessness and praising the young man's changed character and unusual promise.
January 3, 1856*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	339	Wagner writes from renewed illness, asks Liszt to return the first two acts of Die Walkure so they can be copied by a newly found amanuensis, and says he now views the failure of the published Faust Overture as a deserved and purifying punishment. He rejects Liszt's worldly Christianity as self-contradictory and can offer neither a proper letter nor the requested album entry because his head is too confused.
January 10, 1856	Richard Wagner	Karl Klindworth	Zurich	153	Writing to Klindworth, Wagner confirms that he has sent the score of Das Rheingold and will soon send the last act of Die Walküre for piano arrangement, hoping it can be completed by Easter. He thanks Klindworth for an earlier package, says he is resuming work with hopes of finishing in February, and notes Liszt's telegram that Tannhäuser has gone fairly well in Berlin.
January 14, 1856	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Weimar	892	This entry combines Liszt's delighted Berlin telegram after the first Tannhauser performance with a fuller letter praising Johanna Wagner, Formes, Dorn, the staging, and the scenic splendor, while also noting a few musical reservations about tempo and orchestral scale. He hopes Wagner may one day see such a production himself, returns the first two acts of Die Walkure, asks permission to print Wagner's Iphigenia in Aulis ending in a new Gluck edition, and sends renewed sympathy for his illness and suffering.
January 18, 1856	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	984	Wagner asks Liszt with painful frankness whether he can provide one thousand francs at once and an annual allowance for two more years, since his income remains insufficient for life in Zurich and his wife needs more security than his precarious finances allow. He also proposes that a small group of supporters might fund a salaried copyist for the Ring project, laments the missed meeting, complains about the vulgar fate of Tannhauser in Berlin, and says that only living near or with Liszt seems capable of enabling his future work.
March 21, 1856	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	85	Wagner apologizes for having put Liszt in an awkward position with his letters to Vienna and begs him not to punish him further with silence. Above all, he asks for the long-postponed visit, saying he desperately needs to consult Liszt about his future life and that he is very unhappy.
March 25, 1856	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	662	Liszt tells Wagner that he will send one thousand francs at the beginning of May but cannot undertake any regular annual obligation because his own finances are tightly constrained by family responsibilities, salary limits, and unremunerative compositions. He gives some Weimar and theatrical news, speaks of performances of Lohengrin elsewhere, and says that his Zurich visit depends on the timing of the Gran cathedral consecration.
March 28, 1856	Richard Wagner	Karl Klindworth	Zurich	176	Writing to Klindworth, Wagner promises to send rough studies for the last act of Die Walküre after many interruptions, including another recurrence of erysipelas. He says the act was completed in a concentrated effort, notes that Klindworth will receive no more scores for some time, and asks whether the Das Rheingold arrangement is finished before Liszt's expected visit.
April 5, 1856	Richard Wagner	Breitkopf and Härtel	Zurich	401	Writing to Breitkopf and Härtel, Wagner proposes publishing the collected theoretical writings of his late friend Theodor Uhlig as both an act of friendship and a contribution to musical science. He especially praises Uhlig's unpublished treatise on motif formation, promises to exclude polemical material and add a restrained foreword, and asks for a generous honorarium for Uhlig's widow.
April 13, 1856	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	815	Writing to Liszt, Wagner announces his decision to seek a pardon from the King of Saxony and asks Liszt to intercede personally, preferably through an audience arranged by the Grand Duke of Weimar. He proposes presenting his revolutionary conduct as the excess of an artist's temperament, promises to avoid future political involvement or provocative writings, and stresses that his return to Germany would be devoted solely to art.
April 18, 1856*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	911	Wagner says Liszt's explanation of his finances has caused him shame and pain, and he retracts the personal aspect of his request while proposing instead that any money Liszt can place at his disposal be treated as payment for copied scores and piano arrangements of the Ring, which would then become Liszt's property. He reports that he has completed the last act of Die Walkure, calls it perhaps the best thing he has written, asks urgently for longer letters and perhaps even a short visit, and drifts into new dreams of travel, Rome, and Berlioz.
April 18, 1856*	Richard Wagner	Otto Wesendonck	Zurich	40	No summary available.
April 28, 1856	Richard Wagner	Anton Pusinelli	Zurich	405	Writing to Anton Pusinelli, Wagner laments the failure to secure ceded publishing royalties after Meser's death and fears renewed lawsuits over debts tied to his only guaranteed property. He describes dependence on friends, worsening health, and the need for quiet to finish the Ring, while imagining a future Zurich stage festival in a temporary theatre if the work is completed.
May 20, 1856*	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	367	Liszt advises Wagner not to rely on the Prague-Swiss-citizenship workaround, which he regards as dangerous illusion, and insists that the only realistic path back to Germany is an immediate petition to the King of Saxony. He asks Wagner to send him a copy, recommends that the first request be framed narrowly around a temporary visit to Weimar for artistic reasons, and urges patience while still holding out hope of eventual success.
June 11, 1856	Richard Wagner	Minna Wagner	Mornex	195	Writing Minna from Mornex, Wagner reports that his illness has worsened badly, leaving him in constant fear of renewed attacks and dependent on strict diet and rest under Dr. Coindet's advice. He also affectionately praises Fips for his touching behavior during the journey from Zurich, especially his distress at Minna's departure and his obedience afterward.
June 15, 1856*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	188	Wagner tells Liszt that another illness has again put him in bed, though the arrival of the second installment of the Symphonic Poems suddenly makes him feel rich. He longs to understand the scores more fully, mentions the copying progress of the third act of Die Walkure and Rheingold, and ends with a bleak joke about wishing he could go straight to Purgatory instead of merely taking medicine.
June 19, 1856	Richard Wagner	Minna Wagner	Mornex	364	Writing Minna from Mornex, Wagner insists that Natalie must leave their household because constant conflict over her incapacity is damaging Minna's health and making home life intolerable for him. He proposes continuing financial support of 100 francs quarterly so she can live elsewhere, possibly with the Trögers, and urges Minna to settle the matter before his return.
June 20, 1856	Richard Wagner	Breitkopf and Härtel	Mornex	542	Writing to Breitkopf and Härtel from Mornex, Wagner opens negotiations for future publication of the Nibelung dramas, noting that Das Rheingold and Die Walküre are fully scored and projecting completion of the cycle by 1858. He outlines his plan for a national dramatic-musical festival and later staged repetitions in major German cities, while asking how the firm might support the enterprise before final publication terms are fixed.
June 23, 1856	Richard Wagner	Karl Klindworth	Mornex	90	Writing to Klindworth from Mornex, Wagner reports three recurrences of erysipelas in May and early June, making work impossible until his cure ends in mid-August. He expresses distress at the delay but promises to resume with renewed energy on Siegfried in late summer and send Klindworth more manuscript.
No letters found.

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