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.

Year

Month

All Years •

—

All Months • Jan• Feb• Mar• Apr• May• Jun• Jul• Aug• Sep• Oct• Nov• Dec

Search letters

Correspondent

Direction

Showing all years (786 total)

Date	From	To	Place	Words	Subject
July 11, 1850*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	233	Wagner asks Liszt for a clear answer about the five hundred francs supposedly due for his version of Iphigenia, including whether the money exists, where it has been sent, and how it might be divided between Belloni in Paris and Wagner in Zurich. He adds his amazement that Liszt may have secured such a payment for a mere arrangement and asks again whether he might soon hear from or even briefly see Liszt.
July 20, 1850*	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	1,268	Liszt assures Wagner of his practical and intelligent devotion, explains that he could not extract the requested Iphigenia payment from the management, but sends private funds through Belloni and expects further help from Zigesar and from Lohengrin honoraria. He also describes the exceptional preparations for the Weimar premiere of Lohengrin, forbids Wagner to think of returning incognito because it is impossible, and quietly proposes that a successful reception might later justify a commission and advance for Siegfried.
July 29, 1850*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	1,575	Wagner responds with an exalted meditation on friendship, telling Liszt that his practical devotion has made exile bearable and has given him a living example of what true friendship means. He then unfolds his convictions about the death of contemporary art, the primacy of present representation over posthumous fame, and concludes that he will compose Siegfried only for Liszt and Weimar once Lohengrin has been successfully brought to life there.
August 1, 1850	Richard Wagner	Julie Ritter	Zurich	122	Wagner tells Julie Ritter that Liszt hopes to secure performers and an advance commission for Siegfried at Weimar, making Wagner willing to complete the work if performance becomes genuinely possible. He is deeply moved by Liszt's tactful love and care, even though Liszt does not fully understand him.
August 7, 1850*	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	497	Liszt forwards another anonymous hundred thalers to Wagner and says the gift comes, as before, from a hidden official source rather than from himself or Zigesar. He reports intense daily rehearsals for Lohengrin, promises that everything possible in Weimar is being done for a faithful performance, asks Wagner to send metronome markings for key passages, and suggests gracious letters afterward to Zigesar and Genast.
August 16, 1850	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	1,014	Wagner thanks Liszt and the anonymous benefactor again, reflects on the painful distance that keeps him from hearing Lohengrin in performance, and asks Liszt for occasional news from the rehearsals. He also promises the requested letters to Zigesar and Genast, asks for care with the printed libretto and for seats for two friends, and sends a few tempo and expression indications while insisting that Liszt's sympathy will find the right effect better than any numbers.
August 19, 1850*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	154	Wagner worries that Liszt may not have received his previous letter, since Liszt has not referred to several practical points contained in it. He asks to be told at once if the letter is missing so that he can resend the added bar for Lohengrin and make sure the intended cut and other details are not lost before the general rehearsal.
August 22, 1850	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	245	Wagner introduces his young friend Karl Ritter, praises his culture and musical gifts, and asks Liszt to be kind to him, admit him to the general rehearsal, and secure him a good place at the performances of Lohengrin. He adds that he and his wife will spend August 28 alone on the Righi, hoping the excursion made possible by Liszt's care will help his health during an emotionally charged time.
August 30, 1850*	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	318	Liszt tells Wagner that Lohengrin has moved him deeply and that he regards the whole opera as an indivisible marvel, singling out the third-act duet as its highest point of beauty and truth. He reports that the first performance was relatively successful, that the court and the more intelligent listeners are full of admiration, and that articles and notices are being arranged to secure the work's standing in Weimar and beyond.
September 8, 1850	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	3,314	Wagner thanks Liszt for the extraordinary labor behind the first performance of Lohengrin, but, from the reports he has received, reflects anxiously on why the work may have seemed overlong and only partly successful, especially in the singers' recitative style and dramatic truth. He argues at length that every musical detail exists for the drama, criticizes specific failures of stage action and characterization, and even suggests replacing the singer of Lohengrin if a better representative can be found.
September 9, 1850	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	1,470	Writing directly to Zigesar, Wagner thanks him for the care and sympathy shown to Lohengrin but argues strongly against the idea of securing success through cuts or concessions to routine operatic habits. He insists that the opera is an indivisible dramatic whole, that the real problem lies in weak dramatic delivery by the singers rather than in the work itself, and that only a reform of performance practice, not mutilation of the score, can give the piece a meaningful victory.
September 11, 1850	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	553	Wagner corrects part of his previous criticism after hearing Karl Ritter's fuller account, acknowledging that Liszt had in fact kept the recitative tempos as intended and suggesting that the real remedy lies in warmer, more vivid declamation rather than cuts. He then turns with enthusiasm to Liszt's own compositions, asking urgently for copies of the Prometheus and Tasso overtures so that he may study them and perhaps arrange a performance in Zurich.
September 16, 1850	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	924	Liszt reports that the second performance of Lohengrin confirmed his hopes and that the work will be better executed, better understood, and more effective with each repetition. He insists that Wagner's dramatic revolution requires not only retraining singers but also educating and even forcing the public beyond old habits, and while he mentions that Zigesar and Genast still have observations about cuts, he promises to carry out whatever final decision Wagner makes.
September 19, 1850	Richard Wagner	Francisca von Bülow	Zurich	987	Wagner asks Francisca von Bülow to let her son Hans abandon law for music and spend six months in Zurich learning practical conducting under Wagner alongside Karl Ritter, whose theatre post Wagner has guaranteed and will supervise. He argues that Hans's musical vocation is proven and extraordinary, that forcing legal studies would damage his character and their relationship, and that her willing support could give the world a joyful artist and preserve her son's deepest love.
September 19, 1850	Richard Wagner	Hans von Bülow	Zurich	115	Wagner urges Hans von Bülow to stand firm, read and forward Wagner's letter to his mother, and come to Zurich immediately. He says Liszt will also help, money can be managed if necessary, but hesitation or surrender would disappoint him.
September 25, 1850	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Weimar	339	Liszt tells Wagner that he is finishing a long article on Lohengrin which he hopes to publish in Paris despite the press's reluctance to praise a living foreign composer without reserve. He asks Wagner, if personal reasons permit, to revise and authenticate a German translation as well, whether for newspaper publication or as a separate pamphlet, so that the article can appear in Germany without distortion.
October 2, 1850	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	1,433	Wagner tells Liszt that they now stand so close in conviction that he mainly longs for personal reunion, asks again for Liszt's scores, and reflects on being forced to think through his ideas before returning to purely creative work. He argues that the true enemy is the ruling Philistine spirit rather than an uneducated public, criticizes Dingelstedt's confused account of Lohengrin as harmful, and asks whether Liszt might secure a more fitting notice in the widely read Allgemeine Zeitung.
October 5, 1850	Richard Wagner	Hans von Bülow	Zurich	522	Wagner tells Hans von Bülow that only decisive action can prove whether his love of art and aversion to law are strong enough, especially now that Liszt has praised his performing talent. He offers Hans an immediate Zurich theatre post at 100 francs per month, shared work with Karl Ritter, cheap lodging and meals, and urges him to come even penniless if he truly cannot do otherwise.
October 8, 1850	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	485	Wagner is embarrassed but grateful for Liszt's public praise and agrees to help with the projected article if Liszt truly wants it, while announcing that he has begun a new theoretical work, The Essence of Opera, to state his views more clearly. He also explains that harmful journalistic misunderstandings make such clarification necessary, reports that winter and health will delay serious work on Siegfried, and quietly confesses that his money will be exhausted by the end of the month.
October 8, 1850	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Zurich	395	The writer thanks the recipient for her steadfast sympathy and says that such faithful friendship means more to him than popular acclaim. He then asks her to persuade Liszt to take over the unfinished poem Wiland, which he no longer wishes or is able to complete himself, and offers the design to Liszt outright if it should truly inspire him.
October 8, 1850	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	257	Wagner tells Liszt he is writing The Nature of Opera to define opera as an art form and show how musical drama can fulfill its promise, though he hesitates to dedicate it to Liszt so as not to bind him publicly to the polemic. He is troubled by critics who accuse his works of musical confusion while he preaches drama, prepares to fight Winter again, and says health may delay Siegfried until spring though he intends to finish it in summer.
October 8, 1850	Richard Wagner	Princess Caroline	Zurich	290	Wagner tells Princess Caroline that Wieland comes from painful inspiration and contains discoveries he values, but it now belongs to a period he cannot bear to revisit and he lacks the strength or calm to finish it. He asks her to persuade Liszt to take over the musical composition as his own if the poem inspires him, since the plan is complete and only versification remains.
October 12, 1850	Richard Wagner	Eduard von Bülow	Zurich	861	Wagner tells Eduard von Bülow that if Hans is truly to become a musician, he must enter practical conducting at once, and Zurich offers an unusually concrete opportunity that Berlin cannot easily provide. He challenges the parents' sincerity because they blocked Hans from meeting him and fear Wagner's influence, yet insists his intervention serves Hans's artistic happiness and rests on his conviction that Hans is already an extraordinarily gifted, rapidly maturing artist.
October 13, 1850	Richard Wagner	Julie Ritter	Zurich	228	Wagner tells Julie Ritter that he hopes to withdraw from the Zurich theatre, which he now sees mainly as a conducting school because the institution itself is too exhausted to grow without money. He praises Liszt's sustaining strength, says he has given Wieland to him, and contrasts the naturalness of his Swiss friends with the oppressive inertia of German professors and capital cities.
October 18, 1850	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Weimar	770	Liszt thanks Wagner for the manuscript of Wieland but says his commitments will prevent him from considering its musical setting for at least a year or more, after which they can revisit the idea. He also sends Wagner his long article on Lohengrin for possible German translation and publication, reports an upcoming Paris performance of the Tannhauser overture, comments on possible Dresden and further Weimar performances of Lohengrin, and regrets that he cannot presently lend out his own overture scores.
November 25, 1850	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	920	Wagner apologizes for the delayed return of Liszt's manuscript, then says Liszt's article on Lohengrin has moved and elevated him because it shows both men meeting at the core of art from opposite directions. He explains that he will spend the winter clearing away his reflective and theoretical work, especially The Essence of Opera, so that he can enter spring free to compose Siegfried, and he renews his sincere wish that Liszt eventually take up Wieland if it truly inspires him.
November 26, 1850	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Eilsen	283	Recovering from a bout of fever, Liszt asks Wagner to confirm whether Raff's copy of the Lohengrin article has reached him and to judge it frankly as to merit and publishability. He also asks Wagner to thank Ritter for a courteous offer, inquires after Siegfried and the new opera book, and asks for one of Wagner's long letters to cheer his convalescence.
December 12, 1850	Richard Wagner	Julie Ritter	Zurich	968	Wagner thanks Julie Ritter for aid and explains that the Zurich conductorship became more complicated than expected: Karl Ritter lacked practical communication skills, Wagner's own conducting drew public attention, and Bülow's quicker executive gifts altered the plan. After resigning and securing a substitute, he sees the St. Gall call as the practical opportunity he wanted for both young men, while judging Karl deeper but harder to develop and still artistically unfocused despite promise in Dietrich of Berne.
December 24, 1850	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	1,009	Wagner finally sends Liszt the German translation of the Lohengrin article, explaining that his own bashfulness at translating praise of himself caused the delay and that Ritter and another helper prepared the version which he then revised. He warmly endorses publication of the article as a pamphlet with musical examples, thanks Liszt and the Weimar circle for understanding and defending him, reports that he is deep in Opera and Drama, and anxiously urges Liszt to reassure him about his health.
December 27, 1850	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	386	Wagner reports that the Brussels Royal Theatre wants to translate and stage Lohengrin in French after hearing of its success, and he asks Liszt to take complete charge of the matter if he thinks it worthwhile. He especially begs Liszt to see whether a usable score can be obtained from Dresden or elsewhere, since Wagner will not risk his original manuscript and cannot afford to have a copy made quickly himself.
January 3, 1851	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Eilsen	509	Liszt agrees to help with the Brussels proposal for Lohengrin and advises Wagner to accept it only on the firm condition that he himself may revise the translation and attend the general rehearsals, since otherwise the work could easily be compromised. He also updates Wagner on Weimar plans, says he will publish the Herder festival piece with the Lohengrin analysis, declines to take on Wieland because he has resolved not to write a German opera, and urges Wagner to complete Siegfried and keep courage.
February 2, 1851	Richard Wagner	Hermann Brockhaus	Zurich	288	Wagner tells Hermann Brockhaus that Switzerland in 1849 brought unprecedented happiness because he cut the knot of his Dresden life and reconciled himself inwardly, ending the hypocrisy and sterility of his official post. He says his best work will earn love rather than money, trusts that love will sustain him, and asks Heinrich to keep a transferred library intact as a pledge rather than repayment for a loan.
February 18, 1851	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	386	Feeling lonely and neglected, Wagner asks whether Liszt or their friends are angry with him, tries to clear up a misunderstanding about an article on Lohengrin, and asks for any news from Brussels, though he has little hope there. He reports that Opera and Drama is finished but still lacks a publisher, that he will next prepare his three romantic opera poems and then begin composing Siegfried in the spring, and he closes in a despondent mood about his isolated life.
March 1, 1851	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Eilsen	791	Liszt says his silence has come from deep personal distress over the Princess's illness, not from forgetfulness or anger, and he warmly thanks Wagner for the German version of the Lohengrin article, which he plans to print at once. He advises Wagner again to insist on personal control over any Brussels performance, offers a cool judgment of B. while suggesting a conciliatory line toward him and another better critic, and promises eventually to return the Wieland manuscript from Weimar.
March 9, 1851	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	915	Wagner responds sympathetically to Liszt's domestic troubles, but says he must now know plainly whether the hoped-for support from the Grand Duchess for the composition of Siegfried still remains possible or must be abandoned. He explains that this prospect led him to suspend publication of the poem and prepare for composition instead, that Opera and Drama has brought in nothing, and that if the larger plan has failed he at least urgently needs some immediate financial help while he reshapes his course.
March 10, 1851	Richard Wagner	Julie Ritter	Zurich	114	Wagner tells Julie Ritter that his deepest wish is still to become a peasant, with spring and nature offering his only comfort. He reflects that his suffering for art comes from being unable to separate art from humanity, and says he is now trying to place his manuscript Opera and Drama with a bookseller.
April 8, 1851	Richard Wagner	Breitkopf and Härtel	Zurich	774	Wagner offers Breitkopf and Härtel the score of Lohengrin for publication, acknowledging that its limited theatrical circulation makes it commercially unattractive but arguing that serious German dramatic music needs preservation and reform amid artistic corruption. He says growing demand for his printed operas encourages publication, and asks the firm to accept Lohengrin as an act of artistic responsibility and humanity, with cancellation of his debt as his only honorarium.
April 9, 1851	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	475	Liszt says that personal distress kept him silent through March, reports another postponed but forthcoming Weimar performance of Lohengrin, and sends the proof of his article for Wagner to correct quickly for the Illustrirte Zeitung. He adds that he still hopes to arrange support for Siegfried through a delicate approach involving Zigesar, asks Wagner to state plainly how much money he needs and to describe his position and plans in a letter that can be shown privately, and confidentially asks whether Wagner wrote the notorious article on Jewishness in music.
April 18, 1851	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	1,394	Wagner tells Liszt that the printed Lohengrin article restored his courage, rekindled his desire to create, and led him to resolve to begin composing Siegfried in May even without secure finances, since he now has a publisher for Opera and Drama and hopes to scrape by with help from friends. He asks Liszt to abandon any indirect appeal to the Grand Duchess, openly admits authorship of the article on Jewishness in music as part of his attempt to sever himself from Meyerbeer and an earlier compromised position, and ends with anxious sympathy for the Princess's health and a longing to see Liszt in Switzerland.
April 30, 1851	Richard Wagner	Julie Ritter	Zurich	635	Wagner reassures Julie Ritter that he never assumed her sacrificial help could continue indefinitely, and explains that he refused to petition the Weimar court or turn Siegfried into a business commission because such dependence would betray his nature. He instead hopes to found a serious theatre in Zurich, pointing to recent success in awakening support for a better orchestra, and says even one more year of her support gives him unexpected relief while interest in his work grows.
May 12, 1851	Richard Wagner	Hans von Bülow	Zurich	521	Wagner tells Hans von Bülow that the difficult St. Gall experience was still valuable because it taught him the seriousness of art, and he urges him toward Weimar under Liszt while discussing the kind of musician-poet Wagner hopes for. He advises Bülow to write separate Oresteia overtures as a new kind of symphony grounded in poetry, and reports that his next opera is commissioned for Weimar but that Siegfried's Death must be preceded by a Young Siegfried.
May 17, 1851	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Weimar	644	Liszt is delighted that Wagner has committed himself to Young Siegfried and urges secrecy until the work is actually delivered, while reporting that the fifth performance of Lohengrin in Weimar was the best yet, even if the local public still largely lags behind it. He also discusses articles and publicity, thanks Wagner for his thoughts on the Goethe foundation, asks to use Wagner's autobiography and Zurich theatre piece for related work, and invites Wagner's practical ideas about repertory and reform.
May 22, 1851	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	2,180	Wagner replies at length to Liszt's questions about the Goethe foundation and the Zurich theatre essay, saying he addressed the matter only to Liszt because real reform must begin with strong individuals and because Weimar's promise depends entirely on Liszt's artistic energy. He urges Liszt to build an original theatre by training actors and singers on principle, choosing repertory coherently, writing an opera specifically for Weimar, and creating the needed personnel there, while reporting that Young Siegfried is ready in his head and that he hopes soon to begin it and perhaps write gratefully to the Hereditary Grand Duchess.
June 4, 1851	Richard Wagner	Breitkopf and Härtel	Zurich	999,999	Wagner proposes to Breitkopf and Härtel a definitive publication of the poems for The Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser, and Lohengrin with a substantial introduction. He links the project to his forthcoming Opera and Drama, saying it will explain his development as a dramatic composer and clarify apparent contradictions between the operas and his newest artistic theories, while also drawing attention to Lohengrin.
June 29, 1851	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	680	Wagner announces that he has finished the poem of Young Siegfried, regards it as the best thing he has yet done, and urgently asks whether he and Liszt can meet soon so that he may read it aloud and explain it in person before sending a copy. He also asks Liszt's advice about an unexpected publishing offer from Breitkopf and Hartel for the full score of Lohengrin, wondering whether he ought instead to reserve such support for Young Siegfried, which matters more to him.
July 3, 1851	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Eilsen	654	Liszt rejoices in the completion of Young Siegfried and wishes he could hear Wagner read it, but says travel to Zurich is impossible for him this year because of the Princess's health and their slow return journey. He advises Wagner to publish only the piano score of Lohengrin for now and to reserve the full-score arrangement with Hartel for Siegfried after its hoped-for Weimar premiere, while promising continued practical help and mentioning an impending pamphlet of his own on Lohengrin and Tannhauser.
July 11, 1851	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	548	Wagner gratefully accepts Liszt's advice about Hartel and resolves that the coveted full-score engraving should be reserved for Siegfried rather than Lohengrin. He praises Uhlig's quiet fidelity, sends Liszt the requested Monatsschrift numbers with reservations about their fragmentary usefulness, rejoices that Young Siegfried will free him from journalism, and hopes soon to recover enough health to begin the music.
August 1, 1851*	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	851	Liszt thanks Wagner for sending the Monatsschrift numbers, asks for further installments of Uhlig's articles if possible, and says he hopes to maintain his friendship with Uhlig even if they miss each other in Weimar. He also forwards the Brussels correspondence, insists again that any performance of Lohengrin must depend on Wagner's collaboration on the French text and his presence at the final rehearsals, and confirms the publication sequence of the Lohengrin and Siegfried scores that he thinks wisest.
August 23, 1851	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	43	Wagner writes only to say that Liszt has understood Lohengrin correctly while Stahr has not. He withdraws the approval he had hastily given to Stahr's interpretation and promises a fuller explanation soon.
August 24, 1851	Richard Wagner	August Rockel	Zurich	632	Wagner writes to the imprisoned August Röckel after learning that personal letters are allowed and that Röckel's condition and permission to work are better than rumored, expressing deep sympathy and continued concern. He says current art is dishonorable yet art still offers him necessary illusion, and describes his new poem Young Siegfried, its forest hero, dragon, Nibelung treasure, bird-song, and awakening of Brünnhilde, while insisting reality surpasses even this beautiful artistic illusion.
No letters found.

Page 5 of 16

Previous Next