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
October 6, 1830	Richard Wagner	B. Schott and Sons	Leipzig	315	Wagner writes to a publisher about his close study of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and his concern that the work remains inaccessible to much of the musical public. He proposes his own two-hand piano arrangement, reports progress on the first movement, and asks whether the firm would take up the project before he completes it.
August 5, 1831	Richard Wagner	Breitkopf and Härtel	Leipzig	167	Wagner petitions a publishing firm for employment preparing piano revisions and arrangements, citing recent examples of his work as proof of his ability. Facing a lack of work, he offers to do unpaid trial assignments and promises punctual, exact service at modest pay if he gains their confidence.
March 3, 1832	Richard Wagner	Ottilie Wagner	Leipzig	919	Wagner writes to Ottilie in Denmark about his remorse over past student dissipation, his renewed discipline under the Leipzig teacher Weinlig, and the success of his early compositions. He describes performances of his overtures, the publication of his piano sonata by Breitkopf and Haertel, and his longing for Ottilie to return home.
December 16, 1832	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Leipzig	628	Wagner writes after a long silence, describing his isolation, the composition of his Symphony, and travels to Vienna, Pravonin, and Prague. He recounts an unhappy infatuation with Jenny and says that, despite emotional emptiness, he began and then abandoned the libretto of the opera Die Hochzeit.
March 14, 1833	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Würzburg	458	Wagner reports that his Symphony was successfully performed at the Leipzig Gewandhaus before he moved to Wurzburg, where he found a short theatre conducting engagement near his brother Albert. He urges Theodore Apel to visit him, speaks anxiously of the future, and explains his wish to finish Die Feen while earning money away from Leipzig.
December 11, 1833	Richard Wagner	Rosalie Wagner	Würzburg	1,370	Wagner tells Rosalie that her letter relieved his anxieties and that he has just finished composing Die Feen, with only the orchestration of the last act remaining. He discusses a coming concert excerpt, hopes for the opera's Leipzig prospects, concerns about singers and roles, and his longing to return to his family.
March 1, 1834	Richard Wagner	Franz Hauser	Leipzig	1,629	Wagner responds to a searching criticism of Die Feen by thanking the critic and reviewing the rigorous musical training he received from Muller and Weinlig. He defends the practical performability of the opera, cites successful excerpts and related arias, and asks that negotiations for a performance not be obstructed.
July 3, 1834	Richard Wagner	Rosalie Wagner	Prague	591	Wagner writes from Prague after time in Teplitz, describing fine weather, renewed impressions of the city, visits with the Raymann family, and favorable circumstances around Karl Pachta. He plans calls on Prague theatrical figures, praises Stoger's theatre and the singer Lutzer, and says he will give Stoger the libretto of Die Feen while remaining uneasy about affairs at home.
September 13, 1834	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Rudolstadt	972	Wagner writes in a depressed and restless mood about theatre work, money losses, cooled love affairs, and difficulty finishing a symphony while forced to rehearse Bellini's Romeo and Juliet in haste. In a later, brighter continuation he urges his friend to come stay with him, mentions work on Adlers Horst and the Magdeburg Bluthochzeit, and sends greetings to family and Schlesier.
September 20, 1834	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Rudolstadt	506	Wagner writes in distress after reading Laube on Italian cities, lamenting his stagnation, poverty, and the mismanaged state of the theatre. He resolves to press ahead with Das Liebesverbot for production before Easter and urges his friend to finish Columbus and come to him.
October 27, 1834	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	748	Wagner complains from Magdeburg about delays over Die Feen in Leipzig and says he may take the score away and have it produced in Magdeburg if the matter is not settled. He recalls his recent Bohemian journey with Theodore Apel, outlines ambitious plans for Die Feen, Das Liebesverbot, Italy, France, and Paris, and notes Laube's imprisonment in Berlin.
December 7, 1834	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	905	Wagner praises Theodore Apel's Columbus with unusual warmth, admiring its language, characterization, scenic skill, and emotional effect. He then turns to his own debts and asks Apel for a loan of 200 thalers, promising repayment before spring 1836 and saying the work has momentarily lifted his gloom.
December 13, 1834	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	288	Wagner writes from Magdeburg while ill with facial erysipelas, discussing the delayed production of Theodore Apel's Columbus and urging a less formal approach to soliciting criticism. He also presses Apel for promised financial help against urgent debts, while noting that Das Liebesverbot is finished but that his distress has left him unable to work clearly.
December 24, 1834	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	140	Wagner thanks Apel effusively for relief that has restored his spirits, then reports that Columbus is going to the copyist and may be performed within about two weeks. He says Bethmann supports the project, urges Apel to spend on suitable staging, and promises to finish the overture despite another festival piece due for New Year's Day.
December 27, 1834	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	247	Wagner urges Apel to come to Magdeburg by New Year's Day, partly to settle matters around the casting and preparation of Columbus. He also describes the hurried composition of a festive work by Schmale, boasting that despite receiving the commission only days earlier he has produced an overture, choruses, and allegorical pieces that turned out well.
February 8, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	207	Wagner explains that Apel's Columbus must be postponed because the theatre settings will not be ready, and argues that the following Monday is the strongest performance date. He reassures Apel by pointing to the Magdeburg company's recent success with Auber's La Muette de Portici, noting the restored prestige of the opera and Minna's participation in the chorus.
March 31, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	291	Wagner writes in a state of severe anxiety and apathy, apologizing for his silence and describing his unhappiness as both pervasive and difficult to explain. He has sent the score and parts of his Columbus overture to Leipzig, asks Apel to guide its performance and report its reception, and urges him to approach Kistner and Breitkopf & Härtel about possible publication.
April 8, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	341	Wagner thanks Apel for an affectionate letter that lifts his spirits, then explains that he expects to leave Magdeburg by May because Bethmann cannot stage opera and the theatre's finances are disordered. Penniless and restless, he plans to go to Leipzig to finish Das Liebesverbot, reflects on his longing for travel and Italy, mentions Laube's constrained release, and sends news of Minna.
June 16, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Leipzig	488	From Leipzig, Wagner tells Apel that he has recovered enough to work steadily, while reporting a disappointing performance of the Columbus overture at Gerhardt's concert and blaming both the execution and local opposition. He sketches hopes of taking Das Liebesverbot beyond Germany, notes improved prospects at the Magdeburg theatre, describes travel plans and Minna's devotion, and declares an artistic creed aimed at living audiences rather than posterity.
July 6, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Leipzig	321	Wagner reports weeks of travel, including a visit with Laube at Kosen, and condemns Schlesier's betrayal while admiring Laube's mild judgment of him. He says Magdeburg theatre affairs have turned favorable under committee management and royal support, so he has rejoined on better terms with greater operatic authority and is traveling to recruit singers.
July 25, 1835	Richard Wagner	Johanna Geyer	Karlsbad	1,063	Writing to his mother from Karlsbad, Wagner reflects emotionally on maternal love as his one secure refuge, contrasting it with the diplomatic distance he feels among siblings and other relations. He describes a bitter rupture with Fritz Brockhaus as a turning point toward self-reliance, then reports travel through Teplitz and Prague and plans to continue theatre-related inquiries from Nürnberg.
August 21, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Frankfurt	1,183	From Frankfurt, Wagner writes to Apel in tears, fearing that their former shared vitality and confidence have been lost and asking whether Apel's friendship and trust remain. He recounts recent travel, romantic disappointment, estrangement from his family, and a harsh recognition that reckless living and false reliance on others have left him dependent only on his own strength and Apel's affection.
September 22, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	270	Wagner suggests that Apel's Columbus could draw poetic force from a love affair that sustains the explorer, making love rather than politics the deeper source of Spain's glory. He links this idea to his own sustaining romance, notes that he is expanding his paid musical journalism, declares he will not return to Leipzig, and asks after Mendelssohn.
October 2, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	55	Wagner tells Apel that the Magdeburg opera has burdened him with exhausting practical responsibilities. He reports that the company has finally opened with Zampa, achieving a substantial result that gives him some relief.
October 11, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	60	Wagner complains of present troubles, especially ingratitude, and describes the return of winter as deepening his physical and emotional misery. Even so, he is considering rehearsing Die Feen in Magdeburg and feels his strength returning despite the bleak circumstances.
October 26, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	1,109	Wagner tells Apel that he has abandoned plans to seek Mendelssohn's notice through concert works and is committing himself wholly to opera and the stage. He describes intensive work on Das Liebesverbot, his growing authority over the Magdeburg opera, the promising debuts of Amalie Planer and the tenor Schreiber, and his continuing financial dependence on Apel.
November 5, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	413	Wagner answers Apel in a wounded tone, feeling misunderstood and judged too severely by the friend on whom he still depends emotionally. He describes Minna's departure for Berlin as heartbreak that proves his love, then awkwardly presses Apel for promised money whose delay has left him humiliated.
November 25, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	497	Wagner thanks Apel for his prompt generosity, then turns to Apel's illnesses and contrasts them with his own restless exertion. He exults in Minna's return from Berlin, citing Wolfram's changed opinion and her rejected offers of marriage, while reporting a strong Magdeburg opera company, rapid progress on his opera, and admiration for Laube's new books.
December 27, 1835	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	419	Wagner apologizes for silence by pointing to heavy theatre duties and the near completion of Das Liebesverbot, which he expects to finish by New Year's Eve. He plans to premiere the opera in Magdeburg in February 1836 because the available singers suit it well, while also describing his life there as imprisoning, defending his love for Minna, and noting changes in Laube's plans and the theatre.
January 21, 1836	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	390	Wagner reports disciplined work in Magdeburg, saying he has abstained from wine, completed the composition of Das Liebesverbot by New Year's Eve, and is now orchestrating through the nights for a planned February premiere. Facing creditors before any honorarium arrives, he asks Apel to advance money by buying the receipts of the opera's second performance, while stressing his estrangement from family and reliance on Minna.
March 26, 1836	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	69	Wagner writes bleakly on the eve of the first performance of his opera in Magdeburg, with the second and final performance scheduled two days later before the opera season closes. Feeling that Apel's larger concerns may eclipse his own, he nonetheless urges him to attend and give the work some attention.
April 11, 1836	Richard Wagner	Felix Mendelssohn	Magdeburg	55	Wagner sends Mendelssohn a symphony composed when he was eighteen, offering it as a gift rather than a request for patronage. He asks only that Mendelssohn look over it when convenient, hoping it will demonstrate his seriousness and industry.
April 19, 1836	Richard Wagner	Robert Schumann	Leipzig	236	Wagner sends Schumann a report on Magdeburg musical life and allows him to alter it, explaining that he has mentioned Schumann carefully and without compromising him. He defends including himself and Das Liebesverbot in the article because his official role made omission artificial and because no one else was discussing the opera.
April 20, 1836	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	91	Wagner asks Apel to send a small keg of 1834 wine so he can fulfill a promise to the chorus after the production of his opera. In a grim postscript, he urges both the wine and Apel's visit to come quickly because his debts may soon land him in prison.
May 6, 1836	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Magdeburg	31	Wagner tells Apel that his circumstances are worsening and accepts the offer of refuge at Ermlitz. He asks Apel to arrange for his reception there and to have a room assigned when he arrives.
May 28, 1836	Richard Wagner	Robert Schumann	Berlin	1,093	From Berlin, Wagner sends Schumann an anonymous article for his journal, explaining that he will continue contributing under the name Wilhelm Drach and reflecting ruefully on German composers being forced into criticism and speculation. He outlines a possible temporary post at the Königstadt opera where he hopes to mount Das Liebesverbot, asks for notice in the paper, and seeks paid work while apologizing for leaving Leipzig without farewell.
May 31, 1836	Richard Wagner	Joanna Geyer	Berlin	999,999	Wagner apologizes to his mother for missing her in Berlin and says that, after much misfortune, the trip has improved his prospects. He reports that Cerf has given him temporary charge of Glaser's position so he can rehearse and produce Das Liebesverbot, while journalists and Laube promote him, though he remains penniless and is also considering Riga.
August 7, 1836	Richard Wagner	Heinrich Dorn	Riga	616	Wagner writes respectfully to Heinrich Dorn seeking help in finding a musical post, especially whether Riga might offer an opening for the autumn season. He summarizes his recent work as music director in Magdeburg, explains the uncertainty around Königsberg and Schuberth, and notes that his betrothed Minna Planer would join him if he were placed.
December 3, 1836	Richard Wagner	Robert Schumann	Konigsberg	759	From Königsberg, Wagner tells Schumann that isolation has made him cling to hopes in Germany and asks for practical advice on reaching Paris. He describes Das Liebesverbot, based on Measure for Measure, as ill-suited to German conditions and asks how to approach the Opéra Comique, mentioning that he has also sent Scribe a plan for Die hohe Braut.
June 7, 1837	Richard Wagner	Louis Schindelmeisser	Leipzig	255	Wagner urgently asks Louis Schindelmeisser to secure a contract with Holtei for Riga, stressing that he needs a two- or three-year appointment and an advance of 100 thalers for travel. He asks for a reply in Dresden and says a favorable answer would bring him through Berlin to thank Schindelmeisser personally.
June 12, 1837	Richard Wagner	Louis Schindelmeisser	Dresden	142	Wagner thanks Schindelmeisser and says he is sending a divorce petition to the Königsberg courts, while emphasizing that he is destitute and must obtain the Riga post. Staying temporarily with Hermann and Ottilie Brockhaus in Dresden, he asks whether his immediate presence in Berlin is necessary or whether Schindelmeisser can secure the contract without him.
July 13, 1837	Richard Wagner	Dr. Schellwitz	Dresden	303	Wagner asks Dr. Schellwitz, on Ottilie's advice, to obtain a Leipzig passport for his journey to Riga. He explains that marriage has removed his military-service obstacle and asks to be presented as a twenty-four-year-old Leipzig resident appointed kapellmeister in Riga, with the route still undecided.
November 1, 1838	Richard Wagner	August Lewald	Riga	1,865	Wagner writes to August Lewald from Riga, thanking him for earlier support and asking for help in renewing his attempt to reach the Paris operatic world. He recounts sending Scribe both the grand-opera subject Die hohe Braut and the comic opera Das Liebesverbot, then asks Lewald for contacts or an address for the Opéra Comique because his French ambitions have revived in northern isolation.
February 1, 1839	Richard Wagner	Johann Hoffmann	Riga	807	Wagner explains to Johann Hoffmann that after Lobmann's dismissal he tried to take over those duties formally in order to improve his poor finances, but Holtei refused and thereby showed that Wagner was not contractually bound to them. Since the work has nevertheless fallen to him, Wagner offers to shoulder nearly all additional theatre duties if Hoffmann will compensate him by remitting his advance.
August 23, 1839	Richard Wagner	Edward Avenarius	Boulogne	504	Wagner introduces himself warmly to Edward Avenarius, acknowledging obligations already incurred through his sister Cecilie and the help Avenarius has offered. After describing his hazardous voyage from Riga through London to Boulogne and his plan to finish work before entering Paris, he asks Avenarius to find a cheap furnished room in Paris for himself and Minna.
September 13, 1839	Richard Wagner	Edward Avenarius	Boulogne	219	Wagner tells Avenarius that he will leave Boulogne for Paris on September 16 and asks him again to secure a sufficiently large weekly room in a furnished hotel for himself and Minna. He explains that he stayed in costly Boulogne because he unexpectedly met Meyerbeer there and has tried to attach him to his Paris plans.
September 20, 1839	Richard Wagner	Edward Avenarius	Paris	97	Newly arrived in Paris, Wagner declines Avenarius's invitation to the Italian Opera because he is exhausted after a day of meetings with Garcia, Joly, Dumersan, Meyerbeer, and others. He reports that Garcia has proved especially amiable and helpful, offering him assistance for his plans.
September 15, 1840	Richard Wagner	Heinrich Schletter	Paris	711	Wagner introduces himself to Heinrich Schletter as a Leipzig Wagner and a composer who abandoned music-directing to seek recognition in Paris. After a year of obstacles, dependence on Meyerbeer's intermittent help, the bankruptcy of the Théâtre de la Renaissance, and a new prospect at the Grand Opéra, he asks Schletter for a 1,500-franc loan to keep him in Paris.
September 20, 1840	Richard Wagner	Theodore Apel	Paris	2,649	Wagner appeals to Apel from Paris in extreme poverty, recalling their youthful friendship and acknowledging Apel's blindness while asking frankly for help. He describes years of failed artistic attempts, marriage and hardship in Riga, completion of Rienzi with hopes for Dresden through Meyerbeer, continuing hopes for The Flying Dutchman, and begs for three hundred thalers to keep himself and Minna from ruin.
December 1, 1840	Richard Wagner	King Frederick Augustus	Paris	1,473	Wagner petitions King Frederick Augustus as a Saxon subject, recalling his Leipzig birth, childhood ties to Dresden through Ludwig Geyer, and early musical recognition. From Paris, where Meyerbeer's support has brought him negotiations with the Académie Royale de Musique, he asks that his grand opera Rienzi receive its first performance at the Dresden Court Theatre and be dedicated to the king.
No letters found.

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