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 in January (73 total)

Date	From	To	Place	Words	Subject
January 1, 1858	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	764	At the start of the new year Wagner sends Liszt an intensely affectionate greeting, lamenting the missed visit, saying that being with Liszt is his true source of strength, and wishing above all for a sudden reunion. He reports that he has just finished the first act of Tristan and plans to complete and stage it the next winter season, while mixing literary, domestic, and social anecdotes with renewed assurances of love for Liszt and warm greetings to the Altenburg household.
January 1, 1858	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	220	Writing a New Year greeting to Liszt, Wagner reports finishing Act I of Tristan and describes serenading Frau Wesendonck on her birthday with an orchestra and an occasional composition. He plans to work industriously toward a premiere the following winter, reads Calderón with thoughts of learning Spanish, and jokes about trying to be socially smoother despite his dislike of professorial company.
January 4, 1858	Richard Wagner	Breitkopf and Härtel	Zurich	799	Writing to Breitkopf and Härtel, Wagner offers Tristan und Isolde for publication, presenting it as a practical, melodious, and theatrically attractive work that should spread quickly through German theatres after a hoped-for Karlsruhe premiere. He asks 600 louis d'or payable by act, requests rapid score printing and Bülow's piano arrangement, and proposes both a handsome literary edition and a cheaper theatrical libretto to prepare the public.
January 5, 1858*	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	73	No summary available.
January 8, 1858*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	380	Wagner proposes meeting Liszt in Paris or, if that is inconvenient, in Strasbourg so they can discuss his changing plans and secure Liszt's approval for his new undertakings. He then lays out his urgent financial distress in detail and asks Liszt to help him obtain and send one thousand francs so he can travel without leaving his wife entirely without support.
January 15, 1858	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	174	Liszt replies that he cannot raise money in Weimar immediately, but has already arranged for Wagner to receive the requested thousand francs in Paris through his son-in-law Emile Ollivier. He adds that he could come to Strasbourg for a day if conversation is truly needed, and hints that the Princess has conceived a promising idea which Wagner will soon hear about directly.
January 15, 1858	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	200	No summary available.
January 16, 1858*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	77	Wagner writes briefly from Paris to say that he has arrived exhausted and taken a quiet room at the Grand Hotel du Louvre. He says his difficulties are serious, expects help from Liszt, and promises a fuller letter once he is calmer.
January 18, 1858	Richard Wagner	Hans von Bülow	Paris	252	Writing to Hans von Bülow from Paris, Wagner says Cosima's reserve has hurt him and fears that his rough or derisive openness may have alienated someone he values. He explains that he is in Paris partly to sound out a possible mediator for a French Tannhäuser production and copyright protection, while also welcoming a reason to be temporarily away from Zurich.
January 20, 1858*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	81	Wagner bursts into gratitude for Liszt's friendship and love, saying that such devotion makes unhappiness impossible. He longs for the two of them to live together, then reflects sadly on the thought that one may have to be parted from what one loves most.
January 20, 1858	Richard Wagner	Albert Niemann	Paris	236	Writing to Albert Niemann from Paris, Wagner confidentially says he has interrupted the Nibelung dramas to create the more practical Tristan und Isolde for the next winter and hopes for Niemann's participation. He also urges prompt efforts to bring Rienzi to better theatres, especially because he believes Niemann could triumph in its brilliant title role where earlier inadequate singers hindered the opera.
January 24, 1858	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Paris	398	Writing to Liszt from Paris, Wagner says his chief purpose is to secure copyright in his operas, while exploring Carvalho and the Théâtre Lyrique as possible means for a French Rienzi. He describes warm contact with Ollivier, a visit from Berlioz, weakened health, renewed excitement over Tristan Act I, and Härtel's cautious counteroffer to publish Tristan for a much reduced fee that he expects to accept.
January 25, 1858*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	2,269	Writing from Paris, Wagner reflects at length on his discovery of Calderon, his philosophical revulsion from Parisian society, and his surprising inner calm, while explaining that his practical aim is to secure property rights in his operas and perhaps exploit opportunities there without artistic illusion. He discusses possible dealings over Rienzi and Tannhauser with Paris theaters, thanks Liszt again for the urgently needed loan, notes Hartel's conditional acceptance of Tristan, and says that besides Liszt and Calderon, only the first act of Tristan gives him real encouragement.
January 30, 1858	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	721	Liszt responds warmly to Wagner's enthusiasm for Calderon, reports on delayed plans for Rienzi and upcoming Lohengrin rehearsals in Weimar, praises Lohengrin as a work that closes the old operatic world, and remains skeptical but supportive about Wagner's prospects in Paris. The same entry also includes Wagner's urgent practical note asking Liszt to help intimidate a waiter suspected of robbing him so the money may be quickly restored before the man disappears.
January 1, 1859	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	385	Liszt thanks Wagner for his New Year greeting and asks him to explain the “wonderfully miserable” event mentioned in his telegram, while hoping the new year will improve his fortunes. He then explains why he is refusing to conduct Lohengrin and Tannhauser at Weimar for the moment, saying he will not cooperate with the crude commercial spirit and lack of consideration shown in the long-dragging Rienzi affair, and advises Wagner to make no concessions unless Liszt later tells him the moment has changed.
January 2, 1859	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Venice	1,604	Wagner returns calmly but decisively to the question of his future, apologizing for earlier outbursts and telling Liszt that what he now values more than amnesty itself is a life permanently freed from financial anxiety, since only the act of creating new works truly gives him reason to live. He therefore asks Liszt to take the initiative in securing for him a substantial pension from a combination of German princes, rejecting ordinary appointments and conditional arrangements as inadequate, and laying out exactly why only an honorable, secure income can preserve his freedom and sustain his artistic work.
January 5, 1859*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	26	Wagner sends a brief cry of loneliness and impatience at Liszt's silence. He asks whether Liszt truly has nothing to say to him and wonders what will become of him if everyone continues to ignore him.
January 7, 1859	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Venice	1,384	Wagner explains at great length that his earlier remarks about Dingelstedt and the withdrawal of Rienzi were never meant seriously as artistic principle but as a tactical attempt to force quicker payment of the small honorarium he desperately needed before the new year. He describes the poverty and humiliation behind his New Year's outburst, insists Liszt misunderstood his joking complaint because of his own irritation with Weimar affairs, and asks that the whole painful exchange be forgotten so their friendship can remain untouched.
January 19, 1859	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Venice	2,888	No summary available.
January 1, 1860	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Paris	937	No summary available.
January 28, 1860	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Paris	734	No summary available.
January 7, 1862	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Paris	56	No summary available.
January 15, 1865*	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Munich	461	No summary available.
No letters found.

Page 2 of 2