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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Showing all years in March (61 total)

Date	From	To	Place	Words	Subject
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
March 13, 1841	Richard Wagner	Heinrich Laube	Paris	490	Wagner tells Laube that spring has again brought financial anxiety: his work is ending, debts remain, a lodging mistake has spoiled plans for a cheap summer, and journalism pays little. Unable to see a clear musical path in Paris, he considers a major Conservatoire concert to introduce his works and asks about publishers for a proposed Beethoven biography using materials gathered by the librarian Anders.
March 18, 1841	Richard Wagner	Ferdinand Heine	Paris	480	Wagner tells Ferdinand Heine that reports from Laube and Devrient confirm Catholic objections to the text of Rienzi, prompting him to send Winkler proposed alterations. He argues that the Pope is treated as a temporal ruler rather than a doctrinal authority, offers possible substitutions if church language must be removed, and complains that Dresden officials will not communicate with him directly.
March 23, 1841	Richard Wagner	Baron von Lüttichau	Paris	345	Wagner follows up with Lüttichau about Rienzi after learning from Winkler that Dresden's consideration may have stalled because no libretto had arrived. He sends another copy and raises the possible sensitivity of ecclesiastical elements at the Catholic Saxon court, noting that he has prepared modifications to remove objections.
March 24, 1841	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Paris	219	Wagner reminds Liszt of their brief Paris meeting and writes in hopes of benefiting from Liszt's kindness and influence. He explains that Heinrich Laube had asked one of Liszt's Hungarian friends to introduce him and anxiously asks whether that promise was ever fulfilled.
March 12, 1842	Richard Wagner	Theodore Winkler	Paris	96	Wagner complains to Theodore Winkler that the current Paris production of Der Freischütz has deteriorated into a careless stopgap despite his public criticism. He says his proposal for an improved benefit performance for Weber's heirs failed because those responsible never understood the work's artistic value.
March 16, 1842	Richard Wagner	Ferdinand Heine	Paris	313	Wagner tells Ferdinand Heine that Paris no longer suits him and that Minna's health requires a summer trip to the Teplitz baths, which would also place him nearer Dresden. He hopes rehearsals for his opera will begin when Devrient returns, but is troubled by Reissiger's silence despite repeated letters and a favorable notice in the Gazette musicale.
March 11, 1844	Richard Wagner	Baron von Lüttichau	Dresden	1,034	Before leaving for Hamburg, Wagner writes Lüttichau that the proposed appointment of Röckel and the court's diminished confidence in Wagner's conducting touch both Röckel's future and Wagner's own honor. He says that if the court truly lacks confidence in him, he would petition to be relieved of active orchestral direction, arguing that Dresden needs a fully trusted and substantial conductor able to reform the orchestra rather than a compromise appointment.
March 22, 1844	Richard Wagner	Minna Wagner	Hamburg	196	Wagner tells Minna that Rienzi has triumphed again in Hamburg despite the absence of Tichatschek and the wooden performance of Wurda in the title role. He takes pride that the opera itself carried the success, praises most of the singing and choruses, notes the enthusiasm of musicians and singers, and anticipates substantial royalties from many projected performances.
March 2, 1846	Richard Wagner	Baron von Lüttichau	Dresden	255	Wagner sends Lüttichau his memorandum Of the Royal Orchestra, explaining that it distills three years of office and three months of careful revision into an evidential statement on needed reforms. He stresses that the work is secret, independently conceived, and undertaken as a matter of conscience and loyalty to the king, hoping it will receive serious consideration because the royal orchestra should function as a sound whole.
March 4, 1846	Richard Wagner	Baron von Lüttichau	Dresden	266	Wagner petitions Lüttichau about the old Opera House platform, arguing that its semicircular, shallow orchestral arrangement makes accurate ensemble and full sonority nearly impossible for oratorio and symphony performance. With engineer Hanel he has prepared a practical plan for better accommodation, and he notes that Lipinski supports it and expects Reissiger will not seriously object.
March 16, 1846	Richard Wagner	Anton Pusinelli	Dresden	270	Wagner answers Pusinelli's suggestion that he act against damaging town gossip by saying he will meet it with contempt rather than proceedings, citing Goethe's indifference to malicious rumors. He believes the absurdity of the stories must soon exhaust itself, though he recognizes that such inventions about his private affairs could under some circumstances harm him, and permits publication of his reflections if useful.
March 22, 1846	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Dresden	411	Wagner thanks Liszt for supporting him and candidly asks him to use his influence in Vienna on behalf of a performance of Rienzi. He suspects personal intrigue and professional jealousy are stalling the production, and he sends the scores of Rienzi and Tannhauser in hopes of winning Liszt's stronger sympathy.
March 1, 1849	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Dresden	486	Wagner thanks Liszt for his letter, for the admiration shown him in Weimar, and especially for the Princess's moving praise, which he believes Liszt's advocacy helped to inspire. He gladly leaves Liszt free to arrange and publish the Abendstern as he wishes, thanks Biedenfeld and the Weimar artists, and looks forward eagerly to visiting in May.
March 20, 1849	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	779	Wagner reports from his flight into Switzerland that he has safely reached Rorschach and owes his escape to Liszt's counsel and practical help, while already turning his thoughts toward Paris and future artistic work. He asks Liszt to examine the score of Lohengrin, forward his other materials, retain The Flying Dutchman for Weimar, and help secure a safe refuge for his wife outside Saxony.
March 2, 1850	Richard Wagner	Minna Wagner	Paris	216	Wagner urges Minna to recognize Mme. Laussot's financial help as a noble response to the deep effect of his art on a sincere heart. He contrasts this freely offered support with theatrical success won by speculation and public shallowness, arguing that it provides the money they need without betraying his artistic nature.
March 13, 1850	Richard Wagner	Minna Wagner	Paris	130	Wagner tells Minna that he has decided to accept urgent invitations from friends in Bordeaux, who have sent travel money, because remaining in Paris has become useless and exhausting. He explains that Frau Laussot's and Frau Ritter's support is meant to spare him work against his nature, offering them an annual income without burdening anyone else.
March 17, 1850	Richard Wagner	Minna Wagner	Bordeaux	205	Wagner tells Minna that Bordeaux feels heavenly after Paris because the Laussot family and a wealthy German circle receive him with extraordinary kindness and devotion. He feels honored that his works are deeply known there and that these friends want to help him and Minna, though he still would not trade Switzerland for Bordeaux and remains homesick for it.
March 22, 1850	Richard Wagner	Julie Ritter	Bordeaux	274	Wagner writes Julie Ritter that meeting Jessie Laussot has made tangible the circle of affectionate supporters he had previously known only through imagination. He insists their bond is personal rather than merely artistic or beneficent, and longs for Julie and her family to join him in Switzerland so their lives can be shared directly.
March 26, 1850	Richard Wagner	Theodore Uhlig	Bordeaux	111	Wagner tells Uhlig he cannot believe the Saxon ministry would clear him merely to please the court while harshly punishing lesser figures such as Herz. If Dresden tried to acquit and recall him to his former post, he says he would refuse both acquittal and recall to deny their maneuver any public success.
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.
March 4, 1852	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	366	Wagner sends Liszt a programmatic explanation of the Tannhauser overture for a Zurich performance and says rereading Liszt's writings on it has again convinced him of Liszt's rare ability to express musical feeling in words. He renews his wish that Liszt become his own poet in French or Italian verse, comments bitterly on the corrupt public and artistic reaction to recent matters, and consents to publication of his Goethe Foundation letter because he wants to clear the air and then leave literature behind for his new poetic work.
March 4, 1852	Richard Wagner	Hans von Bülow	Zurich	186	Wagner reassures Hans von Bülow that dissatisfaction with his own work is a normal part of artistic development and that severe criticism is less dangerous than weak or parasitic criticism. He advises him not to despair or envy Karl Ritter, arguing that true contentment will come only from life-force and lived experience, and that Karl is even farther from that living source.
March 21, 1852	Richard Wagner	Francisca Wagner	Zurich	641	Wagner writes Francisca that he had feared being neglected like Johanna, whose parents have discouraged contact with him, and explains that while he accepts support freely from true friends such as the Ritters, he is proud and resistant toward those who do not understand him. He praises Francisca's independent feeling as a dramatic actress, contrasts it with mere vocal training, insists his works need actresses who can sing, and notes that the Schwerin Tannhäuser pleased him because it showed the self-sacrificing enthusiasm he can inspire.
March 3, 1853	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	572	Wagner sends Liszt the Prague manager's letter about the ban on Tannhauser and asks him to try to get the prohibition lifted, partly for the manager's sake after his energetic support. He also supplies titles for Liszt's piano pieces, lays out a large Zurich concert program drawn from Rienzi, The Flying Dutchman, Tannhauser, and Lohengrin as a substitute for hearing a true performance, thanks Zigesar for the rich Dutchman honorarium, and allows that cuts could have been made in the Dutchman's ghost scene if necessary.
March 4, 1853	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	485	Wagner asks Liszt not to misunderstand his hopes for a return to Germany: he wants only temporary visits to Weimar and similar short appearances so that he can witness and support important performances of his works, while keeping Switzerland as the true place of his life and labor. He says such intermittent artistic excitement is as necessary to him as rain to a plant, even adds that Berlin performances should still be entrusted to Liszt rather than to himself, and closes by dreaming of Liszt's visit to Zurich and hoping soon to begin musical sketches for the Ring.
March 10, 1853*	Richard Wagner	Otto Wesendonck	Zurich	22	No summary available.
March 13, 1853*	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	51	No summary available.
March 16, 1853*	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	17	No summary available.
March 17, 1853	Richard Wagner	Theodore Uhlig	Zurich	999,999	Wagner writes to Uhlig's widow that Theodore's death has left him ill, orphaned, and still unable to believe his friend will not visit, depriving him of the one heart that answered his most intimate thoughts. He asks how he can help her and the children, reserves Theodore's copy of the Nibelungen poem for little Siegfried, requests privacy for his letters to the deceased, and offers assistance while suggesting any money of his be sent to Minna's poor parents if she will not keep it.
March 17, 1853	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	135	No summary available.
March 25, 1853	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Leipzig	429	Liszt says he has forwarded Wagner's letter to the Duke of Coburg and received a friendly answer hinting that something might perhaps be done later, a prospect Liszt means to pursue when the occasion allows. He also advises Wagner to preserve himself against the malice surrounding him and explains that the Prague prohibition looks confused and perhaps theatrical rather than official, so he is having Laub investigate further while suggesting that Wagner write a friendly inquiry directly to the police director St. to clarify who actually issued the ban and how it might be removed.
March 27, 1853*	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	80	No summary available.
March 30, 1853	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	1,056	Wagner pours out a bleak picture of his dreamlike, isolated existence in Zurich, saying that even Liszt's extraordinary efforts now seem to help only his fame and not his actual life, and that paper correspondence can no longer sustain him. He therefore urgently begs Liszt to force the Weimar court to obtain a definite answer about whether a temporary return to Germany is possible without any degrading confession, declaring that if the answer is no he must change his life entirely, travel by any means, and perhaps even face self-destruction rather than continue in this joyless state.
March 4, 1854	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	1,071	Wagner gives Liszt a candid, initially resistant reaction to the Kunstler chorus, explaining how his own musical development toward a new treatment of verse, melody, and harmonic breadth shaped his response before he came to admire the work's force and artistic intention. He then asks Liszt to find a skilled copyist or secretary for the Nibelungen project, arguing that such practical help and financial support are essential if he is to finish the work while continuing to endure his melancholy.
March 4, 1854	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Zurich	703	Wagner thanks Liszt for The Artists, explaining that Schiller's didactic verse and concert-choir form initially clashed with his current musical thinking, especially his new relation to speech and the radically simple E-flat basis of the Rheingold prelude, but that he ultimately grasped the work as a noble artistic call rooted in Liszt's own life. He says he is working under great pressure, urgently needs a skilled copyist to turn wild pencil scores into fair copy, and asks Liszt for a 5000-franc loan to escape pressing debts and relieve Sulzer.
March 16, 1854	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	32	No summary available.
March 3, 1855	Richard Wagner	Hans von Bülow	Paris	291	Wagner tells Hans von Bülow that Liszt has spoken nobly of the London undertaking by refusing to treat it as a financial speculation, unlike the Brendel circle. He rejects Schumann's symphonies after renewed study as empty pseudo-profundity dependent on Beethoven where they have meaning, and asks Bülow to spare him talk of contemporary musical heroes while managing such opinions more tactfully.
March 12, 1855	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	391	Liszt asks Wagner for his precise London address, sends the promised introduction to Erard's representative, and reports that he has pursued the passport matter by obtaining support from the Grand Duke and another influential source in Paris. He also approves Wagner's revisions to the Faust Overture, offers publication through Hartel for twenty louis d'or, and mentions that he is hard at work on a large mass for the consecration of the cathedral of Gran.
March 21, 1855	Richard Wagner	Otto Wesendonck	London	1,167	Writing Otto Wesendonck from London, Wagner says the Philharmonic recognizes his conducting but offers no real artistic future for his operas or a German theatre, and he is frustrated by inadequate rehearsals, shallow concert customs, copyright losses, and the humiliation of presenting Lohengrin only in excerpts. He doubts he can ever become financially independent through art, contemplates abandoning artistic activity, yet values the devotion of the orchestra and especially Sainton, whose advocacy brought him to London, along with Klindworth as a promising young musician.
March 27, 1855	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	2,036	This unusually composite entry centers on Wagner's London depression and the Berlin Tannhauser decision: he tells Liszt that he has surrendered the opera out of financial necessity, finds comfort only in preserving his newer creations for true friends, and feels alienated from London beyond the orchestra itself, even while conducting Lohengrin excerpts and Beethoven. The same entry also includes Liszt's practical reply about Hartel, Rheingold, and his own work in Weimar, together with affectionate lines from Princess Carolyne, turning the row into a compact exchange of artistic loyalty, money worries, and mutual consolation.
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.
No letters found.

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