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 May (76 total)

Date	From	To	Place	Words	Subject
May 30, 1857*	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	50	Wagner sends a brief, affectionate reproach to Liszt for his silence. He begs for some sign of how Liszt is doing and asks whether Liszt forgives his anxious concern.
May 31, 1857	Richard Wagner	Hans von Bülow	Zurich	356	Writing to Hans von Bülow, Wagner describes an extreme sense of isolation from the world, mixing disdain, longing, and dreamlike detachment. He admits his desire to continue the Nibelungs has vanished without financial support and turns anxiously and angrily to Liszt's declining health, condemning the exhausting musical festivals and public activity that he believes may destroy him.
May 1, 1858*	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	86	No summary available.
May 3, 1858	Richard Wagner	Minna Wagner	Zurich	361	Writing to Minna, Wagner rejoices in the newly arrived Erard piano, whose soft and responsive tone promises practical help for composing, and says her recovery would be his remaining great joy. He urges her not to torment herself with suspicions or isolated phrases, asks her to focus on her cure and trust his actions, and calls for mutual patience in bearing their difficult life together.
May 4, 1858	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	117	No summary available.
May 7, 1858	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	427	Liszt tells Wagner that he is still trying to help from various quarters, reports encouraging interest from the Baden court, and strongly advises him not to abandon Tristan, suggesting Carlsruhe or Prague rather than Weimar for the premiere and asking for the score as soon as it is finished. He also gives practical updates on why Rienzi cannot yet be staged in Weimar, notes prospects for Lohengrin in Vienna, and ends by urging Wagner to let Tristan lead him back victoriously to Siegfried.
May 11, 1858	Richard Wagner	Julie Ritter	Zurich	254	Writing to Julie Ritter, Wagner thanks her warmly for her letter but hints at severe recent suffering, chiefly Minna's distressing health and the domestic sorrows of the winter while she is now under Dr. Erismann's care at Brestenberg. He also reports an unanswered request to Dresden for temporary permission to return to Germany, hopes the Saxon amnesty question may be settled next year, and resumes Tristan Act II while longing for undisturbed work.
May 18, 1858	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Weimar	55	Liszt sends Wagner the young pianist Tausig with the highest recommendation and asks that he be warmly received. He suggests Wagner let Tausig work on the Erard piano, perform for him, and be introduced to the circle of mutual friends in Zurich.
May 22, 1858	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	67	No summary available.
May 31, 1858	Richard Wagner	Hans von Bülow	Zurich	434	Writing to Hans von Bülow, Wagner hesitates to hold him to the promised piano arrangement of Tristan, fearing that the work would further steal time from Bülow's own creative duties. He proposes that the young Tausig might instead prepare the arrangement quickly under Wagner's supervision, asking Bülow to decide frankly and not suspect any motive beyond friendship and concern.
May 31, 1858*	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Zurich	23	No summary available.
May 8, 1859	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Lucerne	1,609	Writing from an exhausted and isolated solitude at Lucerne, Wagner confesses that he feels unable to work, starved of both life and art, haunted by the possibility that he may fail to finish Tristan at all unless something in his outward circumstances changes. He complains of silence from friends, reflects bitterly on Germany, Paris, and even a possible American journey, speaks with painful self-doubt about his own musicianship in contrast to Liszt's Dante, yet still longs for Liszt's direct presence as the one thing that could restore him and make clear what remains alive in him.
May 9, 1859	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Monday	681	No summary available.
May 14, 1859	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Weimar	492	Liszt answers Wagner's stormy letter with affectionate firmness, rejecting Wagner's self-condemnation as madness and insisting that even such despair is itself a sign of his greatness, while urging resignation and patience rather than collapse. He discourages the American plan, says Carlsruhe remains the best practical hope with Tristan probably deferred until December, promises to visit and play for Wagner before then, and adds that his own highest reward would be to restore Wagner's conviction that he is indeed a great musician.
May 15, 1859	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	Lucerne	255	Wagner warmly recommends the trombonist Thiele to Liszt for the Weimar orchestra, praising both his enthusiasm and his remarkable ability to make even weak colleagues play beyond themselves. He then abruptly reveals how badly he is faring by saying he has felt obliged to tell Devrient not to count on either Tristan or his personal participation any longer, thus ending that hope for the present.
May 21, 1859	Richard Wagner	Franz Liszt	—	57	Wagner asks Liszt to send Tausig to him if the young pianist is free, adding that his wife has even written that Tausig himself wanted to come. He says he has nothing sensible to report at the moment and simply confesses that he feels miserable, promising more news soon.
May 21, 1859	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Lucerne	447	No summary available.
May 23, 1859	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Lucerne	1,111	No summary available.
May 29, 1859	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Lucerne	2,532	No summary available.
May 2, 1860	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Paris	1,350	No summary available.
May 22, 1860*	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	—	49	Wagner sends Liszt brief but heartfelt birthday wishes. The note is only a concise token of remembrance and affection.
May 23, 1860	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Paris	1,711	No summary available.
May 31, 1860	Franz Liszt	Richard Wagner	Weimar	637	Liszt responds to Wagner's letter with intense affection, saying he longs to be with him in Paris amidst the world of the Ring and Tristan, and he mixes this feeling with domestic and symbolic details about Wagner's portrait, bust, and the settling of the Princess's long personal struggle. He also comments on the coming Paris Tannhauser labor, notes possible singers and practicalities, and asks Wagner to state plainly what he now most wants for Tristan, adding that if no better opportunity appears, he believes he may still be able to arrange a Weimar performance in the following season.
May 11, 1861	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Vienna	89	No summary available.
May 27, 1861	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Paris	395	No summary available.
May 22, 1862	Richard Wagner	Mathilde Wesendonck	Biebrich	308	No summary available.
No letters found.

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