Mein Leben (Wagner)
Encyclopedia
Mein Leben is the title given by the composer Richard Wagner
to his autobiography
, covering the years from his birth in 1813 to 1864.
on 17 July 1865 in Munich
. This was at the request of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who had written to Wagner on 28 May 1865:
Wagner was indebted to the King, who had rescued him from a life of exile and financial harassment in the previous year. At around the same time in 1864, Wagner had been given the news of the death of his hate-figure, the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer
. The book therefore ends on a 'triumphant' note with the exaltation of Wagner at the death of his supposed 'enemy'.
The book is amongst the most readable of Wagner's prose writings, generally free of the complex syntax
that is typical of his theoretical works. His complex and frequently tempestuous career, friendships and controversies make for a racy and often surprisingly frank account. However,
Nonetheless the book is a major source for Wagner's life and indeed for musical and cultural life of Europe in the period which it covers.
to act as proof-reader and to see the book though a press in Basel
. Volume 4 was printed in 1880 in Bayreuth.
There was no intention to distribute the book beyond a small circle of trusted friends; for this reason, rumours began to grow regarding the contents. Cosima herself was worried about some of the revelations in Mein Leben – in a letter to the King she wrote:
This is despite the fact that Wagner, in dictating to Cosima, had watered down some of his past, particularly his love life and his involvement in the 1849 Revolution
in Dresden
. An extra copy of volumes 1 to 3 struck off by the Basel printer was acquired by the American collector Mrs. Burrell in 1892, and she was so surprised by what she read that she suspected it of being a forgery.
as a frontispiece
to the first volume. This showed a vulture
(German: Geier) holding a shield with the constellation
of The Plough (German: Wagen); thus referring both to Wagner's natural father Carl and to his beloved stepfather, Ludwig Geyer. This was later the source for Nietzsche's taunt (in a footnote in his 1888 book The Case of Wagner: A Musician's Problem
), that Wagner might have been Jewish, as 'a Geyer (vulture) is almost an Adler (eagle)'. Both 'Geyer' and 'Adler' were common Jewish surnames, although Ludwig Geyer was not in fact Jewish. However, as Nietzsche was at the time one of the very few who had read Mein Leben, and had been a close associate of the composer, many assumed (as Nietzsche doubtless intended) that Wagner had revealed a Jewish paternity in the autobiography, which was not the case.
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
to his autobiography
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, covering the years from his birth in 1813 to 1864.
Origins
Wagner began dictating Mein Leben to his wife CosimaCosima Wagner
Cosima Francesca Gaetana Wagner, née de Flavigny, from 1844 known as Cosima Liszt; was the daughter of Hungarian composer Franz Liszt...
on 17 July 1865 in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. This was at the request of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, who had written to Wagner on 28 May 1865:
You would cause me inexpressible happiness if you were to give me an account of your intellectual and spiritual development and of the external events of your life as well.
Wagner was indebted to the King, who had rescued him from a life of exile and financial harassment in the previous year. At around the same time in 1864, Wagner had been given the news of the death of his hate-figure, the composer Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer
Giacomo Meyerbeer was a noted German opera composer, and the first great exponent of "grand opera." At his peak in the 1830s and 1840s, he was the most famous and successful composer of opera in Europe, yet he is rarely performed today.-Early years:He was born to a Jewish family in Tasdorf , near...
. The book therefore ends on a 'triumphant' note with the exaltation of Wagner at the death of his supposed 'enemy'.
The book is amongst the most readable of Wagner's prose writings, generally free of the complex syntax
Syntax
In linguistics, syntax is the study of the principles and rules for constructing phrases and sentences in natural languages....
that is typical of his theoretical works. His complex and frequently tempestuous career, friendships and controversies make for a racy and often surprisingly frank account. However,
[t]he subjective quality [...] emerges most clearly [...] in the casual and sometimes condescending tone [Wagner] adopts towards contemporaries [...], and it is present in the attacks on other composers of the age, above all on Meyerbeer.
Nonetheless the book is a major source for Wagner's life and indeed for musical and cultural life of Europe in the period which it covers.
The first publication
The final section of the book, covering 1861 to 1864, was not completed until 1880. However, Wagner and Cosima had already determined to print a few copies for private circulation. The first volume was printed in 1870 in an edition of fifteen. Volumes 2 and 3 were printed in 1872 and 1875, in editions of eighteen copies. Wagner recruited the young Friedrich NietzscheFriedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher, poet, composer and classical philologist...
to act as proof-reader and to see the book though a press in Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
. Volume 4 was printed in 1880 in Bayreuth.
There was no intention to distribute the book beyond a small circle of trusted friends; for this reason, rumours began to grow regarding the contents. Cosima herself was worried about some of the revelations in Mein Leben – in a letter to the King she wrote:
Had I not constantly begged him to say everything, however painful it might be, there is quite a lot he would not have set down. I was bold enough to assert that you too would have asked him to do it, and so he plunges deep into a sea of unedifying memories.
This is despite the fact that Wagner, in dictating to Cosima, had watered down some of his past, particularly his love life and his involvement in the 1849 Revolution
May Uprising in Dresden
The May Uprising took place in Dresden, Germany in 1849; it was one of the last of the series of events known as the Revolutions of 1848.-Events leading to the May Uprising:...
in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. An extra copy of volumes 1 to 3 struck off by the Basel printer was acquired by the American collector Mrs. Burrell in 1892, and she was so surprised by what she read that she suspected it of being a forgery.
The frontispiece
Following a suggestion by Nietzsche, Wagner included a symbolic crestCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
as a frontispiece
Book frontispiece
A frontispiece is a decorative illustration facing a book's title page. The frontispiece is the verso opposite the recto title page. Elaborate engraved frontispieces were in frequent use, especially in Bibles and in scholarly books, and many are masterpieces of engraving...
to the first volume. This showed a vulture
Vulture
Vulture is the name given to two groups of convergently evolved scavenging birds, the New World Vultures including the well-known Californian and Andean Condors, and the Old World Vultures including the birds which are seen scavenging on carcasses of dead animals on African plains...
(German: Geier) holding a shield with the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
of The Plough (German: Wagen); thus referring both to Wagner's natural father Carl and to his beloved stepfather, Ludwig Geyer. This was later the source for Nietzsche's taunt (in a footnote in his 1888 book The Case of Wagner: A Musician's Problem
The Case of Wagner
The Case of Wagner is a German book by the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, originally published in 1888. Subtitled "A Musician's Problem", it has also been known as "The Wagner Case" in English.-Contents:...
), that Wagner might have been Jewish, as 'a Geyer (vulture) is almost an Adler (eagle)'. Both 'Geyer' and 'Adler' were common Jewish surnames, although Ludwig Geyer was not in fact Jewish. However, as Nietzsche was at the time one of the very few who had read Mein Leben, and had been a close associate of the composer, many assumed (as Nietzsche doubtless intended) that Wagner had revealed a Jewish paternity in the autobiography, which was not the case.
Subsequent publications
Over the years, and particularly after Wagner's death, Cosima attempted to recall all the copies that had been distributed. Many of these were apparently burnt by Cosima. The first generally published edition did not appear until 1911, possibly to quell the rumours which had grown about the contents; this was cut and adapted by the Wagner family to cover up indiscreet comments or actions by Wagner which appeared discreditable. The first complete public edition appeared in 1963 (in German). The edition translated by Andrew Gray is based on this and is the first complete English translation.Sources
- John Deathridge, Wagner Beyond Good and Evil, Berkeley, 2008 ISBN 9780520254534
- Barry Millington (ed.), The Wagner Compendium, London, 1992
- Richard Wagner, tr. Andrew Gray, My Life, New York, 1992 ISBN 0306804816
- Marc A. Weiner, Richard Wagner and the Anti-Semitic Imagination, Nebraska, 1997
External links
- Complete text of the original German edition of Mein Leben at zeno.orgZeno.orgZeno.org is a digital library with German texts and other content such as pictures, facsimile, etc., which has been started by the Zenodot Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, a German publishing house and sister enterprise of Directmedia Publishing GmbH. The content is based on the digital libraries from the...