WAGNER, RICHARD. 



817 



chestra in Leipzic, produced in 1833 an over- 

 ture and a symphony. The symphony was 

 played also in Prague, but the score was lost 

 by Mendelssohn, who came in 1834 to direct 

 the Gewandhaus concerts, and was not found 

 until fifty years later. On a visit to his brother 

 Albert, an opera-singer and manager in Wtirz- 

 burg, Wagner was encouraged to attempt an 

 opera in Weber's style. The libretto of this 

 romantic opera, "Die Feen," he adopted from 

 a dramatization by Gozzi of an Indian myth. 

 He could induce no manager to produce his 

 work, and complained that French and Italian 

 music had driven German art from the 

 This experience and the success of 

 Wilhelmine Schroder-Devrient as Ro- 

 meo, in Bellini's insignificant opera, 

 induced him to adopt for a time the 

 style of the Parisian opera, and seek 

 to combine the highest qualities of 

 French and Italian music. " Rienzi " 

 was composed under this impulse. 

 Wagner was carried away with the 

 ideas of the July revolution as de- 

 veloped in "Young Germany." He 

 associated intimately with Heinrich 

 Laube, and was influenced by the ma- 

 terialistic tendencies of that school, 

 as well as imbued with their revolu- 

 tionary and democratic ideas, to which 

 he remained true all his life. " Das 

 Liebesverbot," a frivolous adaptation 

 of Shakespeare's " Measure for Meas- 

 ure," showed the influence of the ma- 

 terialistic thought and of the artificial 

 French musical taste then prevailing. 



In 1834 the young composer became 

 director in the Magdeburg Theatre, 

 which failed two years la,ter. Here 

 he fell in love with the actress Wil- 

 helmine Planer, whom he married in 

 Konigsberg, where he was employed 

 in 1836. He next obtained an en- 

 gagement in Riga. Here he wrote 

 the text and part of the score of 

 " Rienzi," and determined to give his 

 genius free rein and seek recognition 

 in the musical capital of the world as 

 a composer of grand opera. When 

 his contract expired he embarked 

 with his wife for Paris. The conception of 

 " Der fliegende Hollander " took form during 

 the long and stormy voyage. He was received 

 with kindness by Meyerbeer, but for the pres- 

 entation of " Rienzi " there was no chance. 

 Put off with promises, he supported himself 

 miserably by letters to German newspapers 

 and musical critiques. The text of the "Fly- 

 ing Dutchman" he sold to a manager who 

 had the score written by an insignificant com- 

 poser and produced it without success. Wag- 

 ner was at last reduced to work for the musi- 

 cal publishers, adapting for the piano selections 

 from HaleVy's operas. 



He returned to Germany in April, 1842. 

 "Rienzi "was accepted in Dresden, and Ti- 

 VOL. xxni. 52 A 



chatchek (Schroder-Devrient) was persuaded 

 to take the principal r61e. The music of the 

 "Fliegende Hollander" was written in seven 

 weeks at Meudon in 1841. This opera was of- 

 fered at Munich and Leipzic, but was refused 

 with the excuse that it was not adapted to 

 German taste, but by the influence of Meyer- 

 beer it was brought out at Berlin. It, and an 

 incomplete Faust symphony, written in Paris 

 under the inspiration of Beethoven's Ninth 

 Symphony, were the first works produced in 

 Wagner's own manner. The success of 

 " Rienzi " was complete, and spread the fame 

 stage, of its author and composer through Germany. 



RICHARD WAGNER. 



He was engaged as a conductor in the Court 

 Theatre at Dresden, and then received the ap- 

 pointment of court chapel-master, an office 

 which he unwillingly assumed, forced by pe- 

 cuniary difficulties, arising from losses incurred 

 in the publication of his works. When the 

 "Fliegende Hollander" was given in Dres- 

 den, Wagner was disappointed to find that 

 his later and more characteristic style was not 

 appreciated. " Rienzi " kept' the stage only in 

 Dresden, for the lack of singers who could 

 take the title-r61e elsewhere. During the next 

 two years he was occupied with "Tan- 

 hauser," in which he followed his artistic in- 

 spirations regardless of his experience with the 

 "Fliegende Hollander." He next worked 



