WAGNER, WILHELM RICHARD Ger man dramatic composer, poet and essay-writer, was born at Leip zig on May 2 2, 1813. In 1822 he was sent to the Kreuzschule at Dresden, and in 1828 he was removed to the Nicolaischule at Leip zig. His first music master was Gottlieb Muller, who thought him self-willed and eccentric; and his first production as a composer was an overture, performed at the Leipzig theatre in 1830. In that year he matriculated at the university, and took lessons in composition from Theodor Weinlig, cantor at the Thomasschule. A symphony was produced at the Gewandhaus concerts in 1833, and in the following year he was appointed conductor of the opera at Magdeburg. He had composed an opera called Die Feen adapted by himself from Gozzi's La Donna Serpente, and another, Das Liebesverbot, founded on Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, but only Das Liebesverbot obtained a single performance in 1836.
In that year Wagner married Wilhelmina Planer, an actress at the theatre at Konigsberg. He had accepted an engagement there as conductor ; but, the lessee becoming bankrupt, the scheme was abandoned in favour of a better appointment at Riga. Accept ing this, he remained actively employed until 1839, when he made his first visit to Paris, taking with him an unfinished opera based on Bulwer Lytton's Rienzi, and, like his earlier attempts, on his own libretto. The venture proved most unfortunate. Wagner failed to gain a footing, and Rienzi, destined for the Grand Opera, was rejected. He completed it, however, and in 1842 it was pro duced at Dresden, where, with Madame Schroeder Devrient and Herr Tichatschek in the principal parts, it achieved a success which went far to make him famous.
Der fliegende Hollander, for which he designed a libretto quite independent of any other treatment of the legend was warmly received at Dresden on Jan. 2, 1843 but its success was by no means equal to that of Rienzi. Spohr, however, promptly dis covered its merits, and produced it at Cassel some months later.
On Feb. 2, 1843, Wagner was formally installed as Hofkapell meister at the Dresden theatre, and he soon set to work on a new opera. He chose the legend of Tannhauser, collecting his materials from the ancient Tannhauser-Lied, the V olksbuch, Tieck's poeti cal Erzahlung, Hoffmann's story of Der Siingerkrieg, and the mediaeval poem on Der Wartburgkrieg. This last-named legend introduces the incidental poem of "Loherangrin," and so led Wag ner to the study of Wolfram von Eschenbach's Parzival and Titurel, with great results later on. On Oct. 19, 1845, he produced his Tannhauser, with Schroeder Devrient, Johanna Wagner, his niece, Tichatschek and Mitterwurzer in the principal parts. Not
withstanding this powerful cast, the success of the new work was not brilliant, for it carried still further the principles embodied in Der fliegende Hollander, and the time was not ripe for them. On the flight of the king, Wagner fled to Paris and thence to Zurich, where he lived in almost unbroken retirement until the autumn of 1859. During this period most of his prose works— including Oper und Drama, fiber das Dirigieren, Das Judentum in der Musik—were given to the world.
The mediaeval studies which Wagner had begun for his work at the libretto of Tannhiiuser bore rich fruit in his next opera Lohen grin, in which he also developed his principles on a larger scale and with a riper technique than hitherto.
Lohengrin was, in fact, produced at Weimar under Liszt's direc tion on Aug. 28, 1850. It was a severe trial to Wagner not to hear his own work, but he knew that it was in good hands, and he responded to Liszt's appeal for a new creation by studying the Nibelungenlied and gradually shaping it into a gigantic tetralogy. At this time also he first began to lay out the plan of Tristan wed Isolde, and to think over the possibilities of Parsifal.
During his exile Wagner matured his plans and perfected his musical style; but it was not until some considerable time after his return that any of the works he then meditated were placed upon the stage. In 1855 he accepted an invitation to London, where he conducted the concerts of the Philharmonic Society with great success. In 1857 he completed the libretto of Tristan und Isolde at Venice, adopting the Celtic legend modified by Gott fried of Strassburg's mediaeval version. In 1859, Tannhauser was accepted at the Grand Opera, Paris. Great preparations were made; it was rehearsed 164 times, 14 times with the full orchestra; and the scenery and dresses were placed entirely under the corn poser's direction. More than i8,000 was expended upon the ven ture ; and the work was performed for the first time in the French language and with the new Venusberg music on March 13, 1861. But, for political reasons, a powerful clique was determined to suppress Wagner. A scandalous riot was inaugurated by the members of the Parisian Jockey Club, who interrupted the per formance with howls and dog-whistles ; and after the third repre sentation the opera was withdrawn. Wagner was broken-hearted, but the Princess Metternich continued to befriend him, and by 1861 she had obtained a pardon for his political offences, with permission to settle in any part of Germany except Saxony. Even this restriction was removed in 1862.