Chapter X: PARIS, 1839-1842. Continued

The Paris sojourn the crucial epoch of Wagner’s career--The grand opera the hothouse of spurious art--Concessions to anti-artistic influences--Realism of the historic opera irreconcilable with his own poetic idealism: why?--Is infected with the revolutionary spirit of the age--From now we date the wondrous change in his art work--Protests through the “Gazette Musicale” against Italian composers dominating the French stage to the exclusion of native worth--Rebuked by Schlesinger--The Conservatoire de Musique; its performances solid food to Wagner--“Music a blessed reality”--Probability that the unrealities of the French stage brought Richard Wagner to a quicker knowledge of himself--Wagner’s estimate of French character--Their poesy--His tact--Feeling of aversion towards the military and police--His compositions--A year of non-productivity--Assertion of the poet--Proposal by Schlesinger that he should write a light work for a boulevard theatre--Refuses--Is put to bed with an attack of erysipelas which lasts a week--“Overture to Faust”: “the subjects not music, but the soul’s sorrows transformed into sounds”--Minna and his dog--Wagner’s lugubrious forebodings and short novel, “End of a German Musician in Paris”--Completes “Rienzi,” which is sent to Germany--The “Flying Dutchman”--How the subject came to be adopted--Heine’s treatment of Fitzball’s version--The original story as told by Fitzball--Libretto completed, delivered to the director of the grand opera, who bargains for it--Superiority of legend over history for musical treatment--Wagner and his meaning of the “Dutchman” anecdote related at Munich, 1866--The one of his music-dramas that occupied the shortest time in composition--It is sent to Meyerbeer--News from Dresden--“Rienzi” accepted, leaves for Germany.....99

CHAPTER XI.

DRESDEN, 1842-1843.

New and hopeful prospect--Feels assured of “Rienzi” proving successful--Ignored by Paris, received with open arms by Dresden, the hallowed scene of Weber’s labours--Joy at returning home a conqueror--A new life for Minna--Reissiger, chief conductor of the Royal Opera--Fischer, the manager and chorus director, his friend--His “Rienzi” and “Adriano”--First performance of “Rienzi”--Unmistakable success--Wagner appointed co-chief conductor with Reissiger--My own first acquaintance with Richard Wagner--August Roeckel, the man, friend, and musician--His letter describing Wagner--Intimacy and political sway over Wagner--Visit of Berlioz to Dresden--His opinion of the “Dutchman” and “Rienzi”--The father of Roeckel tutored by Beethoven in the part of Florestan--Meetings of Richard Wagner and Hector Berlioz--Cold bearing of the latter.....114

CHAPTER XII.

1843-1844.

Hostility of the Dresden press--Wagner’s energy and good humour when at the conductor’s desk--A born disciplinarian--Unflagging efforts to improve the spiritless performances of master works--Interest evinced by Spohr, who stigmatizes Beethoven’s third period as barbarous music--Wagner affects to ignore and despise criticism--In reality is abnormally affected by it--Attacks on his personal attire, home comforts, and manner of living--Wagner in seclusion--His tribute to the constancy and devotion of August Roeckel--Wagner’s opinion of Marschner and Mendelssohn’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream”--The “Faust” overture unsuccessful--Spontini and the “Vestal”--Visit of Wagner and Roeckel to Spontini--Weber obsequies--Max von Weber with me in London--Reception of the body in Germany--Funeral oration delivered by Richard Wagner--Comparison between Wagner’s public and private manner of utterance.....124