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[humanities.music.composers.wagner] Wagner General FAQ

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  than its face value. The Festival management regard such tickets as void
  and invalid. There have been instances of individuals with black-market
  tickets being forcibly ejected from the Festspielhaus and in at least
  one case dragged from their seats. It is reported that offenders are
  advised to leave Bayreuth immediately and not to return. So if you use a 
  black-market ticket, you must be prepared to be black-listed for life.

7. If you are really wealthy, join the Friends of Bayreuth. At present the
  initial fee is DM 900, followed by an annual subscription of DM 450.
  Friends are usually allocated a limited number of tickets every second
  year.

8. If you are a writing person, then get a newspaper or a magazine to send
  you as their correspondent. You will have to write something for them, of
  course.


------------------------------

Subject:  B. Where can I obtain the Ring Disc?

The Ring Disc is available for $80 via paypal directly from the web site
< www.ringdisc.com >.  It contains the entire Solti-conducted 'Ring' in 
compressed but tolerable mono sound, linked to the score and libretto with 
translation. Requires a Pentium PC.


------------------------------

Subject:  C. Was Wagner a personal friend of Adolf Hitler?

Adolf Hitler was born after Richard Wagner died. Hitler was without
doubt a great admirer of RW. Opinions differ on whether there was any
kind of direct influence. The fundamental problem of the Hitler-Wagner
link is that no-one has ever been able to satisfactorily explain or
understand Hitler. This would imply that no definitive understanding of
his relationship with RW is available at present. Sources that suggest
that RW was an important influence on Hitler include Hermann Rauschning
('Gespräche mit Hitler', 1940; 'Hitler Speaks', 1939) and
August Kubizek ('Adolf Hitler, mein Jugendfreund', 1955; 'Young Hitler,
the Story of Our Friendship', 1953). 

* Hermann Rauschning's 'Hitler Speaks'

The widely-held belief that Wagner was an important influence on Hitler
has been formed by the association of these two figures in the media and 
popular literature.  Popular (i.e. non-scholarly) discussion of Hitler's
relationship with Wagner ultimately relies on a single source: Hermann
Rauschning's 'Hitler Speaks'.  With the exception of a
speech given by Hitler at the unveiling of a memorial to Wagner on the
50th anniversary of the composer's death, Hitler rarely mentioned Wagner 
in public.  In that speech Hitler spoke of Wagner only as an artist; he
said nothing to suggest that Wagner had been an ideological influence on
him.  Records and recollections of Hitler's private conversations reveal
that he often spoke with enthusiasm about Wagner's music but never made
any reference to Wagner's political ideas.  So Rauschning's book is the
only source that presents Hitler acknowledging Wagner as an ideological
influence.

In the early 1930s Hermann Rauschning was the leader of the Nazi party
in Danzig.  He fell out with Gauleiter Albert Forster over economic
issues and had to resign under pressure from Hitler.  Rauschning then
left the Nazi party and Germany for the United States, where he
reinvented himself as a Christian conservative, claimed to have been a
close personal friend of Hitler, and wrote (almost certainly with the
assistance of a Hungarian-American journalist called Emery Reeves) his
book. For accounts of the origins of Rauschning's 'Conversations' see:
'Why Hitler: The Genesis of the Nazi Reich' by S.W. Mitcham Jr.
(Praeger, Westport and London, 1996), p. 137; and '1933: The Legality of
Hitler's Rise to Power' by H.W. Koch, in 'Aspects of the Third Reich'
(St. Martin's Press, New York, 1985), p. 39.

As was often the case with defectors of later decades, Rauschning tried
to satisfy the curiosity of his new masters even when his information
was very limited; and like other defectors, he exaggerated his own
importance and the extent of his high-level contacts. In recent years it
has been shown that passages in his book were compiled, by Rauschning
and his ghost-writer, from Hitler's speeches or other identifiable
sources (such as the writings of Nietzsche!); and so not recalled from
"conversations with Hitler". It has been established that Rauschning only
met Hitler on about four occasions, at Nazi party functions, where their
conversations consisted of small-talk. The balance of probability is
that those sections of the book that were not copied from already
published sources, were invented by Rauschning and Reeves. "The research
of the Swiss educator Wolfgang Hänel has made it clear that the
'Conversations' were mostly free inventions." ('Encyclopedia of the
Third Reich', ed Christian Zentner and Friedemann Bedürftig, tr. Amy
Hackert, MacMillan Publishing, 1991, volume 2, page 757). Hänel's
research, published in 1983, put the last nails in the coffin of
Rauschning's reputation.

In his acclaimed biography of Hitler, Ian Kershaw wrote: "I have on no
single occasion cited Hermann Rauschning's 'Hitler Speaks', a work now
regarded to have so little authenticity that it is best to disregard it
altogether." The leading German historian Hans Mommsen has written: "The
authenticity of Rauschning’s book, moreover, is no longer accepted
today". ('From Weimar to Auschwitz: Essays in German History', Hans
Mommsen, tr. Philip O'Connor, Oxford University Press, 1991, note 67.)
Except by a few writers who have drawn heavily on Rauschning for
inspiration (notably Robert Gutman and Joachim Köhler). They have been
reluctant to acknowledge their discredited source, which is only obvious
to readers who are familiar with the relevant passages in Rauschning's
book. 

Those who cling to the belief that Wagner was Hitler's ideological
forerunner and therefore (as their only support) to the authenticity of
Rauschning's 'Conversations' point to other historians, lawyers and
journalists who have accepted Rauschning's account without question.
Although this was common up to about 1975, Rauschning then became
regarded with increasing scepticism and his book eventually discredited
by the research summarised above, which revealed that the book was a
worthless hoax. 

* August Kubizek's 'Young Hitler'

Kubizek's recollections of his boyhood friend are a different matter,
although also here there are grounds for suspicion that material has
been elaborated if not invented. This book has long been popular with
Hitler's apologists and sympathisers, for its unusually rose-coloured
portrait of the Führer as a young man. The Hitler described in 'Young
Hitler' is no vicious madman, hardly even an anti-Semite, but rather
an intelligent aesthete and visionary, a patriot who showed unusual
leadership qualities from a young age.

Kubizek's 'Young Hitler' made three significant contributions to the 
myth of Hitler's inspiration by Wagner:
 1. He claimed that Hitler read at least some of Wagner's essays;
 2. He claimed that Hitler made an attempt to write an opera based on
Wagner's draft for 'Wayland the Smith'; and
 3. The story that Hitler attended a performance of 'Rienzi' with Kubizek, 
that after that performance Hitler decided to become the leader of a 
revitalised Germany, and that when Kubizek met Hitler again in 1938 and 
reminded him of that night, Hitler supposedly replied, "In that hour it 
began."

In his recent book 'Hitler and the Power of Aesthetics' (Overlook,
Woodstock and New York, 2003), Frederic Spotts is sceptical concerning
Kubizek's claim that the young Hitler read Wagner's prose writings and
letters. Even more so concerning Joachim Fest's claim (1973) that
Wagner's prose was Hitler's favourite reading matter. "There is no
corroborative evidence for either of these claims. Hitler never ascribed
any of his views to Wagner, not in 'Mein Kampf', his speeches, articles
or recorded private conversations... Indeed, there is no evidence that
Hitler ever read Wagner's collected writings, much less that they were
'his favourite reading'. The origin of the myth is probably Kubizek's
book, where the youthful Hitler was said to have read every biography,
letter, essay, diary and other scrap by and about his hero that he could
lay his hands on. But Kubizek himself contradicted that story in his
wartime 'Reminiscences', which he later expanded into the more
marketable, post-war book 'Young Hitler'."

A comparison of the two books is instructive. They were written for
different audiences: 'Reminiscences' in 1944-45 for the Nazi faithful
and the more polished 'Young Hitler' for a post-war readership. The
evidence of the 'Reminiscences' is that young Hitler had been impressed
by a performance of Wagner's 'Rienzi', and that Kubizek and Hitler
wandered round the "dark, cold and foggy streets of Linz" after the
show, and that it was a "memorable night". But Kubizek did not say, as
he would do later in 'Young Hitler', that on that night Hitler had
declared an intention to unite Germany. Or that, when Kubizek met Hitler
again in 1939 and reminded him of that night in Linz, Hitler had said,
"In that hour it began"; perhaps because those passages were written by
Kubizek's ghost-writer?

Apart from being popular with neo-Nazis, Kubizek's 'Young Hitler' has
been a key resource for those who have portrayed Wagner as a proto-Nazi
and as a source of Nazi ideology, such as Paul Rose, Marc Weiner and
Joachim Köhler.

------------------------------

Subject:  D. Wasn't Wagner anti-Semitic?

Wagner was an anti-Semite from, at the latest, 1850, when he wrote
'Judaism in Music' (Das Judenthum in der Musik). This essay was first
published anonymously in the 'Neue Zeitschrift für Musik' in two
instalments in September that year. RW took as his starting point earlier
articles in which Theodor Uhlig had attacked Meyerbeer's 'Les Huguenots'.
RW reprinted his article practically unchanged in 1869, thereby provoking
demonstrations at the first performances of 'Die Meistersinger'. It
includes the following assertions (page references are to Wm Ashton Ellis'
English translation of the Prose Works, which follows the 1869 revision):

  1. Jews are hateful (passim)
  2. Judaism is rotten at the core; a religion of hatred (PW3 p90-1)
  3. Jewish composers are comparable to worms feeding on the body of art 
     (PW3 p99)
  4. Jews are hostile to European civilisation (PW3 p84-5)
  5. The Jew rules the world through money (PW3 p81)
  6. The cultured Jew is "the most heartless of all human beings" (PW3 p87) 
  7. The Jews should, like Ahasuerus, "go under" (PW3 p100)
 
RW, however, did not explicitly advocate anything like extermination; and
in his private life had close Jewish friends who appear to have regarded
him with considerable affection. Nonetheless, his second wife Cosima held
strongly anti-Semitic views. 

After RW's death, Bayreuth became a focal point for anti-Semitic and
right-wing individuals, encouraged by Cosima. This culminated in the
marriage of her daughter Eva to the right-wing ideologue, Houston Stewart
Chamberlain, who saw world history in terms of conflict between races. The
son of Richard and Cosima, Siegfried, was more balanced, ruling out racial
exclusivity at Bayreuth, but he died in 1930. His English-born widow
Winifred developed a close friendship with Hitler when he was still a
young unknown, and was largely responsible for Bayreuth's Nazi links. 

A good starting point for reading about RW's anti-Semitism is the book by
Jacob Katz, 'The Darker Side of Genius'. A number of recent books have
taken a fresh look at this subject, including:

* 'Wagner: Race and Revolution' by Paul Lawrence Rose, who presented a
  view in which racial and anti-Semitic ideas were the driving force behind
  Wagner's creativity, even in 'Der fliegende Holländer'. Many Wagner
  scholars vehemently oppose this view, in particular harshly criticising
  Rose's scholarship; see for example Stewart Spencer's review ('Wagner',
  January 1995, pages 46-48). 

* 'Wagner and the Anti-Semitic Imagination' by Marc Weiner, is a study of
  Wagner's anti-Semitism that has been met with hostility by many
  Wagnerians, although other Wagnerians, including the author of this FAQ
  and also Anthony Arblaster in his review ('Wagner', January 1996, pages
  44-47), think that Weiner sheds light on some dark corners of Wagner's
  character.

These two books refer to earlier articles by Hartmut Zelinsky which
ignited a heated controversy in Germany. Zelinsky interpreted RW as a
proto-Nazi, and attempted to demonstrate that racial and anti-Semitic
schemes lay beneath the surface of RW's music-dramas. Hartmut Zelinsky's
published writings include: 

* In 'Musik-Konzepte 5: Richard Wagner: wie antisemitisch darf ein
  Künstler sein?', ed. H-K. Metger and R. Riehn. Article entitled: 'Die
  Feuerkur des Richard Wagner oder die neue Religion der Erlösung durch
  Vernichtung', Munich 1978. 

* 'Richard Wagner: ein deutsches Thema: Eine Dokumentation zur
  Wirkungsgeschichte Richard Wagners 1876-1976', Frankfurt am Main 1976,
  Vienna 1983. 

* In 'Parsifal: Texte, Materialen, Kommentare', ed. A. Csampai and D.
  Holland. Articles entitled: 'Richard Wagners letzte Karte', 'Der
  verschwiegene Gehalt des Parsifal'. Hamburg 1984.

Although himself a critic of Zelinsky, Barry Millington has presented
arguments for an anti-Semitic theme in 'Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg'.
The relevant articles are: 

* 'Nuremberg Trial: Is There Anti-Semitism in Die Meistersinger?', in
  'Cambridge Opera Journal', volume iii, 1991. Reprinted in 'The Wagner
  Compendium', London 1992 and in 'Wagner in Performance', New Haven 1992. 

* 'Richard Wagner's Anti-Semitism', in the 'Musical Times', December 1996.
  Reprinted in 'Wagner', May 1997, vol. 18 no.2.

Other sources that discuss Wagner's anti-Semitism include 'Aspects of
Wagner' by Bryan Magee (who has also written an interesting article on the
subject, included as an appendix to his 'Wagner and Philosophy'), 'Richard
Wagner: the Terrible Man and his Truthful Art' by M. Owen Lee, and Dieter
Borchmeyer in chapter 5 of the 'Wagner Handbook', in an appendix to his
'Richard Wagner: Theory and Theatre' and, at greater length, in his recent
book on this subject (proceedings of a seminar held in Bayreuth). 

Hmcw participant Simon Weil has written a study, 'Wagner and the Jews'.  
It can be found online at < http://members.aol.com/wagnerbuch/intro.htm >.

------------------------------

Subject:  E. Why does Siegmund sing the renunciation motif as he draws the   
          sword from the tree?

Several explanations have been offered. The simplest explanation is that
the leitmotiven are not as closely tied to non-musical ideas as many
people have thought; in other words the reason for Wagner using this
melody at this point could be purely musical. Other explanations try to
find a link between Alberich's renunciation of love, and later appearances
of this motif: Fricka's condemnation of Wotan's treatment of Freia,
Siegmund's drawing of the sword, Wotan's farewell to Brünnhilde and her
refusal to yield the ring. 

The occurrence in 'Die Walküre' act one has been regarded as problematic,
for example by Cooke in his book 'I Saw the World End'. It was suggested
that this is an example of dramatic irony: the sword-redemption is an
ironic moment, not only because of events in the immediate future, but
because for the first time, on a human level, Wagner reveals and
celebrates the protagonistic force (love) that will overcome worldly and
godly power. 

Discussion of what this motif might signify usually results in alternative
names being suggested for a motif that von Wolzogen called,
'Renunciation'. The names suggested by participants in hmcw have included
'Acceptance of Destiny', and 'Power of Love'. Another suggestion was that
since Siegmund's words are "Holiest Love's Deepest Distress", Wagner is
attempting to draw our attention not to Siegmund's distress, but rather to
the more far reaching distress of love itself, as it is threatened by the
loveless machinations of Alberich. 

Monte Stone, an occasional participant in hmcw, has included commentary on
this motif on his 'Ring-disc' (see B above). Stone notes that in one of
Wagner's drafts for 'Das Rheingold', he appears to refer to this motif as
'Love-Curse' (Liebesfluch), which is the name used by Darcy in his book
about this drama. Stone observes that Alberich goes beyond the
renunciation of love -- Alberich curses love itself. Later, "during
Siegmund's passionate affirmation of love, we are reminded of the curse
under which love labors, and we are given a brief but grim foreshadowing
of the fate in store for these lovers".


------------------------------

Subject:  F. Why didn't Alberich use his ring to escape when he was captured 
          by Wotan and Loge?

Perhaps because, from the moment Alberich's caught, his hands are tied, so
he cannot reach the ring, as he seems to need to. Only when he agrees to
the ransom, and sends his command to the Nibelungs, is he allowed to get
at it again. So that, one guesses, would be the time to use its power. In
productions by Scottish Opera and ENO, among others, Alberich was
thoroughly trussed up as Wagner intended, with only one hand freed to
wield the ring, and Wotan had his spearpoint at Alberich's throat
throughout. 

Or, for the same reason it couldn't protect Brunnhilde in 'Götterdämmerung',
Act I. The ring never had that kind of power. Deryck Cooke's, in 'I Saw
the World End', asserts that the Ring was only good for finding wealth,
i.e. gold. Alberich uses it for that purpose in 'Das Rheingold', and that is 
the reason Wotan wants it so badly. The power of the ring isn't a direct,
blow-them-away kind of power, although obviously it can help him create
such things. It cannot destroy rope or chains, or make them come loose. 

Finally, it might be that the ring does not have any power, except over
those who fear it. Therefore it does not have any effect on the disguised
Siegfried, who never learned (or has forgotten that he had learned) fear.
If Brünnhilde had been a little smarter, she would have realised from this
that her captor was Siegfried in disguise. 


------------------------------

Subject:  G. Why is Valhall set on fire at the end of the 'Ring' cycle?

Wagner said that Wotan had ended up by willing his own destruction. Wotan
loses part of himself, a part that continues to live in his daughter
Brünnhilde. She learns, and teaches Wotan, that love wins over power, in
the end. Not only is Valhall destroyed, but the Earth is purified by fire
and water. Perhaps Valhall burns for the same reason Manderly burns in
'Rebecca' and Atlanta burns in 'Gone with the Wind': to symbolize the end
of the old and the beginning of the new. 


------------------------------

Subject:  H. Why didn't Wagner kill off Alberich?
 
Some argue that Alberich *is* killed in the final apocalypse, we just
don't get to see it on stage. In a recent production in Stuttgart,
Alberich was killed on stage. But it has become fashionable in many recent
performances to speculate that Alberich *is* the only survivor, and that
he is plotting to steal the gold yet again...in other words, the stealing
of the gold is a sort of 'eternal recurrence' in which events are doomed
to repeat themselves throughout eternity. 

In the Barenboim/Kupfer 'Ring', before the music starts, the curtain opens
on a full stage, and Alberich is lying on the stage in the forefront. The
other characters soundlessly depart, then the music begins, and when it is
time for Alberich to enter the scene, he simply stands up rather than
entering from offstage. When we reach the conclusion of 'Götterdämmerung',
Alberich arrives on stage just as the gold is returned to the
Rhinemaidens, and then he ends up in the exact same spot where he is at
the beginning. Presumably the figures on stage at the beginning of 'Das
Rheingold' were the participants in some earlier 'Ring' cycle. In other
words, Alberich is the linking element between an infinite series of
dramas in which Alberich fights to obtain the gold. The Chicago 'Ring'
also used this idea, as the last image on stage is of Alberich and a group
of Nibelungs under his control manipulating some sort of ring-shaped
device. 


------------------------------

Subject:  I. Who are the Wagner family and how are they related to each 
other?

The following members of the Wagner family often are mentioned in the 
newsgroup:

 i. Wolfgang Wagner (b. 1919) is the present head of the family and chief 
 administrator of the Bayreuth Festival.  Wolfgang and his brother Wieland 
 were the prime movers in the revival of the Festival after WW2 and in the 
 development of the "New Bayreuth" style of production that was first 
 presented at the 1951 Festival.  The English edition of his autobiography
 'Acts' appeared in 1994.

 ii. Wieland Wagner (1917-1966) has been widely regarded as one of the most
 gifted directors in the history of the theatre.  Inspired by the theories
 of Adolphe Appia, Wieland designed and produced minimalist stagings of
 his grandfather's works in Bayreuth and elsewhere.  These productions 
 emphasised the epic and universal in the Wagner dramas and explored the 
 texts from a viewpoint of  depth psychology.  See Penelope Turing's book 
 'New Bayreuth' (1969).

 iii. Nike Wagner (b. 1945) is a daughter of Wieland Wagner and Gertrud
 Reissiger.  Nike has been openly critical of Wolfgang Wagner and of the
 current administration of the Bayreuth Festival.  Her latest book has
 appeared in English translation as 'The Wagners: The Dramas of a Musical 
 Dynasty' (2001).

 iv. Eva Wagner-Pasquier (b. 1945) is the daughter of Wolfgang Wagner and
 his first wife Ellen Drexel.  Eva has been named to succeed her father as
 chief administrator of the Bayreuth Festival by its Board of Directors.

 v. Gottfried Wagner (b. 1947) is the estranged son of Wolfgang Wagner and
 Ellen Drexel.  Over recent years Gottfried has moved from a position in
 which he criticised Richard Wagner's life and works, the achievements of
 his own family and the Bayreuth Festival as it exists, to a position of
 active hostility.  His autobiography has appeared under various titles 
 including 'He who does not howl with the wolf' (1998).  Adolf Hitler was 
 known to the young Wolfgang Wagner as "Uncle Wolf".

 vi. Katharina Wagner (b. 1978) is the daughter of Wolfgang and Gudrun 
 Wagner.  She will make her debut as opera producer in September 2002
 with "Der fliegende Holländer" at Mainfrankentheater in Würzburg.

There is a fairly complete family tree showing the descendants of Richard
and Cosima Wagner on the Web < http://home.c2i.net/monsalvat/wagtree.gif >
(produced by Joseph Erbacher). 


------------------------------

Subject:  J. Does anybody know the title of the helicopter tune in 
'Apocalypse Now'?

The 'Ride of the Valkyries' (Der Ritt der Walküren) from the music-drama,
'The Valkyrie' (Die Walküre). It is played at the start of the third act.


------------------------------

Subject:  K. What about Wagner's women?

RW's posthumous reputation as a womaniser is not justified by what is known
of his liaisons. Wagner's more significant, intimate relationships with
members of the female sex involved: 

i. Wilhelmine (Minna) Wagner née Planer (1809-1866) 

  RW's biographers are critical of his treatment of Minna, perhaps more so
  than the facts support. The young Wagner married a woman who was in no way
  suitable for him, given that her intellect and interests were no match for
  Richard's own. She had been seduced at the age of 15, and had a daughter,
  Nathalie, who was always passed off as her little sister. It was later
  discovered that Minna would not be able to have any more children, and the
  Wagners considered adopting a child. 

  Within a few weeks of their wedding in 1836, Minna ran off with another
  man. Richard accepted her back, and she stuck by him during the turbulence
  and hardship of their years in Riga, London, Paris and Dresden. Finally
  she followed him into exile in Switzerland, where their marriage was
  wrecked on the rocks of 'Tristan und Isolde'. Richard, to his credit,
  continued to support Minna financially (or at least, his creditors did
  so!) until her death; although at one time he considered seeking a
  divorce. 

ii. Jessie Laussot née Taylor (1829-1905) 

  The musical, English-born wife of a Bordeaux wine merchant. Richard and
  Jessie had a brief but passionate affair there in 1850, but plans to elope
  to Greece were prevented by the intervention of her husband. Jessie left
  him soon after and moved to Florence, where she lived with and later
  married the essayist Karl Hillebrand. Jessie was also a friend to Liszt,
  von Bülow and Julie Ritter, mother of Karl Ritter and a benefactor of
  Wagner; before the Bordeaux affair, Jessie and Julie had plans to set up a
  fund for Wagner's financial support. 

iii. Mathilde Wesendonck née Luckemeyer (1828-1902) 

  Poet and author. Richard and Mathilde exchanged voluminous correspondence
  over more than a decade. Otto and Mathilde Wesendonck helped the Wagners
  financially and provided a home for them, in the form of 'Der Asyl', a
  cottage in the grounds of their Zurich mansion. RW's friendship for
  Mathilde developed into love, and she became the muse to the poet as he
  wrote the text and music of 'Tristan und Isolde'. Eventually, Minna could
  tolerate the intimacy of Mathilde and her husband no longer; there was a
  crisis, after which Richard left Zurich for Venice, where he resumed work
  on his music-drama in relative calm.

iv. Friederike Meyer (?-?) 

  Actress, sister of Frau Meyer-Dustmann of the Vienna Opera. It seems that
  Friederike had a brief affair with Wagner in 1862, after he had separated
  from Minna. As a result of the affair, Wagner had difficulties in getting
  'Tristan und Isolde' staged at the Vienna Opera. 

v. Mathilde Maier (1833-1910) 

  Mathilde seems to have been a sweet-natured young woman, whose heart went
  out to the unhappy composer she met at Schott's house in Mainz in 1862. It
  is almost certain that Wagner considered marrying her; he might even have
  proposed. Unlike some of Wagner's other women, she is mentioned in his
  autobiography. 

vi. Cosima von Bülow née Liszt (1837-1930) 

  Cosima was the illegitimate daughter of the Hungarian composer Franz Liszt
  and the French aristocrat, the Countess Marie d'Agoult. As a result of
  this parentage, no doubt, she became an ardent German nationalist. She
  married the composer and pianist Hans von Bülow, and it was as the
  Baroness von Bülow that she first met RW; the occasion was a visit to
  Zurich, during which Wagner read the poem of his 'Tristan und Isolde' to a
  small gathering that included Minna, Cosima and Mathilde. Later, with her
  marriage under strain, she began an affair with Wagner. Their conduct
  scandalised the Munich public. Wagner had told King Ludwig that he and
  Cosima were just good friends, but this relationship was put to a test
  when Malwida Schnorr von Carolsfeld (the first Isolde) revealed to Ludwig
  that Cosima was Richard's mistress. The only person who seems to have
  taken the whole affair calmly was Hans, who remained a faithful friend and
  supporter to the Wagners for the rest of his life. After the death of
  Minna Wagner and the completion of divorce proceedings, Cosima and Richard
  were able to marry. 

  Cosima remained at Wagner's side for the rest of his life. Apart from
  running the Wagner household, Cosima acted as her husband's secretary. She
  also recorded Richard's life in deeds and words, in the diary entries that
  she made almost every day. They were inseparable in life and in death. On
  13 February 1883, Richard died in Cosima's arms; she then held onto his
  body for the next 24 hours. After the funeral, Cosima began to take charge
  of the Bayreuth Festival, which remained under her administration and
  artistic control until a series of strokes incapacitated her in December
  1906. After her death in 1930, Cosima was buried beside Richard in the
  garden of Haus Wahnfried. 

vii. Judith Mendès Gautier (1845-1917) 

  French novelist and writer on music, who first visited the Wagners at
  'Tribschen' in 1869. Judith had an affair with Wagner during the 1876
  Festival, but how far it went is uncertain. At that time she was separated
  from her husband Catulle Mendès, but had arrived in Bayreuth with Louis
  Benedictus. Wagner was infatuated with her during his last years, although
  she was relatively cool to him. They kept up a secret correspondence
  during the late 1870's; Judith's letters being sent to Wagner's barber.
  Eventually Cosima put a stop to it, and burned a number of her letters.
  Judith also helped Wagner with the procurement of the silks, satins and
  rose-water that he needed for his work-room at 'Wahnfried', while he wrote
  'Parsifal'. Judith translated the libretto into French. 

viii. Carrie Pringle (?-?) 

  English soprano, one of the 1882 flowermaidens. It was the announcement of
  an impending visit by Carrie to Wagner in Venice, that is thought to have
  prompted the argument between Cosima and Richard that precipitated his
  fatal heart- attack. Only two days earlier, he had told Cosima that he had
  dreamt about Schröder-Devrient (the first Adriano, Senta and Venus): "All
  my women are now passing before my eyes".
      

------------------------------

Subject:  L. What is the name of the mortal woman who is mother to Siegmund
             and Sieglinde?
       
Mrs. Wälse is not named. Fricka refers to the mother of Siegmund and
Sieglinde as a she-wolf: "jetzt dem Wurfe der Wölfin wirfst du zu Füssen
dein Weib?" (Walküre act 2) 

Here Wagner is mixing his main Siegmund source, the Volsungasaga, with the
story of the Wölfings. (Siegmund to Hunding: "Ein Wölfing kündet dir das,
den als Wölfing mancher wohl kennt", Walküre act 1). The main sources for
this clan were the saga of Dietrich von Bern (Thikdrek af Berns Saga) and
the Hugdietrich-Wolfdietrich poems. 

Returning to Volsungasaga, however, we read that Sigmund and his sister
were twins, among the children (ten boys, of whom Sigmund was the eldest,
and one daughter, Signy) of Volsung and his wife, Hljód. Interestingly,
Hjlód was not a "mortal woman", but the daughter of Hrimnir the giant. It
is possible that Hjlód was the daughter of Hrimnir who was described as
one of Odin's wishmaidens, earlier in the saga. Volsung is the third of
his line, his grandfather Sigi being "reportedly" the son of Odin. So both
Sigmund's mother and father had connections with Odin. 

But that's all in one of Wagner's sources for the 'Ring', not in the
'Ring' poems themselves. Strictly speaking, Mrs. Wälse does not have a
name. If you want to give her a name, then Hljód (huh-l-yöd) is as good as
any. This Old Norse name translates as "howling", which seems singularly
appropriate for a she-wolf!


------------------------------

Subject: M. Which recording of the 'Ring'/ 'Dutchman'/ 'Lohengrin'/ 'Tristan'
/ 'Parsifal' should I get as my first version?

It is extremely difficult to answer these questions. Firstly, because
responses to recordings (and for that matter, to performances) vary
greatly. Secondly, because there is no *definitive* recording of any of
Wagner's stage works. It is possible to give some suggestions, however,
based on the following assumptions:

 i.  A beginner usually wants a recording in excellent sound, therefore we
 should first consider modern, stereo, possibly digital recordings.  The 
 beginner might wish to explore historical recordings later on, but not 
 first.
 ii. A beginner would prefer to avoid recordings with distracting stage 
 sounds or audience noise.  Therefore many live recordings can be ruled
 out.
 iii. All listeners prefer great singers over good singers, and would
 prefer not to listen to recordings with less good singers.

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