In a letter to Meyerbeer, in 1887, he states how he came
to be a musician. "A passionate admiration of Beethoven impelled me to
this step." The only one who was good enough in Wagner's eyes to be
compared with Beethoven, was Shakespeare. These two names are frequently
brought into juxtaposition in his works. No musician is worthy of
comparison with his demigod. "Mozart died when he was just piercing into
the mystery. Beethoven was the first to enter in," he says in his
Sketches. As if even this praise were too great, he severely criticises
Mozart's operas and symphonies elsewhere.
The deferential attitude which Wagner assumes toward Beethoven is not
accorded any other musician. Consciously or not, when he talks about
other musicians (except Bach) he, for the most part, assumes the role of
censor. But Beethoven comes in for unstinted praise. "It is impossible,"
he says, "to discuss the essential nature of Beethoven's music without
at once falling into the tone of rhapsody."
Wagner seems hardly to have been able, when writing about music, to
refrain from mention of Beethoven, he is so full of the subject.
Pages:
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333