href="@public@vhost@g@gutenberg@html@files@42875@[email protected]#CHAPTER_XV" class="pginternal" tag="{http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml}a">CHAPTER XV.

The new Chamber of Deputies—The king of Saxony refuses to accept the constitution formulated by the federated German parliament—The chambers dissolved by the king—Wagner urges Roeckel to leave Dresden for fear of arrest—Roeckel leaves for Prague—Hainberger, Bakunin, and Semper—The outbreak—Wagner’s incriminating note to Roeckel—Return of Roeckel—Wagner in charge of convoys—Characteristic incident—Roeckel taken prisoner—Origin of the revolt—Its character—Source of the government charge against Wagner—Heubner, Bakunin, and Roeckel imprisoned—Sentenced to death—Commuted—Actual part played by Wagner—He carries a musket; heads a barricade—Wagner not personally brave—His flight to Weimar—Liszt and the police official—Wagner in Paris—Naturalized at Zurich—Proclamation by Saxon government, June, 1853, directing the arrest of Wagner—The government indictment summarized—Richard Wagner amnestied, March, 1862—Important letter from Wagner, March 15, 1851, to Edward Roeckel of Bath, detailing his own share in the Revolution—Attempts of biographers to gloss over Wagner’s participation in Revolution—Wagner to blame—Conflicting extracts from Wagner’s early and later writings as to his precise share—The case summarized

Wagner seeks an asylum in Paris—His reception disappointing—Leaves for Switzerland—A second time within the year he returns to Paris—Again vexed at the little recognition he meets with—Finally settles in Zurich and becomes a naturalized subject—Reflections on the French and their attitude towards art—His abruptness of speech, impatience of incapacity, and vehement declamation wear the air of rudeness—Episode at Bordeaux—He possesses the very failings of amorousness, Hebraic shrewdness, and Gallic love of enjoyment denounced by him in others—At Zurich unable to settle to work for some time—His exile the grandest part of his life as regards art—Period of repose—For five years not one single bar of music did he compose—Describes his Zurich life as spent in “walking, reading, and literary work”—His literary activity—Writes “Art and Revolution,” “The Art Work of the Future,” “Art and Climate,” “Judaism in Music,” and “Opera and Drama”—The period of his banishment the cradle of nearly all his great music-dramas: the “Nibelung’s Ring,” “Tristan and Isolde,” the “Mastersingers,” and a fragment of “Parsifal”—His pretty chalet, “The Retreat,” at Zurich. The Wesendoncks—Compares himself to the philosopher Hegel—The first printing of the Nibelung poem, 1853—Resents allusion to it as a work of literary merit—Recites portions of the lied—At Zurich conducts the opera house—Hans von Bülow his pupil—Wagner’s festival week at Zurich—Chapelmaster Lachner’s prize symphony—His health always bad: dyspepsia and erysipelas—At hydropathic establishments—His love for the animal kingdom—Anecdote of “Peps,” the Tannhäuser dog

The importance attached to the question—The paper said to have been prompted by personal jealousy—Absurdity of the accusation—The London press hostile because of his Jewish criticisms upon Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer—The “Sunday Times” asserts that “the most ordinary English ballad writer would shame him in the creation of melody, and no English harmonist would pen such vile things”— The words he uttered in 1852 in the Judaism paper lay deep in his heart, and he adhered to them in 1855 and 1869—Wagner of opinion that his ostracism and suppression for many years were due alone to the power of the Jews—Publication of the article—Attempt to dismiss Brendel from his professional office at the Leipzic conservatoire—Wagner asserts an involuntary revulsion of feeling towards the Jews—The Jew always a foreigner—Wagner’s Semitic antipathy partly inherited—Cannot understand the natural humane treatment of the Jews by the English—Admits the glorious history of the Jews compared with the annals of the German barbarians—A Jew actor as a hero or lover “ridiculous”—This assertion contradicted by instances—The Jew offensive to Wagner in his speech, as regards intonation and manner—Their absence of passion—Incapable of artistic speech, the Jew is more incapable of artistic song—His unreasoned attack on the lack of Jewish plastic artists—Further indulges in the vulgar charge of usury—Attacks the cultivated Jew—The Jew incapable of fathoming the heart of our civilized life—Cannot compose for those whose feelings he does not understand—The synagogue the legitimate sphere for the Hebraic composer—Outside this the Jewish musician can only imitate Gentile composers—Criticism upon Mendelssohn—Criticism upon Meyerbeer severe and unsparing—Meyerbeer’s attitude towards the critics—Cordially hated by Wagner—Wagner’s own attitude towards the London critics

How Wagner came to be invited to London—I appear before the directors of the Old Philharmonic—I find that they either know very little of him or nothing at all—Richard Wagner visited at Zurich by a director—The New York “Musical Gazette”—The London press upon Wagner—Condemned before he is heard—The cause, “Judaism in Music”—Wagner’s agreement with the Philharmonic directors—Imposes two conditions: (1) a second conductor; (2) several rehearsals—Gives way as to the first, but insists on the second—Will not lend himself to anything unworthy—Letter of 18th January—In accepting the Philharmonic engagement Wagner “makes a sacrifice,” but feels he must do this or renounce forever all relations with the public—Projects a whole concert of his works—The directors refuse—Irritation of Wagner—Letter of the 1st February—No special plan for his London expedition except what can be done with a celebrated orchestra—States he does not know English and is entirely without gift for modern languages—Enmity of the editor of the “Musical World” (London), who confesses that Wagner is a “God in his books, but he shall have no chance here”—Richard Wagner’s arrival, midnight, Sunday, 5th March, 1855—His head-gear—Objects to change his felt hat—His democratic principles of 1849 now modified—Visit to Mr. Anderson—The Lachner symphony proposed—Volcanic