Siegfried Wagner: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Siegfried Wagner (composer).jpg|thumb|Siegfried Wagner]] |
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'''Siegfried Wagner''' (6 June 1869{{spaced ndash}}4 August 1930) was a German composer and conductor, the son of [[Richard Wagner]]. He was an [[opera]] composer and the artistic director of the [[Bayreuth Festival]] from 1908 to 1930. |
'''Siegfried Helferich Richard Wagner''' (6 June 1869{{spaced ndash}}4 August 1930) was a German composer and conductor, the son of [[Richard Wagner]]. He was an [[opera]] composer and the artistic director of the [[Bayreuth Festival]] from 1908 to 1930. |
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==Life== |
==Life== |
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Siegfried Wagner was born in 1869 to [[Richard Wagner]] and his future wife [[Cosima Wagner|Cosima]] (née Liszt), at [[Tribschen]] on [[Lake Lucerne]] in Switzerland. Through his mother, he was a grandson of [[Franz Liszt]], from whom he received some instruction in harmony. |
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Some youthful compositions date from about 1882. After he completed his secondary education in 1889, he studied with Wagner's pupil [[Engelbert Humperdinck (composer)|Engelbert Humperdinck]], but was more strongly drawn to a career as an architect and studied architecture in Berlin and [[Karlsruhe]]. |
Some youthful compositions date from about 1882. After he completed his secondary education in 1889, he studied with Wagner's pupil [[Engelbert Humperdinck (composer)|Engelbert Humperdinck]], but was more strongly drawn to a career as an architect and studied architecture in Berlin and [[Karlsruhe]]. |
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In 1892 he undertook a trip to Asia with a friend, the English composer [[Clement Harris]]. During the voyage he decided to abandon architecture and commit himself to music. Reputedly, it was also Harris who first aroused his [[homoerotic]] impulses.<ref>[[Jonathan Carr]], 'The Wagner Clan', Faber and Faber, 2007, pp. 111–130.</ref> |
In 1892 he undertook a trip to Asia with a friend, the English composer [[Clement Harris]]. During the voyage he decided to abandon architecture and commit himself to music. Reputedly, it was also Harris who first aroused his [[homoerotic]] impulses.<ref>[[Jonathan Carr]], 'The Wagner Clan', Faber and Faber, 2007, pp. 111–130.</ref> While on board, he sketched his first official work, the symphonic poem ''Sehnsucht'', inspired by the poem of the same name by [[Friedrich Schiller]]. This piece was not completed until just before the concert in which Wagner conducted it in London on 6 June 1895.<ref name="ReferenceA">Peter P. Pachl, booklet notes to [[Classic Produktion Osnabrück|cpo]] 999 366-2.</ref> Though his works are numerous, none entered the standard repertory. |
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| ⚫ | He made his conducting debut as an assistant conductor at Bayreuth in 1894; in 1896 he became associate conductor, sharing responsibility for conducting the ''[[Ring Cycle]]'' with [[Felix Mottl]] and [[Hans Richter (conductor)|Hans Richter]], who had conducted its premiere 20 years earlier. In 1908 he took over as Artistic Director of the Bayreuth Festival in succession to his mother, Cosima. |
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While on board ship he sketched his first official work, the symphonic poem ''Sehnsucht'', inspired by the poem of the same name by [[Friedrich Schiller]]. This piece was not completed until just before the concert in which Wagner conducted it in London on 6 June 1895.<ref name="ReferenceA">Peter P. Pachl, booklet notes to Classic Produktion Osnabrück cpo 999 366-2.</ref> He composed more [[opera]]s than his father.{{citation needed|date=December 2010}} Though his works are numerous, none entered the standard repertory. |
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| ⚫ | Wagner was [[bisexual]].<ref>Jonathan Keates, "[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/10/04/bocar130.xml Review of ''The Wagner Clan'' by Jonathan Carr]", ''Daily Telegraph''.</ref> For years, his mother urged him to marry and provide the Wagner dynasty with heirs, but he fought off her increasingly desperate urgings. |
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| ⚫ | He made his conducting debut as an assistant conductor at Bayreuth in 1894; in 1896 he became associate conductor, sharing responsibility for conducting the ''[[Ring Cycle]]'' with [[Felix Mottl]] and [[Hans Richter (conductor)|Hans Richter]], who had conducted its premiere 20 years earlier. In 1908 he took over as Artistic Director of the |
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| ⚫ | Around 1913, pressure on him increased due to the [[Harden–Eulenburg affair]] (1907–1909), in which the journalist [[Maximilian Harden]] accused several public figures, most notably [[Philipp, Prince of Eulenburg-Hertefeld]], a friend of [[Kaiser Wilhelm II]], of [[homosexuality]]. In this climate, the family found it suitable to arrange a marriage with a 17-year-old Englishwoman, [[Winifred Wagner|Winifred Klindworth]], and at the Bayreuth Festival of 1914 she was introduced to the then-45-year-old Wagner. The two married on 22 September 1915.<ref name="Hamann">[[Brigitte Hamann]]. ''Winifred Wagner: A Life at the Heart of Hitler's Bayreuth''. Harcourt, Orlando, Florida (2005).</ref> |
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| ⚫ | Wagner was [[bisexual]].<ref>Jonathan Keates, "[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2007/10/04/bocar130.xml Review of ''The Wagner Clan'' by Jonathan Carr]", |
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| ⚫ | Around 1913, pressure on him increased due to the [[ |
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The couple had four children: |
The couple had four children: |
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# [[Wolfgang Wagner|Wolfgang]] (1919–2010) |
# [[Wolfgang Wagner|Wolfgang]] (1919–2010) |
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# [[Verena Wagner|Verena]] (1920–2019) |
# [[Verena Wagner|Verena]] (1920–2019) |
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[[File:Cosima and Siefried Wagner Fel 090656-RE.tif|thumb|Cosima and Siegfried Wagner, c. 1929]] |
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Though the marriage provided for the dynastic succession, the hope that it would also bring an end to his homosexual encounters and the associated costly scandals was disappointed, as Wagner remained sexually active with other men.<ref name=nytimes>[[Geoffrey Wheatcroft]]. "[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/books/review/Wheatcroft.t.html?ex=1184299200&en=9fa3d5e9b37fe9cc&ei=5070 A Widow's Might]", ''[[The New York Times]]'', 11 March 2007.</ref> |
Though the marriage provided for the dynastic succession, the hope that it would also bring an end to his homosexual encounters and the associated costly scandals was disappointed, as Wagner remained sexually active with other men.<ref name=nytimes>[[Geoffrey Wheatcroft]]. "[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/books/review/Wheatcroft.t.html?ex=1184299200&en=9fa3d5e9b37fe9cc&ei=5070 A Widow's Might]", ''[[The New York Times]]'', 11 March 2007.</ref> |
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Peter Pachl, one of Siegfried's biographers, asserted that Siegfried had sired an illegitimate son, Walter Aign (1901–1977). |
{{ill|Peter P. Pachl|de}}, one of Siegfried's biographers, asserted that Siegfried had sired an illegitimate son, Walter Aign (1901–1977). Nonetheless, several recent authors, such as Frederic Spotts and [[Brigitte Hamann]], have taken it up.<ref name="Hamann"/><ref>"[https://www.jstor.org/pss/823643 Review of Frederic Spotts. ''Bayreuth: A History of the Wagner Festival'']" by Stephen McClatchie. ''Cambridge Opera Journal'', volume 7, no. 3 (November 1995), pp. 277-284.</ref> |
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Wagner died in Bayreuth in 1930, having outlived his mother by only four months. Since his two sons were still only adolescents, he was succeeded at the helm of the |
Wagner died in [[Bayreuth]] in 1930, having outlived his mother by only four months. Since his two sons were still only adolescents, he was succeeded at the helm of the Bayreuth Festival by his widow Winifred. |
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==Works== |
==Works== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{Americana Poster|Wagner, Siegfried|Siegfried Wagner|year=1920}} |
{{Americana Poster|Wagner, Siegfried|Siegfried Wagner|year=1920}} |
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*{{Commons category-inline|Siegfried Wagner (composer)}} |
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*[http://www.siegfriedwagner.com/en/ Siegfried Wagner, the Last Romantic – a documentary] |
*[http://www.siegfriedwagner.com/en/ Siegfried Wagner, the Last Romantic – a documentary] |
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*[http://www.siegfried-wagner.org/ International Siegfried Wagner Society] |
*[http://www.siegfried-wagner.org/ International Siegfried Wagner Society] |
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*[ |
*[https://www.naxos.com/person/Siegfried_Wagner_22393/22393.htm Siegfried Wagner discography], Naxos Records |
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*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927002112/http://www.richard-wagner-museum.ch/en/index/index.php Homepage of the Richard Wagner Museum in Tribschen/Lucerne (where S.W. was born)] |
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* {{PM20|FID=pe/017952}} |
* {{PM20|FID=pe/017952}} |
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{{Portal bar|Biography|Classical music}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Siegfried}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wagner, Siegfried}} |
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Revision as of 13:45, 21 August 2019
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Siegfried Helferich Richard Wagner (6 June 1869 – 4 August 1930) was a German composer and conductor, the son of Richard Wagner. He was an opera composer and the artistic director of the Bayreuth Festival from 1908 to 1930.
Life
Siegfried Wagner was born in 1869 to Richard Wagner and his future wife Cosima (née Liszt), at Tribschen on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland. Through his mother, he was a grandson of Franz Liszt, from whom he received some instruction in harmony.
Some youthful compositions date from about 1882. After he completed his secondary education in 1889, he studied with Wagner's pupil Engelbert Humperdinck, but was more strongly drawn to a career as an architect and studied architecture in Berlin and Karlsruhe.
In 1892 he undertook a trip to Asia with a friend, the English composer Clement Harris. During the voyage he decided to abandon architecture and commit himself to music. Reputedly, it was also Harris who first aroused his homoerotic impulses.[1] While on board, he sketched his first official work, the symphonic poem Sehnsucht, inspired by the poem of the same name by Friedrich Schiller. This piece was not completed until just before the concert in which Wagner conducted it in London on 6 June 1895.[2] Though his works are numerous, none entered the standard repertory.
He made his conducting debut as an assistant conductor at Bayreuth in 1894; in 1896 he became associate conductor, sharing responsibility for conducting the Ring Cycle with Felix Mottl and Hans Richter, who had conducted its premiere 20 years earlier. In 1908 he took over as Artistic Director of the Bayreuth Festival in succession to his mother, Cosima.
Wagner was bisexual.[3] For years, his mother urged him to marry and provide the Wagner dynasty with heirs, but he fought off her increasingly desperate urgings.
Around 1913, pressure on him increased due to the Harden–Eulenburg affair (1907–1909), in which the journalist Maximilian Harden accused several public figures, most notably Philipp, Prince of Eulenburg-Hertefeld, a friend of Kaiser Wilhelm II, of homosexuality. In this climate, the family found it suitable to arrange a marriage with a 17-year-old Englishwoman, Winifred Klindworth, and at the Bayreuth Festival of 1914 she was introduced to the then-45-year-old Wagner. The two married on 22 September 1915.[4]
The couple had four children:
- Wieland (1917–1966)
- Friedelind (1918–1991)
- Wolfgang (1919–2010)
- Verena (1920–2019)
Though the marriage provided for the dynastic succession, the hope that it would also bring an end to his homosexual encounters and the associated costly scandals was disappointed, as Wagner remained sexually active with other men.[5]
Peter P. Pachl, one of Siegfried's biographers, asserted that Siegfried had sired an illegitimate son, Walter Aign (1901–1977). Nonetheless, several recent authors, such as Frederic Spotts and Brigitte Hamann, have taken it up.[4][6]
Wagner died in Bayreuth in 1930, having outlived his mother by only four months. Since his two sons were still only adolescents, he was succeeded at the helm of the Bayreuth Festival by his widow Winifred.
Works
Operas
See List of operas by Siegfried Wagner
Orchestral works
- March for Gottfried der Spielmann (c. 1882)[2]
- Orchestration of Ekloge from Liszt's Années de Pèlerinage (1890)
- Sehnsucht, symphonic poem after Schiller (1892–5)
- Concertino for flute and small orchestra (1913)
- Violin Concerto (1915)
- Und wenn die Welt voll Teufel wär, scherzo for orchestra (1922)
- Glück, symphonic poem (1922–23) [dedicated to the memory of Clement Harris]
- Symphony in C major (1925, rev. 1927). (First version used the Prelude to Der Friedensengel as the slow movement, whereas a new movement was composed for the revised version. The scherzo is based on the sketches for an unfinished orchestral tone-poem, Hans im Glück[7])
Vocal music
- 1890 Abend auf dem Meere, for soprano and piano – text: Henry Thode
- 1890 Frühlingsglaube, for soprano and piano – text: Ludwig Uhland
- 1890 Abend am Meer – text: Alfred Meissner
- 1897 Schäfer und Schäferin
- 1913 Das Märchen vom dicken fetten Pfannekuchen, for solo voice and orchestra
- 1918 Wahnfried-Idyll
- 1919 Nacht am Narocz, for tenor and piano – text: Günther Holstein
- 1922 Ein Hochzeitslied für unseren Erich und seine liebe "Dusi"
- 1927 Dryadenlied
- 1927 Weihnacht
- Frühlingsblick – text: Nikolaus Lenau
- Frühlingstod – text: Nikolaus Lenau
See also
Notes
- ^ Jonathan Carr, 'The Wagner Clan', Faber and Faber, 2007, pp. 111–130.
- ^ a b Peter P. Pachl, booklet notes to cpo 999 366-2.
- ^ Jonathan Keates, "Review of The Wagner Clan by Jonathan Carr", Daily Telegraph.
- ^ a b Brigitte Hamann. Winifred Wagner: A Life at the Heart of Hitler's Bayreuth. Harcourt, Orlando, Florida (2005).
- ^ Geoffrey Wheatcroft. "A Widow's Might", The New York Times, 11 March 2007.
- ^ "Review of Frederic Spotts. Bayreuth: A History of the Wagner Festival" by Stephen McClatchie. Cambridge Opera Journal, volume 7, no. 3 (November 1995), pp. 277-284.
- ^ Peter P. Pachl, notes to Classic Produktion Osnabrück cpo 999 531-2
External links
Media related to Siegfried Wagner (composer) at Wikimedia Commons- Free scores by Siegfried Wagner at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)
- Siegfried Wagner, the Last Romantic – a documentary
- International Siegfried Wagner Society
- Siegfried Wagner discography, Naxos Records
- Newspaper clippings about Siegfried Wagner in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW
Categories:
- 1869 births
- 1930 deaths
- 19th-century classical composers
- 19th-century German composers
- 19th-century male musicians
- 20th-century classical composers
- 20th-century German composers
- 20th-century male musicians
- Bisexual men
- Bisexual musicians
- German classical composers
- German male classical composers
- German opera composers
- German Romantic composers
- LGBT classical musicians
- LGBT composers
- LGBT musicians from Germany
- Male opera composers
- Pupils of Engelbert Humperdinck
- Wagner family