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A to Z of Wagner: J is for Jews A to Z of Wagner: J is for Jews
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J is for Jews, a controversial subject that cannot be ignored. While we may reject a mechanistic link between Wagner and Hitlerism, there is no denying the composer was a virulent antisemite. Nor is it any defence to say that antisemitism was widespread in the second half of the 19th century – one of the arguments offered by Wagner expert Barry Millington in his recent book The Sorcerer of Bayreuth. Even by the putrid standards of his time, Wagner was appallingly prejudiced, egged on in the last part of his life by his wife Cosima, who if anything was even more antisemitic than her husband.J is for Jews, a controversial subject that cannot be ignored. While we may reject a mechanistic link between Wagner and Hitlerism, there is no denying the composer was a virulent antisemite. Nor is it any defence to say that antisemitism was widespread in the second half of the 19th century – one of the arguments offered by Wagner expert Barry Millington in his recent book The Sorcerer of Bayreuth. Even by the putrid standards of his time, Wagner was appallingly prejudiced, egged on in the last part of his life by his wife Cosima, who if anything was even more antisemitic than her husband.
In 1850, Wagner wrote a long, rambling and repulsive essay titled Das Judenthum in der Musik, variously translated as Jewishness in Music, Judaiasm in Music, and Jews in Music. It was published in Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (New New Journal of Music), and reproduced in revised (and unapologetically expanded) form in 1869. The essay argued that because Jews always live outside a society, they can never produce authentic art but merely skitter across the surface. "The Jewish musician hurls together the diverse forms and styles of every age and every master," wrote Wagner. "Packed side by side, we find the formal idiosyncrasies of all the schools, in motleyest chaos." He singles out Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer for particular obloquy. Incredibly, Wagner had been an acolyte of Meyerbeer a few years earlier, and the latter had given him help with his early work.In 1850, Wagner wrote a long, rambling and repulsive essay titled Das Judenthum in der Musik, variously translated as Jewishness in Music, Judaiasm in Music, and Jews in Music. It was published in Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (New New Journal of Music), and reproduced in revised (and unapologetically expanded) form in 1869. The essay argued that because Jews always live outside a society, they can never produce authentic art but merely skitter across the surface. "The Jewish musician hurls together the diverse forms and styles of every age and every master," wrote Wagner. "Packed side by side, we find the formal idiosyncrasies of all the schools, in motleyest chaos." He singles out Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer for particular obloquy. Incredibly, Wagner had been an acolyte of Meyerbeer a few years earlier, and the latter had given him help with his early work.
The prompt for his attacks may have been personal – this was a low point in Wagner's life and he resented the success others were enjoying – but the essay encapsulates one of his key philosophical tenets. He believed authenticity in art depended on the artist being able to engage with and articulate the feelings of the community, the "volk". That was why he admired Greek art, which he saw as embodying communal feeling. By contrast, he argued that because Jews were outsiders and even spoke the language as foreigners, they could never represent the community in which they lived. Jewish artists, he concluded, contributed towards "our modern self-deception", and "Judaism is the evil conscience of our modern civilisation".The prompt for his attacks may have been personal – this was a low point in Wagner's life and he resented the success others were enjoying – but the essay encapsulates one of his key philosophical tenets. He believed authenticity in art depended on the artist being able to engage with and articulate the feelings of the community, the "volk". That was why he admired Greek art, which he saw as embodying communal feeling. By contrast, he argued that because Jews were outsiders and even spoke the language as foreigners, they could never represent the community in which they lived. Jewish artists, he concluded, contributed towards "our modern self-deception", and "Judaism is the evil conscience of our modern civilisation".
Some have argued that Wagner's villains – Beckmesser in Meistersinger, Alberich and Mime in the Ring – are representations of Jewishness. The contention is hard to prove either way, which is fortunate for Wagnerians or these works would truly be tainted. Millington makes a clever, if perverse, case for Wagner's antisemitism being crucial to him artistically because it gave him a context in which to define German-ness. "Wagner's output acquired its distinctive characteristics precisely because of his antisemitism," he concludes. This is intended as a defence, yet it is one that makes it all the more necessary we see Wagner's rebarbative essay for what it is: a racist tract that no amount of contextualising can redeem.Some have argued that Wagner's villains – Beckmesser in Meistersinger, Alberich and Mime in the Ring – are representations of Jewishness. The contention is hard to prove either way, which is fortunate for Wagnerians or these works would truly be tainted. Millington makes a clever, if perverse, case for Wagner's antisemitism being crucial to him artistically because it gave him a context in which to define German-ness. "Wagner's output acquired its distinctive characteristics precisely because of his antisemitism," he concludes. This is intended as a defence, yet it is one that makes it all the more necessary we see Wagner's rebarbative essay for what it is: a racist tract that no amount of contextualising can redeem.
Previous articles in the seriesPrevious articles in the series
A is for Alberich
B is for Bayreuth
C is for Cosima
D is for Death
E is for winsome heroines
F is for Die Feen
G is for Gesamtkunstwerk
H is for Hitler
I is for Isolde		A is for Alberich
B is for Bayreuth
C is for Cosima
D is for Death
E is for winsome heroines
F is for Die Feen
G is for Gesamtkunstwerk
H is for Hitler
I is for Isolde
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