By Lida Prypchan
Wagner was a musician, poet, and a man with faith in his qualities and his work.
He was born on May 22, 1813 in the city of Leipzig, Germany. His father died 6 months after his birth. His mother remarried to an intelligent and educated man with a special love for the arts, which had a positive influence on the intellectual development of his stepson Richard.
Regarding Richard in his early teens, more is known of his literary concerns, but after receiving lessons in the piano and violin and expressing his deepest admiration for Beethoven, he decided to devote himself to music, even though his teachers warned him that he did not possess a gift for it.
He worked arduously, and after a few years, presented his first works, titled The Weddings and The Fairies. He was also named concert master of the Wurzburg Opera.
In 1836 he married the singer Wilhelmine Planer, with whom he would not lead the life that he needed, a life full of peace and tranquility. Wilhelmine complained constantly about the harshness of Wagner’s character. To preserve himself, Wagner went into exile until the year 1861. He would withstand many economic hardships, which were resolved by Liszt, and even though so burdened, he decided to free himself of many conventions. He wanted to create operas derived from his own system that brought great works to fruition. He put his doctrines into practice, and at the end of 1852 finished The Ring of the Nibelung. By 1857 he was possessed by a Schopenhauer-like pessimism and the prevailing environment suffocated him. He had serious problems with his wife Wilhelmine until she finally left him forever. Extremely tormented, Wagner found a refuge for his soul in the home of the Wesendoncks.
He moved to Venice. Once his exile had ended, he returned to his homeland, where he engaged in some artistic productions. His economic situation went from bad to worse. But everything seemed to resolve itself when the young King of Bavaria, Ludwig II, reached out to Wagner. He in turn attempted to work as best he could in order to fully repay the favors of the King.
In financial terms, Richard Wagner was never at peace except for during the final years of his life. He would solve these monetary crises through sudden proposals for work or help from friends, above all from Liszt.
In 1838 he accepted the post of director of the theater orchestra at Rienzi with which he composed a work by the same name. With great faith in this opera, he moved to Paris, believing that he had in his hands such a magnificent work that it would open all doors for him. But it did not. Soon his hopes evaporated, and he suffered adversities for 3 years.
In 1842 he returned to Germany and presented his opera Rienzi in the Dresden Royal Theater. They offered him more work and he premiered The Flying Dutchman. Meanwhile, behind his back, a coalition prepared to undo him. This was the worst time in his life, since in addition to this situation, he lost his mother, which caused him such pain that he attempted suicide.
Wagner left for Triebschen, on the shore of Lake Lucerne, where he would spend six years. He met Liszt’s daughter, who would get a divorce in order to marry him. They had a son. This would prove a great source of joy for this home and would also be a source of inspiration for some of Wagner’s works. In this time of tranquility with his wife Cosima, Wagner wrote The Siegfried Idyll, The Mastersingers of Nuremberg, and almost finished The Twilight of the Gods. In 1872 he built a theater in Bayreuth to present The Ring of the Nibelung.
In 1882 Parsifal was also premiered there, the swan song of that restless spirit that had finally met its apotheosis.
He wintered in Italy for four years due to his delicate health. Heart failure ended his life in Venice. This happened on February 13, 1883. With his life, Wagner gave us an example of the value of the human spirit when perseverance serves intelligence and drive.
