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My Life — Volume 1

by Richard Wagner (1813–1883)

  • Free to read
  • 15 hours to read
  • 4 chapters
  • Reading level: 10th to 12th grade

"My Life — Volume 1" by Richard Wagner is an autobiography written between 1865 and 1880, covering his life from birth in 1813 to 1864. Dictated to his mistress Cosima von Bülow at the request of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Wagner recounts his tempestuous career, friendships, and controversies in surprisingly frank detail. Originally printed in limited editions for private circulation, the memoir sparked rumors due to its restricted availability. The work offers a racy, readable account of Wagner's development and the musical world of his era, though his subjective perspective reveals condescending views toward contemporaries and attacks on rival composers.

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  • Wagner, Richard, 1813-1883
  • Composers · Germany · Biography

Read the opening

Part II: 1842-1850 (Dresden)

Childhood and Schooldays Musical Studies Travels in Germany (First Marriage) Paris: 1839-42

‘Rienzi’ ‘The Flying Dutchman’ Liszt, Spontini, Marschner, etc. ‘Tannhäuser’ Franck, Schumann, Semper, Gutzkow, Auerbach ‘Lohengrin’ (Libretto) Ninth Symphony Spohr, Gluck, Hiller, Devrient Official Position. Studies in Historical Literature ‘Rienzi’ at Berlin Relations with the Management, Mother’s Death, etc. Growing Sympathy with Political Events, Bakunin The May Insurrection Flight: Weimar, Zürich, Paris, Bordeaux, Geneva, Zürich

FRONTISPIECE FOR VOLUME I

Illustration: Richard Wagner in 1842,
from the Portrait by E. Kietz.

FRONTISPIECE FOR VOLUME II

Keep reading My Life — Volume 1 →

Contents

  1. Preface
  2. Part II: 1842-1850 (Dresden)
  3. Part I: 1813-1842
  4. Part II: 1842-1850

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About this edition

This free edition of My Life — Volume 1 by Richard Wagner comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #5197, released 2004-02-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Biographies, Music.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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