Richard Wagner has come to be seen as the quintessential artist of the nineteenth century. Borchmeyer here provides the first systematic and comprehensive account of Wagner's aesthetic theory, examining his hitherto neglected prose writings and his ideas on music drama from the various standpoints of literature, the linking of ideas, and the sociology of art. The preeminent importance for Wagner of classical Greek art and mythology emerges with particular clarity, while his links with the great figures and forms of world theatre-- Shakespeare, the commedia dell'arte, the popular theatre, and the puppet theatre--are traced in detail. The influence on Wagner of the historical and social novel is also discussed. The author provides the first comprehensive analysis of Cosima Wagner's Diaries, and throws unexpected sidelights on Wagner's relationship with Nietzsche, in particular his important contribution to Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy.

Richard Wagner: Theory and Theatre

Biographies & Memoirs

Spencer, Stewart

Borchmeyer, Dieter

Arts & Literature

Clarendon Press

"Scrupulous . . . planned and executed with quite unusual care." ―Opera There has long been a need for a modern English translation of Wagner's Ring―a version that is reliable and readable yet at the same time is a true reflection of the literary quality of the German libretto. This acclaimed translation, which follows the verse form of the original exactly, fills that niche. It reads smoothly and idiomatically, yet is the result of prolonged thought and deep background knowledge. The translation is accompanied by Stewart Spencer's introductory essay on the libretto and a series of specially commissioned texts by Barry Millington, Roger Hollinrake, Elizabeth Magee and Warren Darcy that discuss the cycle's musical structure, philosophical implications, medieval sources and Wagner's own changing attitude to its meaning. With a glossary of names, a review of audio and video recordings, and a select bibliography, the book is an essential complement to Wagner's great epic. 16 illustrations

Wagner's Ring of the Nibelung: A Companion

Arts & Photography

MILLINGTON, Barry

Music

Thames&Hudson

"An important work for Wagnerites and musical scholars."―Choice There had long been a need for a modern English translation of Wagner’s Ring―a version that would be reliable and readable yet at the same time be a true reflection of the literary quality of the German libretto. First published in 1993, this acclaimed translation, which follows the verse form of the original exactly, filled that niche. It reads smoothly and idiomatically, yet is the result of prolonged thought and deep back- ground knowledge. The translation is accompanied by Stewart Spencer’s introductory essay on the libretto and a series of specially commissioned texts by Barry Millington, Roger Hollinrake, Elizabeth Magee, and Warren Darcy that discuss the cycle’s musical structure, philosophical implications, medieval sources, and Wagner’s own changing attitude to its meaning. With a glossary of names, a review of audio and video recordings, and a select bibliography, this book is an essential complement to Wagner’s great epic. 16 black-and-white illustrations

WAGNER, RICHARD

A superb compendium of primary source material on one of the most famous and controversial composers of all time. 
"Nobody," wrote Samuel Johnson, "can write the life of a man but those who have eat and drunk and lived in social intercourse with him." Here, then, is a life of Richard Wagner told by those who rubbed shoulders with him in the course of his turbulent existence. 
Few composers have led such eventful lives or excited such violent views as Wagner. No one could be indifferent to him, and his contemporaries were not slow to record their impressions of a man they either idolized or demonized. This is the story of how they remembered Wagner and how they wanted posterity to remember him. But it is also the story of his life told with immediacy, wit, affection, and awe, all qualities that have largely been lost in other accounts of Wagner. Although the choice of reminiscences is necessarily selective, no attempt has been made to impose a unified picture. Instead the image of Wagner in all his vicissitudes is allowed to emerge through a kaleidoscope of recollections--presented by more than sixty contemporaries, from Auguste Renoir to Robert Schumann to Queen Victoria--some never before published, many hitherto unavailable in English, and all scrupulously annotated in the light of the latest research on the subject.

Wagner Remembered

Faber&Faber

Haunted In Carolina: August Hood Book Two

Literature & Fiction

Action & Adventure

Independently published

Burned In Carolina: August Hood Book Three

Dead In Carolina: August Hood Book One

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