"Das Judenthum in der Musik" (German, "Jewry in Music"), (in German spelled after its first publication ‘Judentum’) is an essay by Richard Wagner, attacking Jews in general and the composers Giacomo Meyerbeer and Felix Mendelssohn in particular, which was published under a pseudonym in the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (NZM) of Leipzig in September 1850. It was reissued in a greatly expanded version under Wagner’s name in 1869. It is regarded by many as an important landmark in the history of German anti-Semitism. Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (May 22, 1813 – February 13, 1883) was an influential German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as he later came to call them). ... Giacomo Meyerbeer Giacomo Meyerbeer (September 5, 1791 – May 2, 1864) was a noted German-born opera composer, and the first great exponent of Grand Opera. ... Felix Mendelssohn at the age of thirty Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and known generally as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3, 1809 – November 4, 1847) was a German composer and conductor of the early Romantic period. ... A pseudonym (Greek: false name) is a fictitious name used by an individual as an alternative to his or her legal name. ... Front page banner of NZM, issue of 30April 1850 Die Neue Zeitschrift für Musik (English - New Journal of Music) was a music magazine published in Leipzig, founded by Robert Schumann. ... [] (Sorbian/Lusatian: Lipsk) is the largest city in the Federal State (Bundesland) of Saxony in Germany. ... 1850 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... The Eternal Jew: 1937 German poster. ...

The original article of 1850

The first version of the article appeared in the NZM under the pseudonym of K. Freigedank ("K. Freethought"). In an April 1851 letter to Franz Liszt, Wagner gave the excuse that he used a pseudonym "to prevent the question being dragged down by the Jews to a purely personal level". Franz Liszt (Hungarian: Liszt Ferenc) (October 22, 1811 – July 31, 1886) was a Hungarian virtuoso pianist and composer. ...

At the time Wagner was living in exile in Zurich, on the run after his role in the 1849 revolution in Dresden. His article followed a series of essays in the NZM by his disciple Uhlig, attacking the music of Meyerbeer’s opera Le prophète. Wagner was particularly enraged by the success of Le prophète in Paris, all the more so because he had earlier been a slavish admirer of Meyerbeer, who had given him financial support and used his influence to get Wagner’s early opera Rienzi, his first real success, staged in Dresden in 1841. Location within Switzerland   Zürich[?] (German pronunciation IPA: ; usually spelled Zurich in English) is the largest city in Switzerland (population: 366,145 in 2004; population of urban area: 1,091,732) and capital of the canton of Zürich. ... Revolutionary barricades in Germany The May Uprising took place in Dresden, Germany in 1849; it was one of the last of the series of events known as the Revolutions of 1848. ... Dresden (Sorbian: Drježdźany; etymologically from Old Sorbian Drežďany, meaning people of the riverside forest) is the capital city of the German Federal State of Saxony and situated in a valley on the River Elbe. ... Sydney Opera House: one of the worlds most recognisable opera houses and landmarks. ... Le prophète (The Prophet) is an opera in five acts by Giacomo Meyerbeer. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) Administration Subdivisions 20 arrondissements Département Paris (75) Région ÃŽle-de-France Mayor Bertrand Delanoë (PS) City (commune) Characteristics Land Area 86. ... Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen (Rienzi, the Last of the Tribunes) is an early opera by Richard Wagner in five acts, with the libretto written by the composer after Bulwer-Lyttons novel of the same name. ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Wagner was also emboldened by the death of Mendelssohn in 1847, the popularity of whose conservative style he felt was cramping the potential of German music. Although (despite the claims of Rose in his book Wagner, Race and Revolution (1992) and others) Wagner had shown virtually no sign (perhaps none at all that is provable) of anti-Jewish prejudice previously, he determined to build on Uhlig’s articles and prepare a broadside that would attack his artistic enemies, embedded in what he took to be a populist Judaeophobic context. 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Translations from the work given below are from W. Ashton Ellis’ 1894 version, which gives some idea of the author’s verbosity. The usual English title of the essay, "Judaism in Music", follows Ashton, but is quite misleading. The article has nothing to say about the practice of Judaism as a religion. It is an attack on Jewry and on commercialism in music; as it happens at the time ‘Judentum’ in German also carried the meaning of ‘commercialism’ or ‘haggling’ (cf. the Victorian use of the words ‘to Jew’); therefore there is an intended pun in the title. It has been suggested that dajare be merged into this article or section. ...

Wagner claims that the work was written to:

explain to ourselves the involuntary repellence possessed for us by the nature and personality of the Jews, so as to vindicate that instinctive dislike which we plainly recognise as stronger and more overpowering than our conscious zeal to rid ourselves thereof.

Wagner holds that Jews are unable to speak European languages properly and that Jewish speech took the character of an "intolerably jumbled blabber", a "creaking, squeaking, buzzing snuffle", incapable of expressing true passion. This, he says, debars them from any possibility of creating song or music. He also states:

Although the peculiarities of the Jewish mode of speaking and singing come out the most glaringly in the commoner class of Jew, who has remained faithful to his fathers' stock, and though the cultured son of Jewry takes untold pains to strip them off, nevertheless they shew an impertinent obstinacy in cleaving to him.

There is little novelty in these ideas, which are largely lifted from the theories of language and speech of the French Philosophes of the 18th century. The Philosophes (French for Philosophers) were a group of French thinkers of the 18th century Enlightenment. ...

The music produced by composers such as Mendelssohn, whom Wagner damns with faint praise, is "sweet and tinkling without depth". Meyerbeer, who was still alive at the time of publication, is attacked savagely for his music (and for the fact that audiences enjoy it) but without being expressly named.

The essay is riddled with the aggressiveness typical of many Judaeophobic publications of the previous few centuries. However Wagner did introduce one striking new image, which was to be taken up after him by many later anti-Semitic authors:

So long as the separate art of music had a real organic life-need in it […] there was nowhere to be found a Jewish composer.... Only when a body’s inner death is manifest, do outside elements win the power of lodgement in it—yet merely to destroy it. Then, indeed, that body’s flesh dissolves into a swarming colony of insect life: but who in looking on that body’s self, would hold it still for living?

"Only those artists who abandoned their Jewish roots—were that possible—could at all express themselves artistically," claims Wagner; and after, in this context, giving some patronising near-endorsements of Heinrich Heine and Ludwig Börne, he apostrophises the Jews in terms that have since been much discussed: "Bethink ye, that only one thing can redeem you from your curse; the redemption of Ahasuerus—Going under!" Christian Johann Heinrich Heine (born as Harry [Hebrew: Chaim] Heine December 13, 1797 – February 17, 1856) was one of the most significant German poets. ... Karl Ludwig Börne (6 May 1786 - 12 February 1837; also spelled Boerne) was a German political writer and satirist. ...

Reception of the 1850 article

It should be borne in mind that NZM had a very small circulation—no more, in J-M Fischer’s estimate, than approximately 1,200. Virtually the only response was a letter of complaint to the editor of NZM from Mendelssohn’s old colleague Ignaz Moscheles and other professors at the Leipzig Conservatory. Fischer has found virtually no other substantial response. The article, which Wagner had hoped would be a sensation, and bring him in some money as a journalist, sank like a stone. Nearly all of Wagner’s associates, including Liszt, were embarrassed by the article and thought it was a passing phase (which it was not) or a mere fit of pique (which, in part, it was). Ignaz Moscheles, from a portrait by his son Felix. ... The Felix Mendelssohn College of Music and Theatre, located in Leipzig, Germany was founded by Felix Mendelssohn in 1843 as the Leipzig Conservatory (he acted as its first director); it was the first German Conservatory. ...

1850–1869

In his major theoretical statement, Oper und Drama (1852), Wagner made similar objections about Meyerbeer. But otherwise, although Wagner’s personal letters contain occasional jibes about Jews and Judaism there was no suggestion over future years that he was likely to return to the attack or revive his earlier anonymous article. However in his notebook for 1868 (known as the 'Brown Book') there appear the ominous words "Consider Judentum." It is not clear what provoked this. Amongst the contributing factors may be the death of his ‘enemy’ Meyerbeer in 1864, Wagner’s own relative security under the patronage of the King of Bavaria, and increase in his personal confidence now that his Ring cycle was under way and he had completed his operas Tristan und Isolde and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg. An intriguing possibility is that, having received his mother’s correspondence (which he subsequently burnt) from his sister in 1868, he discovered that his biological father was the actor and musician Ludwig Geyer, and feared that Geyer was Jewish (which he was not) and that he himself might be Jewish as well. He may therefore also have been influenced by thoughts of his wife Cosima, who was if anything more stridently anti-Semitic than he. 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1868 (MDCCCLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... 1864 (MDCCCLXIV) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... The Ring of the Nibelung or, in the original German, Der Ring des Nibelungen, is a series of four epic operas. ... Tristan und Isolde (Tristan and Isolde) is an opera in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based on the romance by Gottfried von Strassburg, which in turn was based on the story of Tristan and Isolde incorporated into Arthurian legend from earlier interpretations of... Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Master Singers of Nuremberg) is an opera in three acts, written and composed by Richard Wagner. ... Bust of Cosima Wagner in Bayreuth Festspielpark Cosima Wagner in London (1877) Cosima Wagner (December 25, 1837 - April 1, 1930) was the daughter of the virtuoso pianist and composer, Franz Liszt. ...

The 1869 version and after

For whatever reason, in 1869 Wagner republished the essay with an addendum as long as the original, and under his own name. With a confidence lacking in the original frenetic effort, this second part seeks to contextualise Wagner’s anti-Jewish feelings in the setting of later nineteenth-century German politics, whilst continuing to snipe at the dead Mendelssohn and Meyerbeer and bringing in other dead musicians, including Schumann, on Wagner’s side. 1869 (MDCCCLXIX) is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ... Robert Schumann (June 8, 1810 – July 29, 1856) was a German composer and pianist. ...

Once again many of Wagner’s supporters were in despair at the provocation. Even Cosima doubted that it was wise. By this time of course Wagner was a well-known figure and the reprint brought many counter-attacks, amongst which may be mentioned: Joseph Engel, "Richard Wagner, Judaism in Music, a Defense" ("Richard Wagner, das Judentum in Musik, ein Abwehr"); E. M. Oettinger, "An Open Love-Letter to Richard Wagner" ("Offenes Billetdoux an Richard Wagner", Dresden, 1869); and A. Truhart, "Open Letter to Richard Wagner" ("Offener Brief an Richard Wagner" St. Petersburg, 1869).

However the fuss about the reprint was little more than a storm in a teacup. Far more important, in terms of publicising Wagner's anti-Jewish feelings, was his stream of essays and newspaper articles over following years, up to and including that of his death in 1883, which directly or indirectly criticised Jewish individuals or the Jews as a whole. These coincided with the growth of anti-Semitism—in the sense of a movement to withdraw the civic rights extended to Jews during the 19th century, and particularly on the unification of Germany in 1870—as a significant force in German and Austrian politics. Anti-Semitic leaders indeed made approaches to Wagner requesting his support: although he never offered such support officially, nor did he dissociate himself from their policies. 1883 (MDCCCLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1870 (MDCCCLXX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar. ...

Wagner and the Jews

Notwithstanding his public utterances against Jewish influence in music, and even his utterances against specific Jews, Wagner had numerous Jewish friends and supporters even in his later period. Included amongst these were his favourite conductor Hermann Levi, the pianists Carl Tausig and Joseph Rubinstein, the writer Heinrich Porges and very many others. In his autobiography, written between 1865 and 1870, he declared that his acquaintance with the Jew Samuel Lehrs whom he knew in Paris in the early 1840s was ‘one of the most beautiful friendships of my life’. There remains, therefore, something enigmatic about Wagner's personal attitude; probably he was able to persuade himself that what he wrote needed to have nothing to do with what he felt or what was convenient for him. Hermann Levi (born November 7, 1839 in Giessen; died May 13, 1900 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen) was a German orchestral conductor. ... Carl Tausig Carl Tausig or Karl Tausig (November 4, 1841 - July 17, 1871) was a Polish-born pianist and composer. ... Heinrich Porges (November 25, 1837, Prague - November 17, 1900, München) was a Czech-Austrian German choirmaster (Chorleiter), music-critic. ...

Recent reception

"Das Judentum" was an embarrassment to the early Wagnerites and was rarely reprinted in the early 20th century, except as part of his collected works. Fischer has found no significant critical comment on the essay. Before the Nazi period there was just one reprint of the essay itself, in Weimar in 1914. It is therefore very unlikely that it was read by Hitler or any of the Nazi hierarchy during the development of the Nazi movement (or later) and there is no evidence of this. During the Nazi period there were just two publications: in Berlin in 1934 and in Leipzig in 1939. Neither of these seem to have been large editions. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (April 20, 1889 – April 30, 1945, standard German pronunciation in the IPA) was the Führer (leader) of the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nazi Party) and of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. ... Berlin is the capital city and a state of Germany. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

"Das Judentum" is not quoted or mentioned by early writers on Nazism in the 1950s such as Hannah Arendt. Interest in the work seems to have revived in the 1960s with new awareness of the Holocaust following the Eichmann trial. In this context some have suggested that Wagner's advice for Jews to 'go under' was intended as a call for their extermination, as planned by the Nazi regime, but there is no justification for this. In fact the 'Ahasuerus' Wagner had in mind was a character from a play by Achim von Arnim, a 'good' Jew who voluntarily sacrifices himself saving other characters from a fire. He may have meant no more than 'Jews must sacrifice their separate identity for the common good'; the interpretation that he intended murder was never attributed to him before the Nazi policy of physical extermination. Because the Nazis deliberately took 'ownership' of Wagner for their own propaganda purposes, it does not follow logically that one should interpret the composer's writings only in the context of Nazi policies. Wagner died five years before Hitler was born in 1889. The 1950s were the decade that traditionally speaking, spanned the years 1950 through 1959. ... Hannah Arendt (October 14, 1906 – December 4, 1975) was a German political theorist. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969, inclusive. ... Selection procedure of Hungarian Jews at the Auschwitz camp on 26 May 1944, where the Nazis chose whom to kill immediately and whom to use as slave labor or for medical experimentation. ... Adolf Eichmann (March 19, 1906 — June 1, 1962) was a high-ranking official in Nazi Germany, and served as an Obersturmbannführer in the S.S.. He was largely responsible for the logistics of the extermination of millions of people during the Holocaust, in particular Jews, which was called... Ludwig Achim (or Joachim) von Arnim (January 26, 1781 – January 21, 1831), German poet and novelist, was born at Berlin. ... 1889 (MDCCCLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

Some writers (for example, Bryan Magee) have sought to make a qualified defence of Wagner's originality of thought in "Das Judentum", despite its acknowledged malevolence. A full consideration of "Das Judentum"'s contents however renders this defence otiose. Bryan Magee (born April 12, 1930) is a noted British broadcasting personality, politician, and author, best known as a popularizer of philosophy. ...

Although therefore it is perhaps inappropriate to bring forward "Das Judentum" in itself as a major milestone in German anti-Semitism, the same cannot be said for Wagner’s attitudes to the Jews in general. Adolf Hitler glorified Wagner's music, and is said to have claimed that "there is only one legitimate predecessor to National Socialism: Wagner". Wagner's music was frequently played during Nazi rallies. Wagner's daughter-in-law, Winifred Wagner , was an admirer of Adolf Hitler^[1] and ran the Bayreuth Festival of Wagner's music from the death of her husband, Siegfried, in 1930 until the end of World War II, when she was ousted. During the Nazi regime, the Nazi hierarchy was frequently required to attend performances of Wagner operas. Thus Germans of the Nazi era, even if they knew nothing about music, and knew nothing of Wagner’s writings, were told clearly that Wagner was a great German, and had his anti-Semitic views clearly spelled out to them. Winifred Wagner, born Winifred Williams (June 23, 1897 - March 5, 1980) was born in Hastings, England. ... Bayreuth Festspielhaus, as seen in 1882 The annual Bayreuth Festival in Bayreuth, Germany is devoted principally (but not exclusively) to performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner. ... Siegfried Wagner (6 June 1869 - 4 August 1930) was the son of Richard Wagner and Cosima von Bülow and the grandson of Franz Liszt. ... 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... This article is becoming very long. ...

Because of these factors, performances of Wagner's works in the modern state of Israel did not occur during the twentieth century, by consensus. In recent years many Israelis have argued that it is possible to appreciate his musical talents, without implying acceptance of his political or social beliefs. A public performance in Tel Aviv in 2001 of Wagner’s prelude to Tristan und Isolde, conducted as an unprogrammed encore by Daniel Barenboim, left its audience partly delighted, partly enraged. Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... Daniel Barenboim conducting. ...

References

1. ^ See, for example, Frederic Spotts' Bayreuth: A History of the Wagner Festival, Yale University Press (1996) ISBN 0-300-06665-1, pp. 140–41, 143, 166–8, 266–9

Publications

• Wagner, Richard (trans. W. Ashton Ellis). Judaism in Music and other Writings. London 1995. ISBN 0-8032-9766-1
• Fischer, Jens Malte. (in German). Richard Wagners ‘Das Judentum in der Musik’. Frankfurt 2000. ISBN 3-458-34317-2
• Rose, Paul Lawrence. Wagner: Race and Revolution. London 1992. ISBN 0-571-17888-X
• Magee, Bryan. Aspects of Wagner. Oxford 1988. ISBN 0-19-284012-6

External links

• Wagner's music being played in Israel
• Full text of Judaism in Music, by Richard Wagner, translated into English by William Ashton Ellis.