Richard Wagner

Overview

Richard Wagner (1813-1883), the German composer (Wikipedia, «Richard Wagner»; he died in Venice on 13 February 1883). Marie names him as music she cannot follow and as her model of the «artiste-dieu»; she never discusses a work in detail.

In Marie's diary

• 1877-05-01 (071, Florence): the Pergola is closed, so at the Pagliano theatre they give Rienzi: «Je n'ai rien compris à cette musique.» The performance has not been checked against theatre records (a search of Wagner performance lists for Italy found no entry for Florence in 1877).
• 1883-05-17 (099): Bastien-Lepage is «pas assez glorieux» to be admired: «Ce n'est pas un artiste-dieu comme vient de l'être Wagner» (he had died three months earlier).
• 1883-07-16 (100): «un artiste-dieu comme feu Wagner»; 1883-11-16 (102): «Wagner en était un».
• 1884-02-03 (103), margin: «je connais pas même Wagner»; 1884-02-12 (103), in a list of music; 1884-07-30 (105): «parler de Wagner».

The 1875 mention of Wagner in an RSR note on 046/1875-10-05 concerns Ludwig II of Bavaria, not a diary passage.

Sources

Mon Journal indices: t.10 p.150; t.15 pp.254, 307; t.16 pp.79, 140-142, 145, 271.