This book is a commentary on The Ring of the Niblungs, Wagner's chief
work. I offer it to those enthusiastic admirers of Wagner who are unable
to follow his ideas, and do not in the least understand the dilemma of
Wotan, though they are filled with indignation at the irreverence of the
Philistines who frankly avow that they find the remarks of the god too
often tedious and nonsensical. Now to be devoted to Wagner merely as a
dog is devoted to his master, sharing a few elementary ideas, appetites
and emotions with him, and, for the rest, reverencing his superiority
without understanding it, is no true Wagnerism. Yet nothing better
is possible without a stock of ideas common to master and disciple.
Unfortunately, the ideas of the revolutionary Wagner of 1848 are taught
neither by the education nor the experience of English and American
gentlemen-amateurs, who are almost always political mugwumps, and hardly
ever associate with revolutionists. The earlier attempts to translate
his numerous pamphlets and essays into English, resulted in ludicrous
mixtures of pure nonsense with the absurdest distorsions of his ideas
into the ideas of the translators. We now have a translation which is a
masterpiece of interpretation and an eminent addition to our literature;
but that is not because its author, Mr. Ashton Ellis, knows the German
dictionary better than his predecessors. He is simply in possession of
Wagner's ideas, which were to them inconceivable.
All I pretend to do in this book is to impart the ideas which are most
likely to be lacking in the conventional Englishman's equipment. I came
by them myself much as Wagner did, having learnt more about music
than about anything else in my youth, and sown my political wild oats
subsequently in the revolutionary school. This combination is not common
in England; and as I seem, so far, to be the only publicly articulate
result of it, I venture to add my commentary to what has already been
written by musicians who are no revolutionists, and revolutionists who
are no musicians. G. B. S.
Preliminary Encouragements
The Ring of the Niblungs
The Rhine Gold
Wagner as Revolutionist
The Valkyries
Siegfried
Siegfried as Protestant
Night Falls On The Gods
Why He Changed His Mind
Wagner's Own Explanation
The Music of The Ring
The Old and the New Music
The Nineteenth Century
The Music of the Future
Bayreuth