Richard Wagners Das Judentum in der Musik: Eine kritische Dokumentation als Beitrag zur Geschichte Antisemitismus (review)

Abstract

Frankfurt a.M.: Insel Verlag, 2000. 380 pp. DM 19.90. Richard Wagner's antisemitism is undeniable, even though many of those who admire and love his music would prefer to hide or hush up this fact. Is this antisemitism understandable in psychological terms? According to Otto Weiniger's Geschlecht und Charakter (1903), hate like love is a form of projection: Whoever hates Jewish nature hates it first of all in himself; he persecutes it in others primarily in an effort to disconnect himself from this Jewishness. In this way, for at least a while, by locating it in another human being, he believes he is free of it. According to Weiniger, this projection applies in no small measure to Wagner. It turns out that Wagner's contemporaries accused him -- particularly through caricature and satire -- of a putative racial (blutmassiges) or spiritual closeness to Jewishness. Through his Jew-hatred Wagner thus tried to ward off these accusations. Gustav Freytag in his work Der Streit um das Judentum in der Musik (1869) maintains that if one examines inner meaning of Wagner's pamphlet -- Das Judentum in der Musik -- in period from 1850 through 1869, he himself comes across as the biggest Jew. From a critical viewpoint Freytag's work is quite opposed to Wagner and far removed from any tinge of It is one of many contemporary documents -- most of which are not easily accessible -- now reprinted in Jens Malte Fischer's collection. Fischer's aim is to make a contribution to history of antisemitism. In a comprehensive and down-to-earth fashion he examines first of all sources of pamphlet. In 1850, spurred on by friend Theodor Uhlig, Wagner started a campaign directed against Meyerbeer, one which reflected current controversies. Fischer considers this an early antisemitic phase, one that still excluded a fully formed racial premise in its arguments, but one ready to utilize commonly held perceptions of Jewishness. Fischer judges anonymous first edition of Wagner's pamphlet with a notable mildness, especially because he only utilizes arguments that were widespread through political spectrum of his time. The actual fall (into racial antisemitism) Fischer notes first in Wagner's persecution mania and conspiracy phobia that characterized second edition of his anti-Jewish polemic. In 1869 this piece burst maliciously into a situation where development of Jews in Germany had been relatively peaceful. In contrast to almost ineffectual first edition, this one had disastrous consequences. …