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Show The Remarkable Romance That Insmred Wasrner s Genius IVE nie ( woman's heart, a I y w man m nd ml Into which I pluuge my entire self, which can grasp me entirely. How I tl a'ould I 1 hen require of ihe world'" In these impassioned words Wagner. Wag-ner. In writing to his lifelong friend. Franz Llsrt. voiced the most Imperative need of his nature. Wagner was married to his first wife. Mlnua. at the time ne -; these pathetic words. Minna as an exceileut housewife, devoted and self-sacrificing, who sustained his courage and her own with stole heroism during the dark Harl days, when the youag couple were at times actually without a crust of bread But she completely lacked a comprehension of Wagner's artistic artis-tic aplratlops and ambition- For a lime It seemed as If he baa round the perfect woman of wboui he dreamed (n Mathilda Wesen-dock. Wesen-dock. Wagner met her In ZcrtCb She was so charmed with Wagner's personalltv and his phenomenal musicianship that she prexalled upon her own husband, a rich silk merchant, to offer an extended hospitality hos-pitality to the Wagners The accommodating Wesendock placed a chalet at Wagner's dls-pos.l dls-pos.l und .oo.l-natui edly a oui esccd In all torts of innovations suggested by his wife tv please their dlstinguUhed guest. , There has bocn a good deal ot conjecture as to the true nature of the relations which existed between Wacner and Mathildc Wesendock. All in all. there seems no reason to doubt Wagner's juaint assurance, contained m bis "Autobiography." . that tie affair ""Dover offended against morals." Minna, however, was too "gross-minded" "gross-minded" the phrase again is Warner's War-ner's own to believe In the pla- harmless letter addressed by the admiring Math hie to her husband, ond. HtHe shrew that sbe was mil' a terrific scene , This unfortunate occurrence disrupted dis-rupted the friendship between the two famlliesand forced WTsgnertO leave the asylum which Frau Wesendock. Wes-endock. playing falry-odmother to the Impecunious composer, bad pro-ided pro-ided for him and his wife. Soon afterward. YYagner and his wife finally avreed to separate. The be-t guarantee of the innocent inno-cent nature of the Wesendock aflJlr Is provided by the (act that sbortl) after the beginning of Wagner s sojourn so-journ at the chalet he had met the woman who was to oiake a new heaven and earth for him. It was a case of love at first Might, add after meeting his "inexpressive "inex-pressive she ' Wagner took thought of no ot hT woman The woman mas Coslma. the love child ot Franz Liszt Wagner'a friend, and the Counteis H'Agault. and the wife of von Tiuelow. Wagnvr' Wba'en.u.d la so enough if judged bv t h ordinary" canons of a world of martyTdom Wagner's a J tempestuous and impatient soul must have suffered In the tepid, un-congenial, un-congenial, semMtttStJlc atmosphere which, emanating from his own wife, had made his home well-nigh insufferable. In no way was this Jove affair a ulgar amour. If ever a man and woman were fashioned by nature as an ideal complement one of the other It was Wagner and Coslma Minna was far more beautiful than Coslma But all the subtler qualities of heart and mind -which bind true lovn Inextricably together togeth-er came Into play between them. Von Hueiow had once exclaimed. In speaking of Wagner. "What a giant of a -man!" . In ''onlma'j soul the echo of that exclamation reverberated rever-berated a thouand times until It assumed gigantic proportions. She aaw In this hover of hers, not a man. bur a demigod, with a great Uod-glven mfcson to fulfill. Without Coslma. Wagner would never have climbed to the dizzy pinnacle which It was bis good fortune for-tune to attain Without her the Bayreatn festival If it had been ac complished. would ncer have been maintained. Little remains to be told. Coslma. Cosl-ma. while still von Buelow's wife, bore Wagner two daughters and .ne s.m in Mu h.w . no longer 'ii tbs dark, consented to a divorce, only to be dissuaded from It by I.iszt. Cosima's father. All concerned were In despair In 1867. the year of Siegfried Wag ner's birth, a mutual friend. Judith de Gautbler. visited Liszt, lie gave her plainly to understand that while he could not consent to a divorce, ow Ing to his priestly vows, "ha knew the temptations of the heart too well to Judge severely." Judith de Oauthier carried tb glad tidings to Wagner and Coal-ina. Coal-ina. The divorce from von Buelow was obtained the same year and a few months later the. lovers were married. Their life thereafter si one long spiritual aad Intellectual rapture. rap-ture. After Wagnsr bad died .In ills wife's ari:. r off her .ea.itlful hair In token of her grief and laid it in hi coffin |
