Bourgeois and Visionaries –

According to Martin Gregor-Dellin (9), Wagner’s first acquaintance with Feuerbach could already fall into the years of 1841/1842 (the ‘Wesen des Christentums’ was published in 1841) – and that thereby in Wagner, "... die Vorstellung vom Götterende und einer Diesseits-Religion der Menschenliebe" was evoked.

According to Wagner’s own recollection (10), it was a "deutsch-katholischer Prediger namens Metzdorf" who had in "Gespräch auf die Werke und Gedanken Ludwig Feuerbachs aufmerksam machte" (1843).

It seems certain that he, after his 1849 flight from Dresden, had read Feuerbach’s "Gedanken zu Tod und Unsterblichkeit" (11), whereby he was deeply impressed by "die sozial-radikale Grundhaltung dieser Schrift wie der entschiedene Atheismus".

His pamphlet-style statements on the occasion of the Dresden revolution already show this; thus, on April 8, 1949, there appeared in the "Volksblätter" the anonymous article "Die Revolution" (12); it ends as follows: "... mit dem himmelerschütternden Rufe: ‘Ich bin ein Mensch! stürzen sich die Millionen, die lebendige Revolution, der Mensch gewordene Gott, hinab in die Täler und Ebenen und verkünden der ganzen Welt das neue Evangelium des Glückes." (13).

Significant is also the (at first unpublished) draft of "Künstlertum der Zukunft" (14) of 1849, from which come the following quotations:

"Das durch Naturnotwendigkeit zur sinnlich dargestellten Gewißheit Gelangte kann uns erst Gegenstand sein, an ihm erst tritt das Bewußtsein ein; nur das Fertige weiß ich, nur was meinen Sinnen sich darstellt, darüber bin ich gewiß: an ihm auch nur wird mir das Wesen deutlich, ich kann es erfassen, mich seiner bemächtigen und als Kunstwerk es mir darstellen. Das Kunstwerk ist somit der Schluß, das Ende, die vollste Vorgewisserung des mir bewußt gewordenen Wesens." (15)

"Nur das Sinnliche ist auch sinnig: das Unsinnliche ist auch unsinnig. Das Sinnige ist die Vollkommenheit des Sinnlichen; – das Unsinnige der wahre Gehalt des Unsinnlichen." (16) This is, quite obviously, purest Feuerbach.

Thus, also Wagner’s next published work has been written completely in this spirit, above all, with the basic concept that "die vornehmsten Eigenschaften des Menschen mit dem Schicksal des Volkes als Ganzem" are connected. (17) "Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft ist ein gemeinsames, und nur aus einem gemeinsamen Verlangen kann es hervorgehen." (18) This quotation is from the work "Das Kunstwerk der Zukunft" that has been subsequently presented in Zurich (in November, 1849), which Wagner had dedicated to none other than Ludwig Feuerbach. (19) Wagner had become convinced that "Feuerbach sei der Repäsentant der ‘radikalen Befreiung des Indviduums vom Drucke hemmender, vom Auoritätsglauben angehörender Vorstellungen." (20) Therefore, he dedicated his next work, ... with a letter of November 21st to the lonely philosopher (living) in the village of Bruckberg near Nuremberg who had, for a long time, already renounced any entitlement to worldly honors. Feuerbach replied sincerely if somewhat briefly that he had read the book with delight and that he did not understand how one could be of a divided opinion with respect to it."

Out of this frame of mind also arose Wagner’s design of "Jesus von Nazareth" (21), the philosophical content of which amounts to "daß Wagner Christus als den Propheten einer künftigen Gesellschaft, als die Inkarnation der idealen Menschheit darstellen wollte, der die Besserung durch Liebe predigt." (22) "‘... nun bringe ich den Menschen wieder zu sich selbst, dadurch, daß er Gott in sich erkennt, und nicht außer sich: Gott aber ist das Gesetz der Liebe, und so wir es recht wissen und darnach wandeln, wie jedes Geschöpf darnach wandelt, ohne es zu wissen, sind wir Gott selbst: denn Gott ist das Wissen von Sich.’" "Vom Revolutionsgedanken hatte sich Wagner mehr oder minder berauschen lassen. Es ist nich mehr als Euphorie, wenn er die Revolution als eine erhabene Göttin beschreibt, die auf den Flügeln der Stürme dahergebraust komme. Vom höchsten Idealismus beseelt, wollte er die Menschheit umgestalten helfen. ‘Jesus von Nazareth’ enthält diese Gedanken, ist erfüllt von utopischer Phantasie, die mit dem Zweckhandeln für einen gesellschaftlichen Umsturz nichts zu tun hat. Als dieser Geist sich abkühlte und reale Einsichten zurückkehrten, war in Wagners Denken kein Platz mehr für Feuerbach. Der Pessimismus Schopenhauers bestimmte die neue Richtung." (23) Nevertheless, in 1851, Wagner even invited Ludwig Feuerbach to come to Switzerland (typically Wagner, one only has to think of his constant money troubles!), ...zu ihm in die Schweiz zu übersiedeln, ... um im "politisch desolaten Mitteleuropa alle Kräfte des Neuen an einem Punkt zu versammeln."(24) (What the latter, however, declined.) At the end of this year, in the spirit of Feuerbach, Wagner even abolished the celebration of Christmas and celebrated the gift-giving on New Year’s Eve.(25)

In Janz, Wagner is, almost nonchalantly, made to express his change of heart, ‘...man könne irrtümliche Neigungen aufgeben, wie z.B. ich die meinige für Feuerbach, aber doch nicht sie beschimpfen’ (21. Febr. 1880" (26) Bernoulli quotes a letter of Wagner to Liszt: "‘Auch ich glaube an ein Jenseits – liegt es auch über mein Leben hinaus, so liegt aber doch nichts über das hinaus, was ich empfinden, denken, fassen und begreifen kann, denn ich glaube an die Menschen und – bedarf nichts weiter.’" (27) Bernoulli’s comment to this: "Das ist natürlich noch aus der Feuerbachschen Zeit Wagners, und klang mindestens sehr verschieden, als Wagner ein blinder Schüler Schopehauers geworden war." "...allwo es [das Christentum] sich ihm aus der humanen Feuerbachschen Religion in einen pessimistischen Buddhismus verwandelte..."

Nietzsche himself describes this change in the "Fall Wagner", No 4 (according to Peter Gast’s arrangement of the content (28), here, the application of the "ursprünglich Feuerbachschen Sensualisten" towards a "romantischen Pessimismus" is shown: " ...Siegfried und Brünnhilde, das Sakrament der freien Liebe; der Aufgang des goldnen Zeitalters; die Götterdämmerung der alten Moral – das Übel ist abgeschafft... Wagners Schiff lief lange Zeit lustig auf dieser Bahn. Kein Zweifel, Wagner suchte auf ihr sein höchstes Ziel. – Was geschah? Ein Unglück. Das Schiff fuhr auf ein Riff; Wagner saß fest. Das Riff war die Schopenhauersche Philosophie; Wagner saß auf einer konträren Weltansicht fest [eben der Feuerbachschen!]. Was hatte er in Musik gesetzt? Den Optimismus. Wagner schämte sich. Noch dazu einen Optimismus, für den Schopenhauer ein böses Beiwort geschaffen hatte – den ruchlosen Optimismus. Er schämte sich noch einmal. Er besann sich lange, seine Lage schien verzweifelt ... Endlich dämmerte ihm ein Ausweg: das Riff, an dem er scheiterte, wie? wenn er es als Ziel, als Hinterabsicht, als eigentlichen Sinn seiner Reise interpretierte? Hier zu scheitern – das war auch ein Ziel. Bene navigavi, cum naufragium feci ... Und er übersetzte den "Ring" ins Schopenhauersche. Alles läuft schief, alles geht zugrunde, die neue Welt is so schlimm wie die alte – das Nichts, die indische Circe winkt – Brünnhilde, die nach der ältern Absicht sich mit einem Liede zu Ehren der frien Leibe zu verabschieden hatte, die Welt auf eine sozialistische Utopie vertröstend, mit der "alles gut wird", bekommt jetzt etwas anderes zu tun. Sie muß erst Schopenhauer studieren; sie muß das vierte Buch der "Welt als Wille und Vorstellung" in Verse bringen. Wagner war erlöst... Allen Ernstes, dies war eine Erlösung. Die Wohltat, die Wagner Schopenhauer verdankt, ist unermeßlich. Erst der Philosoph der decadence gab dem Künstler der decadence s i c h S e l b s t – –"(29)

Nietzsche becomes even more explicit – and thereby also renders his estimation of Feuerbach – in the ‘Genealogie der Moral, 3. Abhandlung, "Was bedeuten asketische Ideale", No. 3: "... Man erinnere sich, wie begeistert seinerzeit Wagner in den Fußtapfen des Philosophen Feuerbach gegangen ist: Feuerbachs Wort von der ‘gesunden Sinnlichkeit’ – das klang in den dreißiger und vierziger Jahren Wagner gleich vielen Deutschen ( – sie nannten sich die ‘jungen Deutschen’) wie das Wort der Erlösung. Hat er schließlich darüber umgelernt? Da es zum mindesten scheint, daß er zuletzt den Willen hatte, darüber umzulehren ... Und nicht nur mit Parsifal-Posaunen von der Bühne herab..."(30)

In Wagner’s words, "‘Nicht das Licht, welches von außen die Welt beleuchtet, ist Gott, sondern das Licht, welches wir aus unserem Inneren auf sie werfen: d.i. Erkenntnis durch Mitgefühl." A "verschämte Mixtur aus Feuerbach und Schopenhauer"(31) – and that, of all people, from the hedonist Wagner.

Let Hans Mayer summarize it for us with respect to Wagner’s most important work, the "Ring": "Zerstörung im Dienst eines neuen Naturzustandes. Das war Rousseau plus Bakunin plus Ludwig Feuerbachs Vision vom neuen – nachrevolutionären – Menschen."(32)

Compared to the genius of a Wagner on the one hand and that of a Nietzsche on the other, the philosphy of Feuerbach may, both in its content as well as in its form, perhaps appear as "naive" to us – if we, however, consider our thinking of today, then, the statements of both geniuses certainly appear as "high-flying" to us, but also far from our reality; they offer us art (and sometimes even artificiality) and ultimately certainly also metaphysic. From this perspective, then, the perhaps more modest earth-bound nature of Feuerbach appears certainly likeable, or, as Karl Loewith expresses it (33):

"Auf Hegels Freundschaft mit Goethe folgt das "Idyll" zwischen "Ludwig" (Feuerbach) und "Konrad" (Deubler), dessen biedere Verehrung des "großen Mannes" dem im Grunde so harmlosen Gemüte Feuerbachs durchaus gemäß war. Und doch wäre es ein großer Irrtum zu meinen, man könnte auf dem hohen Roß einer verstorbenen Philosophie des Geistes über den "Materialismus" des 19. Jahrhunderts hinwegsetzen. Feuerbachs Versinnlichung und Verendlichung von Hegels philosophischer Theologie ist schlechthin zum Standpunkt der Zeit geworden, auf dem wir nun alle – bewußt oder unbewußt – stehen."

The conclusion to these thoughts should form a quotation of Carl Dahlhaus that is as re-markable as it is worthy of consideration: "Wagners Auseinandersetzung mit der ‘absoluten Musik’ Beethovens ist ein genaues Analogon zu Feuerbachs Auseinandersetzung mit der ‘absoluten Philosophie’"(34)

(1): "Man muß die befreiende Wirkung dieses Buchs [Das Wesen des Christentums – d. Verf.] selbst erlebt haben, um sich eine Vorstellung davon zu machen. Die Begeisterung war allgemein: Wir waren alle momentan Feuerbachianer.", Feuerbach, GW, Bd. I, Preface, p. 14). In this quote, it is expressed that one would have had to experience the liberating effect of this book [Das Wesen des Christentums – the author] oneself in order to gain an impression of it, that the enthusiasm was generally felt in that all of them were, at that moment, followers of Feuerbach..

(2): Janz, Vol., p. 23; here, it is mentioned that Nietzsche had become acquainted with the writings of Feuerbach in 1861, and that the works, "Wesen des Christentums" and "Gedanken über Tod und Unsterblichkeit" even appeared on his birthday wish list.

(3): Bernoulli, Vol.. I, p. 146; in the selected quotation, it is pointed out by Bernoulli that the best guide through the maze of the basis of Nietzsche’s philosophical thinking might be F.A. Lange’s "Geschichte des Materialismus" (History of Materialism) which Nietzsche also owned and later gave to his friend Romundt. Here, as Bernoulli points out, are of particular interest the pages 285-292, as they had left a distinct impression on Nietzsche and also had influenced his writing(s). Lange is reported as having pointed out the individual(s) who, according to his opinion, have most lastingly influenced the newer materialism, and as having then mentioned Ludwig Feuerbach and Max Stirner. Bernoulli then recommends that we should read a collection of Feuerbach aphorisms on page 286 in Lange in "Philosophie der Zukunft" (Philosophy of the Future) which was published in 1849: "Truth, reality, and sensuality are identical. Only a sensual being is a true, a real being, only sensuality is truth and reality." "Only through the senses, an object is conveyed in the true sense – not through thinking per se." "Where there is no sense (sensory perception), there is no being, no real object." – It is further argued that, if the ‘old’ philosophy went out from the premise: "I am an abstractly thinking being", the new philosophy, to the contrary, goes out from the premise, "I am a real, a sensual being: my body belongs to my very essence." – "True and divine is only that which does not require any proof, what is immediately certain by itself, what immediately speaks for itself, what immediately brings with itself the affirmation that it exists – the essentially determined concepts, the essentially undoubted, the crystal-clear. Crystal-clear, however, is only the sensual; only where sensuality begins does all doubt and arguing end. The secret of immediate knowledge is sensuality." ... "We do not only feel rocks and wood, not only flesh and bones, we also sense feelings by touching the hands or lips of a feeling human being; through our ears, we not only hear the rushing of the water and the whispering of leaves, but also the animated voice of love and wisdom; we do not only see mirror images and colored mirages, we also look into man. Thus, not only the essential, but also the internal, not only flesh, also mind, not only the object, but also the ego is the object of the senses. Therefore, everything can be sensually perceived, even if this does not occur directly, it does, at least, occur indirectly, even if not with the raw, vulgar, but rather with the refined senses, even if not with the eyes of the anatomist and chemist, but rather with the eyes of the philosopher." The writer points out that the very reading of these quotations from the "Lange edition" would forbid it to relate Nietzsche’s basic concepts back to Feuerbach’s impression on him, for Feuerbach did not pursue the individualistic notions that can be found in his writings. He is reported as even having derived the concept of being from love and as having invented ‘Tu-ism’, as Lange is reported as having said. (p. 291); it is further advised that one should not be confused by the fact that Feuerbach reverted back to a theoretical egotism: if he had remained faithful to himself, he would have based all morality and higher intellectual life on its recognition by others (p. 292). It is further argued that, if Nietzsche read in the Lange edition the quote, "Solitude is finality and limitation, community is freedom and infinity", then, an inner voice would have had to tell him, in spite of everything, I have nothing to do with Feuerbach...: "Honor, praise and thanks to solitude that preserves ourselves and our friends." (to Rohde, Briefe II, 179 – Letters to Rohde).

(4): Bernoulli, Vol. I, p 235; ...to Mrs. Henriette Feuerbach to whom he, Nietzsche, is reported as having been introduced and who is, in turn, reported as having immediately recognized in him the important personality that he was.

(5): Förster-Nietzsche/Scholl, Briefwechsel mit E. Rohde, p. 376; "There [Heidelberg] I knew only one person and that is a woman, but a very good one: the mother of the painter Feuerbach. I shall, as I have to write to her just now..., send along your work [by which Nietzsche might have referred to Rohde’s ‘Afterphilologie’, the defense of the ‘Geburt der Tragödie’ against Wilamowitz’ ‘Zukunftsphilologie’]."

(6): Zahn, S. 209; "‘The Parsifal is a religious undertaking, a redemption from sins, that Wagner himself, after his often very restless and unrestrained life was in need of."

(7): Zahn‘s source should be E. Förster-Nietzsche’s biography "Der einsame Nietzsche", p. 17: "That was the difference between Wagner and Nietzsche. Nietzsche had no need to yearn for redemption; I would not know what for, either, since he was incredibly good."

(8): Bernoulli Vol I, p. 239; "At that time [the 2nd half of the 70’s], Nietzsche also presented the thoughts of Ludwig Feuerbach. He criticized Wagner for having "been converted" from Feuerbach to Schopenhauer. Not that he would have gone through a reverse process; for Feuerbach had had his effect on him a long time ago, perhaps already before Schopenhauer. One only has to read the ‘Gottesbegriff als Gattungswesen des Menschen’ and other writings; one will, considering these writings from the viewpoint of Nietzsche’s mind, come to understand what their thoughts have given to his ‘super-human’. Here, more than out of all reasons derived from natural sciences, did this central thought of Nietzsche receive nourishment."

(9): Gregor-Dellin, p. 166; here is referred to the concept of the demise of the Gods and a world-directed religion of love of humans which was evoked in Wagner.

(10): Gregor-Dellin, S. 202; "Who had in conversation, pointed out to him the works and thoughts of Ludwig Feuerbach."

(11): Gregor-Dellin, p. 286; here, it is mentioned that Nietzsche was deeply impressed by the drastic social-radical creator of this work as well as its decided atheism, after he had read "Gedanken zu Tod und Unsterblichkeit" (Thoughts on Death and Immortality).

(12): Mack, p. 114 ff.

(13): "... with the heaven-shaking cry, ‘I am a human being!, millions pour down, the living revolution, the God who has turned into man, into the valleys and plains and proclaim to the entire world the new Gospel of happiness."

(14): Mack, p. 123 ff.

(15): Mack, p. 126; "Only that which has come to be demonstrated certainly by necessity of nature can be our subject, with it only begins awareness; only the complete I know, only of that which presents itself to my senses can I be certain: by its example only does existence become clear to me, I can grasp it, I can take hold of it and shape it in order to represent it for myself as a work of art. Thus, the work of art is the conclusion, the end, the fullest reassurance of existence I have become aware of."

(16): Mack, p. 129; "Only the sensual makes also sense: the non-sensual is thus also non-sense. That which makes sense is the perfection of the sensual; – that which is non-sense the true content of the non-sensual."

(17): Pourtales, p. 237; "...the most novel qualities of man are (connected) to the nation as a whole."

(18): Pourtales, p. 239; "The future work of art is a collective one, and it can only arise out of collective desire."

(19): Gutmann, p. 159

(20): Gregor-Dellin p. 292; "Feuerbach is the representative of the ‘radical liberation of the individual from the pressure of in inhibiting concepts that harkened back to a belief in authority."

(21): Bronnenmeyer, p. 37-39

(22): Bronnenmeyer, p. 38; "That Wagner wanted to portray Christ as the prophet of a future society, as the incarnation of an ideal mankind who preaches improvement through love." "‘...now, I return man to himself due to the fact that he recognizes God within himself and not outside of himself: God, however, is the principle of love, and wherever we recognize it and act accordingly, we are God ourselves: for God is knowledge of oneself.’"

(23): Bronnenmeyer, p. 39; here, it is expressed that Wagner had, more ore less, become intoxicated with the spirit of revolution and that it was not more than euphoria when he described revolution as the sublime Goddess that came flying in on stormy wings. Imbibed with the highest idealism, he wanted to help reform mankind. ‘Jesus of Nazareth’, it is further stated, contained these thoughts and was filled with utopian fantasies that had nothing to do with the purposeful actions of a social revolution. When this enthusiasm, as is further pointed out, cooled down, and when realistic concepts returned, there was no longer any room in Wagner’s thinking for Feuerbach. The pessimism of Schopenhauer is reported as having determined his new direction.

(24): Gregor-Dellin, p. 350; here, it is mentioned that Feuerbach was invited to move to Switzerland, "...in order to unite, in the politically desolate central Europe, all forces in one location."

(25): Gregor-Dellin, p. 861

(26): Janz, Bd. II S. 99; "...one could give up erroneous inclinations, as I, for example, mine for Feuerbach, but not insult them."

(27): Bernoulli, Bd. I, p. 104 f.; "I, too, believe in the hereafter – even if it lies beyond my life, nothing, however, lies beyond that which I can feel, think, grasp and understand, for I believe in mankind and – need nothing further.’"

(28): E. Förster-Nietzsche, Der einsame Nietzsche, p. 471; Bernoulli’s comment to this, "that is, of course, still from the Feuerbach times of Wagner, and sounded at least very different when Wagner had become a blind disciple of Schopenhauer." "...where it [Christianity] had, for him, transformed out of the humane Feuerbach religion into a pessimistic Buddhism..."

(29): Nietzsche Vol. II, p. 298; "... Siegfried and Bruennhilde, the sacrament of free love; the rise of the golden age; the demise of the Gods of the old morality – the evil is abolished ... Wagner’s ship navigated, for quite some time, merrily along this course. No doubt, Wagner was searching for his highest goal on this course. The ship ran onto a cliff. Wagner was stranded. The cliff was Schopenhauer’s philosophy; Wagner was stranded on his contrary view of the world [the Feuerbachian view!]. What hat he put into music? Optimism. Wagner was ashamed. More so since Schopenhauer had coined a malicious description for it – ruthless optimism. He was ashamed once more. He thought about this for a long time, his situation seemed desperate ... Finally, a way out dawned on him: the cliff onto which he ran, what? if he would interpret it as his goal, as the intention behind everything, as the real purpose of his journey? to be stranded here – that was also a goal. Bene navigavi, cum naufragium feci ... And he translated the "Ring" into "Schopenhauerian". Everything goes wrong, eveything is destroyed, the new world is as bad as the old one – the nothing, the Indian Circe is beckoning – Bruennhilde who, according to previous intentions, should have bade farewell with an aria in honor of free love, who was to console the world to wait for a socialist utopia with which everything will "turn out well", she is assigned a different task now. First, she has to study Schopenhauer; she has to render the fourth book of "Welt als Wille und Vorstellung" in verses. Wagner was redeemed ... In all earnestness, this was a redemption. The relief that Wagner has to thank Schopenhauer for, is immeassurable. Only the philosopher of decadence gave the artist of decadence back to himself – – "

(30): Nietzsche Vol II, p. 241; "... One should recall how enthusiastically Wagner once walked in the footsteps of Feuerbach: Feuerbach’s slogan of the ‘healthy sensuality’ – that sounded to Wagner like the word of redemption in the thirties and forties as for many other Germans (– they called themselves the ‘young Germans’). Has he, finally, changed his view over it? Since it appears, at least, that he ultimately had the will to preach a different view ... And not only with the trumpets of "Parsifal" from the stage..."

(31): Gregor-Dellin, p. 743; "‘Not the light that shines on the world from outside is God, but the light which we let shine on it from our inside: that is realization out of empathy.’ A shy mixture of Feuerbach and Schopenhauer."

(32): Mayer, p. 168; here, Mayer expresses that a destruction takes place in the service of a new status of nature and that that was Rousseau plus Bakunin plus Ludwig Feuerbach’s vision of a new – post-revolutionary – man.

(33): Löwith, p. 96; Loewith expresses that, upon Goethe’s friendship with Hegel, there followed the "idyllic" friendship between "Ludwig" (Feuerbach) and "Konrad" (Deubler) whose humble veneration of the "great man" was certainly appropriate to the basically harmless disposition of Feuerbach. And yet, as Loewith puts it, would it be a grave error to think that one could, on the high horse of a bygone philosophy of the intellect, ‘ride over’ the ‘materialism’ of the 19th century. Feuerbach’s sensualisation and terminal version of Hegel’s philosophical theology, so Loewith, has practically become the view of the time on the basis of which all of us – consciously or unconsciously – still stand.

(34): Gregor-Dellin, p. 330; Carl Dahlhaus expresses here that Wagner’s dealing with the ‘absolute music’ of Beethoven is exactly analogous to Feuerbach’s dealing with ‘absolute philosophy’.

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