Minna Planer
Encyclopedia
Christine Wilhelmine "Minna" Planer (5 September 1809 - 25 January 1866) was a German
actress and the first wife of composer Richard Wagner
to whom she was married for 30 years, although for the last 10 years they often lived apart. Seduced at an early age by an Army officer, she had an illegitimate daughter, who was brought up as her sister. After a stormy courtship, which involved infidelities on both sides, she married Richard Wagner in 1836.
In the early years Minna was the main wage earner in the household, having a successful career as a young dramatic heroine, where she drew applause for her abilities on stage as well as winning admirers for her beauty. She shared in many of the escapades of Wagner's life, including a perilous sea voyage to London
, poverty in Paris
, and following him around Europe after his involvement in the Dresden uprising
of 1849, which led to his banishment from Germany
.
After Wagner's affair with Mathilde Wesendonck
in 1857 Minna mostly lived apart from him. In later years she developed a heart condition which was ultimately to claim her life.
er, Gotthelf Planer. She was brought up in poverty
and then at the age of fifteen she was seduced
by Ernst Rudolf von Einsiedel, a Captain in the King of Saxony's Guards. He left Minna pregnant
and then abandoned her. Minna was sent to her relatives in the country to conceal the pregnancy, and when her daughter, Nathalie ("Netty") was born, she was brought up as Minna's sister.
Minna pursued a career as an actress, specialising in female juvenile lead roles ("Erste Liebhaberin") in tragedies
. She was in demand by many German theatre companies, and appeared in Dessau
, Altenburg
, Magdeburg
and Dresden
before she met Richard Wagner. In a letter dated December 27, 1833 Minna sets out her conditions for employment: she would not accept guest appearances, but expected the leading tragic and young heroine parts. Her fee was 600 thaler plus travelling expenses. While she was praised for her abilities as an actress, her physical charms also brought her admiration. One anonymous
suitor wrote to her: "When Nature created you, O Fair One, she broke the mold and never more may create so fair an image. Ah, I have known you long, you splendid creature, beautiful in youth, your lovely image flitting around in my dreams..."
Theatre Company during a summer season at Bad Lauchstädt
, a spa resort near Halle
. She was almost 25. Richard Wagner had arrived in Lauchstädt on August 1 to investigate the offer of a position as conductor
of the Magdeburg company and was unimpressed by the offer until he met Minna by chance while looking for lodgings for the night. The 21-year old Wagner changed his mind and agreed the contract in order to pursue her, taking rooms directly beneath those of Minna.
Minna's relationship with Wagner was stormy: Wagner was jealous
and possessive and there were frequent loud arguments which usually ended with Minna in tears. However by the time the company returned to Magdeburg to open the season in October 1834 the two were lovers, and by February 1835 Wagner wrote to his brother Alfred that he and Minna were engaged, although to Wagner's fury Minna continued to be pursued by other suitors
. In November 1835 Minna, dissatisfied with the Magdeburg troup and probably with Wagner as well, left suddenly to take on a role at the Konigstadt Theatre in Berlin
. Wagner was wild with despair and implored her to come back and marry him. Minna eventually agreed to return, but stayed only to the end of the season in Magdeburg before heading to Konigsberg
to join the local theatre company, while Wagner looked for work in Berlin. Failing in this, he joined Minna in Konigsberg and accepted a menial position as a junior conductor. Minna married Wagner there on November 26, 1836, where they argued even in front of the minister who was to marry them.
in 1836. She continued to have admirers, and on May 31, 1837 Minna ran away from Wagner with a local businessman named Dietrich, taking Nathalie with her. Wagner eventually found her at her parent's home in Dresden
, and begged her to return to him. Despite another short reconciliation, Minna ran away again with Dietrich in July 1837. It was only in October that Minna finally had a change of heart and returned to Wagner, who had taken up a post in Riga
as Music Director.
s: He and Minna together with their dog
Robber would flee across the nearby Russia
n border and board a ship bound for London
and then travel on to Paris
where Wagner expected that his new opera Rienzi
would make his fortune. Minna made her last stage appearance in Riga on April 18 in the title role of Schiller
's Maria Stuart. It was her income from this appearance that paid for their flight from Riga to London and Paris. On July 10, they made the illegal border crossing safely, despite the risk of being shot by border guards, but on July 14 they were in a wagon
which overturned, crushing Minna. Nathalie later claimed that Minna suffered a miscarriage
as a result. While there is no other evidence for this claim, it is a fact that Minna bore Wagner no children. Minna and Wagner set sail from Pillau on the Thetis and ran into a storm which led them to berth in a Norwegian
fjord
. They only arrived in London after a terrifying 24 day journey for a trip that should normally have taken 8 days. After a week recovering in London, they took a steamer to Paris.
Minna and Wagner spent the years 1839 to 1842 in Paris, enduring severe poverty
. Wagner's plan failed, since the Paris Opera
was not interested in producing either Rienzi or his newest work, Der Fliegende Hollander
. Wagner was imprisoned for debt, and Minna had to beg their German friends in Paris for money to release him. It was only the acceptance by the Hoftheater in Dresden
of Rienzi that allowed the Wagners to leave Paris in April 1842. In Dresden Wagner became Royal Kapellmeister
and achieved the stability and social status that Minna had hoped for. However Wagner's involvement in the Dresden uprising
in May 1849 led to a warrant being issued for his arrest, and Wagner fled to Zurich
.
Minna was furious with him and after this their relationship cooled irreparably. She considered Zurich a provincial town and lamented the loss of her social position as "Frau Kapellmeister". It was only in August of that year that she agreed to rejoin Wagner in Zurich, but it was plain that their world-views were now totally different. Minna could understand his work as a conductor, but increasingly found his operatic works not to her liking. Nevertheless she was now tied to him since it was unlikely that she would again be able to work on the stage, and she had a horror of ending up in servitude
. Minna also began to show signs of heart disease
, for which she was prescribed laudanum
. Before joining Wagner in Zurich she wrote to him:
. However Minna, together with Jessie's mother, put a stop to this plan and Wagner eventually returned to Minna and for a while their relationship regained some of its original ardour. It was the affair with Mathilde Wesendonck
while Wagner was working on Tristan und Isolde
in 1857 that provoked the final breach between Minna and Wagner. After her discovery of a letter from Wagner to Mathilde in April 1858, Minna accused them of adultery, which Wagner denied, claiming that Minna had put a "vulgar interpretation" on his letter. Minna took the view that Wagner had been seduced by Mathilde, and in subsequent letters referred to her as "that hussy" and "that filthy woman".
Nevertheless Wagner and Minna parted, Wagner to travel to Venice
and Minna to take the waters at Brestenberg in an attempt to improve her worsening heart condition. Minna wrote to Mathilde before departing for Dresden:
Minna later described Tristan and Isolde as "a much too enamoured and odious couple."
at the Opera
that Minna agreed to his requests that she join him, but again the relationship was not easy. Minna disapproved of his rewritten Tannhäuser and thought that he could have secured a financial success with Rienzi. After the fiasco of the Paris Tannhäuser, in July 1861 Wagner went to Vienna
, while Minna went again to Bad Soden and then to Dresden, where she, Nathalie and their parents lived at Wagner's expense.
In February 1862 when Wagner was living in Biebrich
Minna made a surprise visit to him, which started well but all the old troubles were stirred when a letter from Mathilde Wesendonck arrived. Wagner referred to this period as "10 days of hell". In June 1862 he suggested they divorce
, however Minna refused to consider this. Despite her repeated requests for him to join her in Dresden, he would not.
Minna and Wagner were never to live together again, but neither did they divorce. Minna was financially supported by Wagner for the rest of her life.
Minna Planer died of a heart attack on January 25, 1866 in Dresden
. Wagner did not attend the funeral. Minna's grave is in the "Alten Annenfriedhof" in Dresden.
in Philadelphia.
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
actress and the first wife of composer Richard Wagner
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
to whom she was married for 30 years, although for the last 10 years they often lived apart. Seduced at an early age by an Army officer, she had an illegitimate daughter, who was brought up as her sister. After a stormy courtship, which involved infidelities on both sides, she married Richard Wagner in 1836.
In the early years Minna was the main wage earner in the household, having a successful career as a young dramatic heroine, where she drew applause for her abilities on stage as well as winning admirers for her beauty. She shared in many of the escapades of Wagner's life, including a perilous sea voyage to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, poverty in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, and following him around Europe after his involvement in the Dresden uprising
May Uprising in Dresden
The May Uprising took place in Dresden, Germany in 1849; it was one of the last of the series of events known as the Revolutions of 1848.-Events leading to the May Uprising:...
of 1849, which led to his banishment from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
.
After Wagner's affair with Mathilde Wesendonck
Mathilde Wesendonck
Mathilde Wesendonck was a German poet and author. She is best known as the friend and possibly mistress of Richard Wagner, who set five songs to her words, called the Wesendonck Lieder.-Biography:...
in 1857 Minna mostly lived apart from him. In later years she developed a heart condition which was ultimately to claim her life.
Early life
Minna Planer was born on September 5 1809 to a former Army trumpetTrumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
er, Gotthelf Planer. She was brought up in poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
and then at the age of fifteen she was seduced
Seduction
In social science, seduction is the process of deliberately enticing a person to engage. The word seduction stems from Latin and means literally "to lead astray". As a result, the term may have a positive or negative connotation...
by Ernst Rudolf von Einsiedel, a Captain in the King of Saxony's Guards. He left Minna pregnant
Pregnancy
Pregnancy refers to the fertilization and development of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, in a woman's uterus. In a pregnancy, there can be multiple gestations, as in the case of twins or triplets...
and then abandoned her. Minna was sent to her relatives in the country to conceal the pregnancy, and when her daughter, Nathalie ("Netty") was born, she was brought up as Minna's sister.
Minna pursued a career as an actress, specialising in female juvenile lead roles ("Erste Liebhaberin") in tragedies
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
. She was in demand by many German theatre companies, and appeared in Dessau
Dessau
Dessau is a town in Germany on the junction of the rivers Mulde and Elbe, in the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt. Since 1 July 2007, it is part of the merged town Dessau-Roßlau. Population of Dessau proper: 77,973 .-Geography:...
, Altenburg
Altenburg
Altenburg is a town in the German federal state of Thuringia, 45 km south of Leipzig. It is the capital of the Altenburger Land district.-Geography:...
, Magdeburg
Magdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
and Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
before she met Richard Wagner. In a letter dated December 27, 1833 Minna sets out her conditions for employment: she would not accept guest appearances, but expected the leading tragic and young heroine parts. Her fee was 600 thaler plus travelling expenses. While she was praised for her abilities as an actress, her physical charms also brought her admiration. One anonymous
Anonymity
Anonymity is derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness". In colloquial use, anonymity typically refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown.There are many reasons why a...
suitor wrote to her: "When Nature created you, O Fair One, she broke the mold and never more may create so fair an image. Ah, I have known you long, you splendid creature, beautiful in youth, your lovely image flitting around in my dreams..."
Wagner
In 1834 Minna was appearing as part of Heinrich Bethmann's MagdeburgMagdeburg
Magdeburg , is the largest city and the capital city of the Bundesland of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Magdeburg is situated on the Elbe River and was one of the most important medieval cities of Europe....
Theatre Company during a summer season at Bad Lauchstädt
Bad Lauchstädt
' is a town in the district Saalekreis, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, 13 km southwest of Halle. Pop. 4,933. It contains an Evangelical church, a theatre, a hydropathic establishment and several educational institutions, among which is an agricultural school affiliated to the university of Halle....
, a spa resort near Halle
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
. She was almost 25. Richard Wagner had arrived in Lauchstädt on August 1 to investigate the offer of a position as conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
of the Magdeburg company and was unimpressed by the offer until he met Minna by chance while looking for lodgings for the night. The 21-year old Wagner changed his mind and agreed the contract in order to pursue her, taking rooms directly beneath those of Minna.
Minna's relationship with Wagner was stormy: Wagner was jealous
Jealousy
Jealousy is a second emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, particularly in reference to a human connection. Jealousy often consists of a combination of presenting emotions...
and possessive and there were frequent loud arguments which usually ended with Minna in tears. However by the time the company returned to Magdeburg to open the season in October 1834 the two were lovers, and by February 1835 Wagner wrote to his brother Alfred that he and Minna were engaged, although to Wagner's fury Minna continued to be pursued by other suitors
Courtship
Courtship is the period in a couple's relationship which precedes their engagement and marriage, or establishment of an agreed relationship of a more enduring kind. In courtship, a couple get to know each other and decide if there will be an engagement or other such agreement...
. In November 1835 Minna, dissatisfied with the Magdeburg troup and probably with Wagner as well, left suddenly to take on a role at the Konigstadt Theatre in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. Wagner was wild with despair and implored her to come back and marry him. Minna eventually agreed to return, but stayed only to the end of the season in Magdeburg before heading to Konigsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
to join the local theatre company, while Wagner looked for work in Berlin. Failing in this, he joined Minna in Konigsberg and accepted a menial position as a junior conductor. Minna married Wagner there on November 26, 1836, where they argued even in front of the minister who was to marry them.
Early Married Years
Minna soon found that being Wagner's wife was not the route to respectability that she craved. Wagner continued to run up debts, and she frequently had to deal with creditors not only from Königsberg, but also from Wagner's previous expenditure in Magdeburg. Wagner's position brought in little money and Minna's continued popularity on stage meant that she was the main bread-winner, earning 700 reichsthalerReichsthaler
The Reichsthaler was a standard Thaler of the Holy Roman Empire, established in 1566 by the Leipzig convention. It was also the name of a unit of account in northern Germany and of a silver coin issued by Prussia.-Reichsthaler coin:...
in 1836. She continued to have admirers, and on May 31, 1837 Minna ran away from Wagner with a local businessman named Dietrich, taking Nathalie with her. Wagner eventually found her at her parent's home in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
, and begged her to return to him. Despite another short reconciliation, Minna ran away again with Dietrich in July 1837. It was only in October that Minna finally had a change of heart and returned to Wagner, who had taken up a post in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
as Music Director.
Flight from Riga
Minna also obtained a position at the Riga theater, and they lived in Riga for two years until Wagner lost his post in January 1839. He then decided on a wild scheme to evade his creditorCreditor
A creditor is a party that has a claim to the services of a second party. It is a person or institution to whom money is owed. The first party, in general, has provided some property or service to the second party under the assumption that the second party will return an equivalent property or...
s: He and Minna together with their dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
Robber would flee across the nearby Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n border and board a ship bound for London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and then travel on to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where Wagner expected that his new opera Rienzi
Rienzi
Rienzi, der Letzte der Tribunen is an early opera by Richard Wagner in five acts, with the libretto written by the composer after Bulwer-Lytton's novel of the same name . The title is commonly shortened to Rienzi...
would make his fortune. Minna made her last stage appearance in Riga on April 18 in the title role of Schiller
Friedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
's Maria Stuart. It was her income from this appearance that paid for their flight from Riga to London and Paris. On July 10, they made the illegal border crossing safely, despite the risk of being shot by border guards, but on July 14 they were in a wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
which overturned, crushing Minna. Nathalie later claimed that Minna suffered a miscarriage
Miscarriage
Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the spontaneous end of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or fetus is incapable of surviving independently, generally defined in humans at prior to 20 weeks of gestation...
as a result. While there is no other evidence for this claim, it is a fact that Minna bore Wagner no children. Minna and Wagner set sail from Pillau on the Thetis and ran into a storm which led them to berth in a Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
. They only arrived in London after a terrifying 24 day journey for a trip that should normally have taken 8 days. After a week recovering in London, they took a steamer to Paris.
Paris and Dresden
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
. Wagner's plan failed, since the Paris Opera
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
was not interested in producing either Rienzi or his newest work, Der Fliegende Hollander
The Flying Dutchman (opera)
Der fliegende Holländer is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner.Wagner claimed in his 1870 autobiography Mein Leben that he had been inspired to write "The Flying Dutchman" following a stormy sea crossing he made from Riga to London in July and August 1839, but in his 1843...
. Wagner was imprisoned for debt, and Minna had to beg their German friends in Paris for money to release him. It was only the acceptance by the Hoftheater in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
of Rienzi that allowed the Wagners to leave Paris in April 1842. In Dresden Wagner became Royal Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister
Kapellmeister is a German word designating a person in charge of music-making. The word is a compound, consisting of the roots Kapelle and Meister . The words Kapelle and Meister derive from the Latin: capella and magister...
and achieved the stability and social status that Minna had hoped for. However Wagner's involvement in the Dresden uprising
May Uprising in Dresden
The May Uprising took place in Dresden, Germany in 1849; it was one of the last of the series of events known as the Revolutions of 1848.-Events leading to the May Uprising:...
in May 1849 led to a warrant being issued for his arrest, and Wagner fled to Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
.
Minna was furious with him and after this their relationship cooled irreparably. She considered Zurich a provincial town and lamented the loss of her social position as "Frau Kapellmeister". It was only in August of that year that she agreed to rejoin Wagner in Zurich, but it was plain that their world-views were now totally different. Minna could understand his work as a conductor, but increasingly found his operatic works not to her liking. Nevertheless she was now tied to him since it was unlikely that she would again be able to work on the stage, and she had a horror of ending up in servitude
Servitude
Servitude may refer to:* Service* Conscription* Employment* Slavery* Indentured servitude* Involuntary servitude* Penal servitude* Servitude * Equitable servitude, a term of real estate law* Servitude in civil law...
. Minna also began to show signs of heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
, for which she was prescribed laudanum
Laudanum
Laudanum , also known as Tincture of Opium, is an alcoholic herbal preparation containing approximately 10% powdered opium by weight ....
. Before joining Wagner in Zurich she wrote to him:
"My greatest pride and pleasure was seeing you as the head of the greatest orchestra in Germany. You may remember that I missed almost no performance which you conducted, saw only you and was happy. I believed that what I was hearing emanated from you only...the Ninth SymphonySymphony No. 9 (Beethoven)The Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is the final complete symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven. Completed in 1824, the symphony is one of the best known works of the Western classical repertoire, and has been adapted for use as the European Anthem...
will be forever unforgettable to me on account of you. You appeared to me like a God governing all the powerful elements and working enchantments on men. See, dear Richard, you own the power, the glorious gift of creating something great even as a conductor...
Zurich & Mathilde Wesendonck
Wagner attempted to leave Minna in 1850 when he had an affair with the married 21-year old Jessie Laussot, with whom he planned to elope to the Far EastFar East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. However Minna, together with Jessie's mother, put a stop to this plan and Wagner eventually returned to Minna and for a while their relationship regained some of its original ardour. It was the affair with Mathilde Wesendonck
Mathilde Wesendonck
Mathilde Wesendonck was a German poet and author. She is best known as the friend and possibly mistress of Richard Wagner, who set five songs to her words, called the Wesendonck Lieder.-Biography:...
while Wagner was working on Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde
Tristan und Isolde is an opera, or music drama, in three acts by Richard Wagner to a German libretto by the composer, based largely on the romance by Gottfried von Straßburg. It was composed between 1857 and 1859 and premiered in Munich on 10 June 1865 with Hans von Bülow conducting...
in 1857 that provoked the final breach between Minna and Wagner. After her discovery of a letter from Wagner to Mathilde in April 1858, Minna accused them of adultery, which Wagner denied, claiming that Minna had put a "vulgar interpretation" on his letter. Minna took the view that Wagner had been seduced by Mathilde, and in subsequent letters referred to her as "that hussy" and "that filthy woman".
Nevertheless Wagner and Minna parted, Wagner to travel to Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
and Minna to take the waters at Brestenberg in an attempt to improve her worsening heart condition. Minna wrote to Mathilde before departing for Dresden:
"I must tell you with a bleeding heart that you have succeeded in separating my husband from me after nearly twenty-two years of marriage. May this noble deed contribute to your peace of mind, to your happiness."
Minna later described Tristan and Isolde as "a much too enamoured and odious couple."
Paris and the final years
It was only in November 1859 when Wagner moved to Paris to attempt to perform a revised version of TannhäuserTannhäuser (opera)
Tannhäuser is an opera in three acts, music and text by Richard Wagner, based on the two German legends of Tannhäuser and the song contest at Wartburg...
at the Opera
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera is the primary opera company of Paris, France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the Académie d'Opéra and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and renamed the Académie Royale de Musique...
that Minna agreed to his requests that she join him, but again the relationship was not easy. Minna disapproved of his rewritten Tannhäuser and thought that he could have secured a financial success with Rienzi. After the fiasco of the Paris Tannhäuser, in July 1861 Wagner went to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, while Minna went again to Bad Soden and then to Dresden, where she, Nathalie and their parents lived at Wagner's expense.
In February 1862 when Wagner was living in Biebrich
Biebrich
Biebrich is the name of two places in Germany.*Biebrich, a borough of Wiesbaden, Hesse, until 1926 an independent town*Biebrich, Rhineland Palatinate, a small municipality in the Rhein-Lahn district, near Katzenelnbogen...
Minna made a surprise visit to him, which started well but all the old troubles were stirred when a letter from Mathilde Wesendonck arrived. Wagner referred to this period as "10 days of hell". In June 1862 he suggested they divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
, however Minna refused to consider this. Despite her repeated requests for him to join her in Dresden, he would not.
Minna and Wagner were never to live together again, but neither did they divorce. Minna was financially supported by Wagner for the rest of her life.
Minna Planer died of a heart attack on January 25, 1866 in Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
. Wagner did not attend the funeral. Minna's grave is in the "Alten Annenfriedhof" in Dresden.
The Burrell Collection
Much of the detail of Wagner's relationship with Minna comes from the letters they wrote to each other. After Minna's death, her daughter Nathalie kept many of these letters, and eventually sold most of them to Mrs Mary Burrell, who planned to write a biography of Wagner. Although Mary Burrell died before completing the biography, the Burrell Collection of Wagner's letters, including some from Minna, was eventually published in 1950, with the originals being housed in the Curtis Institute of MusicCurtis Institute of Music
The Curtis Institute of Music is a conservatory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that offers courses of study leading to a performance Diploma, Bachelor of Music, Master of Music in Opera, and Professional Studies Certificate in Opera. According to statistics compiled by U.S...
in Philadelphia.
Further reading
- Burbidge, Peter and Sutton, Richard (eds.) (1979), The Wagner Companion, Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521296571
- Burk, John N, (1950). Letters of Richard Wagner - The Burrell Collection. The Macmillan Company, New York.
- Gregor-Dellin, Martin (1983), Richard Wagner—His Life, His Work, His Century, Harcourt. ISBN 978-0151771516
- Millington, Barry (Ed.) (1992). The Wagner Compendium: A Guide to Wagner's Life and Music. Thames and Hudson Ltd., London. ISBN 0028713591
- Newman, ErnestErnest NewmanErnest Newman was an English music critic and musicologist. Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians describes him as "the most celebrated British music critic in the first half of the 20th century." His style of criticism, aiming at intellectual objectivity in contrast to the more subjective...
(1933), The Life of Richard Wagner, 4 vols. ISBN 978-0685148242 - Wagner, Richard (Andrew Gray trans.) (1992), My Life, Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0306804816