/lit/ - Literature

for me it's "on conducting" or "Beethoven". Wolzogen and von Stein compiled a sort of lexicon with his prose remarks on every possible topic. but it has never been translated though
> Such tracts as "Beethoven," "Concerning the Art of Conducting," "Concerning Actors and Singers," "State and Religion," silence all contradiction, and, like sacred reliquaries, impose upon all who approach them a calm, earnest, and reverential regard. Others, more particularly the earlier ones, including "Opera and Drama," excite and agitate one; their rhythm is so uneven that, as prose they are bewildering. Their dialectics is constantly interrupted, and their course is more retarded than accelerated by outbursts of feeling; a certain reluctance on the part of the writer seems to hang over them like a pall, just as though the artist were somewhat ashamed of speculative discussions. What the reader who is only imperfectly initiated will probably find most oppressive is the general tone of authoritative dignity which is peculiar to Wagner, and which is very difficult to describe: it always strikes me as though Wagner were continually addressing enemies; for the style of all these tracts more resembles that of the spoken than of the written language, hence they will seem much more intelligible if heard read aloud, in the presence of his enemies, with whom he cannot be on familiar terms, and towards whom he must therefore show some reserve and aloofness. The entrancing passion of his feelings, however, constantly pierces this intentional disguise, and then the stilted and heavy periods, swollen with accessary words, vanish, and his pen dashes off sentences, and even whole pages, which belong to the best in German prose.
t. neetzsche

>as a writer, wagner isn't true to himself. he doesn't compose, the totality doesn't come into full view: he digresses in details, is obscure, and not benign and predominant.

>wagner's prose is very dense in ideas, hard to understand, because he eschews emphasis and because he doesn't balance high and low tones in compound sentences; everything is equally important to him.

>the biggest obstacle to the non-initiated is his type of authoritative dignity, which is very special and hard to describe: it's almost as if wagner talks in front of opponents, with whom he doesn't want to establish familiarity and to whom he speaks unnaturally and reservedly. yet occasionally the passion breaks through this artificiality; then the heavy and swollen period disintegrates and he lets slip out sentences or whole pages which belong to the most beautiful in german prose: particularly in the "beethoven" essay.

>i would like to know how big the confusion about wagner and his music would have become if he didn't write anything: and certain texts like "beethoven", "actors and singers", "on conducting" have a stunning force which will become more apparent with time.

>those who can do better, should do so. it's bad enough that wagner had to carry this burden himself.
t. nietzsche 1875

>>21327717
this

>6. Be careful with periods! Only those people who also have long duration of breath while speaking are entitled to periods. With most people, the period is a matter of affectation.