An Anti-Semitic Connection: Richard Wagner’s Influence on Adolf Hitler

Caroline Leonard November 25, 2014 STA 466 Dr. Buckmaster & Dr. Fisher

Beginning with Johann Sebastian Bach in 1685, became home to many of the world’s greatest composers. Throughout history, these composers developed, adapted, and influenced the cultures and people around them. Yet, one of these geniuses impacted more than just the musical sphere; he influenced Adolf Hitler, one of the most powerful dictators to walk the earth. Through an anti-Semitic foundation, Richard Wagner and Adolf Hitler shared a commonality that led to the biggest massacre history has ever seen. Despite the fact that Wagner died almost 40 years before Hitler’s Nazi , Hitler idolized Wagner’s theories and political opinions as he made them his own. Wagner’s operas, essays, and compositions became a force that Hitler molded to promote his dictatorship. Through historical conclusions, Richard Wagner’s anti-Semitic attitudes influenced Hitler during the Holocaust and allowed him to further promote his ideals. Richard Wagner may stand as one of the great composers of the nineteenth century, but his inability to accept criticism created a difficult and insolent personality. Yet, his character never challenged his ability to compose great works, many of which are known today as seminal pieces. Born in 1813, Wagner desired to become a musician at an early age. By 21 he became the director of orchestras around , which led him to create his own musical works. The turning point in his career happened during his last position as a conductor for the Dresden Opera House. Following this, Wagner’s work took an intellectual and implausible direction. He began writing essays on political topics and created music that greatly differed from the Romantic period. The combination of Wagner’s public opinions, brash personality and unique compositions made him a very controversial individual. In her biography of Wagner, Na’ama Sheffi says, “Wagner was

an eccentric, intriguing figure who took controversial political positions and never hesitated to exploit the good nature, emotions, and financial resources of his lovers, irers, and acquaintances” (12). Despite leaving a mark “in several cultural spheres” Wagner’s provocative political views have made him a difficult composer to connect with (Sheffi 12). Wagner’s anti-Semitic ideals were molded in part by the debates over Judaism in the time period in which he lived. As far back as the early 1400s Jews struggled to define and integrate themselves in Europe, which was dominated by Christian Doctrine. As centuries ed, the Jews faced challenges in integrating their culture and religion into a society that already held negative views. In the late eighteenth century political and social ties were loosened with formal legal equality, yet opponents formed protests and arguments that challenged Jewish emancipation. Enmity clouded the path for Jewish parity in as the idea of “the Jewish question” came into play. By this time, Wagner was in his late teens and highly susceptible to the public conversations. Jacob Katz states, “Born in 1813, Richard Wagner was seventeen years old when the new debate about the Jews began. He must have received his impressions, ideas, and conceptions of Jews and Judaism during his formative years in this atmosphere” (10). Thus, during Wagner’s teens, people were debating whether the measures towards Jews, the social minority, should remain in the long run. In the late 1830s, ideas of a common identity between Jews and non-Jews rose in question across the population. The state was also run by Christian ideals, so even if Jews were granted equality, the government would still uphold its original hand (Katz 10). The ultimate decision for Jews acceptance was evaluated by their ability to adapt to the German culture. As the second

descriptive factor in Wagner’s early years, the level of adaptation paralleled with the expectation that the Jewish culture would seamlessly mold into the current society. Katz states, “The outcome was in any case the rejection of the idea of equal political rights for the Jews” (11). Wagner’s public opinions on anti-Semitism did not occur until 1849, nineteen years after Katz describes Wagner’s teen vulnerability. While Wagner may have held private opinions on Judaism, it wasn’t until his essay, Judaism in Music, surfaced in the public realm that people saw his disdain towards the religion. The essay highly criticized and attacked Jews in a light that Wagner had never expressed before (Katz 20). Predecessors of anti-Semitism such as Karl Marx and Bruno Bauer held a foundation for Wagner as he analyzed the Jewish question, political debate, and his own personal feelings. In Judaism in Music Wagner states, “For with all our speaking and writing in favor of the Jewish emancipation, we always felt instinctively repelled by any real, active with Jews” (Katz 21). Katz mentions that this “phase” in Wagner’s life “grew out of his relations with Jews and Judaism,” not simply the historical events of the time (21). Scholars believe Wagner’s relationship with composers Giacomo Meyerbeer and Felix Mendelssohn fueled his remarks in the essay. Both individuals held Jewish origins, but became baptized into the Christian faith during the political turmoil. Like many individuals who went through this rebirth, Meyerbeer and Mendelssohn never fully accepted or practiced Christianity and Wagner saw it as “the limited role of baptism” (Katz 20). Despite the fact that Wagner and these composers interacted frequently before the essay, Wagner eventually saw these talented and successful composers as frauds. Because Meyerbeer and Mendelssohn were not truly German, they were corrupting the

art culture in Wagner’s eyes. Judaism in Music marked a new time in where Judaism was not only a religion, but now a race. From this, Wagner’s theory was picked up and used as evidence by theorists like Adolf Hitler. Born in 1889, Adolf Hitler grew up in a country with previously established viewpoints on the identities of Jews in culture and society. Although it has become popular belief that Hitler created the theories behind the hatred of Jews, this is simply untrue. Hitler, instead, built upon and intensified existing theories that targeted Jews. In A. N. Wilson’s biography of Hitler he states, “Hitler’s anti-Semitism was a mania of advanced degree but it was very far from being unusual, and although few like to it it, his hatred of Jews was one important element in his easy rise to power” (4). Before his position as the leader of , no one would have thought that a personality like Hitler’s would rise to lead a country. Both of Hitler’s parents died before he was 18 years old, causing him to live as a hypochondriac with shy and unmotivated qualities (Wilson 14). Though Hitler was an aspiring artist and painter, his lack of motivation lead him to have no education, talent, energy or money (Wilson 9). Hitler didn’t even hold German traits; he was born an Austrian and only obtained German citizenship in 1932, a few months before becoming Chancellor (Wilson 8). The visible result of a personality like Hitler’s would not seem to succeed far in life. After the death of his parents, Hitler experienced poverty and his laziness stood in the way of taking a job and making a life. Many scholars have researched the reasons for Hitler’s growth and success as the leader of in spite of his lacking qualities. Some scholars believe that Hitler’s success stems from German realities of the time in connection with his leadership style.

The point in history when Hitler rose shows that there are other factors in the strengths of his Third Reich. After the defeat of World War I, stood as a humiliated, weak country longing to gain its power back. When Hitler rose as a prominent figure, Germans saw this as an opportunity to reclaim their authority. The combination of his leadership and ideological traits created a political culture that stood at the foundation of Nazism (Kershaw 246). In his journal “Hitler and the Uniqueness of Nazism” Ian Kershaw states, “This political culture was not in itself Nazi. But it provided a fertile ground within which Nazism could flourish” (246). As Kershaw compares Hitler to other dictatorships in Italy, Spain, and Russia he states, “But nothing much resembled the depth of hope placed in national salvation in ” (247). Kershaw suggests other reasons for Hitler’s success in leading a government that remains distinct compared to other dictatorships. “Hitler’s personality was, of course, a crucial component of any singularity of Nazism. But decisive for the unending radicalism and unlimited destructive capability of Nazism was something in addition to this: the leadership position of Hitler and the type of leadership he embodied” (245). Kershaw continues by stating that Hitler falls into the category of Max Weber’s “charismatic authority,” which he explains as an individual “invested with heroic qualities” (245). To his followers, Hitler presented ideas through a leadership that seemed as though it would fix the economy, the state and the social impurities of ’s culture. Therefore, the success in Hitler’s despotism came from a multitude of factors including his leadership, his position, and the state of the at the time. Before discussing the relationship between Hitler and Wagner, the bright reality of music in must be considered. Musicology has proven that the art integrated

itself into ’s culture and became a defining aspect of its history and modern identity. In her book “Most German of the Arts,” Pamela Potter examines musical influence from the beginning to the end of the Third Reich. Potter states, “Music has indeed held a place of honor in German cultural history, and it has been a crucial component of shaping German identity” (ix). Potter also references that the three “B’s” of classical music (Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms) perpetuate concert halls and live on as the foundation of music history. These German-bred individuals laid the ground for many composers after them, preserving the art to great heights (Potter ix). However, another interesting aspect of music and Nazi is that it never stood as a cultural divide. Potter states, “Music represented a mode of artistic expression in which all German’s could share” (ix). The unity that music created for the German culture, before, after, and during Hitler’s regime, allowed it to grow and persevere against all odds. Even Hitler and the Nazis ed efforts to keep the art alive. “They pumped resources into struggling musical institutions of world fame in an effort to mitigate irate foreign accusations of Nazi atrocities and to downplay their image as barbarians” said Potter (xii). Even if it was for their benefit, the Third Reich helped keep the sound of music alive. The connection between Hitler and Wagner formed early in Hitler’s life. Parallels between these individuals form in music and politics, but most strongly from a common belief in anti-Semitism. Hitler was introduced to music after his father ed away in 1903. In his will, Hitler’s father had left the family well off and Hitler’s mother bought a grand piano for the house. Hitler took piano lessons and developed a good ear, but it was his best friend August Kubizek who introduced Hitler to the opera scene and more directly, Richard Wagner (Wilson 15).

In 1901 at the young age of 12, Hitler attended his first Wagner opera, Lohengrin, with Kubizek (Spotts 224). Kubizek explains Hitler’s reaction to his first opera as a visionary dream when he speaks to Winifred Wagner, Wagner’s daughter-in-law, at the Bayreuth Opera House in 1939 (Wilson 15). Hitler writes in his autobiography Mein Kampf, “I was captivated at once. My youthful enthusiasm for the Master of Bayreuth knew no bounds. Again and again I was drawn to his works” (Spotts 224). Night after night these two “opera enthusiasts” returned to the theatre (Spotts 224). On his first visit to Vienna, Hitler wrote to Kubizek about attending more Wagner operas, “Tomorrow I am going to the opera, Tristan, and the day after Flying Dutchman...” (Spotts 224). Hitler also wrote a postcard describing his grand experience at the opera house, “Only when the mighty sound waves flow through the auditorium and when the whisperings of the wind give way does one feel grandeur and forget the surfeit of gold...” (Spotts 225). Hitler’s experiences at the opera only fed his appetite for the composer. Though Hitler’s launch into the German government wasn’t until long after his first experience at the operas, his early exposure to Wagner raised his awareness of antiSemitic ideals. Scholars present several examples where Wagner’s operas or political opinions influenced Hitler and aided him in promoting the Nazi ideal of Arianism. It was no doubt that Hitler publically expressed his love for Wagner. In his journal “Wagner’s Influence on Hitler,” Robert Jacob references Hitler’s words in his autobiography “Mein Kampf” (Hitler Speaks). “I recognize in Wagner my only predecessor...I regard him as a supreme prophetic figure” (82). Jacob also mentions a age in Hitler’s manifesto where Hitler uses Wagner’s operas to and explain his opinions. The age uses Wagner’s

opera Nibelungun as a comparison to ’s failure in World War I. Hitler says, “It was the fantastic idea of a Nibelungun alliance with the decomposed body of the Hapsburg state that brought about ’s ruin” (Jacob 83). Katz analyzes this comparison by explaining that in Wagner’s opera, Wotan mythically destroys himself by stealing the wealth of the Burgundians. , in comparison, allies with a Jewishridden Empire including Hungarians, Czechs and Serbs, leading the motherland to her fall in Hitler’s opinion (Jacob 82). Stating that he could have referenced several other ages like this, Katz suggests that Hitler interpreted Wagner’s operas further than what appears on the surface. Jacob describes the relationship between Wagner and Hitler as a “translation into reality” (83). Wagner created operas on the stage that “set to great music a mythology, the embodiment of a people’s greatest loves and hates, hopes and fears; a magic mirror of legend and epic through which men could behold their inmost selves” (Jacob 83). The illusion of a mirror that Wagner created in his operas became a foundation for a movement that Hitler decided to bring to reality. Jacob phrases this phenomenon as the “Wagnerian looking-glass” through which Hitler and his followers fell into (83). The heroic words that Hitler uses to describe Wagner became Hitler’s mythical reality when he used the foundation of these operas to construct a basis for the Third Reich. Hitler may not directly say that these various operas rooted his ideas for the Holocaust, but it is clear that Wagner’s mythology on the stage impressed the German Chancellor to the point where keeping things to his imagination was not enough satisfaction (Jacob 83). The expansion of Hitler’s love for Wagner can also be traced back to the relationship that Hitler formed with of the Wagner family. Although Wagner

died in 1883, his family held onto his legacy and eventually formed a strong appreciation for Hitler. Wagner’s daughter-in-law, Winifred, ed Nazi movements early on and enjoyed attending Hitler’s public appearances in Munich (Sheffi 32). Hitler even visited Wagner’s grave and became a frequent guest of the Wagner household (Sheffi 32). Expanding his love for the composer outside of his personal life, Hitler also pushed the Nazis and his followers to understand Wagner in the same light. Because of Hitler and Wagner’s shared ideal of Arianism, Hitler was able to clearly incorporate the composers’ works, ideals, and theories into his own politics. Jacob Katz concludes that the Nazis infatuation with Wagner is not subsidiary. “In their efforts to find a historically legitimized forerunner in the German past, the national socialists could not by the phenomenon of Wagner. Wagner’s themes, stemming from the world of German mythology, must have enticed the Nazis...” (123). Eventually, the socialist fixation with Wagner led the Nazi party to clearly identify themselves with the famed composer (Sheffi 34). The use of Wagner’s music became clear in association with the Nazis as the socialists played popular compositions at events. Hitler’s efforts to share his appreciation for the composer reached the Nazis as he integrated Wagner’s music into several Nazi related events. Sheffi states, “The frequent playing of Wagner’s music at Nazi party conventions in particular and in concert halls in general under the Third Reich may be attributed not only to Hitler’s personal iration, but also to Wagner’s perfect allGerman image” (31). Not only did Hitler play Wagner’s music at socialist parties, but he also pushed the Nazis to appreciate the music on his level. “Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg was one of the works most often played at Nazi party conventions. Possibly the

call by the aging singer Sachs for a strong and creative encouraged the Nazis to adopt the whole opera as a sort of anthem” (Sheffi 34). The integration of Wagner’s music into the Nazi party became another element of Hitler’s love for the composer. Additionally, Hitler showed his idolization for Wagner by using the composer’s music in Nazi propaganda efforts. Potter says that Hitler incorporated Wagner’s music into his propaganda as a “concerted effort to keep the legacy of Richard Wagner alive” (29). Hitler used many of Wagner’s more popular compositions such as Reinzi and Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg as the background music for his propaganda films of Leni Reifenstahl and radio announcements that promoted the Nazi party (Potter 28). Finally, Wagner’s creation of the Bayreuth Festival serves as one of the strongest connections with Hitler. Wagner lived in Bayreuth, for a period of his life and constructed the theatre in 1876. The Bayreuth theatre served as a place where Wagner’s operas were performed. Wagner designed the theatre specifically for his abnormally large orchestras at the time. The architectural advancements of Bayreuth allowed for supreme sound during these performances (Barenboim, Said 93). Unfortunately, debt forced Wagner to close Bayreuth in 1882, only a year before his death. However, Wagner’s widow, Cosima, fought to preserve the theatre and her success proved as performances at Bayreuth seldom changed after her husband’s death (Barenboim, Said 93). The Bayreuth Festival continues to hold annual performances of Wagner’s many operas. Hitler first visited Bayreuth in the early 1920s and became completely infatuated with the annual festivals. In 1933, many irers went to the Bayreuth Festival in commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Wagner’s death (Sheffi 33). As Hitler and

the Nazi party formed in the early 1930s, Bayreuth became a symbol of their socialist ideals. Sheffi mentions a New York Times music critic who referenced Bayreuth and the Nazis. The article stated, “Bayreuth is the symbol of the Third Reich. National Socialism sees in the works of Richard Wagner something related to it in the essence and in the spirit (34). Sheffi also mentions that Bayreuth became the center of many Nazi activities. “After World War II broke out, he [Hitler] arranged free transport to Bayreuth for wounded soldiers to that they could convalesce to the strains of Wagner’s music” (35). Hitler’s deep involvement financially and emotionally with Bayreuth further strengthened his love for Wagner. Young Hitler’s introduction to Wagner formed a unique relationship that lasted throughout his dictatorship. The anti-Semitic ideals and opinions of Wagner in the nineteenth century pushed Hitler to use these principles for his own benefit during the formation of Nazi . Hitler’s idolization of Wagner is shown through his use of Bayreuth, the ideals, and the operas surrounding Wagner’s life. Hitler only found more ways to strengthen his love for the composer by befriending the Wagner family and pushing his followers to appreciate the music in the same light. Although historians will never know the true level of Hitler’s infatuation with Wagner, Mien Kampf gives primary data on Hitler’s sentiments towards the composer. The parallels between Hitler and Wagner prove that Hitler was greatly influenced by Richard Wager and used his ideals to further promote the socialist party.

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