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Chapter 23 - Wagner’s Finances

from IV - Life, Language, and the Ancient World

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2024

By
Sven Friedrich
Edited by
David Trippett
David Trippett
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Summary

Wagner and money is a cantus firmus of his biography. Notoriously broke, he is often regarded as a ‘pump genius’. He always demanded financial generosity from anyone who wanted to call themselves his friend. His pre-March criticism of capitalism has its origins in his completely underdeveloped economic mind. In King Ludwig II of Bavaria, he gained his most powerful and significant patron from 1864 onwards. But contrary to the widespread prejudice, it was by no means excessive sums that the king spent on Wagner. Moreover, in times without copyright and regulated royalty payments, artists were always dependent on patrons and gainful employment. Under today’s legal conditions, Wagner would have been a millionaire.

Keywords

moneydebtfriendssupportLudwig IIcopyrightroyalties
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Chapter
Information
Wagner in Context , pp. 229 - 238
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

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