Scan 22
Musical Courier 1906-12-19: Vol 53 Iss 1395, 1906
57 lines. Read by computer on 26 September 2026. Printed page 21. See the scan on archive.org.
1RECOLLECTIONS OF RAFF.
2BY THE LATE KARL KLAUSER.
4[These interesting notes have not been published before, and are left in their characteristic form and diction by THE MUSICAL COURIER. The annotations in parentheses were inserted by Dr. Hans von Bülow, to whom the sketch was submitted by the author for approval.—EDITOR MUSICAL COURIER.]
6Raff was essentially a self made man. In his early career he had the good fortune to meet Liszt, who exerted a great influence on the young musician and took him to Weimar as a sort of private secretary.
8However, Raff was too independent in his views of art, and soon severed his relations with the New Germanic School (still keeping most enthusiasm for Berlioz).
10He became (somewhat) antagonistic to Wagner, accusing him of lack of polyphonic treatment in music, and in his literary work, "Die Wagnerfrage," challenged him, as once Lessing did Corneille, with a bet that he could write the swan chorus in "Lohengrin" to better advantage. (After the "Meistersinger" Raff turned Wagnerite once more.)
12Raff was no orthodox believer in the old classical school, and was rather prone to underestimate even Beethoven's symphonies, denying their unity of purpose and acknowledging only specially successful movements; for instance, the funeral march of the third, the allegretto of the seventh, etc. "What is the 'Pastoral' symphony compared to my 'Spring' symphony?" he once exclaimed to a well known conductor in this country.
14Raff composed about five operas, "King Alfred," produced at Wiesbaden and Weimar; "Lady Kobold" (at Weimar), oratorios, cantatas, some gems of chamber music (piano quintet, two quartets, four trios, five violin sonatas), and a number of piano pieces and songs.
16His style varied, because he had none (or too many styles). He called himself "eclectic." There never was a composer who could adapt himself to such a variety of schools or styles. He was equally adept at a fugue in the style of Bach or Handel, for orchestra or piano, or at a song in close imitation of either Schumann, Schubert or Franz. With all his faults and failings, what musician, with the exception of Brahms (bravo, Brahms!), is his equal? (Auch Brahms hat für eine Semmel u. ein glas Bier Klavier-potpourris fabriziert unter dem Namen "Marks," für Bohm u. Cranz in Hamburg—einseln sehr geistreich.)
18Referring to his symphony in D minor ("An das Vaterland") Raff writes: "I consider my symphony infinitely superior to the one in C major by Schubert" (the ninth). * * *
20"My opera 'Samson' progresses but slowly. I want it to be as good as 'Fidelio,' if possible, and that takes time." * * *
22"My compositions of any consequence begin with the latter part of op. 20. They are not pure and decided in style before op. 47. The reason of it is that I am an Autodidact, and when I began to publish I was unripe and had much to learn. It is different with Schumann, for instance, as his first works are mostly superior to his later ones." * * *
24"If my D minor symphony is well performed in Vienna it will crush everybody and everything to pieces, so that the composers such as we have in Germany at the present time may all quietly depart." * * *
26Of Volkmann's D minor symphony Raff says: "It is a good work, but it won't hurt me."
28Of his own trio in C minor: "A splendid work; not too long, not too short, amusing, passionate, well sounding and of medium difficulty. You are mistaken in supposing these works recently written. Two other trios, almost ready for publication, have been lying in my desk for four years. They require filing and finish, and for this I must await a favorable disposition and a congenial mood. Consequently it is slow work. What would the world say if I should publish slovenly work à la Rubinstein? No—my great works must endure for all time and serve as models for the younger generation!"
30"This week I composed a 'Jubilee Overture' for the Duke (published by Kahüt). By rare chance it has become a masterwork. In comparison Weber's 'Jubilee Overture' is as nothing."
32"Draeseke's ballad ('Helge's Treue') gave me fifteen minutes of fun! A few more such productions and musicians of the 'New German' school will be ready for an insane asylum to be erected at the expense of the sane portion of the musical world. Draeseke is a musician of the future in its most extravagant meaning. There will never be a human being in this world who will sing this opus, and even in the next world it will not be tolerated, as doubtless they have long had a better form of composition in use there. If friend Liszt extolls compositions of this sort it will be gratifying to me if he finds fault with mine, for I must avoid all association in this direction."
34"I fear people will class me with Tausig. I have a holy horror of the non-melodic, harmonically confused new school of Weimar."
36"I do my work conscientiously, to the best of my ability, and do not care for any 'party.' Though thirty-eight years of age, I would rather undertake another calling if I could believe it possible that I am superfluous in the advancement of art. But I know that I have to fulfill my mission, and therefore I work because it is my duty to do so. As long as Liszt was in Germany I was not successful, but since he is away I have made remarkable progress. At all events I would rather be broiled alive than to be classed with the 'New German' school."
38WAGNER'S PARENTEAGE.
40In view of the many conflicting stories current regarding Richard Wagner's parentage, recent statements contained in the "Letters of the Wagner Family," just issued by the biographer Glasenapp, are of extraordinary interest.
42Among the letters are some addresses by Wagner to his step sister Caecilie Avenarius, née Geyer. She was a daughter of Wagner's mother by the latter's second marriage, with the actor Ludwig Geyer. Caecilie married Eduard Avenarius on March 5, 1840, who was at that time the manager of the Paris branch of Brockhaus' famous publishing concern. When Wagner was living in poverty at Paris during the years of 1840 and 1841, the Avenarius family helped him materially, and he always retained a feeling of great affection and gratitude for his sister and brother-in-law—as expressed in many of his later letters to them. (This in itself is surprising, considering the things now known about the way Wagner usually repaid kindnesses.) Some of the Wagner letters to Caecilie speak with respectful remembrance of her father and his own step-father, Geyer. One of the missives (written from Tribschen, January 14, 1870, and addressed by Wagner to Caecilie) was an acknowledgment of certain letters she had sent him (at his request) written by her father to their mother. Wagner says (the italics are inserted by THE MUSICAL COURIER):—"The contents of those letters not only moved me, but absolutely overwhelmed me. Seldom does middle class life present the spectacle of such complete self-sacrifice for the realization of an ideal purpose. I can say that this self-sacrifice of our father Geyer has made me almost inconsolable. I am especially affected by the tender, refined and cultured tone of this correspondence, particularly in the letters to our mother. I cannot understand how this tone could have degenerated so greatly in the later intercourse between the members of our family. At the same time I was enabled to understand keenly from these written pages the relation of the two during those pressing times. I believe I see quite clearly now, even though it is extremely difficult for me to express myself on the subject of how I interpret that relation. It seems to me as though our father Geyer, through his self-sacrifice for the whole family, endeavored to atone for a wrong done."
44In order to understand the last sentence of the foregoing quotation, it should be remembered that Wagner was born on May 22, 1813 (shortly after the death of his father, who was a police clerk at Leipsic), and that almost immediately his mother married the actor and painter Ludwig Geyer, in Dresden. Wagner always regarded him as his father and also called him by that name. As early as 1840, Wagner wrote to his wife from Dresden, that he had gone for a walk via Loschwitz to the cemetery at Blasewitz, "where I made arrangements for the restoration of the grave of my father." The grave of Geyer is the one referred to.
46During his stay at Venice in 1859, Wagner wrote to Caecilie: "Father Geyer's portrait lies before me at all times on my writing desk. It belongs to the very little which I took with me on my departure from Zurich."
48What is most incomprehensible about this whole matter is the apparent naïveté of Glasenapp in giving to the world this information, particularly as he is supposed to have an appenage from Cosima Wagner, and to submit for her revision everything he publishes about the composer.
50The letters to Caecilie look like a confession from Richard that it was his father Geyer who did penance for a wrong he had committed against his supposed or reputed father, and this confession apparently reflecting on Wagner's birth is given to the world by his biographer and his widow!
52Geyer was believed to have been a Jew. Little is known of the court clerk Wagner, the first husband of Richard's mother.
54What does all this publicity of domestic secrets mean? Is Cosima seeking a revenge for the purpose of getting righted on some unknown wrong which Richard was certainly capable of having committed against her? Her children, with the exception of Siegfried (who was born in wedlock) have not been able to inherit under the laws of Bavaria—that is, the girls have had no part in Richard Wagner's estate, copyrights, performing privileges; only Cosima and Siegfried have benefited, the latter being the final heir. Of course, Mme. Wagner can make the girls beneficiaries of her personal estate—savings, and anything Liszt may have left to her.
56All these things are a part of musical history, are well known, and have been published before, so THE
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