[lit-ideas] Re: Wagner and Philosophy: Magee and Grice
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 24 Feb 2013 12:54:04 -0500 (EST)
In a message dated 2/24/2013 11:20:30 A.M. UTC-02,
donalmcevoyuk@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
What Magee says about Wagner is interesting but I found his book nowhere
near as interesting as I was expecting.
Thanks. Amazon reviews below of his TWO books on Wagner. I will try to
collect further material, and perhaps keep adding Grice for Good Measure.
This obituary that G. Richardson wrote for Grice for the "St. John's
Records" is a bit of a gem. He dwells on Grice's musical tastes, and indeed
mentions that Grice thought "Die Meistersinger" a work for children, or "for
children".
-----
As I say, the Met is transmitting live on March 2 Wagner's "Parsifal", and
2013 marking his bi-centennial (along with Wagner), many celebrations are
being planned (or not).
Cheers,
Speranza
-----
MAGEE, "Aspects of Wagner"
Many music lovers find Wagner's operas inexpressibly beautiful and richly
satisfying, while others find them revolting, dangerous, self-indulgent,
and immoral. The man who W.H. Auden once called "perhaps the greatest genius
that ever lived" has inspired both greater adulation and greater loathing
than any other composer.
Bryan Magee presents a penetrating analysis of Wagner's work,
concentrating on how his sensational and deeply erotic music uniquely
expresses the
repressed and highly charged contents of the psyche. He examines not only
Wagner's music and detailed stage directions but also the prose works in which
he formulated his ideas, as well as shedding new light on his anti-semitism
and the way in which the Nazis twisted his theories to suit their own
purposes. Outlining the astonishing range and depth of Wagner's influence on
our culture, Magee reveals how profoundly he continues to shock and inspire
musicians, poets, novelists, painters, philosophers, and politicians today.
`you can do no better than rush out and buy Aspects of Wagner, one of the
most stimulating books on music and opera it has been my privilege to read.'
Classical Music
`this set of essays makes an ideal introduction to Bayreuth's favourite
son' Washington Post
`the best short book on Richard Wagner in English' New Statesman and
Society
`One of the best, most illuminating, and shortest, discussions of Wagner's
work ever written...one of the most stimulating books on music and opera
it has been my privilege to read' Classical Music
`This 20-year-old instant classic, pithy, thoughtful, illuminating, now
gains a new chapter on - oddly enough - the least discussed side of Wagner,
the music itself.' Christopher Grier, London Evening Standard
`the intensely readable style as well as the interest of the
subject-matter holds the attention from beginning to end ...Magee's book
remains one
which no-one who ventures to give an opinion on Wagner should have failed to
read.' S. A. Music Teacher
`Each of these essays offer much that is thought-provoking, examining not
only the musical works but also the prose works in which Wagner formulated
and set out his ideas on art literature, poetry and the theatre. It is good
to have a new edition of this highly readable little volume, which was
first published in 1968.'
`Altogether, among the millions of pages written about one of the most
complex minds in European history, this little book makes a contribution both
original and thought provoking, quite out of proportion to its size.' Sir
Charles Mackerras
From reviews of the first edition...
`The revised edition of this brief but near-classic analysis of Wagner's
work has not lost its most distinctive quality; usually for a book of this
kind, it demands to be read at one sitting - or even, one admirer has
insisted, in a single bathtime.' Independent
*****************************
MAGEE: The Tristan Chord: Wagner and Philosophy
Richard Wagner's devotees have ranged from the subtlest minds (Proust) to
the most brutal (Hitler). The enduring fascination with his works arises
not only from his singular fusion of musical innovation and theatrical
daring, but also from his largely overlooked engagement with the boldest
investigations of modern philosophy. In this radically clarifying book, Bryan
Magee
traces Wagner's intellectual quests, from his youthful embrace of
revolutionary socialism to the near-Buddhist resignation of his final years.
Magee
shows how abstract thought can permeate music and stimulate creations of
great power and beauty. And he unflinchingly confronts the Wagner whose
paranoia, egocentricity, and anti-Semitism are as repugnant as his achievements
are glorious.
At once a biography of the composer, an overview of his times, and an
exploration of the intellectual and technical aspects of music, Magee's lucid
study offers the best explanation of W. H. Auden's judgment that Wagner, for
all his notoriety, was "perhaps the greatest genius that ever lived."
From Library Journal
Magee, a British writer on philosophy, music, and theater criticism and a
former member of Parliament, has made a remarkable contribution to the
already extensive literature on the life and works of Wagner. His central
thesis that Wagner's intense study of philosophy had a profound influence on
his
compositions is lucidly presented in 17 chapters, each rich with
historical detail and intellectual discourse. The chapters proceed in rough
chronological sequence; we first read of the young Wagner as a left-wing
revolutionary and end with his mature, complex relationship with Nietzsche. In
the
central part of the book, Magee provides an overview of Schopenhauer's
philosophy and reveals the extent to which Wagner completely overhauled his
own
values in order to embrace that thinker's world view. Readers to whom all
this may appear somewhat arcane and daunting will be pleasantly surprised by
the eminently readable nature of the book. Magee's text is not only
illuminating but also highly personal and enormously engaging. The lengthy
appendix, in which he tackles head-on the thorny issue of Wagner's
anti-Semitism,
is a brilliant, balanced discussion and is alone worth the price of the
book. Throughout, Magee cites myriad secondary sources but includes no
bibliography. Despite this omission, this work is highly recommended for all
public and academic libraries. Those readers already passionate about Wagner's
works will find new reasons to appreciate them, and those who have avoided
his music will find the book a revelation and may be inspired to rethink
their phobia. Larry Lipkis, Moravian Coll., Bethlehem, PA
From Booklist
Because of Wagner's reputation as a proto-Nazi, many music lovers avoid
his work-- or enjoy it as a guilty pleasure. Yes, Wagner did indulge in
odious anti-Semitism, and, yes, Hitler adored his music. But Magee
convincingly
demonstrates that Wagner kept his anti-Semitism out of his music and that
most Nazi leaders regarded the composer's works as antithetical to their
movement. The young Wagner advocated the radical politics of the left, and
when he subsequently abandoned the revolution, he did so not to embrace the
politics of the right but rather to repudiate all political thought in favor
of metaphysics. Those metaphysics bear the distinctive marks of
Schopenhauer, credited by Magee with inspiring the composer to otherwise
unattainable
operatic feats (in, for instance, Tristan und Isolde and Parsifal). Yet
unlike any other creative artist, Wagner contributed as much to philosophy as
he took from it, decisively shaping his friend Nietzsche's views through
sheer strength of character. A carefully researched account of a fiery
personality who transmuted daunting ideas into compelling art. Bryce
Christensen
"Magee gives us an absorbing history of how Wagner's reading list and his
protean musical genius combine, illuminating in the process why these
masterpieces can so overwhelm us. A wonderful book."--Russell Platt, Symphony
Magazine
"A remarkable contribution to the extensive literature on Wagner, Magee's
text is not only illuminating but also highly personal and enormously
engaging...Those readers already passionate about Wagner's works will find new
reasons to appreciate them, and those who have avoided his music will find
the book a revelation."--Library Journal (starred review)
"A sound and highly readable exploration of the composer's philosophical
milieu...Magee's mellow, lucid interpretation of how intellectual influences
informed and nourished Wagner's libretti is highly persuasive."--Kirkus
Reviews
"A carefully researched account of a fiery personality who transmuted
daunting ideas into compelling art."--Booklist
"A splendid no-holds-barred account...Magee is unrivalled."--BBC Music
Magazine
"Enlightening, exciting . . . The Tristan Chord is quite simply
indispensable . . . and should take its place among any Wagnerian's short list
of
required reading."--John Rockwell, The New York Times
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