I am indebted to Messrs. H. Grevel & Co. for kind permission to print extracts from Mr. Shedlock's translation of Wagner's _Letters_, and to Messrs. Novello for similar permission regarding quotations from the libretti of the operas. Two words may be said about the quotations, both words and music, of the operas: in some cases, when I could neither find nor make an adequate translation of verses, I have stuck to the original German; with regard to the music, I have given as little as possible. Both musical and verbal citations are meant for reference--there is only one exception, the Sailors' Song from the opening of _Tristan_. Catalogues of Wagner's themes have for long been issued by several publishers; but they are of small assistance in helping one to understand Wagner. J.F.R. CONTENTS I EARLY LIFE II EARLY BOYHOOD III EARLY LIFE (_continued_) IV JUVENILE WORKS V PARIS VI 'RIENZI' AND 'THE FLYING DUTCHMAN' VII DRESDEN VIII 'TANNHÄUSER' IX 'LOHENGRIN' X EXILE XI 'TRISTAN AND ISOLDA' XII 'THE MASTERSINGERS OF NUREMBERG' XIII KING LUDWIG XIV 'THE NIBELUNG'S RING' AND THE RHINEGOLD' XV 'THE VALKYRIE' XVI 'SIEGFRIED' XVII 'THE DUSK OF THE GODS' XVIII 'PARSIFAL'; THE END; THE MAN INDEX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PORTRAIT OF WAGNER (_Photogravure_) WAGNER'S BIRTHPLACE: THE SIGN OF THE RED AND WHITE LION, ON THE BRÜHL, LEIPZIG THE WAGNER THEATRE AT BAYREUTH LISZT (_From life and on stone by N. Hanhart_) WAGNER (_From the portrait by A.F. Pecht_) KING LUDWIG OF BAVARIA WAGNER IN 1877 PALAZZO VENDRAMIN CALERGI, VENICE, WHERE WAGNER DIED, FEB. 13, 1883 CARL TAUSIG CHAPTER I EARLY LIFE I