her's Death--His Mother Remarries--Removal to
Dresden--Theatre and Music--At School--Translation of
Homer--Through Poetry to Music--Returning to Leipzig--Beethoven's
Symphonies--Resolution to be a Musician--Conceals this
Resolution--Composes Music and Poetry--His Family Distrusts his
Talent--"Romantic" Influences--Studies of Thoroughbass--Overture in
B major--Theodor Weinlig--Full Understanding of Mozart--Beethoven's
Influence--The Genius of German Art--Preparatory Studies ended.

"_I resolved to be a musician._"--Wagner.

Richard Wilhelm Wagner was born in Leipzig, May 22, 1813. His father
at that time was superintendent of police--a post which, owing to the
constant movement of troops during the French war, was one of special
importance. He soon fell a victim to an epidemic which broke out among
the troops passing through. The mother, a woman of a very refined and
spiritual nature, then married the highly gifted actor, Ludwig Geyer,
who had been an intimate friend of the family, and removed with
him to Dresden, where he held a position at the court theatre and
was highly esteemed. There Wagner spent his childhood and early youth.
Besides the great patriotic uprising of the German people, artistic
impressions were the first to stir his soul. His father had taken an
active interest in the amateur theatricals of the Leipzig of his day,
and now the family virtually identified themselves with the practical
side of the art. His brother Albert and sister Rosalie subsequently
joined the theatre, and two other sisters diligently devoted
themselves to the piano. Richard himself satisfied his childish
tendency by playing comedy in his own room and his piano-playing was
confined to the repetition of melodies which he had heard. His
step-father, during the sickness which also overtook him, heard
Richard play two melodies, the "Ueb' immer Treu und Redlichkeit" and
the "Jungfernkranz" from "Der Freischuetz," which was just becoming
known at that time. The boy heard him say to his mother in an
undertone: "Can it be that he has a talent for music?" He had
destined him to be an artist, being himself as good a portrait painter
as he was actor. He died, however, before the boy had reached his
seventh year, bequeathing to him only the information imparted to his
mother, that he "would have made something out of him." Wagner in the
first sketch of his life, (1842) relates that for a long time he dwelt
upon this utterance of