An Anti-Semitic Connection: Richard Wagners Influence on Adolf Hitler

Caroline Leonard
November 25, 2014
STA 466
Dr. Buckmaster & Dr. Fisher

Beginning with Johann Sebastian Bach in 1685, Germany became home to many
of the worlds greatest composers. Throughout history, these composers developed,
adapted, and influenced the cultures and people around them. Yet, one of these geniuses
impacted more than just the musical sphere; he influenced Adolf Hitler, one of the most
powerful dictators to walk the earth. Through an anti-Semitic foundation, Richard
Wagner and Adolf Hitler shared a commonality that led to the biggest massacre history
has ever seen. Despite the fact that Wagner died almost 40 years before Hitlers Nazi
Germany, Hitler idolized Wagners theories and political opinions as he made them his
own. Wagners operas, essays, and compositions became a force that Hitler molded to
promote his dictatorship. Through historical conclusions, Richard Wagners anti-Semitic
attitudes influenced Hitler during the Holocaust and allowed him to further promote his
ideals.
Richard Wagner may stand as one of the great composers of the nineteenth
century, but his inability to accept criticism created a difficult and insolent personality.
Yet, his character never challenged his ability to compose great works, many of which
are known today as seminal pieces. Born in 1813, Wagner desired to become a musician
at an early age. By 21 he became the director of orchestras around Germany, which led
him to create his own musical works. The turning point in his career happened during his
last position as a conductor for the Dresden Opera House. Following this, Wagners work
took an intellectual and implausible direction. He began writing essays on political topics
and created music that greatly differed from the Romantic period. The combination of
Wagners public opinions, brash personality and unique compositions made him a very
controversial individual. In her biography of Wagner, Naama Sheffi says, Wagner was

an eccentric, intriguing figure who took controversial political positions and never
hesitated to exploit the good nature, emotions, and financial resources of his lovers,
admirers, and acquaintances (12). Despite leaving a mark in several cultural spheres
Wagners provocative political views have made him a difficult composer to connect
with (Sheffi 12).
Wagners anti-Semitic ideals were molded in part by the debates over Judaism in
the time period in which he lived. As far back as the early 1400s Jews struggled to define
and integrate themselves in Europe, which was dominated by Christian Doctrine. As
centuries passed, the Jews faced challenges in integrating their culture and religion into a
society that already held negative views. In the late eighteenth century political and social
ties were loosened with formal legal equality, yet opponents formed protests and
arguments that challenged Jewish emancipation. Enmity clouded the path for Jewish
parity in Germany as the idea of the Jewish question came into play.
By this time, Wagner was in his late teens and highly susceptible to the public
conversations. Jacob Katz states, Born in 1813, Richard Wagner was seventeen years
old when the new debate about the Jews began. He must have received his impressions,
ideas, and conceptions of Jews and Judaism during his formative years in this atmosphere
(10). Thus, during Wagners teens, people were debating whether the measures towards
Jews, the social minority, should remain in the long run. In the late 1830s, ideas of a
common identity between Jews and non-Jews rose in question across the population. The
state was also run by Christian ideals, so even if Jews were granted equality, the
government would still uphold its original hand (Katz 10). The ultimate decision for Jews
acceptance was evaluated by their ability to adapt to the German culture. As the second

descriptive factor in Wagners early years, the level of adaptation paralleled with the
expectation that the Jewish culture would seamlessly mold into the current society. Katz
states, The outcome was in any case the rejection of the idea of equal political rights for
the Jews (11).
Wagners public opinions on anti-Semitism did not occur until 1849, nineteen
years after Katz describes Wagners teen vulnerability. While Wagner may have held
private opinions on Judaism, it wasnt until his essay, Judaism in Music, surfaced in the
public realm that people saw his disdain towards the religion. The essay highly criticized
and attacked Jews in a light that Wagner had never expressed before (Katz 20).
Predecessors of anti-Semitism such as Karl Marx and Bruno Bauer held a foundation for
Wagner as he analyzed the Jewish question, political debate, and his own personal
feelings. In Judaism in Music Wagner states, For with all our speaking and writing in
favor of the Jewish emancipation, we always felt instinctively repelled by any real, active
contact with Jews (Katz 21). Katz mentions that this phase in Wagners life grew out
of his relations with Jews and Judaism, not simply the historical events of the time (21).
Scholars believe Wagners relationship with composers Giacomo Meyerbeer and
Felix Mendelssohn fueled his remarks in the essay. Both individuals held Jewish origins,
but became baptized into the Christian faith during the political turmoil. Like many
individuals who went through this rebirth, Meyerbeer and Mendelssohn never fully
accepted or practiced Christianity and Wagner saw it as the limited role of baptism
(Katz 20). Despite the fact that Wagner and these composers interacted frequently before
the essay, Wagner eventually saw these talented and successful composers as frauds.
Because Meyerbeer and Mendelssohn were not truly German, they were corrupting the

art culture in Wagners eyes. Judaism in Music marked a new time in Germany where
Judaism was not only a religion, but now a race. From this, Wagners theory was picked
up and used as evidence by theorists like Adolf Hitler.
Born in 1889, Adolf Hitler grew up in a country with previously established
viewpoints on the identities of Jews in culture and society. Although it has become
popular belief that Hitler created the theories behind the hatred of Jews, this is simply
untrue. Hitler, instead, built upon and intensified existing theories that targeted Jews. In
A. N. Wilsons biography of Hitler he states, Hitlers anti-Semitism was a mania of
advanced degree but it was very far from being unusual, and although few like to admit it,
his hatred of Jews was one important element in his easy rise to power (4). Before his
position as the leader of Germany, no one would have thought that a personality like
Hitlers would rise to lead a country. Both of Hitlers parents died before he was 18 years
old, causing him to live as a hypochondriac with shy and unmotivated qualities (Wilson
14).
Though Hitler was an aspiring artist and painter, his lack of motivation lead him
to have no education, talent, energy or money (Wilson 9). Hitler didnt even hold
German traits; he was born an Austrian and only obtained German citizenship in 1932, a
few months before becoming Chancellor (Wilson 8). The visible result of a personality
like Hitlers would not seem to succeed far in life. After the death of his parents, Hitler
experienced poverty and his laziness stood in the way of taking a job and making a life.
Many scholars have researched the reasons for Hitlers growth and success as the leader
of Germany in spite of his lacking qualities. Some scholars believe that Hitlers success
stems from German realities of the time in connection with his leadership style.

The point in history when Hitler rose shows that there are other factors in the
strengths of his Third Reich. After the defeat of World War I, Germany stood as a
humiliated, weak country longing to gain its power back. When Hitler rose as a
prominent figure, Germans saw this as an opportunity to reclaim their authority. The
combination of his leadership and ideological traits created a political culture that stood
at the foundation of Nazism (Kershaw 246). In his journal Hitler and the Uniqueness of
Nazism Ian Kershaw states, This political culture was not in itself Nazi. But it provided
a fertile ground within which Nazism could flourish (246). As Kershaw compares Hitler
to other dictatorships in Italy, Spain, and Russia he states, But nothing much resembled
the depth of hope placed in national salvation in Germany (247).
Kershaw suggests other reasons for Hitlers success in leading a government that
remains distinct compared to other dictatorships. Hitlers personality was, of course, a
crucial component of any singularity of Nazism. But decisive for the unending radicalism
and unlimited destructive capability of Nazism was something in addition to this: the
leadership position of Hitler and the type of leadership he embodied (245). Kershaw
continues by stating that Hitler falls into the category of Max Webers charismatic
authority, which he explains as an individual invested with heroic qualities (245). To
his followers, Hitler presented ideas through a leadership that seemed as though it would
fix the economy, the state and the social impurities of Germanys culture. Therefore, the
success in Hitlers despotism came from a multitude of factors including his leadership,
his position, and the state of the Germany at the time.
Before discussing the relationship between Hitler and Wagner, the bright reality
of music in Germany must be considered. Musicology has proven that the art integrated

itself into Germanys culture and became a defining aspect of its history and modern
identity. In her book Most German of the Arts, Pamela Potter examines musical
influence from the beginning to the end of the Third Reich. Potter states, Music has
indeed held a place of honor in German cultural history, and it has been a crucial
component of shaping German identity (ix). Potter also references that the three Bs of
classical music (Beethoven, Bach, and Brahms) perpetuate concert halls and live on as
the foundation of music history. These German-bred individuals laid the ground for many
composers after them, preserving the art to great heights (Potter ix). However, another
interesting aspect of music and Nazi Germany is that it never stood as a cultural divide.
Potter states, Music represented a mode of artistic expression in which all Germans
could share (ix). The unity that music created for the German culture, before, after, and
during Hitlers regime, allowed it to grow and persevere against all odds. Even Hitler and
the Nazis supported efforts to keep the art alive. They pumped resources into struggling
musical institutions of world fame in an effort to mitigate irate foreign accusations of
Nazi atrocities and to downplay their image as barbarians said Potter (xii). Even if it was
for their benefit, the Third Reich helped keep the sound of music alive.
The connection between Hitler and Wagner formed early in Hitlers life. Parallels
between these individuals form in music and politics, but most strongly from a common
belief in anti-Semitism. Hitler was introduced to music after his father passed away in
1903. In his will, Hitlers father had left the family well off and Hitlers mother bought a
grand piano for the house. Hitler took piano lessons and developed a good ear, but it was
his best friend August Kubizek who introduced Hitler to the opera scene and more
directly, Richard Wagner (Wilson 15).

In 1901 at the young age of 12, Hitler attended his first Wagner opera, Lohengrin,
with Kubizek (Spotts 224). Kubizek explains Hitlers reaction to his first opera as a
visionary dream when he speaks to Winifred Wagner, Wagners daughter-in-law, at the
Bayreuth Opera House in 1939 (Wilson 15). Hitler writes in his autobiography Mein
Kampf, I was captivated at once. My youthful enthusiasm for the Master of Bayreuth
knew no bounds. Again and again I was drawn to his works (Spotts 224). Night after
night these two opera enthusiasts returned to the theatre (Spotts 224).
On his first visit to Vienna, Hitler wrote to Kubizek about attending more Wagner
operas, Tomorrow I am going to the opera, Tristan, and the day after Flying Dutchman...
(Spotts 224). Hitler also wrote a postcard describing his grand experience at the opera
house, Only when the mighty sound waves flow through the auditorium and when the
whisperings of the wind give way does one feel grandeur and forget the surfeit of gold...
(Spotts 225). Hitlers experiences at the opera only fed his appetite for the composer.
Though Hitlers launch into the German government wasnt until long after his first
experience at the operas, his early exposure to Wagner raised his awareness of antiSemitic ideals.
Scholars present several examples where Wagners operas or political opinions
influenced Hitler and aided him in promoting the Nazi ideal of Arianism. It was no doubt
that Hitler publically expressed his love for Wagner. In his journal Wagners Influence
on Hitler, Robert Jacob references Hitlers words in his autobiography Mein Kampf
(Hitler Speaks). I recognize in Wagner my only predecessor...I regard him as a supreme
prophetic figure (82). Jacob also mentions a passage in Hitlers manifesto where Hitler
uses Wagners operas to support and explain his opinions. The passage uses Wagners

opera Nibelungun as a comparison to Germanys failure in World War I. Hitler says, It

was the fantastic idea of a Nibelungun alliance with the decomposed body of the
Hapsburg state that brought about Germanys ruin (Jacob 83). Katz analyzes this
comparison by explaining that in Wagners opera, Wotan mythically destroys himself by
stealing the wealth of the Burgundians. Germany, in comparison, allies with a Jewishridden Empire including Hungarians, Czechs and Serbs, leading the motherland to her
fall in Hitlers opinion (Jacob 82). Stating that he could have referenced several other
passages like this, Katz suggests that Hitler interpreted Wagners operas further than
what appears on the surface.
Jacob describes the relationship between Wagner and Hitler as a translation into
reality (83). Wagner created operas on the stage that set to great music a mythology,
the embodiment of a peoples greatest loves and hates, hopes and fears; a magic mirror of
legend and epic through which men could behold their inmost selves (Jacob 83). The
illusion of a mirror that Wagner created in his operas became a foundation for a
movement that Hitler decided to bring to reality. Jacob phrases this phenomenon as the
Wagnerian looking-glass through which Hitler and his followers fell into (83). The
heroic words that Hitler uses to describe Wagner became Hitlers mythical reality when
he used the foundation of these operas to construct a basis for the Third Reich. Hitler may
not directly say that these various operas rooted his ideas for the Holocaust, but it is clear
that Wagners mythology on the stage impressed the German Chancellor to the point
where keeping things to his imagination was not enough satisfaction (Jacob 83).
The expansion of Hitlers love for Wagner can also be traced back to the
relationship that Hitler formed with members of the Wagner family. Although Wagner

died in 1883, his family held onto his legacy and eventually formed a strong appreciation
for Hitler. Wagners daughter-in-law, Winifred, joined Nazi movements early on and
enjoyed attending Hitlers public appearances in Munich (Sheffi 32). Hitler even visited
Wagners grave and became a frequent guest of the Wagner household (Sheffi 32).
Expanding his love for the composer outside of his personal life, Hitler also
pushed the Nazis and his followers to understand Wagner in the same light. Because of
Hitler and Wagners shared ideal of Arianism, Hitler was able to clearly incorporate the
composers works, ideals, and theories into his own politics. Jacob Katz concludes that
the Nazis infatuation with Wagner is not subsidiary. In their efforts to find a historically
legitimized forerunner in the German past, the national socialists could not pass by the
phenomenon of Wagner. Wagners themes, stemming from the world of German
mythology, must have enticed the Nazis... (123). Eventually, the socialist fixation with
Wagner led the Nazi party to clearly identify themselves with the famed composer
(Sheffi 34).
The use of Wagners music became clear in association with the Nazis as the
socialists played popular compositions at events. Hitlers efforts to share his appreciation
for the composer reached the Nazis as he integrated Wagners music into several Nazi
related events. Sheffi states, The frequent playing of Wagners music at Nazi party
conventions in particular and in concert halls in general under the Third Reich may be
attributed not only to Hitlers personal admiration, but also to Wagners perfect allGerman image (31). Not only did Hitler play Wagners music at socialist parties, but he
also pushed the Nazis to appreciate the music on his level. Die Meistersinger von
Nurnberg was one of the works most often played at Nazi party conventions. Possibly the

call by the aging singer Sachs for a strong and creative Germany encouraged the Nazis to
adopt the whole opera as a sort of anthem (Sheffi 34). The integration of Wagners
music into the Nazi party became another element of Hitlers love for the composer.
Additionally, Hitler showed his idolization for Wagner by using the composers
music in Nazi propaganda efforts. Potter says that Hitler incorporated Wagners music
into his propaganda as a concerted effort to keep the legacy of Richard Wagner alive
(29). Hitler used many of Wagners more popular compositions such as Reinzi and Die
Meistersinger von Nurnberg as the background music for his propaganda films of Leni
Reifenstahl and radio announcements that promoted the Nazi party (Potter 28).
Finally, Wagners creation of the Bayreuth Festival serves as one of the strongest
connections with Hitler. Wagner lived in Bayreuth, Germany for a period of his life and
constructed the theatre in 1876. The Bayreuth theatre served as a place where Wagners
operas were performed. Wagner designed the theatre specifically for his abnormally large
orchestras at the time. The architectural advancements of Bayreuth allowed for supreme
sound during these performances (Barenboim, Said 93). Unfortunately, debt forced
Wagner to close Bayreuth in 1882, only a year before his death. However, Wagners
widow, Cosima, fought to preserve the theatre and her success proved as performances at
Bayreuth seldom changed after her husbands death (Barenboim, Said 93). The Bayreuth
Festival continues to hold annual performances of Wagners many operas.
Hitler first visited Bayreuth in the early 1920s and became completely infatuated
with the annual festivals. In 1933, many admirers went to the Bayreuth Festival in
commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of Wagners death (Sheffi 33). As Hitler and

the Nazi party formed in the early 1930s, Bayreuth became a symbol of their socialist
ideals. Sheffi mentions a New York Times music critic who referenced Bayreuth and the
Nazis. The article stated, Bayreuth is the symbol of the Third Reich. National Socialism
sees in the works of Richard Wagner something related to it in the essence and in the
spirit (34). Sheffi also mentions that Bayreuth became the center of many Nazi activities.
After World War II broke out, he [Hitler] arranged free transport to Bayreuth for
wounded soldiers to that they could convalesce to the strains of Wagners music (35).
Hitlers deep involvement financially and emotionally with Bayreuth further strengthened
his love for Wagner.
Young Hitlers introduction to Wagner formed a unique relationship that lasted
throughout his dictatorship. The anti-Semitic ideals and opinions of Wagner in the
nineteenth century pushed Hitler to use these principles for his own benefit during the
formation of Nazi Germany. Hitlers idolization of Wagner is shown through his use of
Bayreuth, the ideals, and the operas surrounding Wagners life. Hitler only found more
ways to strengthen his love for the composer by befriending the Wagner family and
pushing his followers to appreciate the music in the same light. Although historians will
never know the true level of Hitlers infatuation with Wagner, Mien Kampf gives primary
data on Hitlers sentiments towards the composer. The parallels between Hitler and
Wagner prove that Hitler was greatly influenced by Richard Wager and used his ideals to
further promote the socialist party.

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