Stephanie's Pillowbook

A while back much of the press contained a story supposedly revealing that the composer Richard Wagner was a transvestite. I had hoped that some other blogger would pick up on it but so far as I know they didn’t. Perhaps nobody noticed? Well you can read about it in the Guardian or in the Independent . Of course there is no revelation – Wagner’s predilections have been well-known for years. That he liked to parade about in extravagant gowns was news in the 1870s – hardly so in 2007. It is rather distasteful, however, the way the story has been presented. In the first place it is a rather blatant piece of self-promotion by Barry Millington and the Wagner Journal – nothing like a little scandal to arouse interest and attention. A bit of titillating gossip like this is grist to the mill of all those – and there are many – who enjoy indulging in a spot of moral tut-tutting on the subject of Wagner. Then there is the usual sneering jokiness when it comes to cross-dressing – well, I mean, can there be anything funnier than the spectacle of a man in women’s clothing? And that plays into the philistine envy of so many these days – the self-satisfaction of the mediocre who can now cry, “you might created masterpieces of art, Herr Wagner, but you’re a perv as well, and so no better than anyone else.” How dreary that attitude is…

To which I added the following in comments:

• Does any of this matter much? Well, take a look at David Lister’s last paragraph. There are the confident tones of a man who has not read a single book on the subject but knows what he is talking about (he thinks). The idea that Wagner’s sexuality makes him more sympathetic but doesn’t have any effect on our appreciation of the music is laughably wide of the mark. The fact is, Wagner’s music has constantly been attacked over the years for its insidious nature, its effeminacy, its luxury, its decadence, its sensuousness.Take Nietzsche’s critique as just one example. What’s really interesting, however, is that this criticism of Wagner is not specific (and, therefore doesn’t really concern his dressing-up). There is a trope, going back at least as far as the ancient Greeks, that music itself is feminine, and therefore dangerous – that it can seduce men into effeminacy. This is a subject that fascinates me and one I shall return to later.
• Regarding music as feminine – the thing is that that argument has been used, over the centuries, to discredit the art of music and to warn of its baleful effect upon men. Attempts have been made to control, even ban, music (at least certain kinds) precisely because those in authority didn’t want men getting lost in music.
• You are no doubt correct in saying that music has no gender. What interests me, though, is the fact that it has been assigned a gender – at least since the ancient Greeks. It’s all wrapped in the idea that music has an effect. Music certainly does have an effect – I’ve written about certain songs that can make me cry – but what many have wanted to argue is that particular kinds of music always and necessarily have particular effects. So, for the Greeks it was supposed that music written in the Dorian mode was manly and could inspire the listener to warlike behaviour whereas music written in the Phrygian mode was supposed to have an enervating and softening effect. One of the interesting things about Wagner is that this same argument still rages over his music. He has been accused of writing decadent music which weakens and feminises men and he has been accused of writing music that inspired all the horrors of the Third Reich. And if you’re thinking, well, you can’t have it both ways then you’ve touched on the whole problem with the “effects of music” debate.
• You may well be right about the Chaillou letter. However, that is not the only evidence for Wagner’s proclivities. There are also the letters to Bertha Goldwag and to Judith Gautier. There is that entry in Cosima’s diary where she refers to a disparaging comment she made regarding Richard’s interest in silks and the difficult hours that resulted. Actually, I don’t think Wagner was a transvestite in any of the common senses of the term. But it cannot be disputed that he used fabrics, perfumes and costumes as sensual stimulants in the process of composition. It shouldn’t matter – if that is what it took to create Tristan and Parsifal thank goodness he had what he needed! What interests me is why people react so strongly to any hint of effeminacy.

First posted in March 2007