Cosima's Diaries

Diary Entry of March 7, 1870

Overview

Cosima gives Wagner the long-awaited Geyer portrait folder with a poem, and his gratitude turns the gift into a tribute to her resonance and purity. The household’s dealings with Porges create awkward moments that expose the prejudices and social discomforts around his Jewish origin. Errands, Die Walkuere, and theater news from Karlsruhe complete a day in which personal devotion and professional irritation sit side by side.

Content

Monday, March 7:

The folder with the portrait of Geyer has arrived; I present it to R. with a little poem (it should have come just a month ago). It gives R. much pleasure. “Everything you do has resonance and meaning,” he says, “like your dear voice and your pure soul.” Many curious embarrassments on account of Porges’s Jewish origin, every moment brings the Lord Jesus to our lips! To town in the afternoon. In the evening Die Walküre. R. is delighted with the folder. (A letter from Karlsruhe: the new director, Kaiser, wants Tannhäuser. Previously R.’s friend E. Devrient refused to produce it, ostensibly on principle, and instead did—Lachner’s Catarina Cornaro!)