Richard Wagner and the Notion of Culture.

Hannu Salmi, professor i kulturhistoria vid Åbo universitet.

Richard Wagner and the Notion of Culture

The notion of culture was essential for Richard Wagner, but it was also an ambiguous one in the sense that, in emphasizing Kultur and Bildung, he often spoke strongly against civilisation, Zivilisation. What did Wagner mean by this juxtaposition? It is important to pay attention not only to how Wagner reflected upon culture in his letters and essays, but also on how he produced, and defined, culture through his work as a music dramatist, by drawing on influences from, for example, Scandinavia and ancient Greece. It may also be argued that Wagner created a culture of his own, through his activities, through his itineraries in Europe and, in the end, through his active participation in organising Wagnerism.

I am a professor of cultural history at the University of Turku, Finland. My research interests lie in the history of film and the media, audiovisuality and historical narration, cultural history of the nineteenth century (especially Wagner and Wagnerism), history of technology, and the history of emotions and the senses. In 2005 I published the book Wagner and Wagnerism in Nineteenth-Century Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic Provinces: Reception, Enthusiasm, Cult. Eastman Studies in Music. University of Rochester Press, Rochester 2005 (310 p.)