Nietzsche, Wagner, Europe by Martine Prange (review)

Martine Prange’s book is an ambitious project that seeks to uncover how Nietzsche’s understanding of the “Good European” developed and changed over the course of his philosophical works. Her study treats Nietzsche’s early writings in great detail, in particular The Birth of Tragedy (1872), but it extends to later works as well, with a lengthy discussion of The Gay Science (1882). While the title correctly suggests that the relationship between Wagner and Nietzsche will be a primary focal point, it is less effective in conveying how much of this book examines Nietzsche’s changing aesthetics concerning music and—perhaps more importantly—how deeply intertwined they were with his outlook as a whole. Prange incorporates Nietzsche’s philosophical tracts, drafts, correspondence, and other writings to show how the topic of Europeanness underlies much of his work and how music provided him with a cultural means of expressing these views.

The book is divided into two major sections: “Aestheticization: Germany as saviour of Europe” and “Dynamic interculturalism: De-Germanization and the ‘Good European.’” The first part considers the relationship between Wagner and Nietzsche, drawing on an array of sources such as Nietzsche’s correspondence, Cosima Wagner’s diaries, and writings from both men. Prange raises questions about how committed Nietzsche was to Wagner’s philosophy and music, arguing that Nietzsche’s devotion to the composer arose more because of their physical proximity—Wagner lived near Lake Lucerne from 1867–1871 and Nietzsche in Basel starting from 1869—and less because they shared the same outlook. Prange presents early Nietzsche documents (including a planned autobiography started when he was fourteen) that show he remained skeptical about Wagner’s compositions until 1868, when Nietzsche may have briefly sought to write music criticism and reassessed his views in light of his new “professional” role. Certainly, Nietzsche appears to have undertaken a reevaluation of Wagner’s works around this time as evinced by his enthusiasm for Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (June 1868, although excerpts were already circulating prior to its first performance). Nietzsche met Wagner briefly in late 1868, although their relationship would be more fully cemented during their shared time in Switzerland. The opening chapter of Prange’s study is valuable for those who wish to learn about how Nietzsche viewed music more broadly and the various aesthetic viewpoints that he studied (including those of Wagner’s critical nemesis, Eduard Hanslick) before becoming part of Wagner’s circle.

In her interpretation of Nietzsche’s early writings, Prange puts forward the bold claim that Nietzsche retained his initial skepticism toward Wagner’s works even after he joined the Wagnerian circle. Following a lengthy discussion of Wagner’s “Beethoven” (1870), Prange suggests that The Birth of Tragedy may have been Nietzsche’s attempt to remedy some of the misunderstandings of Greek culture found in Wagner’s essay. Thus, in Prange’s view, The Birth of Tragedy simultaneously praises Wagner and contains a critique of his ideas. Nietzsche and Wagner’s outlooks differed significantly by the time that Nietzsche attended the inaugural season of the Bayreuth Festival (1876). Prange suggests their break occurred in part because they disagreed on the matter of what a “Good European” should be. For both, the foundation of European culture lay with the Greeks. According to Wagner, this culture could be successfully recreated in a strongly nationalistic, Germanic version. Nietzsche, on the other hand, increasingly saw cosmopolitanism as a key trait, one that would allow individuals to rise above petty nationalism and strengthen various cultures through admixture. This change in viewpoint manifested itself in numerous ways: Nietzsche chose Goethe as an ideal figure instead of Wagner and found the culture of the south (particularly Italian and southern French) superior to that of the north. Musically, Nietzsche endorsed Bizet’s Carmen, an opera that he felt encapsulated his new aesthetical outlook because of its charm, musical simplicity, and the pleasure that he derived from attending a performance of the work. Prange successfully convinces the reader that an understanding...