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Herrin des Hügels: Das Leben der Cosima Wagner
In this meticulously researched book, Oliver Hilmes paints a fascinating and revealing picture of the extraordinary Cosima Wagner—illegitimate daughter of Franz Liszt, wife of the conductor Hans von Bülow, then mistress and subsequently wife of Richard Wagner. After Wagner’s death in 1883 Cosima played a crucial role in the promulgation and politicization of his works, assuming control of the Bayreuth Festival and transforming it into a shrine to German nationalism. The High Priestess of the Wagnerian cult, Cosima lived on for almost fifty years, crafting the image of Richard Wagner through her organizational ability and ideological tenacity.
The first book to make use of the available documentation at Bayreuth, this biography explores the achievements of this remarkable and obsessive woman while illuminating a still-hidden chapter of European cultural history.
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First published May 17, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 4, 2018
Engaging from the beginning and hard to put down. Perhaps I should have giving it five stars. A strangely fascinating read about a thoroughly unpleasant bunch of spoilt, lying, back-stabbing, psychologically damaged and anti-Semitic people. Cosima was incredibly hard working though; a strong, uncompromising woman, an organisational genius with one mission. Still, clearly broken by her upbringing; mostly absent parents, a loving grandma, yes, but from whom she was torn away in order to live with the most frightening of governesses! The book had me gasp in disbelief, but also laugh out loud, in particular at parts involving Ludvig II of Bavaria, bless his little cotton socks and Disney castles. The book was extremely well researched and I loved all the quotes and extracts from letters etc. Looking forward to reading Hilmes' new book about Cosima's father Franz Liszt.
November 22, 2020
Cosima Wagner....do I like you or do I dislike you?
Engaging fascinating read, controversial character, one of those once in a generation kind of personalities that leaves no one indifferent to her....well worth your time!
- complete review to follow
Engaging fascinating read, controversial character, one of those once in a generation kind of personalities that leaves no one indifferent to her....well worth your time!
- complete review to follow
February 14, 2013
One of the rabbit holes I encountered in writing about Mad King Ludwig was, of course, composer Richard Wagner. I’ve studied a bit since then about Wagner, and one cannot study Wagner without learning more about the woman behind the man — his wife, Cosima.
Cosima Wagner: The Lady of Bayreuth is a very thorough biography of this woman who can only be called a force of nature.
She was born the illegitimate daughter of pianist Franz Liszt, composer of crazy-hard piano pieces. Liszt and his countess lady friend had three children together, including Cosima, but like many artiste-types, they never felt the need to marry and so Cosima was raised largely by her grandmother and later by stern governesses.
Encouraged by her father, Cosima married conductor Hans von Bulow when she was 19. The marriage was not a success, although they had two daughters, Daniela and Blandine. Cosima met composer Richard Wagner and they began an affair, which apparently everyone except von Bulow was aware of.
Richard Wagner is the subject of many books himself — sure, he was a great composer. But he was also egotistical and sounds like he would be terrible to live with. He had a huge sense of entitlement and felt he should have the best of everything. No “starving artist” did he intend to be! “Is it such an outrageous demand to say that I deserve the little bit of luxury that I can bear? I, who can give pleasure to thousands,” he asked.
One thing in the book which fascinated me was how gossipy the newspapers of the day were. There was no internet or TV or celeb mags back then, so I guess the newspapers fulfilled that role. One newspaper referred to Cosima as Wagner’s “carrier pigeon” and mentioned her collecting money from the royal exchequer “for her ‘friend’ (or whatever).” Cosima’s husband challenged the newspaper editor to a duel, which he declined.
Cosima and Wagner had two daughters, Isolde and Eva (conveniently named for major figures in Wagner’s operas) while Cosima and von Bulow were still married. When Cosima and Wagner finally had the longed-for son, Siegfried, von Bulow and Cosima divorced at last.
With von Bulow out of the way, life for the Wagners became as normal as it ever would be. Wagner was busy composing, and his crowning glory was his “Ring Cycle” of 4 operas, given at his specially-built opera house in Bayreuth. I was amazed at some of the attendees at the first performance of the Ring operas: Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens, Nietzsche, Liszt, Bruckner — practically a who’s-who of famous artists of the day.
Twenty-four years younger than Wagner, Cosima was 45 when he died in Italy of a heart attack in 1883. In typical dramatic fashion, Cosima refused to leave Wagner’s body for 24 hours, even sleeping in the bed with his body and jumping into his open grave after the body had been put into it.
Cosima made herself into the protector of the Wagner “brand,” and promoted it aggressively. ‘Bayreuth’ became almost a type of religion for those drawn to the city for its Wagner performances. Even beyond the music, she promoted German pride and anti-Semitism, relentlessly picking at Jewish musician Hermann Levi who conducted many of the performances.
Cosima insisted on deifying her late husband. When a tenor came to audition for a part in an upcoming production and sang a piece by another composer, Cosima was shocked and asked him if he could sing something by Wagner.
She was known by rulers and the social elites far and wide. “Socially speaking, Cosima rules the roost,” said one associate.
A rift developed between Isolde and her husband Franz Beidler, and the other Wagners. The reasons for this are a bit fuzzy, but Isolde ended up being disinherited from the considerable money coming into the Wagners by that point, and most likely this led to her early death from tuberculosis at age 53. Cosima ordered that Isolde’s name never be uttered in her presence — an indication of the importance Cosima put on the Wagner family industry above even members of the Wagner family. Her daughter Blandine once said, “Mama has never cared about me. It is enough that I can tell my conscience that Mama never suffered on account of me.”
So total was Cosima’s blackout of her oldest daughter with Wagner that she didn’t even learn of her death until ten years after it had occurred.
The rift between Cosima and Isolde meant that Isolde’s son was out of the running as Wagner’s heir. Eva had married at 41 and had no children, and so securing the family dynasty fell to Siegfried, who was gay (not that Cosima knew or would admit this).
Eva and Cosima got busy searching for a suitable bride for “Fidi” as they called him, and eventually found one: Winifred Williams, an orphan raised by a foster father who had educated her in music — particularly Wagner’s music. The two met, where Winifred wrote that “we looked at each other in silence for at least 1 1/2 minutes.” The two married in 1915 — she was 18, he was 46.
Siegfried Wagner with his wife and children in the garden of their villa 'Wahnfried' at Bayreuth, Bavaria
In the 1920s, Hitler came onto the scene. His mania over German exceptionalism and the purity of the Aryan race aligned quite well with the Wagners’ view of the world, and when he visited them at Wahnfried in 1923, Siegfried said, “Hitler is a splendid person, the true soul of the German people.” Whether Cosima herself actually met Hitler (she was in failing health by this time) is uncertain.
After their children were born, Siegfried Wagner returned to his affairs with men and emotionally abandoned Winifred. She was so taken with Hitler and his eyes (“tremendously alluring, entirely blue, large and expressive”) that to this day there are rumors of an affair between them.
Cosima died in 1930 at the age of 90. She had lived through huge social changes and had been witness to much of the musical history of the 19th century and much 20th century history as well.
This book may be a bit more than you wanted to know if you’re just casually interested, but I found it fascinating. Step over, Hillary Clinton: Cosima Wagner was a woman of power way before her time.
*Excellent book, even if it gets a bit scholarly/draggy in spots.
Cosima Wagner: The Lady of Bayreuth is a very thorough biography of this woman who can only be called a force of nature.
She was born the illegitimate daughter of pianist Franz Liszt, composer of crazy-hard piano pieces. Liszt and his countess lady friend had three children together, including Cosima, but like many artiste-types, they never felt the need to marry and so Cosima was raised largely by her grandmother and later by stern governesses.
Encouraged by her father, Cosima married conductor Hans von Bulow when she was 19. The marriage was not a success, although they had two daughters, Daniela and Blandine. Cosima met composer Richard Wagner and they began an affair, which apparently everyone except von Bulow was aware of.
Richard Wagner is the subject of many books himself — sure, he was a great composer. But he was also egotistical and sounds like he would be terrible to live with. He had a huge sense of entitlement and felt he should have the best of everything. No “starving artist” did he intend to be! “Is it such an outrageous demand to say that I deserve the little bit of luxury that I can bear? I, who can give pleasure to thousands,” he asked.
One thing in the book which fascinated me was how gossipy the newspapers of the day were. There was no internet or TV or celeb mags back then, so I guess the newspapers fulfilled that role. One newspaper referred to Cosima as Wagner’s “carrier pigeon” and mentioned her collecting money from the royal exchequer “for her ‘friend’ (or whatever).” Cosima’s husband challenged the newspaper editor to a duel, which he declined.
Cosima and Wagner had two daughters, Isolde and Eva (conveniently named for major figures in Wagner’s operas) while Cosima and von Bulow were still married. When Cosima and Wagner finally had the longed-for son, Siegfried, von Bulow and Cosima divorced at last.
With von Bulow out of the way, life for the Wagners became as normal as it ever would be. Wagner was busy composing, and his crowning glory was his “Ring Cycle” of 4 operas, given at his specially-built opera house in Bayreuth. I was amazed at some of the attendees at the first performance of the Ring operas: Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens, Nietzsche, Liszt, Bruckner — practically a who’s-who of famous artists of the day.
Twenty-four years younger than Wagner, Cosima was 45 when he died in Italy of a heart attack in 1883. In typical dramatic fashion, Cosima refused to leave Wagner’s body for 24 hours, even sleeping in the bed with his body and jumping into his open grave after the body had been put into it.
Cosima made herself into the protector of the Wagner “brand,” and promoted it aggressively. ‘Bayreuth’ became almost a type of religion for those drawn to the city for its Wagner performances. Even beyond the music, she promoted German pride and anti-Semitism, relentlessly picking at Jewish musician Hermann Levi who conducted many of the performances.
Cosima insisted on deifying her late husband. When a tenor came to audition for a part in an upcoming production and sang a piece by another composer, Cosima was shocked and asked him if he could sing something by Wagner.
She was known by rulers and the social elites far and wide. “Socially speaking, Cosima rules the roost,” said one associate.
A rift developed between Isolde and her husband Franz Beidler, and the other Wagners. The reasons for this are a bit fuzzy, but Isolde ended up being disinherited from the considerable money coming into the Wagners by that point, and most likely this led to her early death from tuberculosis at age 53. Cosima ordered that Isolde’s name never be uttered in her presence — an indication of the importance Cosima put on the Wagner family industry above even members of the Wagner family. Her daughter Blandine once said, “Mama has never cared about me. It is enough that I can tell my conscience that Mama never suffered on account of me.”
So total was Cosima’s blackout of her oldest daughter with Wagner that she didn’t even learn of her death until ten years after it had occurred.
The rift between Cosima and Isolde meant that Isolde’s son was out of the running as Wagner’s heir. Eva had married at 41 and had no children, and so securing the family dynasty fell to Siegfried, who was gay (not that Cosima knew or would admit this).
Eva and Cosima got busy searching for a suitable bride for “Fidi” as they called him, and eventually found one: Winifred Williams, an orphan raised by a foster father who had educated her in music — particularly Wagner’s music. The two met, where Winifred wrote that “we looked at each other in silence for at least 1 1/2 minutes.” The two married in 1915 — she was 18, he was 46.
Siegfried Wagner with his wife and children in the garden of their villa 'Wahnfried' at Bayreuth, Bavaria
In the 1920s, Hitler came onto the scene. His mania over German exceptionalism and the purity of the Aryan race aligned quite well with the Wagners’ view of the world, and when he visited them at Wahnfried in 1923, Siegfried said, “Hitler is a splendid person, the true soul of the German people.” Whether Cosima herself actually met Hitler (she was in failing health by this time) is uncertain.
After their children were born, Siegfried Wagner returned to his affairs with men and emotionally abandoned Winifred. She was so taken with Hitler and his eyes (“tremendously alluring, entirely blue, large and expressive”) that to this day there are rumors of an affair between them.
Cosima died in 1930 at the age of 90. She had lived through huge social changes and had been witness to much of the musical history of the 19th century and much 20th century history as well.
This book may be a bit more than you wanted to know if you’re just casually interested, but I found it fascinating. Step over, Hillary Clinton: Cosima Wagner was a woman of power way before her time.
*Excellent book, even if it gets a bit scholarly/draggy in spots.
July 22, 2023
Virkelig interessant
April 12, 2011
Cosima Wagner: The Lady of Bayreuth
by Oliver Hilmes, translated by Stewart Spencer
published by Yale University Press, New Haven & London., 2010
ISBN: 978 0 300 15215-9
9780300152159
29.90 Euros, bought in Bayreuth
Available on Kindle & on Amazon ($26.40)
Reviewed by Hazel Edwards
(www.hazeledwards.com )
I’m not a Richard Wagner fan. My husband genuinely enjoys the music and legendary ideas behind the operas. Although I refused to call our daughter Brunnhilde or our son Siegfried, I read ‘Cosima Wagner’ because biographies of strong females within their social and historic context, interest me.
Whereas most Wagner Society members are experts on the complicated politics of Wagnerian music, culture and family relationships, as an outsider, I could read the biography impartially, and ask naïve questions.
And this is one of the strengths of Hilmes’ writing, as he provides the social context, and deftly explains the family reasons why Cosima might have been so manipulative, but allows you to make up your own mind. The writing is accessible and the tone is conversational. Hilmes poses the questions you might be thinking, and then tries to answer them.
Cosima’s treatment as the illegitimate daughter of Franz Liszt , and her adulation of the remote father genius , was transferred to Wagner and their children. As she made herself organisationally indispensible, and built the reputation of his music, her reflected power grew. The children appeared to be dynasty fodder, groomed to take over the family business, but not all were able. The biographer chronicles this and allows the reader to judge this tenacious flaw. Cosima was a status strategist, and excellent at evaluating the most effective networks to promote Wagner’s music, longterm.
The Wagnerian family tree endpapers are vital resources to work out the complicated family relationships. Frankly I had trouble with some of the liaisons, and had to keep checking names.
The strengths of Hilmes’ writing( remembering that it is via translation) are in conveying the German and French politics, musical patronage arrangements and explaining some of the Hitler connections. Similar adulation by Winifred to a genius mythology is a parallel to Cosima’s upbringing. The entrepreneurial focus of Bayreuth as a theatre town and the noble hospitality of Wahnfried, reliant on Cosima’s housewifery skills, such as how many chickens for dinner as well as which conductors to entice, was a multi-tasking achievement. Paying the bills was dependent upon patronage, although Wagner seemed to consider it his right to live off his hosts or patrons or simply leave debts behind.. Cosima was passionate in her singlemindedness about the right of his works for the nation. After Wagner’s death in 1883, Cosima lived on for almost fifty years, and created a Bayreuth Festival with herself as High Priestess of all things Wagnerian.
Much discussion has been provoked in our household by this book . How can musical ‘genius’ be an excuse for total self-centredness? Or post-humously, as the excuse for manipulating a musical legacy?
After a fortnight, I closed ‘Cosima Wagner’ with respect for the biographer’s craft, but glad I had not had to confront the strategist Cosima in person. And yet she must have had personal charm to convince others to contribute? And the mind of a hard-working lobbyist?
Hilmes also wrote a biography of Alma Mahler, so I will read that next. The dynamics of creative partnerships of the woman behind the male musical genius appear to be his specialty. The internal dynamics of co-dependencies in creative partnerships are not always as outsiders assume. A biographer such as Oliver Hilmes provides some insight into the motivations of two strong personalities whose actions have created a musical legacy.
Music was the family business which went global. Richard Wagner was the star. But Cosima was the business manager and publicist.
*********************************************************************
Author Hazel Edwards,(www.hazeledwards.com) best known of her 200 titles is the classic ‘There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake’ recently made into a film. She co-authored ‘Difficult Personalities’ (Penguin) with Dr Helen Mc Grath.
She’s married to Wagner fan, Garnet Edwards.
September 16, 2025
Hätte vorher eine Biografie zu Cosima/Richard selbst lesen sollen. Hat mein Interesse aber diesbezüglich geweckt
April 1, 2015
In seinem Bestseller schildert Oliver Hilmes das schillernde Leben der COSIMA WAGNER (1837 bis 1930). Ihre Ehe mit Richard Wagner begriff sie als künstlerische und weltanschauliche Mission. Als Festspielleiterin auf dem Grünen Hügel in Bayreuth verhalf sie der Musik Wagners zum grossen Durchbruch.
Cosima und Richard Wagner waren eindeutige Antisemiten. Deshalb ist die heutige Begeisterung für die Wagner-Festspiele in Bayreuth ganz sicher zu hinterfragen!
Cosima und Richard Wagner waren eindeutige Antisemiten. Deshalb ist die heutige Begeisterung für die Wagner-Festspiele in Bayreuth ganz sicher zu hinterfragen!
May 22, 2020
What a fantastic read! As gripping as it is well-researched, I can't recommend it highly enough. Cosima was a horrifying human being. If you have even the slightest interest in music history, psychological studies, horror stories -- seriously, wait till you see how she mistreated her father's corpse, and how she acted upon her husband's death -- or true crime -- see how she treated some of her children! -- this book is for you. It really deserves a wider audience!
Read
July 11, 2013Excerpt from our review:
"The imperious Cosima saw herself not just as custodian of Richard's legacy -- above all in the festival town of Bayreuth -- but as chief mourner at a never-ending funeral."
"The imperious Cosima saw herself not just as custodian of Richard's legacy -- above all in the festival town of Bayreuth -- but as chief mourner at a never-ending funeral."
February 22, 2018
Une étude absolument essentielle, complète, scientifiquement rigoureuse sur Cosima, la femme et la muse de la colline sacrée.
May 30, 2020
Brilliant!
April 7, 2021
I was looking forward to reading about Cosima Liszt Wagner after I have been reading extensively about Franz Liszt, her father.
Cosima Wagner: the Lady of Bayreuth is a scholarly bio and I felt the author was trying his best to cover for her behaviour. Well, it is hard to do. She was pretentious, conceited, snobbish, racist (anti-Semite in particular), entitled, mean-spirited, and more. On the positive side, she was hard working and she was the head of the family business, something unusual for a 19th century woman. At times I was looking forward to get to the end to part company with her and her nasty family.
Much is made in the book and in Cosima’s lifetime of Parsifal, Wagner’s last opera. As a music student, I studied Parsifal and did not have the life changing moment everyone in Cosima’s entourage seems to have experienced. In fact, I went back to the synopsis to see if I could find any trace of “German religion” or “pure race” but to no avail. Through his operas, Wagner wanted to marry music, theatre and poetry. Cosima changed his body of work into political and racial positioning. It is a travesty but it has kept the Bayreuth Festival on the map to this day.
Cosima Wagner: the Lady of Bayreuth is a scholarly bio and I felt the author was trying his best to cover for her behaviour. Well, it is hard to do. She was pretentious, conceited, snobbish, racist (anti-Semite in particular), entitled, mean-spirited, and more. On the positive side, she was hard working and she was the head of the family business, something unusual for a 19th century woman. At times I was looking forward to get to the end to part company with her and her nasty family.
Much is made in the book and in Cosima’s lifetime of Parsifal, Wagner’s last opera. As a music student, I studied Parsifal and did not have the life changing moment everyone in Cosima’s entourage seems to have experienced. In fact, I went back to the synopsis to see if I could find any trace of “German religion” or “pure race” but to no avail. Through his operas, Wagner wanted to marry music, theatre and poetry. Cosima changed his body of work into political and racial positioning. It is a travesty but it has kept the Bayreuth Festival on the map to this day.
May 2, 2022
Ein spannendes Buch über die weit verzweigte Wagner-Dynastie. Machtkämpfe, Krankheiten, Intrigen, glückliche sowie unglückliche kinderreiche und kinderlose Ehen, alles ist dabei. Das alles im Kontext der Zeit - Festspiele, Weltkriege, Nazi-Deutschland. Die Familienbeziehungen konnten überwiegend aus Briefwechsel rekonstruiert werden, womit sich der Autor sicher Mühe gegeben hat, alles einzustudieren und zu beschreiben. Dabei langweilt er den Leser nie - die Kapitel sind logisch struktuiert und verständlich und spannend beschrieben. Jeder, der die Familie Wagner näher kennenlernen möchte, ist hier richtig angelangt. An der Rückseite findet man einen praktischen Familienbaum bis zu den Großenkeln Richard und Cosima Wagners.
August 6, 2020
Fascinating book about a crazy family. Some very perceptive psychological analysis but often wanted it to go further — could have done without the odd ‘but that’s a story for another time’ (also the last sentence of the whole book)
July 27, 2017
Such unpleasant people were the Wagners: loose morality, elitism and anti-semitism. Fighting amongst themselves. But quite fascinating in spite of it all.
December 21, 2023
I read this in German, although I am not a native. This book describes the life of Cosima, later the wife of Richard Wagner. The book is based on her letters, letters from and to friends and the archives of the Wagner museum in Bayreuth. At the start the tone is defensive. Cosima was an illegitimate child. Her father was Franz Liszt and her mother was a princess. That should have given her a good start in life, but the author claims she was discriminated against due to the circumstances of her birth. Later she matter the conductor von Bulow, and has an affair and finally matter Wagner. In all, she had 5 children: 4 girls and 1 boy. She organized and ran the Wagner Festspiele after Wagner's death in 1883. She favored the boy, Siegfried, and he eventually took over the lead of the Wagner Festspiele in 1909. Siegfried died in 1930, as did Cosima. After Siegfried, Cosima's daughter in law ran the Wagner Festspiele.
Overall I got the clear message that she was a strong character, devoted to Wagner, and eager to build up the Wagner Festspiele. She succeeded, but fell into a group of anti-semites. Although none of the following is in this book, it is important for the history of the Wagner Festspiele from 1890 to 1950. The anti-semitism of the family colored the reputation of the Wagner Festspiele until after WWII. Her grandchildren finally managed to reestablish the reputation of the Wagner Festspiele, starting in the 1950s.
This is a good book, but for me, the most intersting part of the Wagner Festspiele is from 1951 to the present. A follow up book on that time would be very interesting.
Overall I got the clear message that she was a strong character, devoted to Wagner, and eager to build up the Wagner Festspiele. She succeeded, but fell into a group of anti-semites. Although none of the following is in this book, it is important for the history of the Wagner Festspiele from 1890 to 1950. The anti-semitism of the family colored the reputation of the Wagner Festspiele until after WWII. Her grandchildren finally managed to reestablish the reputation of the Wagner Festspiele, starting in the 1950s.
This is a good book, but for me, the most intersting part of the Wagner Festspiele is from 1951 to the present. A follow up book on that time would be very interesting.
August 23, 2013
Glede na to, da Bayreutha verjetno nikoli ne bom doživela, je tole kar fin nadomestek. Zgodba o eni najbolj znanih umetniških dinastij, slika matriarhata in zgodovinsko ozadje pajdašenja s Hitlerjem in nacionalsocialisti. Wagnerjem očitno nikoli ni bilo dolgčas, meni pa tudi ne, ko sem brala tale umetniško-zgodovinski trač. Fino.
December 31, 2010
This was a well-researched bio. It's very detailed and begins with her early life, which gives insight to what made her the woman she was. If you like bios about music personages you'll love reading this.
May 21, 2012
Very readable and not too many ridiculous biographer inferences.
May 22, 2013
Razburljiva družinska saga o zmagoslavju, tragediji in genialnosti dinastije Wagner ...
September 10, 2012
fast interessanter als das Leben des alten Richard...
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews