The Lady of Wagner Minna Planer
Wilhelm Richard Wagner (1813–1883) was a leading composer, playwright, director, conductor, music critic and author of German opera.
One of the unrivaled artists throughout 19th-century European music and culture, Wagner is known as a playboy, and there were many women in his life.
The first wife, Minna Planner, and the wife of Otto von Bejendonk, Mathilde Lukemeyer Bejendonk, whom Wagner liked but failed to achieve, and the third woman is Francesca Cosima, an illegitimate son between the musicians Franz Liszt and Marie d’Agussai.
Eventually, Kojima became Wagner’s second wife after having an affair with Wagner as a married woman despite the fierce opposition of her father, Liszt, and having an illegitimate daughter and divorcing her husband.
Now let’s dive into the love story with flirtatious Wagner’s first wife, Minna Planner.
1. Minna Planer, the first protagonist of Wagner’s lover
Wagner married Christine Wilhelmine “Minna” Planer (1809-1866), an actress who was called “Minna,” on Nov. 24, 1836. Minna Planer was born in the Kingdom of Saxony, the daughter of an army trumpeter, Gothelf Planer.
She grew up in a poor family, and at the age of 15 was seduced by Einsidel, the leader of the royal Saxon Army Guard, who left her after impregnating her.
Having an illegitimate daughter at an early age, Minna and her parents were sent to rural relatives to hide their young daughter’s pregnancy. Born the following year, Minna’s daughter Natalie (aka “Netty”) was raised as Minna’s sister.
Minna was called by many German theater companies for her outstanding beauty, and as a female adolescent actor, she played the main role in the tragedy stage and was applauded by the public.
Her physical attraction led to many proposals from men.
One suitor wrote to Minna, “When nature created you, you broke all the mold and the creator may no longer have to create beautiful images.”
It expresses Minna’s beauty well.
In 1834, Minna, who was 25 years old, appeared in local performances as a member of a theater company.
Just as Wagner was looking for accommodation there, he came across Minna, and the 21-year-old Wagner fell in love with her beauty at a glance.
Wagner, who fell in love with Minna, pushed her like a storm, and by the time she returned home in October of that year, the two were in a relationship.
However, many suitors flocked to Minna’s beauty, and she continued to suffer from being chased by suitors.
Wagner was unable to take Minna away from others, so he lied and told people around him that he and Minna had already been engaged.
Under such circumstances, Wagner, who occupied Minna, was jealous, possessive, and had a strong personality.
She frequently argued with the gentle Minna, and the end of such quarrels was often the case where the weak Minna gave way in tears.
In November 1835, Minna, who was dissatisfied with Wagner, became dissatisfied with his troupe’s dogmatic actions and decided to move the troupe and suddenly left for the theater in Berlin.
Wagner recklessly visited Berlin and begged for marriage, embarrassed by Minna’s sudden behavior. In the end, Minna agreed to restore her former relationship after Wagner’s desperate plea.
However, life was tight. Wagner was in a petty position as vice-director of the Berlin Band, and the two continued to live a small and financial life.
Despite tough circumstances, Wagner and Minna were married at Tragheim Church on Nov. 26, 1836. Minna learned that being Wagner’s wife was not the marriage she longed for.
First of all, it was financially difficult, and I realized that Wagner and I were not people who could live only with love and respect.
It was very difficult for Minna to be out of Wagner’s common sense. They even argued with each other in front of the pastor who attended the wedding.
2. A poor life on the run, Mr. and Mrs. Wagner
Wagner, who wasn’t making enough money, continued to owe money. Even before Wagner’s marriage, Minna had to be urged by debtors frequently because she had a lot of debt and even spent money.
Wagner’s humble status as a musician had to settle for a small amount of money, and Minna was in charge of providing a living. Minna’s outstanding beauty and acting skills allowed her to continue to gain popularity on stage.
Minna was dissatisfied with Wagner, who lacked economic power and was eccentric in character. Additionally, despite being seduced by many men because of her exceptional beauty, Wagner’s low interest and Minna’s weak will made it difficult to resist.
Finally, on May 31, 1837, Minna and a local businessman named Dietrich took Minna’s daughter Natalie and fled Wagner.
Surprised, Wagner searched for Minna and asked around, but eventually found her at Minna’s parents’ house in Dresden.
Wagner earnestly asked Minna to come back to him. Reluctantly, Minna changed her mind and made up.
In October of that year, Wagner barely managed to serve as music director for a local opera company in Riga, but living conditions did not improve easily.
Until 1839, the couple faced a lot of debt and struggled with it. They were forced to leave Riga due to debt demands, but their debts continued to follow through the rest of their lives.
During these escapades, they faced a storm on their way to England and passed the risk of dying. This experience inspired Wagner to compose the song “The Wandering Dutchman”.
Back in Paris, the couple spent many years in Paris, where Wagner made a living by writing lyrics and arranging operas by other composers.
Despite their poor lives, Wagner was eventually imprisoned for his debts. Their lives were so difficult that Minna had to beg for money from her German friends in Paris to free her husband.
In April 1842, the Wagnerians were allowed to leave Paris because in Dresden, Wagner became Capelmeister (music director) of the Royal Orchestra.
Finally, Minna achieved some financial stability and social status that she had hoped for.
However, Wagner’s involvement in the Dresden uprising, a pan-Slavist and anarchist movement, issued an arrest warrant in May 1849, and Wagner fled to Zurich.
Because Minna was sighing that she was living a stable life, she was extremely angry at Wagner’s irresponsible behavior. Since then, their relationship has cooled beyond repair.
Minna considered Zurich, Switzerland, a small rural city, and lamented that Wagner had lost his social status as a Capelmeister, which provided a stable income.
It wasn’t until August of that year that Minna agreed to rejoin Wagner in Zurich, but their relationship grew cold and their pursuit changed completely.
Moreover, Minna could understand Wagner’s work as a conductor, but her mind turned completely to see Minna working on Wagner’s opera work, which she did not like and did not want to understand.
However, Minna was not the person she was when she was young, boasting of her old beauty. Wagner had already been tied up because she was too old to work on the stage.
Before joining Wagner in Zurich, he sent a letter that he had no heart but wanted to win back Wagner’s heart.
Eventually, she was shaking in fear of becoming a slave to her husband, and this fear was a great stress. Minna began to show signs of heart disease at this time due to a lot of stress.
However, Wagner, who had left her heart from Minna, had an affair with 21-year-old Jesse Rosso, who was already married, and in 1850 planned to flee to the Far East and attempted to leave Minna with Jesse.
However, Minna noticed Wagner’s cowardly plan of action and persuaded Jessi to stop and abandon the plan with Jessi’s mother.
The awkward Wagner eventually returned to Minna. And their relationship seemed to have regained its original enthusiasm for a while.
However, while Wagner, who could not hide his true colors, worked on a work called “Tristan and Isolde” in 1857, his relationship with married woman Mathilde Wesendonk finally played a decisive role in the final separation between Minna and Wagner.
After discovering a letter from Wagner to Mathilde in April 1858, Minna accused them of adultery, which Wagner denied, claiming that Minna had made a “readful interpretation” of his letter.
Minna thinks Wagner was seduced by Mathilde and in a subsequent letter called her “that dirty woman.” Despite these clarifications, Wagner and Minna eventually separated.
However, Wagner was considerate to travel together to Venice to treat Minna’s deteriorating heart condition.
Although Minna and Wagner did not live together again, they did not divorce. Minna survived through Wagner’s financial support for the rest of her life, but eventually died of a heart attack in Dresden in 1866.
The love story between Mathilde Wesendonk, a woman who abandoned Minna, and Kojima, an illegitimate son of Franz Liszt, a flirtatious musician who rivals Wagner, will be covered in the next episode.
