Richard Wagner's "Wesendonck Lieder" the perfect synthesis between the Master and his Muse

Richard Wagner published his Fünf Gedichte für eine Frauenstimme in 1862. The texts for this work are the poems of Mathilde Wesendonck, the wife of his benefactor Otto Wesendonck. Wagner’s romantic feelings for Mathilde are discussed at length by scholars concerning the creation of his opera Tristan und Isolde, but less attention has been given to these songs, which were written simultaneously. This document gives detailed insight into the lives of both Wagner and Mathilde during the time these songs were written and how they are intertwined with the music and text of Tristan und Isolde. A thorough analysis of Mathilde’s poetry reveals her mutual feelings for Wagner. The poetry of the songs was directly influenced by the libretto for the opera, which in turn was influenced by the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer, particularly his idea of the renunciation of the will. The synthesis of Wagner’s music and Mathilde’s poetry is the masterpiece produced from their unconsummated affair