My Life by Richard Wagner

An autobiographical memoir by the famed composer that traces his upbringing and early musical struggles, his political involvement and exile after the 1849 Dresden uprising, and the passions, patronage, and rivalries that shaped his life; it interweaves accounts of the composition and staging of major operatic works, reflections on artistic theory, and often combative, self-justifying commentary that reveals both creative ambition and personal contradictions.

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