Friedrich Nietzsche regarded himself as the most musical philosopher—he played the piano, wrote his own compositions and espoused a philosophy encouraging all to dance for joy. Central to his life and his ideas were the music and personality of Richard Wagner, whom he both loved and loathed at different times of his life. Nietzsche had considerable influence on composers, many of whom employed Wagnerian sonorities to set his words and respond to his ideas. This book explores Nietzsche’s relationship with Wagner, the influence of his writings on the music of Strauss, Mahler, Delius, Scriabin, Busoni and others, his place in Thomas Mann’s critique of German Romantic music in the novel Doctor Faustus and his impact on 20th-century popular music.

David Huckvale has worked as a researcher, writer and presenter for BBC Radio and as a lecturer for various universities in England. He lives in rural Bedfordshire.

David Huckvale
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 232
Bibliographic Info: 32 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6340-1
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2711-3
Imprint: McFarland

Table of Contents


Overture 1

 1. Leider, Nietzsches Lieder 11

 2. Tribschen Idyll 22

 3. Beethoven 41

 4. The Case of Wagner 51

 5. The Antidote 66

 6. Richard Strauss 76

 7. Gustav Mahler 93

 8. Alexander Scriabin 104

 9. Frederick Delius 119

10. Benjamin Britten 128

11. Béla Bartók 138

12. Karol Szymanowski 147

13. Alphons Diepenbrock 156

14. Ferruccio Busoni 164

15. Thomas Mann 172

Finale: Nietzsche and Popular Music 187

Chapter Notes 199

Bibliography 213

Index 217