With the breaking up of the fundamental line and the devastation of musical truth, Wagner has inflicted a fate upon music corresponding to that which Karl Marx has inflicted upon society with the demolishing of all tradition and truths which are founded on it, but which he does not comprehend. And just as one, to put it quite coarsely, could very well name Karl Marx the executioner of German humanity, although still not quite the executioner of capitalism in general, one can also say of Wagner, that he had turned into the executioner of German music, although still not quite into the executioner of the music of other peoples as well. And all their work, so widely and enormously have they extended it, dwindles away before such a small but far-seeing creation of genius. It has become destiny for German music, that Wagner was outdistanced in a different way by another Mozart. The fundamental line is the prophetic gift of the composer.
Prophetic gift is a heavy burden.
The prophet suffers unspeakably when a good wants to communicate through him, to say nothing of the pains which he suffers at the sight of a people who cannot partake of the revelation and, because it cannot, does not want to. The low level of music was reached long ago and it is now valid to strengthen the nerves which are quite disturbed through artistic laziness. With that strengthening, they can once again perform that so difficult service to the art within a reasonable amount of time. The hour of change has been struck. End Notes 1 .