1876 Bayreuth: Chronicle of the First Performance of Richard Wagner's Buhnenfestspiel Der Ring des Nibelungen by K.H. Kalb

"This book is devoted exclusively to the period of Richard Wagner’s residence, artistic endeavors, and ultimate apotheosis in Bayreuth. A chronicle of day-to-day events in the years of 1870 to 1876, it documents a succession of vivid episodes, capturing quaint and real-life glimpses into that bygone era of imperial Wilhelminian Germany as well as charming vignettes from the world of high culture, together with down-to-earth views of prosaic everyday life in Bayreuth. The contemporaneous documentation is gleaned from authentic local and regional press reports, along with diary and journal entries giving firsthand personal accounts of participants in the first Bayreuth Festival of 1876. Quoting from these primary sources throughout, the chronicler writes in a jaunty, narrative style, moving deftly from scene to scene in smooth succession, interlaced with pithy reflections. He also draws a fascinating, nuanced portrait of Richard Wagner, doubtless the most innovative, fascinating, and controversial figure of modern European music."
From the Introduction

Acknowledgements

Introduction

List of Named Singers and Participants in Performances of Der Ring des Nibelungen at the First Bayreuth Festival

Richard Wagner’s Rendezvous with Destiny

Richard Wagner’s Departure for Bayreuth

Construction and Celebration in Bayreuth

Rehearsing Der Ring des Nibelungen in Bayreuth
Performing
Der Ring des Nibelungen in Bayreuth