Music, we show a front implacable to whatsoe’er we rate as spurious. Indeed it wakes in us no little pain, to see the downfall of our musical affairs so utterly unheeded; for so our last religion melts away in jugglery. (…) And where and when, with us, is music not made? Announce the end of the world, and a grand Extra-concert will be arranged for the event! (…) And then the Concert-establishments, the Musical Academies and Oratorio-unions, the soirees and matinees of Chamber-music! Who composes for all these music-making conventicles, and – how can they ever be composed for? We know quite well: not one true word does their music say. And we, who have to hear it, put out thereby the last light the German God had left in us to find our way back to him!“ [1000W-{12/25/79} Introduction to the Year 1880: PW Vol. VI, p. 34-35]
[1001W-{12/28/79}CD Vol. II, p. 418]
[P. 418] {anti-FEUER/NIET} “Yesterday evening he read to me some passages from poor Nietzsche’s new book [presumably Daybreak], and E. Schure’s saying about ‘nihilisme ecoeurant’ (‘nauseating nihilism’) came into his mind. ‘To feel nothing but scorn for such a noble and compelling figure as Jesus Christ!’ R. exclaims indignantly. He continues with it today and reads several more things (about ‘Faust,’ for instance) which are horrifying.” [1001W-{12/28/79}CD Vol. II, p. 418]
[1002W-{1/7/80}CD Vol. II, p. 421]
[P. 421] {anti-FEUER/NIET} “… all he regrets is that G. [Goethe] never managed to rid himself of the idea of God as a part of Nature concealed by Nature, whom one should not seek, although he is there; in consequence of this, one is obliged to look upon Christ, God’s son, as a problematical being. ‘It would be well worth the trouble to define what we mean by God, but who can do that?’ “ [1002W-{1/7/80}CD Vol. II, p. 421]
[1003W-{1/13/80} CD Vol. II, p. 424]
[P. 424] {FEUER} {anti-FEUER/NIET} “Humanity runs in two parallel lines … ; the one is concerned with nothing but plunder and murder, the other can be regarded as a reaction against that: no figure is more sublimely moving than that of Christ, and all the rest who affect us have been his imitators.” [1003W-{1/13/80} CD Vol. II, p. 424]
[1004W-{1/13/80} CD Vol. II, p. 424]
[P. 424] {anti-FEUER} “He tells me the thought he has written down: ‘The path from religion to art bad, from art to religion good.’ “ [1004W-{1/13/80} CD Vol. II, p. 424]
[1005W-{1/15/80}CD Vol. II, p. 426]
[P. 426] “Regarding poets, he says a poet is a visionary, and he tells me how Herwegh always needed a framework for his thoughts: ‘He grew lazy and, like all idle people, sought refuge in science, dissecting frogs. {FEUER} I wanted to get him producing again and suggested the subject of reincarnation, 9 cantos, three figures with 3 cantos for each, the same type recurring at different
