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Friedrich_Nietzsche - Untimely_Meditations_(Cambridge_Texts_in_the_History_of_Philosophy__1997)

Friedrich_Nietzsche - Untimely_Meditations_(Cambridge_Texts_in_the_History_of_Philosophy__1997)

Friedrich_Nietzsche - Untimely_Meditations_(Cambridge_Texts_in_the_History_of_Philosophy__1997)

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11'1 ';<strong>Untimely</strong> <strong>Meditations</strong>whole series <strong>of</strong> artistic spirits and consequently has more to concealthan <strong>the</strong> first <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> series had; his art, as nature reproduced andrediscovered, has <strong>the</strong> effect <strong>of</strong> nature. He has noth<strong>in</strong>g epideicticabout him, as have all earlier composers who occasionally played agame with <strong>the</strong>ir art and put <strong>the</strong>ir mastery on display. At a performance<strong>of</strong> a Wagnerian art-work one is not aware <strong>of</strong> what is <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>gor enjoyable, or <strong>of</strong> Wagner himself, or <strong>of</strong> art at all: one feels only <strong>the</strong>necessity <strong>of</strong>it all. What severity and uniformity <strong>of</strong> purpose he imposedupon his will, what self-overcom<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> artist had need <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>years <strong>of</strong> his development so as at last <strong>in</strong> his maturity to do with joyfulfreedom what was necessary at every moment <strong>of</strong> creation, no onewill ever be able to calculate: it is enough if we sense <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>dividualcases how, with a certa<strong>in</strong> cruelty <strong>of</strong> decision, his music subord<strong>in</strong>atesitself to <strong>the</strong> course <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> drama, which is as <strong>in</strong>exorable as fate, while<strong>the</strong> fiery soul <strong>of</strong> this art thirsts to roam about for once unchecked <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> freedom <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> wilderness.10An artist who possesses this power over himself subjugates all o<strong>the</strong>rartists even without want<strong>in</strong>g to do so. To him alone, on <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>rhand, do those he subjects, his friends and adherents, represent nodanger or limitation: whereas lesser characters who seek supportfrom <strong>the</strong>ir friends generally lose <strong>the</strong>ir freedom through <strong>the</strong>m. It iswonderful to see how his whole life long Wagner has avoided anyk<strong>in</strong>d <strong>of</strong> party, but how none<strong>the</strong>less a circle <strong>of</strong> adherents has formeditselfbeh<strong>in</strong>d every phase <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> development <strong>of</strong> his art, apparently <strong>in</strong>order to keep him fixed at that phase. He was always able to frustratethis <strong>in</strong>tention and to pass through to <strong>the</strong> next phase; his path hasbeen too long, moreover, for any o<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>dividual to have found iteasy to accompany him <strong>the</strong> whole way and so unusual and steep thateven <strong>the</strong> most loyal would f<strong>in</strong>d <strong>the</strong>mselves out <strong>of</strong> breath. At almostevery stage <strong>of</strong> Wagner's life his friends would have liked to have laiddown <strong>the</strong> law to him; and so, for different reasons, would hisenemies. If <strong>the</strong> purity <strong>of</strong> his artistic character had been only a degreeless firm he could have become <strong>the</strong> uncontested master <strong>of</strong> contemporaryart and music a great deal sooner: - which is what he hasf<strong>in</strong>ally become, though <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> much higher sense that everyth<strong>in</strong>gthat takes place <strong>in</strong> any doma<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> art sees itself <strong>in</strong>voluntarily setbefore <strong>the</strong> judgment seat <strong>of</strong> his art and his artistic character. He hassubdued even <strong>the</strong> most reluctant: <strong>the</strong>re is no longer any musician <strong>of</strong>244

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