The correspondence of two sisters-in-law: Minna Wagner (1809-1866) and Cäcilie Avenarius (1815-1893). Since one was the wife of the composer and the other his half-sister, it is hardly surprising that this correspondence largely focuses on the man to whom his wife, despite great injuries, felt bound for life and to whom his half-sister also remained fundamentally loyal, regardless of her disapproval of Wagners private escapades and her sympathy with her sister-in-law. The correspondence will not only be of interest in the narrow field of biographical scholarship on Wagner, but also to Wagnerians who are interested in observing seven years in the life and work of the Meister from the perspective of the two women close to him.

Martin Geck lehrte als emeritierter Professor für Musikgeschichte und -ästhetik an der Technischen Universität Dortmund. Seine in ein Dutzend Sprachen übersetzten Bücher widmen sich der deutschen Musik des 17. bis 19. Jahrhunderts. Bekannt sind seine Würdigungen Bachs, Mozarts, Beethovens, Schumanns und Wagners sowie seine Musikgeschichte des 19. Jahrhunderts, die unter dem Titel 'Von Beethoven bis Mahler' erschienen ist. **** Martin Geck was Emeritus Professor for Music History and Musical Aesthetics at the Technical University of Dortmund. His books on German music of the 17th to 19th centuries have been translated into a dozen languages. He is best known for his studies of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Wagner and for his history of 19th-century music entitled 'Von Beethoven bis Mahler'.