--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Wagner's philosophy had absolutely…" description: "\"Wagner's philosophy had absolutely nothing to do with Bruckner. Bruckner hadn't written a single word against Jews. Wagner's book on the Jews was one o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/zubin-mehta-7563_19th-century_wagner-s-philosophy-had-absolutely-nothi_2577208.jpg" --- # Wagner's philosophy had absolutely nothing to do with… ![“Wagner's philosophy had absolutely nothing to do with Bruckner. Bruckner hadn't written a single word against Jews. Wagner's book on the Jews was one of the most infamous books of the 19th century.” quote by Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/zubin-mehta-7563_19th-century_wagner-s-philosophy-had-absolutely-nothi_2577208.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/zubin-mehta-7563_19th-century_wagner-s-philosophy-had-absolutely-nothi_2577208.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/zubin-mehta-7563_19th-century_wagner-s-philosophy-had-absolutely-nothi_2577208.jpg) > “Wagner's philosophy had absolutely nothing to do with Bruckner. Bruckner hadn't written a single word against Jews. Wagner's book on the Jews was one of the most infamous books of the 19th century.” [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Wagner's antisemitic writings are unrelated to Bruckner's music, which contains no anti‑Jewish content. **In simple terms:** Wagner's hate ideas don't reflect Bruckner's work. Key Takeaway Separate composer’s ideas from their music. Themes music history antisemitism legacy Mood reflective critical thoughtful Type analytical ethical historical When to use this quote - concert programming - educational curricula - public discussions about art and morality - museum exhibits Key Concepts cultural context ethical criticism musical analysis Questions to Reflect On - How should we evaluate art created by individuals with hateful views? - Can a composer’s music be appreciated independently of their ideology? A Different Perspective Some argue any association taints Bruckner’s reputation despite lack of evidence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [19th century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/19th-century/) [Absolutely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutely/) [Absolutely nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absolutely-nothing/) [Against](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/against/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Bruckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bruckner-1746346/) [Bruckner Bruckner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bruckner-bruckner-1746347/) [Bruckner Hadn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bruckner-hadn-1746348/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Had](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/had/) [Infamous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infamous/) [Jews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jews/) [Jews Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jews-wagner-1746344/) [Judaism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/judaism/) [Most](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/most/) [Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nothing/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/) [Single](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single/) [Single word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/single-word/) [Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wagner/) [Wagner Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wagner-philosophy-1746345/) [Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/) ## Related quotes > [“I know of only one composer who measures up to Beethoven, and that is Bruckner.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wagner/i-know-of-only-one-composer-who-measures-up-to-beethoven-and-that-is/) [Richard Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wagner/) > [Bruckner's Eighth is a colossus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/bruckner-s-eighth-is-a-colossus/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [“Part of what Brahms and others could never quite get over was that Bruckner the composer of epic symphonies behaved, much of the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-swafford/part-of-what-brahms-and-others-could-never-quite-get-over-was-that/) [Jan Swafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-swafford/) > [I think that the first World War put an end the kind of music that Mahler, Bruckner and Richard Strauss were writing. A change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-bream/i-think-that-the-first-world-war-put-an-end-the-kind-of-music-that/) [Julian Bream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-bream/) > [An artist should make concessions to the listener. That is why Bruckner dedicated one of his symphonies to the Good Lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/an-artist-should-make-concessions-to-the-listener-that-is-why/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [“Bruckner he is my man!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wagner/bruckner-he-is-my-man/) [Richard Wagner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-wagner/) > [Anton Bruckner wrote the same symphony nine times, trying to get it just right. He failed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/anton-bruckner-wrote-the-same-symphony-nine-times-trying-to-get-it/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [After conducting Wagner, Beethoven's triple concerto is like taking an Alka Seltzer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/after-conducting-wagner-beethoven-s-triple-concerto-is-like-taking-an/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [You might say that Richard Wagner was the Queen Victoria of Europe. He had musical children everywhere!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/you-might-say-that-richard-wagner-was-the-queen-victoria-of-europe-he/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [I dig Strauss and Wagner. Those cats are good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimi-hendrix/i-dig-strauss-and-wagner-those-cats-are-good/) [Jimi Hendrix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimi-hendrix/) > [I love Italian opera - it's so reckless. Damn Wagner, and his bellowings at Fate and death. Damn Debussy, and his averted face. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/i-love-italian-opera-it-s-so-reckless-damn-wagner-and-his-bellowings/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [As any opera fan knows, lawyers and judges do not fare well in most operas. Just consider the productions of 'Andrea Chenier,' 'Aida, Norma,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-decrow/as-any-opera-fan-knows-lawyers-and-judges-do-not-fare-well-in-most/) [Karen DeCrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-decrow/) > [“She's sweet on Wagner. I think she'd die for Beethoven. she loves the way Puccini lays down a tune, and Verdi's always creeping from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/electric-light-orchestra/she-s-sweet-on-wagner-i-think-she-d-die-for-beethoven-she-loves-the/) [Electric Light Orchestra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/electric-light-orchestra/) > [Ah! My dear friend painting is to us what the music of Berlioz and Wagner was before us - a consolatory art for sore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/ah-my-dear-friend-painting-is-to-us-what-the-music-of-berlioz-and/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Up to the age of 14 I had not heard a note of anything before 1750, never heard a note of Bach, never heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-reich/up-to-the-age-of-14-i-had-not-heard-a-note-of-anything-before-1750/) [Steve Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-reich/) ## More by Zubin Mehta > [I'm a Persian Jew, and we don't speak Hebrew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/i-m-a-persian-jew-and-we-don-t-speak-hebrew/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [I've never said, 'I live for art.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/i-ve-never-said-i-live-for-art/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [...Ori Kam is an outstanding violist who has already played as a soloist with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra twice, much to our delight and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/ori-kam-is-an-outstanding-violist-who-has-already-played-as-a-soloist/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [New York for a long time was a kind of conductor's graveyard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/new-york-for-a-long-time-was-a-kind-of-conductor-s-graveyard/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [Citizens of India, Pakistan, and Kashmir need to come together and make music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/citizens-of-india-pakistan-and-kashmir-need-to-come-together-and-make/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [I have been to Kashmir many times, especially with my family, in the '70s.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/i-have-been-to-kashmir-many-times-especially-with-my-family-in-the-70s/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [In truth, I became a conductor because deep down I wanted to conduct Brahmss four symphonies and Richard Strausss tone poems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/in-truth-i-became-a-conductor-because-deep-down-i-wanted-to-conduct/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [I'm a pucca Indian. Bombay is my home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/i-m-a-pucca-indian-bombay-is-my-home/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [My tastes are Viennese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/my-tastes-are-viennese/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [Music is the message of peace, and music only brings peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/music-is-the-message-of-peace-and-music-only-brings-peace/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [I am jealous of all those people who live on the shore of Dal Lake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/i-am-jealous-of-all-those-people-who-live-on-the-shore-of-dal-lake/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [Most Arab Israelis speak Hebrew, but not the other way around. It's about time that changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/most-arab-israelis-speak-hebrew-but-not-the-other-way-around-it-s/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [ Essentially, the \[New York\] Philharmonic is just like any other orchestra-they all have the spirit of kids, and if you scratch away a little… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/essentially-the-new-york-philharmonic-is-just-like-any-other/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [I always look at the work of fashion designers as if they were art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/i-always-look-at-the-work-of-fashion-designers-as-if-they-were-art/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) > [There are three orchestras in Munich, all world-quality, in a city of one million. Yet every hall is full.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubin-mehta/there-are-three-orchestras-in-munich-all-world-quality-in-a-city-of/) [Zubin Mehta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) [Explore all 90 Zubin Mehta quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zubin-mehta/) ## More 19th century quotes > [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/) [Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/) > [Nineteenth-century English literature I know; 19th-century sewage systems, not so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-duncan/nineteenth-century-english-literature-i-know-19th-century-sewage/) [Glen Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-duncan/) > [“Washington was no politician as we understand the word," replied Ratcliffe abruptly. "He stood outside of politics. The thing couldn't be done today. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/washington-was-no-politician-as-we-understand-the-word-replied/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Then years back, when I moved to California, I happened to see a book about fashions of 19th-century Victorian England, only four pages of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/then-years-back-when-i-moved-to-california-i-happened-to-see-a-book/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Like the railroads that brought us together in the 19th century, these trails will bring us together in the 20th and 21st centuries. 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Luddites were those frenzied traditionalists of the early 19th century who toured \[England\] wrecking new weaving machines on the theory that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/luddites-were-those-frenzied-traditionalists-of-the-early-19th/) [James A. 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I don't think that today's women see motherhood as a source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-wright/an-ethic-of-maternalism-was-central-to-the-utopianism-of-19th-century/) [Clare Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-wright/) [Browse all 383 19th century quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/19th-century/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Wagner's philosophy had absolutely nothing to do with Bruckner. Bruckner hadn't written a single word against Jews. 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