Editing Das Judenthum in der Musik (section)

==The 1869 republishing==
Seeking to explain to friends the source of the unprecedented hostility towards himself and his artwork by music critics in the press,<ref>Wagner, 1869</ref> Wagner republished his essay in 1869 under his own name along with expanded commentary on the original's purpose and reception. Some edits were made to the original 1850 text, toning down its offensive language.

Wagner defends his use of a pseudonym in the original publication of the essay, having wanted to prevent the discussion from being diverted to personal matters, which he believed would happen if his real name was attached. Despite this, Wagner was soon recognized as the essay's author. 

According to Wagner, while the original essay itself was ignored in an effort to stifle the conversation it sought to provoke, critics pivoted to attacking him in other areas, such as his other published art writings and stage works, in a "reverse persecution" by the Jewish intelligentsia which Wagner asserts controls the press.<ref>Wagner, 1869</ref> This included the significant mocking of himself and Liszt as the "prophets" of the "[[The Artwork of the Future |Music of the Future]]" in the newspapers, led by music critic [[Eduard Hanslick]], who initially supported Wagner but later turned on him around 1854, with his publication of ''On the Beautiful in Music''. Hanslick's theory of aesthetic beauty based on formal structure, which Wagner derides in his essay as "Jewish",<ref>Wagner, 1869</ref> was [[War of the Romantics|at odds]] with Wagner's own theories based on relatively formless passionate expression. 

Wagner argues at length against Hanslick's "Music Judaism", which includes not just Jewish musicians but any composer who adopts this diluted style. He cites [[Robert Schumann]] as a composer whose youthful and spirited compositions turned superficial and pretentious in later years due to the influence of "Music Judaism".

In closing, Wagner appeals to the Jewish people directly, acknowledging the significant talents and virtues within Jewish society and suggesting that the oppression faced by the German spirit under Judaism is even more burdensome for the Jews themselves. Wagner expresses a hope, albeit faint, that open criticism of their relationship with Judaism might encourage even those within the Jewish community to fight for their "true emancipation". He argues for the necessity of openly addressing the challenges of assimilating the Jewish people into German culture, not to halt cultural decline through exclusion, but to foster a shared development towards higher human qualities.<ref>Wagner, 1869</ref>