The Music of the Future, a Letter to Frederic Villot, by Richard Wagner, Translated by Edward Dannreuther. (Facsimile of 1873 edition).

Richard Wagner was a German composer and conductor of the 19th century. He was born in Leipzig in 1813 and began studying music at a young age. He later moved to Dresden, where he worked as a conductor and composer. Wagner is best known for his operas, which include Tristan and Isolde, The Ring of the Nibelung, and Parsifal. He was a controversial figure during his lifetime due to his unorthodox views on music and his involvement in revolutionary politics. Wagner was also a prolific writer and commentator on music, art, and politics. In addition to his autobiography, My Life, he wrote several essays on music theory and aesthetics. He is credited with developing the concept of Gesamtkunstwerk, or "total artwork," which incorporates music, drama, and visual elements into a unified whole.