Richard Wagner and the Music of the Future: History and Aesthetics (Cambridge Library Collec... Book

He was a man of his times with strong views on what should make a happy and contented life. This required hard work and to minimise any waste of time. He was disparaging of issues he did not agree with. Modern PC readers could be offended by some comments, the answer to which is that you need to get a grip of the reality of his time. There is a lesson here, it is not possible to judge people for their views from 200 years ago as times have changed. Most people lived in relative poverty and times could be hard with frequent poor harvests.
Drinking homemade beer was better than the new habit of drinking tea, he viewed as being wasteful.
This was a good read with insights into times past.