The period around 1850 marked not only a new and more aggressive phase in Wagner's own promotion of his persona and work, but was a watershed in the marketing of the Wagner phenomenon per se. In the space of less than three years, Wagner came to dominate the music-cultural scene of the German-speaking world and beyond in ways that perhaps no composer or cultural figure before him had. He was fortunate to have committed supporters on his side, because he could not have accomplished this alone. These included figures of stature, foremost Franz Liszt, as well as those who simply had access to what we call “the media,” foremost Theodor Uhlig. If there was a single moment when the “Wagner Industry” (as we know it today) was born, it was at this time when the constellation of his own efforts, those of his advocates, and the possibilities offered by the media combined to produce an unprecedented effect.

That effect was immediate. On February 11, 1853, the Neue Zeitschrift für Musik published as its lead article a letter to the editor which announced that Richard Wagner “postulates an artwork which at its very foundation has no competition with any other.” The letter was written by Joachim Raff, Franz Liszt's assistant in Weimar, and a composer in his own right. Wagner was not impressed with Raff and found his article “disheartening.” Maybe Raff hit a nerve?