ints . ▁As ▁Chamber lain ▁was ▁himself ▁" current ly ▁over see ing ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁e greg ious ▁attempts ▁in ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁music ology ▁to ▁mis re present ▁an ▁artist ▁[ W agner ] ▁by ▁system atically ▁c ensor ing ▁his ▁correspond ence , ▁to ▁critic ize ▁Pra eg er ▁... ▁suggests ▁either ▁a ▁pot - and - k ett le ▁blind ness ▁or ▁a ▁deliber ate ▁attempt ▁to ▁di vert ▁attention ". ▁Nevertheless , ▁Pra eg er ' s ▁reputation ▁has ▁never ▁recovered ▁from ▁this ▁initial ▁on s la ug ht . ▁The ▁attack ▁on ▁the ▁bi ography ▁led ▁to ▁the ▁res ignation ▁of ▁D ys art ▁from ▁the ▁Pres iden cy ▁of ▁the ▁London ▁Wagner ▁Society . ▁ ▁Wagner ' s ▁supp or ters ▁may ▁have ▁also ▁been ▁ir ked ▁by ▁other ▁apparent ▁fabric ations ▁by ▁Pra eg er , ▁such ▁as ▁the ▁claim ▁that ▁Wagner ▁had ▁told ▁him ▁that ▁his ▁first ▁love , ▁at ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁ 1 4 , ▁was ▁a ▁Jewish ▁girl ▁in ▁Leipzig . ▁Through out ▁the ▁book , ▁Pra eg er ▁in ▁fact ▁supports ▁and ▁just ifies ▁Wagner ' s ▁anti - J ew ish ▁pre jud ices , ▁including ▁a ▁defence ▁of ▁his ▁anti - S emit ic ▁ess ay ▁Das ▁Jud enth um ▁in ▁der ▁Musik , ▁and ▁gives ▁the ▁exc use ▁that ▁" T ow ards ▁Jews ▁and ▁J uda ism ▁[ W agner ] ▁had ▁a ▁most ▁pron ounced ▁ant ip ath y , ▁and ▁yet ▁this ▁did