Renowned multimedia director, musicologist and writer Dr. Gottfried Wagner spoke to a crowded Meacham Auditorium Friday afternoon, where he discussed the German National Myth in Bayreuth and the musical works of his prestigious family in a multimedia lecture.

Wagner, who is internationally known as the great-grandson of the famous German composer Richard Wagner and direct descendant of the composer Franz Liszt, spoke openly during Friday’s lecture about the guilt felt by the first generation of Germans after the Holocaust and the necessity for the third and fourth generations to come into a certain dialogue about the Holocaust.

“I like how he showed how Wagner’s music adapted,” Andrew Coon, history junior, said. “Music is in the eye of the beholder.”

Koon said he knew some of the Wagner story before the lecture but was enlightened by the way Wagner discussed the disillusion of his famous family during the Holocaust. Wagner stressed throughout the lecture the amount of brainwashing Germans underwent during the Nazi rule.

Danielle Robinson, history and Judaic studies junior, said she enjoyed hearing Wagner tell the story of his prestigious family.

“I think [Wagner] wanted to give people who didn’t know a lot about his family and an idea of what they did and some background,” Robinson said.

She said she especially noticed how Wagner attempted to shed light on the historic time and suggested that more students take part in this type of lecture, because learning directly from a source is a great way to understand material in a personal way.

Rebecca Kraus, philosophy senior, said she was especially surprised to hear about Hitler’s love for the opera during Wagner’s lecture. She said it is easy for people to only explore one side of the Holocaust’s story. Hearing from Wagner revealed another side, she said.

“Students should attend these lectures because it is a great way to experience new things,” Kraus said.