Numerous revisions and adaptations are entangled in the complex history of the work 'Tannhäuser'. After the world premiere in Dresden in 1845 had failed to be well received by the audience, Wagner revised large parts of the opera several times in the following decades. The most comprehensive changes were made for the Paris performance in March 1861, but even after that he made further revisions which superseded some of the previous changes and were performed in Vienna in 1875 among others.The study score is based on the version of 1875 which has misleadingly been published as the 'Paris version' until today and has actually to be referred to as 'Viennese version'. The musical text is identical to that of the critical edition within the Wagner Complete Edition, with the errata discovered since then having been corrected.

Preface - Cast - Dramatis personae - Distribution of roles by voice - Orchestration - Tannhäuser: - Ouvertüre - Erster Aufzug - 1. Szene (Der Venusberg) - 2. Szene. Venus und Tannhäuser - 3. Szene. Tannhäuser. Ein junger Hirt. Pilger - 4. Szene. Tannhäuser. Der Landgraf und die Sänger - Zweiter Aufzug - Einleitung und 1. Szene. Elisabeth - 2. Szene. Elisabeth. Tannhäuser. Wolfram - 3. Szene. Elisabeth. Der Landgraf - 4. Szene. Der Landgraf. Elisabeth. Die Sänger. Grafen, Ritter und Edelfrauen - Der Sängerkrieg - Dritter Aufzug - Einleitung (Tannhäusers Pilgerfahrt) - 1. Szene. Elisabeth. Wolfram. Die älteren Pilger - 2. Szene. Wolfram allein - 3. Szene. Wolfram. Tannhäuser. Die Sänger, die älteren und die jüngeren Pilger