Which philosophers and composer influenced Thomas Mann’s early stories?

Thomas Mann’s early stories, such as those collected in Der kleine Herr Friedemann (1898), were significantly shaped by the influence of the philosophers Arthur Schopenhauer and Friedrich Nietzsche, as well as the composer Richard Wagner.1

Mann acknowledged a deep, albeit ambiguous, debt to these figures throughout his career. Their influence helped provide depth to his early work, which often centered on the struggles of the creative artist and the antithesis between spirit (Geist) and life (Leben). Specifically, the transcendental qualities of Wagner’s music were a recurring motif in Mann's early literary endeavors, famously appearing in his first novel, Buddenbrooks, and his novella Tristan.12