Volume I Part 9 (1/2)

Having found you, I can put up with my banishment from Germany, and I must look upon it almost as fortunate, for I could not have possibly been of such use to myself in Germany as you can be But then I wanted you of all others I cannot write your praise, but e meet I will tell it you Kindly and considerately as you treat me, you may feel sure that I as fully understand and appreciate the manner of your care of me I know that you must act as you act, and not otherwise; and for thecare of ives et yourself over me, and I cannot replace what you lose of yourself in this Consider this well

Your letter has in reat impression on me I have convictions which perhaps you will never share, but which you will not think it necessary to combat when I tell you that they in no manner interfere with my artistic activity I have felt the pulse of our modern art, and know that it must die, but this does not make me melancholy, but rather joyful, because I know that not art, but only our art, standing as it does outside of real existence, must perish, while the true, imperishable, ever-new art has still to be born Theand sticking to the past, the selfish care for continuity and possible immortality, we shall cast off; the Past will be Past, the Future will be Future, to us, and we shall live and create only in the Today, in the full Present Remember that I used to call you happy in your particular art, because you were an i to the senses at every moment That you could do so only by means of an instrument was not your fault, but that of the inevitable conditions of our time, which reduces the individualthe single artist to expend his power in the common and i It was not my purpose to flatter you I only expressed half consciously e that the representative alone is the true artist

Our creations as poets and composers are in reality volition, not power; representation only is power--art [Footnote: In the Gerinal there is here a play upon the word ”konnen” and its derivative, ”kunst,” which cannot be translated] Believe me, I should be ten times happier if I were a dramatic representative instead of a draained, I am naturally not desirous to create works for which I should have to resign a life in the present in order to give the, fictitious immortality What cannot be made true today will re beyond the present for the future I abandon, but if I am to create for the present, that presentform than it actually does I renounce fame, and more especially the ridiculous spectre of posthumous fame, because I love my fellow-men too much to condemn them, for the sake of my vanity, to the poverty in which alone the posthus are, I am incited to artistic creativeness, not by ambition, but by the desire to hold coive them joy; where I know this desire and this wish to be satisfied I aive rin” with zeal and love, joy and success, and were it only for the two perforht that my purpose has been perfectly accomplished, that my anxiety about this work is wholly at an end, and that now Inew in a sie then, can you blaoism, of all the sht be able to coth of my convictions!

Hear nohat effect your letter has had upon fried” to a book-seller to be published, such as it is In a short preface I explained that the completion and the performance of my ere beyond hope, and that I therefore communicated my intention to fried” on the mere chance for the reasons I have just told you Now, you offer to fried” to light I dee has not yet seen; where are they to come from? Not froood way tocare Although our theatrical muddle is hopelessly confused, the best soil for all art is still to be found in our foolish actors and singers; their nature, if they have kept their hearts at all, is incorruptible; byof therin to your own satisfaction I shall also produce o I should not have believed that I should come to this resolution; I owe it to you

My dear Liszt, fro to , your arin” has es--for I ht have the desire to coer circle, but is he likely to be listened to who intrudes? I cannot and will not intrude You surely have done enough to attract the attention of people towards ? Dear friend, these people are flabby and cowardly; they have no heart Leave theh people who care about the matter Where I must offer myself I lose all my power How can I care about a ”Leipsic representation”? It would have to be a good representation, and how is that to be achieved unless soet that Weimar also would not exist for me if you did not happen to exist in Weimar Good Lord! All depends upon oneanyhow; nothing will go of itself Even e perforh I have no money, I do not trouble about it excessively, for I have a notion that so at all so always turns up, as, for instance, your last news, and then I feel suddenly cal as you remain true to ard to the treatreat pleasure, I shall soon write s to tell you, I think it better to conclude on this page You say so s to me that I become quite confused when I have to think of a detailed answer

I know that I am safe with you as a child in its ratitude and love? Farewell, and let h you,

RICHARD WAGNER

Herr von Zigesar will have a letter very soon; for the present I send hi sy: a certain conductor, Abt, frorin” Kindly reserve a seat for hiers I rejoice when I think of these good people A whole family, Ritter by name, will come from Dresden to Switzerland next year, to settle near

36

DEAR FRIEND,

I have been asked to forward to you the enclosed bill for one hundred thalers Do not thank ned the bill You will perhaps reo I sent you the saain from the same source, which, for official reasons, desires to rerin” I flatterto your intentions

We rehearse every day for two or three hours, and the solo parts as well as the strings are in tolerable order Tomorrow and afterwards I shall separately rehearse the wind, which will be complete, in accordance with the demands of your score We have ordered a bass clarinet, which will be excellently played by Herr Wahlbrul Our violoncellos will be strengthened by the arrival froust 15th This is an excellent acquisition, which will, I hope, be followed by some others of the same sort, etc, etc In short, all that it is hurace 1850, you rin,”

which, in spite of much stupid talk, some false anxiety, and some too real impediments, will, you may take my promise, be very decently performed on the 28th inst, after which I have invited esar's, who is fire and flarin When he sends you your honorarium of from twenty-five to thirty louis d'or, towards the end of theand friendly letter, for he fully shares enius, and is the only person who can assist nificance to those sentiments At his last stay in Berlin he spoke of Tannhauser to the King and the Prince of Prussia, so as to let them know in Berlin how the matter stands Two or three days later please write also a few lines to Genast, who has behaved extrerin,” and ill zealously execute your indications as to the mise-en-scene

If you will do me a service, dear friend, send me, if possible by return of post, some metronomical indications for the introduction and several other irin and Elsa in the third act ast others I believe I am not mistaken as to your wishes and intentions, but should still prefer to have conviction in figures as to this matter

There will be no cut, no curtailment, in your score, and I shall do my best to have no lack of < fp=”” ffp=””>, and especially of

--, which is theinstruments

Farewell, dear friend! I think your work is sublime, and am your sincerely devoted

F LISZT

37

MY DEAREST FRIEND,

Many thanks for your letter received yesterday; also convey my cordial thanks to the donor Dear friend, we all knoho it is