Volume I Part 22 (1/2)
Long accounts of the Musical Festival you will find in Brendel's ”Neue Zeitschrift” (Brendel hinale”, ”Rheinische Musikzeitung”, and ”Berlin Echo”
Your
F LISZT
June 26th, 1852
Perhaps you can spare a fewon your journey to write a few friendly lines to Langer about the performance of the ”Liebesht have been expected, and the chorus of students is splendid Without it the perforers were only just sufficient to strengthen the chorus Send your letter to Brendel, ill give it to Langer, and letDutchman”
81
Cordial thanks, best of friends, for sending me theonly: you do not tell me that the hundred thalers have been advanced on account of the honorariu Dutch, and no other, and only if I may assume that no one has been inconvenienced in this ive me pleasure to spend the money on a trip of recreation That trip, on which I start toain strongly affected ht that even these few lines put me in a state of violent excitery if Igood things, but only by keeping very strict diet, and especially by frequently interrupting ain The ”Valkyrie”, the poem of which I finished on July lst, I wrote in four weeks; if I had spent eight weeks over it, I should now feel better In future I must adopt this course, and cannot therefore fix a terh I have reason to suppose that the ive me much trouble
I a Dutchner, Herr C This s, because he has a passion for borrowing from a poor devil like me, wrote to me lately to say that he had applied by letter to Weimar in this matter, but had as yet had no reply If you care to have the designs, all that is necessary will be for the ement to reply to C's letter, and I ask you therefore to see that this is done
Uhlig will arrange the score for you as soon as he receives your copy
A thousand thanks for all you have again done for my works lately I was not able to read the account of the Ballenstedt Musical Festival with anything but deep eain won many new friends for me, and I have no doubt that if ever I co
Farewell, and be happy!
Your
RICHARD WAGNER
82
MOST GLORIOUS FRIEND,
You have once iven rin” Accept my most cordial, most fervent thanks in return, and be convinced that it will be the task of my life to be worthy of your friendshi+p The little that so far I have been able to do for you and through you for the honour of art has chiefly this es s for your works in the future But what do youyourself with the bad jokes which have been circulating in a fespapers, and by even accusingbeen the cause of them? The latter is quite impossible, and H, has probably told you already that the fried” has not been out of his hands for o I lent it, by your desire, to Fraulein Froesar's at the beginning of last year for the Hereditary Grand Duke cannot very well have originated the bad joke in the ”Kreuzzeitung” However, that joke is quite harnore totally this kind of gossip once for all
What can it e their silliness in connection with you and your works? You have other cats to flog--”d'autres chats a fouetter,” as the French proverb has it
Do not therefore hesitate on your account or on y as soon as it is finished
Hartel spoke to me about your letter in connection with this affair about two ive the poem to the public while you finish the score As to the definite perforood talk when the time comes If in the worst case you are not then back in Germany (and I need not tell you hoish that this worst case should not happen), I shall stir in every possible way for the production of your work You may rely on my practical talents for that purpose and have implicit confidence in me If Weymar should prove too mean and poor, we shall try sos snap (which is not to be expected), we anize an unheard ofen” there
You finish your score! and in the meantime let Hartel or some one else publish the poem as a forerunner
How about the performance of ”Tannhauser” at Berlin? I quite approve of your exceptional demand of 1,000 thalers for the same reasons which induced you to make that demand, and I thank you cordially for the artistic confidence with regard to the preparations which you have placed incircumstances be somewhat inconvenient, I am quite at your disposal, with the sole condition--which alone would make my journey useful and serviceable to ”Tannhauser”-- that the Royal ement asks me to coement and with the other persons concerned the necessary preparations for the best possible success of your work In any other circumstances I should be in an aard and useless position at Berlin, without achieving the slightest thing If you consider the ree with ht be of use to you
As you know already, the ”Flying Dutchman” is announced for the next birthday of HIH the Grand duchess: February 16th, 1853