and I congratulate you cordially on the building delights which
await you.
Dawison told me recently that his starring engagement had enabled
him to buy a villa near Dresden. At the same rate, you ought to
be able to purchase with your scores at least the whole of
Zurich, together with the Sieben Churfursten and the lake.
Whether Madame Erard will be inclined to dispose of a grand piano
on the advantageous terms you mention is a questionable question,
which I shall put to her when I have the chance. Try, first of
all, to get quite well; the other ARRANGEMENTS will come in due
course.
May God protect you.
F. L.
August 1st, 1856.
We are just going together with H. (who wishes to be remembered
to you), to have another try at the last act of the "Valkyrie."
223.
DEAREST FRIEND,
In order to give you a little more diversion I herewith introduce
to you Herr Zeugherr, an architect, and an acquaintance of
Ernst's; he is in search of a little villa for me to compose in,
but has as yet found nothing. Perhaps you will inspire him.
Farewell, and receive best greetings from your
R. WAGNER.
ZURICH.
224.
Friday Evening.
DEAREST FRIEND,
That I ran away from you was a perfect inspiration, which should
bring noble fruit both to you and to me.
I shall go to bed at nine; do you likewise, and sleep by the
book, so that we may present to each other to-morrow morning a
couple of fresh faces, ready to face the world.
I shall study "Mephistopheles" a little today.
If you like we will do some Valkyring tomorrow.
May a thousand gods protect you.
R. W. 225.
DEAR FRANZ,
Believe me, by all that is sacred to you and me, that I am ill,
and require the most perfect rest and care today, in order, let
us hope, to enjoy you again tomorrow. A very considerable, though
welcome and wholesome, catarrh weighs down my limbs like lead. It
developed during last night, together with an inflamed throat and
other addenda. The slightest excitement would impede my recovery.
Au revoir in a rational matter tomorrow.
Yours,
W. R.
226.
MY DEAREST FRANZ,
I must think it really fortunate that you this time cultivate a
few other acquaintances, and that I may therefore disappear for a
short time without attracting too much attention.
My catarrh has developed so thoroughly and nobly, that I may hope
it will rid me of my usual winter illness, if I take proper care
of it; even now I perceive the beneficial effect of nature's
self-relief, although I feel as if leaden fetters were on me. I
am sure that I shall be better in a few days, and am looking
forward to offering you the fruits of my recovery in the shape of
an excellent temper.
For today I am a strict patient, and must not think of a visit to
Herwegh. If you will give me the pleasure of seeing you today, I
inform you that I shall have to perspire from noon to 4 p.m.;
before or afterwards my aspect would be less horrible. The
hardest thing was that I had to miss the organ concert yesterday.
But resignation helps me over everything.
I will try to finish the letter to the Grand Duke today.
A hundred thousand most cordial remembrances to the whole
Rectory. How are you, indefatigable man?
227.
Sunday, early.
Here I sit again gazing after you. My best thanks to your dear
Princess for the first news. My mind was set at rest not a little
on hearing that you had been able to continue your journey to
Munich without mishap. There you will be able to rest a little
more comfortably than at the Hecht of St. Gallen. Rest? Ye
indefatigable ones!
A thousand ardent blessings follow you everywhere. What you have
become to me your hearts will tell you. You are so rich a
possession to me that I scarcely know how to realise it. But on
the other hand, you are to me a continual sermon of repentance; I
cannot think of you without being heartily ashamed of myself.
How can you bear with me, who appear so unbearable to myself?
But I am not without good resolutions of amendment. Although I
shall palm off great part of the care on my doctor, who is to put
me completely on my legs again next spring, I am too well aware
that an enormous labour--less watercure than purgatory--lies
before me. Yes, I will shut myself up in that Purgatorio, and
hope, dearest Franz, that I shall do so well that I may greet you
with a MAGNIFICAT soon. It is true that I shall never be able to
equal you, but then you are the only genuine virtuoso.
My aesthetic efforts will, I hope, cure my moral prostration to
some extent. I must try tomorrow to break the news of the death
of his mother to "Siegfried." On Thursday evening I arrived at
the Zeltweg, freezing and empty, with a violent cold and in
terrible weather; since then I have not set foot out of doors.
All I did was to find a good place for the Madonna and Francesca,
which was a difficult job. I hammered like Mime. Now all is safe
and sound. The Madonna hangs over my writing table and Francesca
over the sofa, under the looking-glass, where she looks
beautiful. When I begin "Tristan" Francesca will have to go over
the writing table, and the turn of the Madonna will not come
again until I take the "Victors" in hand. For the present I will
try to inspire myself a little with the victrix, and to imagine
that I could do the same thing.
My studs are much finer than yours, dear Child; that any one can
see. Yours have the sole advantage of moving one to resignation,
while mine excite my vanity terribly--a kind of surreptitious
vanity, not before the eyes of people, but all to myself; merely
for the sake of the studs, not for effect. It is just the same
with my "Nibelungen." You always think of the effect of the
performance, I of the shirt studs that may be hidden in it.
Well, my blessings on you. If only the dear "lady friend" would
soon recover her health, so that the great professors of Munich
might delight in the "Rectory family"! Dear, good Princess, and
dear, dear Franz,
MON BON GRAND! Good and great you are. My blessings on you!
Farewell, and forget all bad and unpleasant things about me.
Remember only the kindness of which you thought me worthy.
Adieu. I am always yours.
My wife has not scolded me once, although yesterday I had the
spleen badly enough. She greets you with all her power, and is
thankful for your friendship.
228.
ZURICH, December 6th, 1856.
I have not forgotten to convey your greetings and inquiries.
Wesendonck has written to me in reply, and enclosed a letter of
his wife's to the Princess, which I herewith ask you to hand to
her.
I long for news from you. How are you, dear Franz, and does the
Princess keep her health? From her daughter I soon expect a
letter, as we have promised to correspond with each other.
I feel so-so. I shall finish the first scene one of these days.
Curiously enough, it is only during composition that the real
essence of my poem is revealed to me. Everywhere I discover
secrets which had been previously hidden from me, and everything
in consequence grows more passionate, more impulsive. Altogether
it will require a good deal of obstinacy to get all this done,
and you have not really put me in the right mind for it.
However, I must think that I am doing all this for myself, in
order to pass the days. Be it so.
You may believe me or not, I have no other desire than that of
coming to you soon. Do not fail to let me know always what
chances there are. I want music, too, and, Heaven knows, you are
the only one who can supply me with it. As a musician, I feel
perfectly mean, while I think I have discovered that you are the
greatest musician of all times. This will be something new to
you.
Adieu. Tell M. that I have overhauled the old red letter case,
and have got my biography up to December 1st, 1856, into shape.
A hundred thousand remembrances to mother and child.
Farewell, and take care to let me have some of your new scores
soon.
Your R. W.
229.
MUNICH, December 12th, 1856.
DEAREST RICHARD,
I have come to a close of my stay at Munich, and want to send you
a few short notes of it before returning to Weymar, which will
happen tomorrow evening. First of all about the performance of
"Tannhauser", which took place last Sunday (apart from the
subscription nights) for the benefit of the Munich poor. The
Princess had taken two boxes, which we occupied together with
Kaulbach, E. Forster, Liebig, Carriere, and others. The scenery
and dresses are brilliant, but probably you would not like them
particularly, and I, for my part, think them mannered and
pretentious. In the orchestra the wind (especially flutes,
clarinets, and bassoon) is excellent. The violins and double
basses (six in number) are a little hazy, and lack the necessary
energy, both in bowing, which is short and easy-going, and in
rhythm. The PIANOS and CRESCENDOS are insufficient, and for the
same reason there is no fulness in the FORTES. "Lachner" has, no
doubt, studied the score with the greatest accuracy and care, for
which thanks and praise are due to him. But in the drama, as you
know and say best, "we must become WISE by means of FEELING."
"Reason tells us SO IT IS, only after feeling has told us SO IT
MUST BE;" and as far as I can tell, Lachner's feeling says little
about "TANNHAUSER", although he was called several times before
the curtain at the first performances. The part of "Tannhauser"
was sung by "Herr Jung", the husband of "Lucile Gran." He
succeeded, in my opinion, better than the public here seemed to
think, which is, as a rule, somewhat lukewarm and stolid. "Frau
Dietz", whose figure and personality do not particularly fit her
for "Elizabeth", sang the beginning of the second act with
intelligence and feeling, but in the last act she was no longer
up to the mark, and the prayer in the third act was applauded as
if it had been "The Last Rose of Summer." "Kindermann's" voice is
splendid, but there is no trace of "Wolfram" about him. Still
less was "Fraulein X." able to identify herself with Venus, whom
she seemed to conceive as an ideal Munich barmaid. "Lindemann",
the Landgrave, you know, from Hamburg; his voice is as powerful
as ever, and he might, later on, serve you as "Fafner" or
"Fasolt."
"APROPOS", your "X." is a perfect madman, and I should certainly
not advise you to have anything to do with a man like him. He
asked me to attend a vocal practice of his pupils, when the poor
people had to shout nothing but four or five notes do, de, da!
"X." has entirely surrendered himself to his monomania of method,
which to him has become a kind of dram-drinking. His
circumstances are in a very bad way, and I am told that he keeps
himself alive chiefly by acting as clerk in a tailor's business
here. This, of course, is by no means to his discredit, and I
think, on the contrary, that he would do much better to give up
his method, and take to tailoring EX PROFESSO.
Our concert at St. Gallen has not been without an echo at Munich,
and Lachner, with whom I lived on friendly terms, proposed to me
soon after my arrival to write for the parts of the two Symphonic
Poems to St. Gallen, so as to have them played during my stay at
the subscription concerts. I thanked him politely for the
distinction intended for me, and reserved to myself the
permission of making use of it another time. At the theatre I
heard CLEMENZA DI TITO (the festival opera on the King's
birthday), JESSONDA, THE PROPHET, and TANNHAUSER; at the
subscription concert the D minor symphony by "Lachner", his
fourth, if I am not mistaken. LOHENGRIN is promised--that is,
they are talking about it; but amongst the present artists one
would have to search for "Ortrud" with a lantern. The Munich
public is more or less neutral, more observing and listening than
sympathetic. The Court does not take the slightest interest in
music, but "H.M." the King spoke to me about TANNHAUSER as
something that had PLEASED him. "Dingelstedt" complains of the
impossibility of giving importance to the drama, and gives two or
three operas every week for the sake of the receipts.
"Kaulbach" and I have become sincere friends. He is the right
sort of fellow who will please you too, for the very reason that
many people call him intolerable. As lately as yesterday I roared
to him:
[Here, Liszt illustrates with a 2 1/2 bar musical score example
with the words, "He - da! He - da! He - do!"]
His designs for Shakespeare's "Tempest" (Ariel as Capellmeister
in the air) are splendid. He must paint your portrait for me
later on.
Farewell, dearest Richard. I must take care that we meet soon.
Your
F. L.
230.
ZURICH, December 16th, 1856.
Several times, dearest friend, I made an attempt to write to you
on serious, and to me important, matters, but I had many things
to settle in my own mind first. At last I feel sufficiently
mature, and will tell you in plain words what is in my heart.
Your last visit, much disturbed as was our intercourse, has left
a decisive impression on me, which is this: your friendship is
the most important and most significant event of my life. If I
can enjoy your conversation frequently and quietly, and in my own
way, I shall have all that I desire, and the rest will be of
subordinate value. You cannot have a similar feeling, because
your life is just the opposite of mine. You love diversion, and
live in it, and your desire of self-concentration is therefore
temporary. I, on the contrary, live in the most absolute
solitude, and therefore want occasional diversion, which,
however, in my meaning, is nothing but artistic stimulus. That
stimulus the musical world cannot give me; you alone can. All
that I lack, especially as a musician, owing to nature and
insufficient education, my intercourse with you and no one else
can alone give me. Without this stimulus my limited musical
capacity loses its fertility; I become discontented, laborious,
heavy, and producing becomes torture to me. I never had this
feeling more vividly than since our last meeting.
I have therefore but one desire, that of being able to visit you
when I wish, and of living with you periodically.
Well, seriously speaking, how does this matter stand? This letter
will find you at Weimar. What news have you to give me from the
Grand Duke? I ask you urgently, let me have conclusive and
definite information soon. Much depends upon it. Let me explain
about Weimar. I want to come to the Altenburg, not to Weimar; and
if it were possible I should be quite willing to live there
incognito. As this will be impossible, my existence might be
noticed by the Court. If the Court wants anything of me, I am
prepared to appear there in person, either reading my poems, or
performing fragments of my music, such as the first act of the
"Valkyrie," in conjunction with you, and after our fashion. I do
not want to go before the public at all. Can this be arranged,
and can the possibility of my visit to Weimar be accelerated?
Concerning my income and my recent hopes of a pension from the
Weimar Court separately, or in conjunction with others, you have
given me some important hints, which I have not left unnoticed or
unconsidered. I should prefer to remain without subvention from
that quarter which would make any subsequent relation to the
Weimar Court much easier to me, because it is my nature to give
rather than receive.
I do not deny it would be very desirable if you could soon make
an arrangement with the Hartels about the "Nibelungen," for which
object, in accordance with your kind offer, I gave you
discretionary power. If you should succeed in this, it would
certainly be advisable to interest the Weimar Court in my work,
to the extent that it might for some time grant me certain
advantages on account of the honorarium which I should receive
for the publication.
If you could not ask this without loss of dignity, my only way
would be to give up the "Nibelungen," and begin a simple work
such as "Tristan" instead, which would have the advantage that I
could presumably dispose of it to the theatres at once, and
receive royalties in return, although, as you know, the music
trade would give me nothing for it.
Let me express my sincere regret at giving you again care and
anxiety. If you decline to meddle with what I ask you, I shall
think it quite natural on your part; but more depends upon your
decision, and especially upon your success, than you may perhaps
imagine. I cannot drag on like this.
Since my return from St. Gallen I have not seen a soul except
Herwegh. Solitary walks, a little work and reading, constitute my
whole existence, in addition to which there were some unpleasant
attacks on the little rest I have, which did not allow me to
breathe freely, and impaired my health to an unbearable extent.
The correspondence between Goethe and Schiller alone pleased me
much; it reminded me of our relation, and showed me the precious
fruits which, in favourable circumstances, might spring from our
working together.
Your Munich news showed you to me in your ever serene artistic
element, which I cordially enjoyed with you. Your encounter with
X. I regret. All I told you of the man was, that at one time I
was pleased with his voice and manner, but could form no judgment
whatever of his method. As you were no longer able to hear him
sing, and as none of his pupils was sufficiently advanced to let
you hear some real thing, I can well understand that the poor man
must have bored you terribly with his theory; but I thank you for
the trouble you have taken, and shall make use of your hint. I
thought you would have been able to let me know something about
Dingelstedt, and his conduct towards "Tannhauser," etc. Probably
there was nothing pleasant to tell, and you remained silent in
consequence. A thousand thanks to the most excellent Princess for
the most astonishing cushion, and especially for the famous
German letter. I sent her a short answer to Munich, but it
probably did not reach you.
To the good Child I shall write shortly; continue to love me all
three of you. I need it. Best remembrances from my wife.
Farewell, and let me soon hear something comforting.
Yours longingly,
R. W.
231.
DEAREST FRANZ,
I must think of protecting myself against any conceivable
unpleasantness in connection with the impending warlike troubles
in Switzerland.
Could not the Grand Duke get me from the Prince of Prussia, as
chief of the army, a safe conduct against any possible ill-
treatment or imprisonment on the part of the Prussian
authorities? If this is impossible, I should have to fly to
France in case of a Prussian occupation, which would be
unpleasant to me. I am sure you will be good enough to do all in
your power to set my mind at rest.
Of course the best thing would be if I could soon come to Weimar;
but it appears that none of the difficulties of my position will
be spared me.
Shall I hear from you soon?
A thousand loving and longing greetings.
232.
January lst, 1857.
DEAREST RICHARD,
I am in bed once more, covered with the whole flora of my Zurich
ills. Unfortunately I am no longer near you, and must be content
to celebrate the New Year with you by letter. You could not meet
with better luck than I wish you from the bottom of my heart. The
hope of serving you and, perhaps, of living together with you
soon for some time, keeps me active and cheerful, although the
external aspects are not of the most favourable kind. At
Carlsruhe, where I stayed a day three weeks ago, the Grand Duke
and Grand Duchess spoke with the warmest interest of your works.
("Lohengrin" was being studied for production at Christmas.) Our
Grand Duke here did the same at my arrival, adding, however, his
apprehension, that for the present nothing could be done for you,
and that I must have patience. How sick I am of this patience you
may easily imagine.
I wrote to the Prince of Prussia the day before yesterday
explaining your business at some length to him. I shall probably
have a reply, which I will communicate to you in due course. The
warlike dangers in Switzerland do not appear to me of a very
urgent kind, but I thought this a good opportunity for calling
the attention of the Prince to your miserable fate, which is in
such glaring contrast to your fame and artistic activity. The
Prince is an honourable character, and it may be expected that
his intercession will be of service to you later on. In the
meantime, you ought, I think, to take no further step, nor waste
a single word, because this would lead only to useless
humiliation for you.
As soon as the favourable moment arrives which I expect, I shall
write to you. On the occasion of the performance of "Lohengrin"
for the wedding of the son of the Prince of Prussia, I advise you
again to write to the young Prince in the sense previously
discussed by us. Probably your affair will have entered a
different stage by then.
"Tannhauser" was given here on Boxing-day with great success, and
"Lohengrin" will follow soon. For the latter we shall have to get
Frau Stager from Prague, because amongst our local artists there
is none who could undertake Ortrud. Otherwise everything here is
very much in the old groove, and there is little to please me.
I long very much for my work. As soon as I am quite recovered I
shall shut myself up in it, and you will be always present to my
mind, until we may at last live together in the body.
Your
F. L.
233.
January 6th, 1857.
Is not this a miserable thing, dearest Franz? I had been looking
forward to your letter as to a Christmas present, and now it
brings me nothing but sad and comfortless news. That you are once
more confined to your bed is the crown of my sorrow.
Ah, heavens! Why do we not give in altogether?
It seems to me that you have not received my long letter, which I
sent you at Weimar on the supposition that you would go there
straight from Munich, and the same has, I fear, been the case
with my letter to M., or else she would have surely sent me a few
lines in reply. Concerning my letter to YOU, it touches upon a
point to which I must urgently return once more, because I want
your definite reply as soon as possible. Since you left me an
important change has taken place in my situation; I have
absolutely given up the annual allowance which the R.'s made me.
In such circumstances, my only hope is the speedy success of the
Hartel affair in connection with the "Nibelungen," which had been
broken off. In accordance with your kind offer, I gave you
unlimited power with regard to it. But now you are again tied to
your bed, and cannot, in any case for the present, pay the visit
to Leipzig which would be necessary for the settlement of such an
affair. Consider, therefore, whether you are quite confident that
the bargain will be completed after all, provided that I declare
myself willing, as I do herewith, to accept any offer, knowing
well that, however small the result may be, I could not get more
in any other way. If you are quite sure of a final success, the
further question would be, how it would be possible to raise some
money on account at once. In any case, I ask you, and authorise
you, and request you, as soon as possible, to come to a distinct
understanding with the Grand Duke as to whether he would be
inclined to confirm his favourable opinion of me by granting me a
pension, or, at least, a sufficient annual subsidy for the three
years which it will take me to complete my "Nibelungen." In the
eventuality of a pension for life I should, of course, accept the
obligation of staying every year some time at Weimar, and give
him my services according to his wish, as soon as the return to
Germany is opened to me. You no doubt remember our discussion of
this point, and of the possible concurrence of other princes well
inclined towards me. But what I particularly care for is SPEEDY
AND ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY. At this moment, when I am most in need of
help, I want to know DEFINITELY how matters stand. This
uncertainty places me in a wavering position of hoping,
expecting, wishing, and desiring, which involves my circumstances
more and more, apart from demoralising me. In short, I want to
know WHERE to look for my friends. Therefore, much-tried friend,
look upon this as your last attempt at intercession between me
and a world, my position towards which I must know exactly.
Patience of any kind is no longer in question. My amnesty will be
granted no sooner than at the moment when Saxony herself
considers that the time has come; those gentlemen like to appear
independent.
Farewell for today. I shall very soon write to you about other
matters, which, I hope, will be pleasanter to both of us.
Your
R. W.
234
January 27th, 1857.
DEAREST FRANZ,