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BERLIN, Sept. 3, 1832.
DEAR MOSCHELES,--Excuse my long silence; I was very unwell at the time I
received your last letter, suffering acutely from a musician’s
complaint, the ear-ache. I meant to write every day, and was always
prevented, till at last I am reminded, by Mr. Moore’s leaving, how
heavily I am in your wife’s debt, not having even as much as thanked her
for her last letter. Now I feel I must not write to her without also
answering your question as fully as I can. Excuse me if I do this in a
few words; a proper letter shall follow as soon as I have shaken off
that dreadful fit of depression which has been weighing on me for the
last few weeks; then only shall I be able to think again pleasantly of
pleasant things. Just now I am passing through one of those periodical
attacks when I see all the world in pale gray tints, and when I despair
of all things, especially of myself. So for to-day, nothing but
calculations.
Concerning the concert, I have made inquiries of those in a position to
know, and, taking the lowest average, it seems to me you can rely on
taking at least one hundred Louis d’or, as I am told that even a
tolerably well-attended concert produces that amount, and you can reckon
on the presence of the Court, which usually sends twenty Louis d’or to
artists of high standing. The time when you ought to give your concert
coincides with our Art Exhibition, when Berlin is fullest; it would be
the first grand concert of the year, and they say that receipts
amounting to one hundred Louis d’or may be expected, and even
guaranteed. The cost of the large hall of the theatre is forty Louis
d’or, all included (bills, porterage, etc.). The room in the
Sing-Akademie is little more than half that sum, but it seems that the
Court does not care to go there. The concert-room of the theatre ranks
highest, and is considered the most aristocratic; so, at any rate, it
would be more advisable for you to take that. All agree on that point.
If you deduct forty Louis d’or from the total receipts, there remain,
say, sixty Louis d’or. There is no doubt that this is amply sufficient
to cover the expenses of posting from Hamburg to Berlin and back, and of
making a fortnight’s stay with your whole family at the hotel here; and
I would not enter into so much detail had not Neukomm mentioned
yesterday that when he told you he estimated the net receipts at sixty
Friedrich d’or, you thought there would be a risk in undertaking the
journey. Let me show you, then, that two post-horses, including fee to
post-boy, make one thaler per German mile; so the journey there and
back, a distance of thirty-nine miles, and a night’s quarters, would
come to a little more than one hundred thalers. How you could manage to
spend the balance, namely, two hundred thalers, in a fortnight, I cannot
see, unless you organized a popular _fête_ on a small scale; that,
however, probably not forming part of your programme, and your hotel
expenses certainly not amounting to more than eight to ten thalers per
day, your outlay would surely be covered. According to my estimate, you
would have a surplus. To be sure, I admit, unforeseen circumstances
might interfere with my calculations; but on the other hand the receipts
may be far greater than I have assumed, and at any rate I, for one, have
no doubt that your travelling and hotel expenses will be amply covered.
I need not tell you that I give the Berliners credit for sufficient
musical taste to expect a crowded concert-room, nor need I say what my
wishes on the subject are. The time to come would be between the end of
this month and the end of October. The Art Exhibition is then open, and
that draws many people to Berlin, and altogether it is the height of our
season and the pleasantest time coming.
Now, whatever you decide, let me know without delay, so that in case you
do not come, I may leave off rejoicing at the prospect, and that if you
choose the better course,--better for us,--I may prepare everything for
you to the best of my abilities. In that case I should beg of you to let
me know the day of your arrival, date of the concert, etc., and I could
get through all the preliminaries, the engagements to singers, and so
on, before you were here. But all this is quite understood.
Could you not be induced to accept my offer concerning the use of my
rooms? They are large and cheerful enough. I wish you would; but I fear,
from what Neukomm said, that the whole plan is already abandoned. Well,
I cannot press a matter very strongly that concerns me so closely. I
must not be selfish, but wish you to do what seems best to you.
Good-by; remember kindly yours,