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LEIPZIG, March 14, 1841.
DEAR MOSCHELES,--Just as I was sitting down to answer your kindest of
letters (dated the 9th inst.), in comes bright No. 2, with its graphic
account of the Taylor evening, and its other capital and vivid
descriptions. David must take you my answer to both, and my very best
thanks for the pleasure they have given me. He leaves to-morrow. There
is no need once more to recommend him, his wife, and their little
daughter to you and yours. You know and appreciate him and his art
already, and are sure to contribute more than your share towards making
his stay agreeable. Mind you don’t get too fond of him, and keep him
there altogether; we Germans could not allow that, for men and musicians
of his stamp are not as thickly sown out here as you might fancy. So
make as much of him as you like, but send him back well preserved
afterwards.
And now to return to your two delightful letters. The first contained
the enclosures from Broadley and instructions in reference to the German
publication; they shall be punctually carried out. Please ask him to
mention on the titlepage of the English edition that Simrock of Bonn is
the German publisher. May I beg you to communicate this to him without
delay? Make my excuses to him (and yourself) for not having sent the
short prelude. I would gladly do so; but really, with the best will in
the world, I could not write a short prelude to suit that piece without
altering the whole form and giving it a pretentious coloring, which it
should not have. I would rather leave it to the organist to tumble his
fingers about at random, making it long or short as he likes, and as
rich or poor as he can afford.
I do wish I could hear your Psalm. You know how much I should enjoy it.
But how could I venture to make suggestions, or even to _think_ them,
when I am so full of the beauties I find in your work, and so thankful,
as we all have reason to be, for what you give us in so full a measure?
At any rate, you know that I, for one, feel deeply grateful for the
bright products of your art; and I trust you will always let me have the
new things you write, and particularly that you will not let me wait
long for the Psalm and the two new “Studies.”
According to your kind permission, I have put together a book of your
Songs, selected from the ten you sent me through Dr. Becker. Kistner
required six for a book; so I chose the following: “Stumme Liebe,” by
Probald; “Der Schmidt,” by Uhland; “Zuversicht,” by the Countess Hahn;
“Das Reh,” by Uhland; “Im Herbst,” by Uhland; “Sakontala,” by
Klingemann. The keys certainly follow in the maddest of ways,--F major,
B major, and so on anyhow; but I have always found that not a soul
thanks you for the loveliest sequence in keys, and that it is rather a
change from slow to fast, from serious to lively, that is particularly
in demand. So pray excuse this fricassee of sharps and flats.
Yours,