Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt, Volume 1

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Your

RICHARD WAGNER

ZURICH, March 30th, 1853

105.

DEAREST FRIEND,

Your letters are sad; your life is still sadder. You want to go
into the wide world to live, to enjoy, to luxuriate. I should be
only too glad if you could, but do you not feel that the sting
and the wound you have in your own heart will leave you nowhere
and can never be cured? Your greatness is your misery; both are
inseparably connected, and must pain and torture you until you
kneel down and let both be merged in faith!

"Lass zu dem Glauben Dich neu bekehren, es gibt ein Gluck;" this
is the only thing that is true and eternal. I cannot preach to
you, nor explain it to you; but I will pray to God that He may
powerfully illumine your heart through His faith and His love.
You may scoff at this feeling as bitterly as you like. I cannot
fail to see and desire in it the only salvation. Through Christ
alone, through resigned suffering in God, salvation and rescue
come to us.

I had already indicated to you that I did not expect an answer
from Dresden before my departure from here. If you accuse me of
negligence and lukewarmness, you are unjust to me, but I can
forgive you. If, in accordance with your desire, I made your
affair dependent on an immediate "Yes" or "No," I should greatly
compromise it. Our court here is very favourably inclined towards
you, and you may feel sure that every possible step is being
taken to open your return to Germany. A few days ago I spoke
about it to our Hereditary Grand Duke, who positively assured me
that he would actively intercede for you. This you must not
mention anywhere; but it would be well if you were to write a
letter to the Hereditary Grand Duke, telling him that you have
been informed through me of his magnanimous disposition and
asking him not to forget you altogether. Do not write too
diplomatically, but give vent to the feelings of your heart, and
send me the letter, which I will hand him at once. In spite of
all, I hope to find you in a good mental and physical condition
when I visit you at the end of May. By then you must turn out
your whole hospital, and I promise you to leave mine en route to
take it up again on my way back. As the wedding festivities of
Princess Amalie and Prince Henry of the Netherlands will not take
place till after the middle of May, I shall not be with you
before the first days of June. Seven or eight weeks must
therefore still elapse.

The "Tannhauser" overture was received with enthusiasm and
encored at Prague, as Laub told me, who was present at the
performance.

As regards the performance of "Tannhauser," the real state is
very nearly what I wrote to you. The tenor St., brother of the
manager, will shortly leave Prague, and there will then be no
singer for the principal part. I also hear that there is no
Elizabeth, and until you give me further information in the
matter I am not inclined to put down the non-performance of
Tannhauser to a fictitious order of the police while such real
theatrical impediments are in the way. Has St. replied to you?

From Laub I hear that the supposed difficulties have been
discussed in high circles (Count Nostitz, Princess Taxis, etc.)
in a manner not favourable to St, I should, however, not like to
accuse St. till we have sufficient proof of his bad conduct. If
you write to him in the sense indicated in my letter to you from
Leipzig, we shall soon get to the bottom of the matter. Kittl is
at present at Frankfort-On-Main, where his "operatic wants" are
being supplied by "Die Franzosen bei Nizza." The work is to be
given on April 11th. Probably he will stay here for a day on his
way back, and through him I mean to get more accurate information
as to the Prague complications.

Kossak's critique of "Indra" has amused me. If you have not read
it, I shall send it to you.

Brendel has grand schemes, which he will probably communicate to
you. He is coming here for the next performance of Raff's opera
"King Alfred," in order to talk to me about the new paper which
he would like to bring out in the course of the summer. The
enterprise is in itself good enough, but I have still my doubts
as to the means at disposal. What do you mean by Raff's
confidential letter against the "Tannhauser" notice in the
Grenzboten?

Do not be offended, dearest friend, because I have not yet
written to you about the "Ring of the Nibelung" at greater
length. It is not my business to criticize and expound so
extraordinary a work, for which later on I am resolved to do
everything in my power in order to gain a proper place for it. I
have always entreated you not to abandon the work, and am
delighted by the perfection of your poetic workmanship. Almost
every day the Princess greets me with the words--

"Nicht Gut, nicht Geld,--noch gottliche Pracht; Nicht Haus, nicht
Hof,--noch herrischer Prunk; Nicht truber Vertrage trugender
Bund, Noch heuchelnder Sitte hartes Gesetz: Selig in Lust und
Leid, lasst--die Liebe nur sein!"

Counsellor Scholl will shortly read the four dramas at the
Altenburg to a small circle which I shall invite for the purpose;
and when I come to Zurich, you must be good enough to go through
the whole with me, so that we may exchange heart and soul on the
occasion.

S. wrote me a longish letter, in which he plainly says that the
poem is a total mistake, etc. I have not sent you this letter,
because I think it useless, and shall never be of his opinion. By
word of mouth I shall let you know about various opinions which
in the meantime I listen to without comment or discussion.

Your truly devoted

F. LISZT

WEYMAR, April 8th, 1853

106.

Herewith, dearest, best of friends, I send you the answer of the
Prague manager, containing particulars as to the prohibition of
"Tannhauser." If you have time and care to do so, co-operate in
this affair also, in accordance with the love you bear me.

I long for a letter from you, and am curious to hear from
yourself what truth there is in your rumoured breach with Weimar.

I live in the expectation of your visit; surely you have not
abandoned it.

Adieu. A thousand greetings from your

R. W.

ZURICH, April 11th, 1853

107.

[FRAGMENT.]

How ever could you think that I should "scoff" at any of your
magnanimous effusions? The forms in which we endeavour to gain
comfort in our miserable circumstances depend wholly upon our
nature, our wants, the character of our culture and of our more
or less artistic sensations. Who could be heartless enough to
believe that to him alone the true form has been revealed? Only
he could think so who has never fashioned for himself such a form
of his hope and faith, but into whose dull mind it has been
instilled from outside as some one else's formula, who therefore
does not possess sufficient inner power to preserve his own empty
existence by dint of vital instinct, and who thus again
communicates the formula received from others as a formula for
others. He who himself longs and hopes and believes will surely
rejoice in the hope and faith of others; all contention about the
true form is mere empty self-assertion. Dear friend, I also have
a strong faith, on account of which I have been bitterly scoffed
at by our politicians and sages of the law. I have faith in the
future of the human race, and that faith I draw simply from my
inner necessity. I have succeeded in observing the phenomena of
nature and of history with love and without prejudice, and the
only evil I have discovered in their true essence is
lovelessness. But this lovelessness also I explain to myself as
an error, an error which must lead us from the state of natural
unconsciousness to the knowledge of the solely beautiful
necessity of love. To gain that knowledge is the task of history;
and the scene on which that knowledge will be practically shown
is none other than our earth, than nature, in which there are all
the germs tending to this blissful knowledge. The state of
lovelessness is the state of suffering for the human race; the
fullness of this suffering surrounds us now, and tortures your
friend with a thousand burning wounds; but, behold, in it we
recognize the glorious necessity of love: we call to each other
and greet each other with the power of love, which would be
impossible without this painful recognition. In this manner we
gain a power of which man in his natural state has no idea, and
this power, expanded to the power of all humanity, will in the
future create on this earth a state of things from which no one
will long to fly to a hereafter henceforth become unnecessary;
for all will be happy, will live and love. Who longs to fly from
this life while he loves?

Well, well, we suffer now. We now should despair and go mad
without faith in a hereafter; I also believe in a hereafter, and
have just shown you this hereafter. If it lies beyond my life, it
does not lie beyond that which I can feel, think, conceive, and
comprehend; for I believe in mankind, and require nothing
further.

I now ask you, Who at the bottom of his heart shares my faith
more than do you, who believe in me, who know and demonstrate
love as no one else has proved and practiced it yet? You realize
your faith in every moment of your life; I know deeply and inly
what you believe; how then could I scoff at the form from which
such a miracle springs? I should not be as much of an artist as I
am if I did not joyfully understand you.

Let us bravely fight and struggle; then all whims will disappear.
That I must remain so far from my battlefield is what makes me
complain so often.

Well, my highest hope will be fulfilled:

I shall see you again.

This implies everything that can give joy to me; and I am sure
that at your arrival, and through means of it, you will find me
so elated that you will take my present and past complaints for
pure hypocrisy. My nerves, it is true, suffer a great deal, and
for a very natural reason. But I am now in hopes of strengthening
them thoroughly; for that I shall want a little "life:" the
medical cure alone will not be sufficient. That "life" you will
bring to me, and I promise you that you will find me hale and
hearty.

I am almost glad that you are not coming to my musical
performances here, which will take place May 18th, 20th, and
22nd; we shall afterwards be more by ourselves, belong to each
other more. Oh, how I rejoice in the thought!

You will find everything comfortable with me; the devil of luxury
has taken hold of me, and I have arranged my house as pleasantly
as possible. When the real thing is wanting, one does what one
can to help one's self. Well, come; you will find me half mad;
you, you, you, and no one else!

What further shall I say in reply? I find I have taken to
chatting on the main thing.

S.'s judgment of my poem satisfies my vanity--I mean, because it
proves my judgment. In spite of all, I took S. from the beginning
for a confirmed litterateur whom you for a moment had carried
away with you, but only for a moment. A litterateur cannot
understand me; only a complete man or a true artist can. Leave it
alone; it will be all right. When once I have cast everything
aside to dive up to the ears into the fount of music, it will
sound so well that people shall hear what they cannot see. We
must have a long talk about my further practical plans as to the
performance.

All scribbled things are absolutely distasteful to me, and it is
the greatest effort to me to read the musical paper. I wish that
all this had no reference to me; let the people do for their own
sakes what they think they ought not to omit; what was necessary
for me you have done. Dearest, dearest friend, do not think that
I meant to reproach you when recently again I wrote with furious
impatience about my return to Germany. I do this quite at random;
I call out when I am in pain, but I accuse no one, certainly you
least of all. You are unfortunate in being so near to my heart;
for that reason you hear everything that I sigh and complain of
violently and painfully. Be not angry, and forgive me cordially.
I will write to the Hereditary Grand Duke, because it gives me
pleasure.

Enough for today; my fingers are becoming cramped. But how many,
many things I shall have to say to you. I keep everything for
that occasion, and have really not written to you once about your
performance of my operas, of which quite recently again I heard
such wonders. All that will come by word of mouth, if only I do
not go mad!

Farewell. Greet the Princess. A thousand kisses from

Your

RICHARD WAGNER

April 13th, 1853

108.

Bravo, Schoneck! Long live Kroll's theatre! Those people have
rational ideas, and work bravely. The fact that you are friendly
with Schoneck, and can count upon his goodwill and musical
intelligence, gives a favourable turn to the performance of
"Tannhauser" at Kroll's theatre, and I, for my part, do not
advise you against it, the less so as you seem to like it. Your
citing Mirabeau as marchand de draps is quite applicable to
"Tannhauser" at Kroll's theatre; and if Schoneck manages to fill
the parts moderately well, the thing will, no doubt, hugely amuse
you.

Simultaneously with this I write, by your desire, to Schoneck to
compliment him on the impending performances. I have advised him
to go to work prudently, as the whole matter is in his hands. We
may anticipate a very good result, which will cordially please

Your

FRANZ LISZT

I shall write to Prague tomorrow, to President Sacher; this
matter will probably drag on for some time.

109.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

In the most frightful turmoil of business, I must send you a few
words of enthusiasm. I have been writing an explanatory programme
for my musical performance here, and was led on that occasion to
look once more through your pamphlet on my opera. How can I
describe my feelings? When has an artist, a friend, ever done for
another what you have done for me? Truly, when I should be
inclined to despair of the whole world, one single glance at you
raises me again high and higher, fills me with faith and hope; I
cannot conceive what I should have done without you these last
four years. Oh, and how much you have made of me; it has been
indescribably beautiful for me to observe you during that space
of time. The idea and the word "gratitude" cannot contain my
meaning!

You say that you do not yet expect to get your leave of absence!
Do not frighten me, and tell me by return that you are coming,
and coming soon.

I have engaged Damm. It was a mad undertaking to find an
orchestra of seventy men when there were only fourteen competent
musicians in the place. I have plundered all Switzerland, and all
the neighbouring states as far as Nassau. It was necessary to
raise the guarantee fund to 7,000 francs in order to cover
expenses, and all this that I might hear the orchestral prelude
to "Lohengrin."

I expect you for certain in the first days of June. If only the
joy of seeing you again does not drive me mad! Adieu. Come to

Your

R. W.

ZURICH, May 9th, 1853

110.

Your splendid programme for the musical performances at Zurich,
May 18th, 20th, and 22nd, has made me quite sad, dearest friend.
Why can I not be present to make some returns to you for all I
owe you? But what is the good of questioning, brooding, and
sorrowing? I cannot get away from here before the end of June.
Tomorrow (the 20th) we have a grand court concert (the programme
is of no interest to you), and ten days afterwards the
performance of "Moses" by Marx, which I have to conduct. On June
15th takes place the jubilee of the Grand Duke, for which his
Majesty the King of Saxony will probably come here, and the 20th
is the birthday of the Hereditary Grand Duke. On the 26th or 28th
I accompany my mother, who is still half lame, to Paris; and by
the middle of July at the latest I shall be with you in Zurich.
Till then I must have patience, and need not give you any further
explanations.

I talked some time ago with the Princess of Prussia about you.
The performance of "Tannhauser" at Kroll's is variously commented
upon. I am still of opinion that the personal influence and
ability of Schoneck are in this matter decisive. Since my last
letter to Schoneck I have heard nothing from him, but I believe I
told you of an offer that was made to me to take the Leipzig
opera to Berlin and to conduct "Tannhauser" at the Konigsstadt
Theatre. I have naturally declined this offer.

I hope Schoneck will keep his word and bear the responsibility of
an adequate performance of "Tannhauser" honourably, thus
justifying your confidence. When you hear further particulars,
ask him to communicate them to me, as I have been questioned on
various sides about this matter, and have warmly defended
Schoneck's undertaking against the wavering portion of your
friends and the public.

Alwine Fromann was here for some days. I have learnt to love her
through you. Your "Nibelungen" has been read excellently on four
evenings at the Altenburg by Counsellor Sauppe, director of the
Grammar School, who formerly lived for some years at Zurich. The
whole subject of the "Nibelungen" I shall work out with you in
conversation; in the meantime only this: that I am wholly in
favour of it, and ask you urgently to take the musical part
seriously in hand.

I hear from Prague that "Tannhauser" is being prepared there for
next autumn. If this is confirmed, the other step which I
contemplated will become useless. In any case I shall wait a
little while to gain better ground for the matter.

"Lohengrin" will be given at Wiesbaden, and at Schwerin the
"Dutchman" is heaving in sight. Have you finished the "Faust"
overture? Damm has probably told you that we have given it here
several times fairly well. Apropos of Damm, tell him that he can
stop as long as he likes. I envy the fellow his good time with
you.

This afternoon Louis Kohler, from Konigsberg, will arrive here to
hear your "Lohengrin." Alas! alas! "Indra," by Flotow, absorbs
all the delicate attentions of our artistic direction; and this
wretched medley will be given the day after tomorrow as festival
opera. Did you formerly have intercourse with Kohler? I only know
him through some very amiable notices of a few of my pianoforte
works. His last letter is a kind of dithyramb about "Lohengrin,"
which naturally predisposes me favourably towards the man.

Farewell, you unique man! and may we soon be together.

Your

F. L.

Let me soon have news of your performances at Zurich, and do not
forget to send Brendel a notice of them for his paper. About
Brendel, who recently visited me here, I have several things to
tell you.

Please God, I may have good news to bring you from Dresden; it is
that which keeps me here till the end of June.

111.

DEAREST,

I feel beaten down and weary. Damm has probably written to you
about my musical performances. Everything went off right well,
and Zurich was astonished that such a thing could have happened.
The Philistines almost carry me on their hands; and if I cared
for external success, the effect of my performances would more
than satisfy me. But, as you know, my chief object was to hear
something from "Lohengrin," and especially the orchestral
prelude, which interested me uncommonly. The impression was most
powerful, and I had to make every effort not to break down. So
much is certain: I fully share your predilection for "Lohengrin";
it is the best thing I have done so far. On the public also it
had the same effect. In spite of the "Tannhauser" overture,
preceding them, the pieces from "Lohengrin" made such an
impression, that they were unanimously declared to be the best
thing. For the "Bridal Procession" I had specially written a very
effective new close, which I must communicate to you; following
upon the "Bridal Song," I repeated the G major prelude (wedding
music), after a short transition, and gave a new conclusion to
this also. These pieces have had a tremendous popular success;
everybody was delighted. It was a real feast for the world around
me. All the women are in my favour.

I might have repeated the concerts six times, and they would have
been full on every occasion, but I stuck to three performances,
because I had enough of it, and was afraid of getting tired.
Besides this, I could not have retained the orchestra any longer;
many had to go home, especially eight musicians from Wiesbaden,
the best of the orchestra there, who had given me great pleasure
by coming. I had almost nothing but concert-masters and musical
directors--twenty most excellent violins, eight tenors, eight
splendid violin-cellos, and five double-basses. All had brought
their best instruments; and in the acoustical orchestra,
constructed according to my indication, the tone of the
instruments was most bright and beautiful. It is true that the
whole cost 9,000 francs.

What do you think of our citizens raising all that money? I
believe that in time I shall be able to do unheard-of things
here, but for the present it has cost me unheard-of trouble.
During the week preceding the performances, I read in my way,
which you will hear later on, my three operatic poems before a
very large audience in public and gratis, and was delighted by
the powerful impression they produced on my hearers. In the
intervals I studied my choruses with amateurs, and these tame,
four-part people at last sang as if they had swallowed the devil.
Well, I am a little lame and weary in consequence. It is hard
that you will have to leave me in my loneliness for the whole
month of June.

Why have your festivities been suddenly postponed? Not till the
middle of July? Just now you would have been of infinite benefit
to me; I am very lonely.

For the present I must try to pick up a little by a wandering
life; perhaps I shall go for a few weeks to Brunnen, on the lake
of Lucerne, and try to settle down to work. I shall make
excursions from there to the Bernese Oberland and thus pass the
time till your much-desired arrival. How long shall you be able
to stay? In the second half of July I am to go to St. Moritz, in
the Grisons, to go through a cure there from which they promise
great benefit for my health. Will you follow me to that
beautiful, wild solitude? That would be splendid! By the end of
August, when you have to leave me again, I shall go to Italy, as
far as it is accessible to me. (I wish it could be to Naples! The
King of Saxony might manage that!) The means I must get somehow,
if I were to steal them.

In other respects "business" with me is flat. You have probably
heard that the manager of the Berlin court opera has procured an
order which prevents the smaller theatres of Berlin, and
especially Kroll's theatre, from performing such operas as
"Tannhauser." From this we see how powerfully even a threat acts
upon these people; they are of course ashamed of themselves, and
do not wish to incur open disgrace. I have authorized Schoneck to
announce "Tannhauser" as a "Singspiel," but he himself is
doubtful whether the thing can be managed. He loses in this
manner a fine opportunity of making himself favourably known and
of raising himself above his hole-and-corner circumstances. I
lose a nice income for this summer, for the undertaking would
have brought me in a few thousand francs. But God's, or rather
Herr von Hulsen's, will be done. It is quite plain that in our
excellent states the "other thing" has nowadays the upper hand;
the Princess of Prussia may wish and desire what she likes, she
will not be able to conquer that, nor Herr von Hulsen either.
Good Lord, I know the thing.

However, I was peculiarly pleased that you from the first looked
upon this Berlin experiment just as I did, and that we quite
understood each other. I can quite imagine how the Philistine
must have shaken his head. It was equally clear that you were
unable to accept the proposal for the Konigsstadt Theatre with
the Leipzig troupe, and I am only annoyed at their impudence in
offering you such a thing. It implies indeed a gross insult, for
which one must pardon our dull-headed theatrical mob. "Lord,
forgive them, for they know not what they do."

Dearest friend, have you not yet had enough of Weimar? I must own
that I frequently grieve to see how you waste your strength
there. Was there any truth in the recent rumour of your leaving
Weimar? Have they given in?

But all this is idle talk. My brain is a wilderness, and I thirst
for a long, long sleep, to awake only when my arms are around
you. Write to me very precisely, also whether you are inclined,
after a little stay at Zurich, to go with me to the solitude of
the Grisons; St. Moritz might, after all, do you good, dearest
friend; we shall there be five thousand feet high, and enjoy the
most nerve-strengthening air, together with the mineral water,
which is said to be of beneficial effect on the digestive organs.
Think this over, consult your health and your circumstances, and
let me know very soon what I may hope for.

Farewell, best and dearest of friends. Have my eternal thanks for
your divine friendship, and be assured of my steadfast and
warmest love.

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