Correspondence of Wagner and Liszt, Volume 1

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Your

RICHARD W.

ZURICH, May 30th, 1853

112.

DEAREST FRIEND,

I have just received the enclosed letter, programme, and
newspaper from Prague. If you will write a few lines to Apt, you
will please him very much. Also be kind enough to send a copy of
your "Nibelungen" to Louis Kohler in Konigsberg (care of Pfitzer
and Heimann, music-publishers). He deserves this attention from
you, and I promised it him during his stay here, when he
cordially joined your banner. From Leipzig, after the performance
of "Tannhauser," he wrote me a letter which I could sign myself,
and you are sure to find in Kohler a very zealous, able, and
honest champion of your cause in the press.

A little book by him on the melody of speech will shortly appear.
As a composer for the pianoforte he has done some excellent
things. Several years ago an opera of his composition was
produced at Brunswick. Kohler is about thirty-two years old, and
married.

Marx was here recently. We have become friends, and shall
probably approach each other still more closely. His oratorio
"Moses" was given fairly well under my direction.

A little court concert was given the day before yesterday in
honour of their Majesties the King and Queen of Saxony. Further
details I shall tell you when I see you. Unfortunately I must
doubt that the steps taken so far will lead to the desired
result, but there is yet another hope before my departure, for
which I must wait. The Hereditary Grand Duke will soon go to
Dresden, and has promised me his intercession in this matter.

In ten or twelve days I shall give you an exact plan of my
journey. It is very possible and almost probable that Joachim and
Robert Franz will accompany me to Zurich. It is quite understood
that I go with you wherever you like, but I shall not be able to
stay with you longer than ten days altogether. Whether it will be
at the beginning or the middle of July I cannot say for certain,
because this journey depends on another much longer one.

Damm has told us wonderful things of your three performances. The
poetic indications which I read in the programme, especially
those of the introduction to "Lohengrin" and the overture of the
"Flying Dutchman," interested me very much. Before long I may
send you a little article about the "Flying Dutchman"; and if you
approve of it, it shall be published.

I have been much depressed these last few days by many and
various things. These are the days of thunderstorms. With all my
heart and soul I shall rejoice on seeing you again. Let us be
faithful to one another, though the world go to ruin.

F. L.

June 8th, 1853

113.

I have nothing to write to you, dearest, except that I await you
longingly. You might come before the middle of July, seeing that
you will not be able to give me more than ten days in all. This
of course determines me not to expect that you should go to the
watering-place in the Grisons with me for a few days only. It
would have been different if you could have stayed with me there
for some length of time. I suppose you will not be here this
month, and I may, without fear of missing you, go next week to
Interlaken in the Oberland to visit part of the R. family. At the
beginning of July I shall be back again, and expect you daily.

That Franz and Joachim intend to come too is famous. Franz had
already half promised me. I shall be delighted to make their
acquaintance. Prague and Konigsberg (Kohler) will be attended to.

I read today in the "Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik" the article by
T. in Posen, in which there is a stupid thing, viz., an
exaggeration, where he says that I consider "Schoneck one of my
most gifted disciples." Schoneck as a musician is quite
insignificant, and as a man without particular culture; he is
simply a theatrical conductor--at least as far as I know him. I
was struck, however, by his uncommon and specific talent as a
conductor, as well as by his nervous, restless, and very active
temperament, combined with a strong turn for enthusiasm. He once
saw me study Beethoven's music with an orchestra, and conduct it,
and devoured what could be acquired with genuine astonishment,
making it his own with so much cleverness that later on at
Freiburg he produced the music to "Egmont," which he had heard me
do, with very great success, as competent witnesses have assured
me. It was the same afterwards with the "Flying Dutchman," which
he grasped completely as a conductor. But beyond his specific
gift as a conductor, I do not think that I have influenced him
particularly, and should certainly not like him to be considered
my representative, although I may count upon his devotion. If the
Berlin plan at Kroll's is, after all, realized--and there is
again strong opposition to it now-I must think of having my
intentions more specially represented, and have young Ritter in
view for that purpose. As to this also we must have a talk.
However, the success of "Tannhauser" at Posen, under Schoneck's
direction, is again a striking incident. Within six days they
gave it four times, with the largest receipts. Only think what
trouble I had at the time with this opera at Dresden.

But enough. That you, like me, do not seem to be in good spirits,
grieves me very much, but I become more and more convinced that
people like us must always be uncomfortable, except in the
moments, hours, and days of productive excitement; but then we
enjoy and luxuriate during that time more than any other man. So
it is! Soon we shall talk! I am almost afraid of this joy! You
will write, will you not?

Adieu, dearest friend.

Your

R. W.

ZURICH, June 14th, 1853

114.

BEST OF FRIENDS,

Today week--Thursday, June 28th--I start from here. At Carlsruhe
I shall have to stop till July 1st, in order to look at the
localities, and to make some preparations for the impending
Musical Festival there. On July 2nd I shall therefore hope to be
with you at Zurich. My time will be very short, but it will be an
unspeakable pleasure to live with you for a few days.

I enclose a few disappointing lines concerning your affair, which
have been sent to me by an unknown hand. I hope to be able to
tell you better news when I see you. I shall go straight from the
mail office to you at Zeltweg, to ask you about the hotel where I
shall stop. Probably Joachim and Franz will come with me. If it
is not too much trouble, notify my arrival at Winterthur to
Kirchner and Eschmann, whose personal acquaintance I should like
to make.

I have just received from Hartel your portrait, which seems to me
more like than the previous one. If there is a decent sculptor at
Zurich, you must oblige me by giving him a few sittings, for him
to model a large medallion in relief of you. I cannot bear
lithographed portraits; to me they have always a somewhat
bourgeois appearance, while sculpture represents a man in a very
different way.

In ten days, dearest friend, we shall wholly possess each other.
If you like to write to me, address Poste restante, Carlsruhe,
where I shall be till July 1st.

Your

F. LISZT

June 23rd, 1853

[ENCLOSURE.]

If I venture to trouble you with a few lines, my motive, I hope,
will gain me your kind forgiveness. In today's number of the
"Freimuthige Sachsen-Zeitung" the old Steckbrief (order of
arrest) (v. 49) against Capellmeister Richard Wagner has been
copied, with the remark "that it is said that he intends to
return to Germany, and therefore the police are requested to keep
a watchful eye on him, and, in case he is found in Germany, to
arrest him and deliver him here."

Although I know Capellmeister R. Wagner from of old, I do not
know how to communicate this news to him, because it is said that
most of the letters sent to refugees in Switzerland are either
opened or never delivered; and I am not acquainted with any other
safe way.

A consultation which I had with some of Richard Wagner's friends
led us to determine, as the only means, upon asking Court-
Capellmeister Dr. Liszt, one of the most faithful and best-known
friends of the great composer, "to acquaint Capellmeister R.
Wagner with the above by some sure ways and means."

Asking you once more to pardon me for the trouble I give you, I
remain, with the greatest esteem and veneration,

-----

115.

DEAREST FRIEND,

I have just returned from a trip, and find your letter. Thank
God, I have not much to write in answer beyond expressing my joy
that you are coming so soon. Saturday, July 2nd, in the morning,
or at the latest in the evening, I shall await you at the mail
office. You might stay with me, but I am afraid you would not be
comfortable, especially if you come with Joachim and Franz. All
this we shall settle at once at the office. There is a good
hotel, Hotel Baur. I shall let Kirchner and Eschmann know. Good
Lord, how glad I am. Not another word by letter!

Au revoir.

Your

RICHARD WAGNER

Could you let me know by telegram exactly when you are coming?

We have beautiful weather.

116.

You see, dear friend, that I am approaching; and unless official
impediments delay me one day, I start the day after tomorrow-
Friday, July 1st--by the afternoon train for Basle, and arrive at
Zurich by the mail-coach on Saturday, early in the morning. At
the latest, I shall be there on Sunday at the same hour. Joachim
I expect here; Franz, I am sorry to say, will not be able to come
till later on.

Your

FRANZ LISZT

CARLSRUHE, June 29th

117.

FRANKFORT, Tuesday, July 12th, 1853, 6 p.m.

UNIQUE FRIEND,

The Musical Festival at Carlsruhe will take place on September
20th, and I write you these few lines in haste to ask you to send
me the altered passage in the score of "Lohengrin" at Weymar.

If not inconvenient to you, I should be glad if you could lend me
for six weeks your Zurich parts of the overture to "Tannhauser"
and the pieces from "Lohengrin" for use at the Carlsruhe
festival; send them straight to Devrient. As the Hartels have not
printed the parts, it will not injure their interests; and we
shall at least be sure that the parts are correctly copied, as
you have already used them at Zurich. From Weymar I shall bring
the parts of the "Tannhauser" overture with me. At the two
concerts of the Carlsruhe festival the orchestras and artists of
the Darmstadt, Mannheim, and Carlsruhe theatres will co-operate.
As the performances take place at the theatre, the trebling of
the parts will be quite sufficient, for the house does not hold
more than fourteen or fifteen hundred people, and an orchestra of
a hundred and ninety and a chorus of something like a hundred and
sixty will consequently have a good effect. As soon as the
programme is settled I shall send it to you; for the present I
tell you only that the "Tannhauser" overture will make the
commencement of the first concert and the "Lohengrin" pieces the
close of the second. In addition to this, there will be two
pieces by Berlioz, the finale of Mendelssohn's "Loreley," the
Ninth Symphony, etc. Frau Heim will, I hope, on this occasion be
the reporter for Zurich, and I shall do my best to put her in a
good temper. Johanna sings this evening at a concert in the
theatre for the benefit of a local actress. "Tannhauser" will not
be given tomorrow. After the concert I shall see Schmidt, and
shall inquire as to particulars. . . . In case J. is still here
tomorrow, I shall pay my most humble respects to her. She
appeared first as Romeo, and yesterday sang Fides for the benefit
of the Pension Fund. With E. Devrient I spent a few hours
yesterday at Badenweiler. He is going to visit you at Zurich, but
can make no certain plans for the present, as he expects the
Prince Regent at Badenweiler. His daughter suffers a great deal,
and his wife also appeared to me in very weak health. Frau
Meyerbeer also I met at Badenweiler. With Schindelmeisser I shall
communicate by telegraph early tomorrow morning; and in case
"Lohengrin" is given on Thursday, I shall run over to see it, and
return home to Weymar on Friday.

Through your hat I nearly got into difficulties with the police
at Carlsruhe, because its species and colour are considered
specially suspicious, being accounted red, although grey. I was
accidentally advised of this; nevertheless I have got on well so
far, and shall always maintain that the hat is well-conditioned
and loyal, because you have given it to me.

Apropos, neither of the two persons to whom I have hitherto
talked about it was inclined to believe in your wholly
unpolitical position and mode of feeling. It will certainly take
some time before a more correct opinion of your circumstances and
your whole individuality is arrived at.

My best compliments to your wife, and many thanks for the
kindness and love she showed me during my stay at Zurich.

Do not forget either my most "well-conditioned" homages to Frau
Kumner and her sister. To our Grutly brother and his wife say all
the friendly and true things which I feel for them, and to
Baumgartner give a good "shake-hand" (translated into musical
Swiss) in my name. The days at the Zeltweg remain bright, sunny
days for me. God grant that we may soon be able to repeat them.

Your

DOPPEL PEPS, alias "Double Extract de Peps," or "Double Stout
Peps con doppio movimento sempre crescendo al fffff," which
latter we shall live to witness at the performance of the
"Nibelungen."

Once more I ask you if possible to grant the "Tannhauser" and
"Lohengrin" parts to the Carlsruhe festival, and kindly to write
a few words to that effect to Devrient. I am off to the concert.

Johanna sings three songs by Schubert ("Wanderer," "Trockne
Blumen," and "Ungeduld"), and I sing

[Figure: a musical score]

Pardon me if I have put the bars in the wrong places, and whistle
it better for yourself. Address Weymar.

118.

DEAR, DEAR FRANZ,

Here I am in the capital of the Grisons; all is grey, grey. I
must take rose-coloured paper to get out of this grey, just as a
certain tinge of red glimmers through your grey hat. You see I am
compelled to take to bad jokes, and may therefore guess at my
mood. Solitude, solitude, nothing but horrible grey solitude,
since you went away! Wednesday evening my Zurich people tried to
dispel this grey solitude with their torches; it was very pretty
and solemn, and nothing like it had happened to me in my life
before. They had built an orchestra in front of my house in the
Zeltweg, and at first I thought they were erecting a scaffold for
me. They played and sang, we exchanged speeches, and I was
cheered by an innumerable multitude. I almost wish you had heard
the speech of the evening; it was very naive and sincere; I was
celebrated as a perfect saviour. The next morning I left in
company with St. George; since then rain has fallen incessantly.
Last night we found the only mail-coach from Coire to St. Moritz
full, and had to make up our minds to stop here for another two
nights and one day. Before leaving Zurich I fetched your
Frankfort letter from the post-office; alas! it was the last joy
which I took with me from deserted Zurich. Be cordially thanked
for it, you dear, departed joy!

Today I inaugurate your new writing-case with a first "written"
communication to you. Let me talk of business; all else has
become too terrible for my pen and ink since I possessed you
wholly, heard your noble voice, pressed your divine hand.
Therefore to--business!

You shall have the parts; each of them is in a book which
contains all the pieces of my Zurich concert; you will therefore
have "Tannhauser" as well as "Lohengrin." But as your orchestra
will be larger than mine, you will have to have them copied out;
still I think they will arrive in time if I send them to Devrient
not before the middle of August, after my return from St. Moritz;
let me know whether you think the same. If you also want the
voice parts and think the chorus ought to begin studying before
the middle of August, I will send you them through my wife before
the others; as to this also I want your instructions. The newly
written score of the "Lohengrin" pieces, containing all the
alterations, will be ready in four weeks at the latest. I
therefore prefer to wait till then rather than send you the
alterations on detached slips of paper, which would be of little
use to you. About the middle of August the entire and properly
arranged score will be sent to you at Weimar; but if you insist
upon having the alterations separately at an earlier date, write
to me, and I will obey. So, so, so, so! this is the business.

And now what remains? Sadness! sadness! After you had been taken
from us I did not say a single word to George. Silently I
returned home; silence reigned everywhere. Thus we celebrated
your leave-taking, you dear man; all the splendour had departed.
Oh, come back soon, and stay with us for a long time. If you only
knew what divine traces you have left behind you! Everything has
grown nobler and milder; greatness lives in narrow minds; and
sadness covers all.

Farewell, my Franz, my holy Franz. Think of the wild solitude of
St. Moritz, and send a ray of your life there soon.

My wife read your letter with me, and was delighted--She greets
you cordially. George asks me to greet you, and thanks you for
remembering him. He will soon be a poet for your sake. Farewell,
dear, dear Franz.

Your

RICHARD.

COIRE, July 15th, 1853.

119.

X. is going to sing in "Tannhauser" at R. in about a fortnight.
She had to leave at once after the concert on July 12th, in order
to attend to some starring engagements. I saw her first in her
dressing-room at the theatre, where she had kindly invited me to
visit her for a quarter of an hour after the concert. That
quarter of an hour I employed in doing my duty as a doctor and
apothecary in the "well-conditioned" line. I told her many and
sundry things which she was able to understand. Before taking
leave X. promised me to sing Ortrud and Elizabeth at Weymar in
the course of next winter, which I accepted very thankfully. Papa
X. has some plans for a German opera in London, and opines that
your operas would have a fine effect there. I replied that the
needful and indispensable would first have to be done for them in
Germany. There is no hurry about London, and perfect success
there is only possible when the ground in Germany has been firmly
occupied.

To S. and M. I repeated once more that it would be scandalous not
to give "Tannhauser" on this occasion, and S. went so far as to
promise me that, in case of difficulties, he would announce
"Tannhauser" with Frau Anschutz-Capitain in the intervals of the
starring engagement.

Has Schindelmeisser sent you our Wiesbaden "Lohengrin" snuffbox?
As Ortrud was ill, "Lohengrin" could not be given this week. Frau
Moritz is a very amiable and excellent woman and artist. She is
studying Elsa and Senta, and is quite determined to make active
propaganda for your operas. Moritz is going to read your "Ring of
the Nibelung" this month at Wiesbaden.

When I go to Carlsruhe, I shall again visit Moritz at Wiesbaden.

Your letter to C. A. reached me this morning early; excellent and
worthy of you! This afternoon I drive to Ettersburg to pay my
respects to the young gentleman, and shall hand him your letter
at once.

The Princess of Prussia is here with her mother, and will
probably remain till the end of July. Whether the etiquette of
court mourning will permit me to have a talk with her I do not
know.

Be happy in the Grisons, you godlike man. When you work at the
"Nibelungen," let me be with you, and keep me within you even as
you have received me--in truth and love.

Your

F. L.

WEYMAR, July 17th, 1853.

Enclosed I send you a letter from Kohler, which you may on
occasion return to me. Have you read his pamphlet "The Melody of
Speech"? Perhaps you might write a few words to him.

Do not forget the Carlsruhe scores, and, if possible, the parts.
Address always Weymar.

[ENCLOSURE.]

HIGHLY ESTEEMED DR. LISZT,

This is my book. Do not expect to find anything in it, lest I
should have the misfortune of incurring your censure.

I have sent the book to Wagner, and it makes me anxious to think
that it might displease him; I wish I knew something definite.
Wagner has given me infinitely great pleasure by sending me his
"Nibelungen." I owe this to you; you were my intercessor.

I am still reading the book. At first it was strange to me, but
attracted me as something strange does attract us. Unconsciously,
however, I lost myself in it, and now feel quite at home in it,
with the true joy of Valhall. The work strikes me with a power
which is of a peculiar kind, and I do not care to vex my spirit
with reflections. It is such a fine thing if they do not occur of
themselves, although, no doubt, the after-effect of the book will
lead to reflections. I do not think that for centuries so truly
sublime a piece of poetry has been created, so powerful, so full
of simplicity--simple in diction--there is marrow in every word.
Everything in it appears great, even in an optic sense; the forms
of the gods I see before me large, but endowed with the ideal
beauty of force; I hear their voices resound afar, and when they
move, the air is stirred. This language is in itself true music,
and therefore cannot be "set to music." I have a distinct idea of
the actual representation of this work and of its perfection; and
I discover a kind of speech melody in the forcibly phrased and
vividly grouped verses of Wagner, such as I imagined as the
ultimate ideal of dramatic tone-speech when I wrote my book;
perhaps you hold a similar opinion, or rather you know, as you
have been with Wagner. To him I should like to write every day,
if only two lines; but Heaven preserve so much occupied a man
from my very superfluous words. If Wagner would only let me know
ten vocal notes from his "Nibelungen," my mind would be at rest.
Wotan is sublime, like a statue in bronze, and yet so humanly
conceivable at the same time. The close of the first act of the
"Valkyrie" is overpowering. Oh! how I felt with Siegmund. When I
read, my soul seemed to expand as if I were looking from a high
point upon a large, new world.

Let me have two brief words about Wagner's intention; I shall be
eternally grateful to you. I shall always think with delight of
my journey and my stay at Weimar. The Altenburg stands
daguerreotyped on my soul.

I still smoke your "Plantages" cigars when I want to reward
myself after much working. Your arrangement of the Ninth Symphony
for two pianos has filled me with the greatest enthusiasm; it is
a marvelous work, which I shall shortly notice in print.

How about new editions? Let me write about them all!

In the feuilleton of our newspaper here I wrote three articles
about you and Wagner; now, after all, comes S. and writes too,
upsetting so many things which I had built up. He is a terribly
confused spirit, and the humour of it is that he thinks everybody
else confused.

Is Raff working busily at his Samson? I hope we shall soon hear
something of him. Remember me to him very kindly.

And now I take my leave of you, asking for your forbearance with

Your wholly devoted

LOUIS KOHLER.

KONIGSBERG, July 3rd, 1853.

120.

Your splendid letter on rosy paper has cheered me up. The air
here feels so thick, so buttery (so like rancid butter). Well,
let it be as it may, I do not care; you write your "Nibelungen"
and "Delenda Philisterium!"

To the young Grand Duke I gave your letter, and I can assure you
that he has fully understood your noble language, your high-toned
feeling. I had the honour yesterday of seeing the Princess of
Prussia; she is staying here at Belvedere without chamberlain or
dame d'honneur, simply as the loving and very lovable daughter of
her mother, "the Frau Grossherzogin-Grossfurstin" (this is now
the official denomination of the Grand Duchess Maria Paulowna).
Zigesar, who remains with the latter as acting chamberlain and
house-marshal, tells me wonders of the grace and amiability of
the Princess of Prussia. I have of course told her many and
various things about you.

The Zurich people have acted very well, and we at Weymar have
taken cordial interest in your serenade and the torchlight
procession. What a pity "Double Peps" was there no longer! He
would have drummed and torched with a will.

The day after tomorrow I must start for Carlsbad, and shall stay
there till August 15th, wherefore address Carlsbad till middle of
August, after that Weymar. The 28th of August (anniversary of
Goethe's birthday and of the first performance of "Lohengrin") is
fixed for the "Huldigung" (taking the oath of allegiance to the
new Grand Duke). I shall probably be there, and must write a
march of about two hundred bars by command. Raff is to write a Te
Deum for the church ceremony.

For your kind loan of "Tannhauser" and "Lohengrin" to Carlsruhe I
am very thankful to you. You save us time and trouble, and I feel
quite safe now.

I expect then that between the 15th and 18th of August (please,
not later) all the orchestral and choral parts as well as the
scores will be in the hands of Devrient at Carlsruhe, and I shall
advise him as to their arrival. A correct and spirited
performance of the "Tannhauser" overture and the pieces from
"Lohengrin" I guarantee, and you shall have satisfactory accounts
of it.

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