Letters of Franz Liszt Volume I Part 48

Yours in all friendship,

F. Liszt

Weymar, February 8th, 1858

197. To Peter Cornelius in Mainz

[Weimar,] February 19th, 1858

It is very bad, dearest Cornelius, that you have so long forsaken us! Much as I must approve of your decision to finish writing your Opera ["Der Barbier von Baghdad"] completely, yet I am dreadfully sorry to be without you for so many months. I did hope that you would be with us on the 18th of February for certain; now you announce yourself for the middle of March, at which time I shall probably not be here. On the 12th of March I conduct a concert at Prague, at which the "Ideale" and the "Dante Symphony"

will be given. Thence I proceed to Vienna, and later to Loewenberg (in Silesia) to my n.o.ble and most amiable patron Prince Hohenzollern-Hechingen, who, in spite of political changes, has not only retained his Hechingen orchestra, but has also increased it by fresh members.

I wish I could give you better tidings of my work, best friend, than I am able to do. The last few months have pa.s.sed without my being able to do any steady work at my writing. I have merely sketched and patched.

By May will appear a new edition of the Kuenstler-Chor (with some important simplifications and improvements), and shortly after that the volume of my "Gesammelte Lieder" ["Collected Songs."]

(about thirty), one or two of which will not be displeasing to you. I shall not be able to set to the working out of my Elizabeth till my return from Vienna.

The three songs [by Cornelius] (dedicated to Princess Marie) [Princess Wittgenstein, now Princess Hohenlohe in Vienna.] are charming and excellent. There is in them such a refined and true proportion in union with such fervent and ardent mood that other people besides the author must love them.

In order to make no break in my wonted fault-finding, I observe that in the fifth bar of the first song the A-flat is more agreeable than G.

[Figure: Music example showing the pa.s.sage in question.] The carrying out of the motive in the second song:

[Figure: Here Liszt writes 2 bars of music to ill.u.s.trate.]

(page 2, last line, and page 3) you have done most happily--also the moonlight conclusion of it,

[Figure: Here Liszt writes 3 bars of music to ill.u.s.trate.]

and the poetic delineation of the last verse in the third song (in which the rests in the voice part and the motive in the accompaniment, enlivened by the rhythm [Here follows in the original an illegible sign. In the song there come in here, in place of the quaver movement which has prevailed hitherto, some long-sustained chords in the accompaniment, which are again interrupted by the quaver movement.], make an excellent effect):- -

"Wenn mein Lied zu Ende geht, Sing ich's weiter in Gedanken, Wie's im Wald verschwiegen weht, Wie die Rosen sich umranken!"

["When my song is ended quite, Yet in thought I still am singing, As the wood at silent night Echoes from the day is bringing!"]

Well and good, dearest Cornelius, and now some more soon, let me beg of you! Don't make too long pauses in your hermitage, and allow us to tell you and prove to you how truly we love you.

F. Liszt

P.S.--About two months ago I at last sent Schott the proofs of the second year of the "Annees de Pelerinage," together with the ma.n.u.script of Seroff's arrangement for two pianofortes of Beethoven's C-sharp minor Quartet. Will you be so good as to get Schott to let me know the fate of the C-sharp minor Quartet?

Although two-piano arrangements are somewhat thankless articles of sale, yet perhaps Schott may manage to bring out this Quartet, of which I should be very glad.

Don't forget, dearest friend, to remind him that he has left my letter about this matter hitherto unanswered--and I should be glad to let Seroff know something definite.

198. To Dionys Pruckner in Munich

"Lohengrin" be thanked that I hear something from you again, dear Dionysius, and I give you my best thanks that you wrote to me directly after the first performance, and thus gave me fresh good tidings [Namely after the first performance of Lohengrin in Munich, on February 28th, 1858]. What criticism will emit about it by way of addition troubles me little--in our present circ.u.mstances its strength consists mainly in the fear which people have of it; and, as the Augsburg gentlemen renounce all claim "to wash to teach us," nothing remains for us but to teach ourselves better than they can do it.

Ad vocem of the severe gentlemen of Augsburg, I will send you in a few days Bronsart's brochure "Musikalische Pflichten" ["Musical Duties." Leipzig, Matthes, 1858] (in answer to the "Musikalische Leiden" ["Musical Sufferings." In Nos. 353-55 of the supplement to the Augsburg Allgemeine Zeitung, 1857.], etc.). The A[llgemeine]Z[eitung] only made a couple of extracts from it in its columns, and from these the point was missing. Bronsart exquisitely accuses our opponents of ill-will, unfairness, and calumniation. Since they have not succeeded in silencing us in a conspicuous manner, they would like to kill us insignificantly, for which, however, other weapons would be necessary than those which they have at their command.

Meanwhile Bronsart's form of argument will give you a pleasant hour, and if, as you tell me, you have found in Munich a few comrades of the same mind, let the "Musikalische Pflichten" be recommended in their circle.

Amongst other things the a.s.sumption of the reporter of the A. Z.

that Wagner himself had never conducted his Lohengrin better than Franz Lachner, appeared to me very droll. It is well known that Wagner has never heard this work, let alone conducted it!-- Ignorance of this kind is, moreover, not the worst on the other side, where intentional and unintentional ignorance and lies (not to mince the matter) are continually being directed against us.

But enough of that. Let us continue to go on our own way simply and honorably, and let the tame or wild beasts on our right and left behave as they like!--

I have not kept your last letter (during my stay in Dresden).

Address, up to the 25th of this month, to Haslinger in Vienna. I shall get there by the beginning of next week, and shall conduct the Gran Ma.s.s in the Redouten-Saal [Ball-room] on the 22nd and 23rd. Next Thursday the "Dante Symphony" and the "Ideale" will be given here--and on Sunday "Ta.s.so" (in a Conservatorium Concert).

Tausig and Pflughaupt [A pupil of Henselt and Liszt (1833-71)]

play my two Concertos.

In the E-flat major (No. 1) I have now hit on the expedient of striking the triangle (which aroused such anger and gave such offence) quite lightly with a tuning-fork--and in the Finale (Marcia) I have pretty nearly struck it out altogether, because the ordinary triangle-virtuosi as a rule come in wrong and strike it too hard.

Rubinstein and Dreyschock came to see me in Weymar before I left.

The latter is intending to go to Munich. Go and see him and give him greetings from me.

Write and tell me, dear Dionysius, if I can be of use to you in any way, and you may always dispose of Yours in all friendship,

F. Liszt

Prague, March 9th, 1858

P.S.--Give me some tidings about your stay in Munich. With whom do you have most intercourse? Do you see many of my friends there--Kaulbach, Frau Pacher, etc.? Do you give lessons? Are you thinking of settling there, or do you intend to make a concert tour, and if so, where?--Send me also your exact address.

199. To Eduard Liszt

Dearest Eduard,

Hearty thanks for your few lines.

The letter of invitation has not yet arrived. It goes without saying that I shall accept it; and as soon as I know in what form and to whom I have to reply, I shall write at once. Meanwhile I intend to reach Vienna on Monday, or Tuesday at latest. After tomorrow's concert (with "Dante" and the "Ideale") there is still a Conservatorium Concert to come off on Sunday at midday, at which I shall conduct "Ta.s.so," and also my first Concerto will be played by Herr Pflughaupt. I shall either start for Vienna at once that same evening, or else on Tuesday early. Will you be so good as to order me rooms, as before, in the Kaiserin von Oesterreach [Empress of Austria.] hotel? I am bringing Tausig with me, whose acquaintance you will like to make.

Yours in spirit, and by the ties of flesh and blood,

F. Liszt

Prague, Wednesday early, March 10th, 1858

I received the five hundred gulden all right--and also the big bill, which was a pleasant surprise to me, for when I left Weymar I had made up my mind to give up all claim to it. Now that it has come, however, it must be something good!--I promise you this, that we shall not disgrace ourselves, and shall even surpa.s.s the expectations of our very few friends!--