Letters of Franz Liszt
Chapter 91 : Very dear friend, Being perfectly convinced of your genuine friends.h.i.+p I am quite w

Very dear friend,

Being perfectly convinced of your genuine friends.h.i.+p I am quite willing to follow the instructions you will briefly give me concerning the Beethoven Festival [For the benefit of the Beethoven Memorial. It took place in Vienna on the 18th March, 1877. Liszt played the E-major Concerto and the pianoforte Fantasia (with chorus), and accompanied the Scotch songs sung by Caroline Bettelheim.] in Vienna. Whether, and in what way, I may be able to take part in it will be decided when we have discussed the subject. Meanwhile I most modestly determine to consider myself unusable. [There is here a play on the word bescheiden, the German being ich bescheide mich bescheidenst, which is untranslatable.]

About the beginning of August I shall pay you a visit in Vienna, whence my road leads onwards to Szegzard. My earlier halting points will be: 3rd July, Leipzig--performance of my Missa choralis; 13th and 17th July, "Rheingold" and the "Walkure" in Munich; and after that the Pa.s.sion Play at Oberammergau.

The favorable reception accorded to the Coronation Ma.s.s [By Liszt] is essentially due to your having conducted it. My best thanks for this. The score is to be printed shortly, and I must ask you to hand over to the publisher Schuberth the ma.n.u.script which I gave you in Munich last summer. Schuberth is going to Vienna in a few weeks.

With sincerest esteem, I remain your ever gratefully devoted

F. Liszt

Weimar, June 20th, 1870

104. To Sophie Menter

[The favorite and most distinguished of Liszt's lady-pupils, of whom he wrote to Navratil on 29th September, 1881, that he had "for many years past regarded her as the most brilliant and accomplished of the lady-pianists of the day." Since 1874 she has held the appointment of Court pianist at the Imperial Court of Austria.]

Dear and Very Honored One,

A telegram from Abranyi informs me that an invitation, addressed to Capellmeister O.B. in Salzburg, has already been sent to you to ask you to take part in the Sangerfest in Pest. Hence, after having triumphantly played in the Mozarteum on the 18th, your triumphs are to be continued forthwith in Pest on the 20th. Baron Augusz and your humble servant expect you there from the 19th.

Kindly let me know (per telegram) by which train you will arrive, and--a few days afterwards--my rigidly adhered-to plan of carrying you off to Szegzard shall be brilliantly fulfilled.

Here in this house you will find rest, comfort, friendly sympathy and harmless affability, and, in addition, music too, and that not of the worst kind, for we shall arrange it ourselves.

Your sincerely attached and devoted

F. Liszt

Szegzard, August 11th, 1870

105. To Sophie Menter

Your hearty and humorous little note closes delightfully with the promise that you are soon coming to Szegzard. You will not find here any vestige of all the artistic enjoyments and glories of the Mozarteum; the whole symphonic contingent of Szegzard is limited to half a dozen gypsies with instruments out of tune and harmonising in pell mell fas.h.i.+on one with the other; the choruses are free and performed in the open air, namely: soprano and alto- -flocks of geese; tenor and ba.s.s--cattle;--so that a conductor like O.B. would have nothing further to do than to pose as a mythological figure...

Nevertheless I promise you, dear kind patroness, many pleasant and befitting things in this restful, genial and refined home of our mutual friend Baron Augusz.

You will be most heartily welcome to us all--especially to your most sincerely attached

F. Liszt

Szegzard, August 29th, 1870

Between the middle and the end of September Remenyi, Mosonyi and Mihalovich will be staying here.

106. To Kornel von Abranyi in Budapest

[Autograph in the possession of Herr E. von Mihalovich in Budapest.--The addressee was a musician, writer and critic there.]

Dear Friend,

The death of Mosonyi puts our hearts in mourning. [Michael Mosonyi, the friend of Liszt, and to whose sudden death the latter here refers, was famous in Hungary as a composer, teacher and author.] It makes us sorrow also for Music in Hungary, of which Mosonyi was one of the n.o.blest, most valiant and praiseworthy representatives. One might be proud of walking side by side with him in the right road. In truth his name had not its due eclat and renown abroad; but he did not trouble himself the least about that, and possibly he did not even take enough trouble about it,--as much by wisdom as by contempt of equivocal and vulgar means, which were repugnant to the elevated rect.i.tude of his soul. He felt what esteem was due to him, and thought of nothing but real glory; that which is attained by conscientious perseverance in the Good and the Beautiful.

Let us honor his memory by setting ourselves to make his examples and teaching bear further fruit!--

Many of the published compositions of Mosonyi deserve to be more and better known; others, still in ma.n.u.script,--his last great dramatic work "Almos" in particular--will soon be spread abroad, I hope.

We will talk about this shortly at Pest. For today I wish merely to share with some friend, such as yourself, dear Abranyi, the grief at the loss which we have sustained. Yours from my heart,

F. Liszt

Szegzard, November 2nd, 1870

107. To Sophie Menter

Dear Patroness,

Your dear little notes joyfully alarm the whole household. All beg you urgently to come as soon as possible, and I all the more urgently as I have to go to Vienna at the end of April.

Your bewitching description of the "Ambrosia-Concerto" makes me most inquisitive: be sure not to forget to bring the tremendous ma.n.u.script with you; we will arrange an historically memorable performance of it in the salon of the Town-Vicarage.

Hearty greetings, and in all friendliness yours,

F. Listz

Pest, March 22nd, 1871.

In musical matters as follows: this evening and Friday concerts by Remenyi; next Sunday and on the Wednesday before Easter Philharmonic concerts;--in between a grand concert at the Musik Academie of Ofen, and on Good Friday a performance of the Stabat Mater, etc., etc.

Our programme shall be arranged here, forthwith, by word of mouth, at any quarter of an hour that my dear patroness Sophie may feel disposed to appoint.

108. To Edmund von Mihalovich in Budapest

[Composer of several operas and large orchestral works (born 1842), now director of the Music Academy in Budapest.]

.--. Augusz, in his last letter, speaks of fresh proposals on the subject of my settling in Hungary. I answer him, as before, that I am quite disposed to show myself accommodating, devoted, useful, obedient and grateful. The only condition that I make relative to my return to Pest next winter is--a place to live in; for, on the one hand, the modesty of my income forbids me to increase my expenses, and, on the other hand, politeness demands, as it seems to me, that if they seriously want me they will also show me that they do, by sparing me the onerous trouble of having to find a home. On the four occasions on which I have stayed at Pest since 1865 Schwendtner has shown me the utmost and most cordial hospitality. I feel a most true grat.i.tude to him, but should be afraid of showing it ill by taking too great advantage of his kindness to me.

.--. Mme. de Moukhanoft [The cultivated musical friend of Liszt and Wagner, to whom the latter dedicated his "Judenthum in der Musik," whilst Liszt dedicated an Elegic to her memory] writes, "Has Mihalovich received my letter of tender invectives and entreaties to make him come to Weimar?"

It will be difficult to persuade her that walks on the sh.o.r.e at Ostend ought to be preferable to the charm of the talks on the "Goethe Platz," and even at the "Erb-Prinz," which she will again favor with her presence towards the middle of June, I hope.