Letters of Franz Liszt
Chapter 84 : In Grotta mare I wrote about 20 pages of the technical exercises.Unfortunately a host o

In Grotta mare I wrote about 20 pages of the technical exercises.

Unfortunately a host of correspondence prevents my making progress with the work I have already begun and which is finished in my head. The Italians say: Give time, time ("dar tempo al tempo"), which often provokes me utterly!--

First of all I shall set to work at the Weber and Schubert edition, which I hope to send you by the beginning of November.

Please present my best thanks to Baron Reischach for his kind letter. The business point of it (the Weber and Schubert edition) I herewith answer; that I shall redeem my promise by the beginning of November; and that with an easy conscience I shall then give proof of my grat.i.tude by writing to Baron R. myself.

In sincere and friendly collaborators.h.i.+p, I am

Yours most sincerely,

F. Liszt

Rome, September l0th, 1868

72. To E. Repos

Dear Chevalier and Friend,

Your last letter interests me much, and I thank you very sincerely for the confidence you show me. Certainly I should ask nothing better than to reply to it as you wish; but there is the difficulty. Shall you reproach me with "claudicare in duas partes"? No, I do not think you will, for I do not intend to have any hitch; it is simply that the small influence which, in certain given circ.u.mstances, I could exercise, is paralysed by other circ.u.mstances that now predominate. I should be obliged to explain various things to make you understand my extrinsic inapt.i.tude, and consequently my obligatory abstention on some points which touch me closely. I prefer not to enter into these details in writing; perhaps we shall have an opportunity of speaking about them: as to the present time the following is my reply, reduced to the most concise terms:

I entirely approve of your two projects of the compet.i.tion of sacred Music, and of the definitive, normal and really Catholic edition of the Plain-Song of the Church. These two enterprises are opportune and desirable, and may be carried out to your honor and advantage. All the same I am not in a position to serve you efficaciously utraque. Therefore I ought not to be mixed up with it,...unless any contingency as unforeseen as decisive should supervene.

You will have read in the Correspondance de Rome that the work of M. Sre. Alfieri has remained in suspense. It is not a posthumous obstacle with which your edition would have to contend, but another, which might also be called Legion.

The "Requiem" and the "Offertoire of St. Francis" shall be sent to you in a fortnight. Before sending them to you I want carefully to look through the copy, so as to save the engraver as many corrections as possible.

I shall not leave Rome till Christmas; from January till the end of March I shall be at Weimar.--

Pray accept, dear Chevalier and friend, the a.s.surance of my affectionate devotion.

F. Liszt

September 19th, 1868

When will the 1st volume of your publication of the History of the Popes and Cardinals come out? I shall be much obliged if you will send it me.

73. To C.F. Kahnt, the Musical Publisher

[Facsimiles of this and No. 99 appeared in the Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik, June 18th, 1890.]

Dear Sir and Friend,

The delay in the receipt of your letter did not in any way lessen the very welcome news it contained, for which I thank you cordially. Herewith also my warm congratulations in regard to the little red-colored Altenburg volume.

Of the gracious acceptance accorded to the dedication copy of the "Elizabeth" I have already received a full report, which is altogether satisfactory. The second copy de luxe please to keep for the present. I should like to present it to our Grand Duke ad honorem of the Wartburg Library.

Your intention of sending the third copy next Easter to the Exhibition of the German Products of the Printing Press, I, as the author, consider both very appropriate and a pleasant piece of news.

As I am expecting corrected proofs of the "Elizabeth" score, I beg you to enclose Wieseneder's "Kindergarten Lieder-Buchlein"

[Book of Kindergarten Songs]. Probably this will be your last sending to Rome for the year '68, as I shall be in Weimar again by the beginning of January. I shall, therefore, leave all further discussions in extenso till then. Meanwhile there is scarcely anything positive or to the point to write about.

My friendly greetings to Brendel; he knows how much it is my wish to obtain reliable support and some profitable advantage for the endeavors of the A. D. Musik-Verein. Rest a.s.sured of this, dear friend, and count upon my sincere and unalterable attachment.

F. Liszt

Rome, September 20th [1868]

Be quick with and out with the 69th Almanack!--

74. To E. Repos

Dear Monsieur Repos,

Here is the Requiem. If you think it would be well to publish the five parts separately (Requiem, Dies irae, Offertoire, etc.) in the 5 numbers of the Revue de Musique sacree, I have not the slightest objection to it; and will only ask you to announce the complete edition, to be had by itself, at the same time as the detached pages appear.

The copy is very distinct and correct; please beg the engraver not to add any wrong notes of his own composition, and send me the proofs to Rome.

I should be glad if the "Offertoire" of St. Francis (added to the book of the Requiem) could come out at once. The ma.n.u.script is only two pages,--and I do not think I shall be infringing too much St. Francis's rule of poverty by reserving to myself, for this Offertoire as well as for all my compositions that you publish, author's rights for Germany and Italy, in order to keep my promise to several publishers.

Accept, dear Monsieur Repos, the expression of my very distinguished and devoted sentiments.

F. Liszt

Rome, September 22nd, 1868

75. To Prof. Dr. S. Lebert

Dear Friend,

Today I deserve a little praise. The Weber task is finished, and hence I have kept my promise a few weeks in advance.

How I have understood my task you will see from the short Preface on the first page of the various readings to the "Conzertstuck."

The printer will have to act in strict conformity with what is there stated, and to give the necessary letters and signs.

Unfortunately I cannot help giving this unusual trouble, for two kinds of letters and signs are positively indispensable.

My responsibility with regard to Cotta's edition of Weber and Schubert I hold to be: fully and carefully to retain the original text together with provisory suggestions of my way of rendering it, by means of distinguis.h.i.+ng letters, notes and signs,--and these I beg you will again have fully explained to the printer.

In the various readings you will probably find some things not inappropriate;--I flatter myself that I have thus given performers greater licence, and have increased the effect without damaging or overloading Weber's style. Get Pruckner, who is acquainted with my bad musical handwriting, to play the various readings to you.

N.B.--They must be printed in small notes throughout the whole edition.