Letters of Franz Liszt
Chapter 39 : It is a very great regret to me, my dear Rubinstein, to have to miss your visit the day

It is a very great regret to me, my dear Rubinstein, to have to miss your visit the day after tomorrow, of which you sent me word by Mr. Hallberger. You know what a sincere pleasure it always is to me to see you again, and what a lively interest I take in your new works. This time in particular I am at high tension about the completion of your Paradise Lost. If the continuation and the end correspond with the beginning which you showed me, you have reason to be really and truly satisfied with yourself, and you may sleep in peace conscious of having written a grand and beautiful work.

Unfortunately, whatever curiosity I have to be quite a.s.sured of this, I cannot stay here any longer, and must start tomorrow morning for Gran, where, in spite of a lot of useless talk, the thread of which you have perhaps followed in the papers, they will end after all by giving my Ma.s.s on the 31st of August (the day of the consecration of the Basilica). You see that I have only just time to set the thing on foot, and cannot, without the risk of unpleasantness, defer my arrival beyond the day which, moreover, I officially fixed about a week ago.

Please excuse me then, my dear Rubinstein, for my involuntary fugue, and allow me to make up for it without too much delay. On my return from Hungary I shall come through Stuttgart (towards the middle of September). Perhaps I shall find you still there, which would be a very great pleasure. We would sing together the choruses, solos, and orchestra of your new score with all our might! And Winterberger (who has just had a fabulous success at Rotterdam, Haarlem, etc., where he has given several organ concerts largely attended) might also be one of the party, for I expect to make the journey from Zurich with him, and on our way we shall explore the organs of Ulm, Stuttgart, Friburg, and Winterthur.

Will you let me know by a few lines what your plans are for the end of the summer and autumn? Shall you return to Leipzig? Will it suit you to try your Oratorio first at Weymar? In this latter case, which you may be sure will be the most agreeable to me, I will try to facilitate the arrangements that have to be made as regards copies, and to save you the expense of copying. Toward the end of October, at latest, I shall be back here; and, if we do not meet before, I count on your not letting this year elapse without coming again for a few days to your room at the Altenburg, where you are certain of being always most cordially welcome, for we shall make no changes.

If you have a quarter of an hour to spare do write a piece of a few pages for Hallberger, without making him wait any longer, for I especially want one of your loose works to appear in the first copy of the "Pianoforte."

The Princess bids me give you her best compliments, to which I add the expression of frank and cordial friends.h.i.+p of your very devoted

F. Liszt

August 6th, 1856.

Have you received my things in score? Continue to address me at Weymar.

160. To Joachim Raff

You would be making a great mistake if you put any mistrust in my conduct, and I can a.s.sure you with a perfectly good conscience that to me there is nothing more agreeable and more to be desired than to rely entirely on one's friends. With regard to the Wiesbaden affair, I must necessarily await a definite invitation from the concert directors before I can give a definite answer. I think I have too often shown that I am ready and willing, for it to be necessary for me to say more on that point. I was again at Sondershausen last Sunday, and promised to go there again in the course of next winter. The orchestra there, under its conductor Stein (whose acquaintance I had not made until now), has performed two of my Symphonic Poems--"Les Preludes" and "Mazeppa"--with really uncommon spirit and excellence. Should there be a similar willingness in Wiesbaden, it will of course be a pleasure to me to accept the invitation of the concert directors; so also I am greatly obliged to you for being so helpful toward the spread and sympathetic understanding of my works. But from your letter I see that you will not be staying much longer in Wiesbaden, and as I am not acquainted with the present circ.u.mstances there I cannot reckon beforehand on the friendly reception without which public performances always prove very unfruitful for composers. According, therefore, to whether these circ.u.mstances show themselves favorable or unfavorable to my honest endeavors, I will come, or I will remain at home.

I give you my heartiest good wishes for the performance of your "King Alfred" [an opera of Raff's]. Your two "Tanz-Capricen"

(bolero and valse) have been sent me by Hallberger, and I have already recommended a speedy edition of both.

This afternoon I start for Gran. In the middle of September I shall get to Stuttgart and go to Zurich. Letters can be always addressed to me at Weymar, and before the end of October I shall be back here again.

With best greetings and thanks, yours very truly,

F. Liszt

Weymar, August 7th, 1856

161. To Anton Rubinstein

I much regret, dear Rubinstein, to have missed your visit to Weymar, and, while thanking you most sincerely for your kind intention, I am going to beg you to grant me full reparation by a second visit when I return.

By the news which reaches me from the Altenburg I learn that you think of spending part of the winter in Berlin, and will there give your "Paradise Lost," which will doubtless be a piece well found, and from which you will derive benefit. Please do not fail to let me know in good time which day it is to be performed, for I am set upon being present at this first performance, and shall certainly come to Berlin unless anything absolutely unavoidable prevents me.

I expect to be back at Weymar towards the end of October, and to set seriously to work again, a thing which is not possible elsewhere. The rehearsals of my Ma.s.s are going on here admirably, and I expect we shall have a very fine performance at Gran on the 31st, where, moreover, there will be so many other things and people of quite a different importance to be seen and heard, that they will scarcely hear three bars of my Ma.s.s. Happily my work has the good luck to have two general preliminary rehearsals, public ones, at Pest next week, and a final rehearsal at Gran itself. Zellner will probably be there, and you will hear about it from him. Possibly also the same Ma.s.s will be given on the 28th September (the day of St. Wenceslas, the patron saint of Bohemia) at Prague, whence they have just written to me to that effect. You will give me great pleasure, my dear Rubinstein, if you will write me something about your autumn and winter plans; and if by chance I can be of use to you in any way show me the friends.h.i.+p of disposing entirely of me, as of one who is your very sincerely affectionate and devoted

F. Liszt Pest, August 21st, 1856

Address always to Weymar.

I am still expecting to go by Stuttgart to Zurich towards the middle of September, but it is possible that Prague may occasion me a fortnight's delay.

162. To Eduard Liszt

[Pest,] Friday, September 5th, 1856

Dearest Eduard,

Yesterday's performance of my Ma.s.s was quite according to my intentions, and was more successful and effective by far than all the preceding ones. Without exaggeration and with all Christian modesty I can a.s.sure you that many tears were shed, and that the very numerous audience (the church of the Stadtpfarrei [I.e., the parish church] was thronged), as well as the performers, had raised themselves, body and soul, into my contemplation of the sacred mysteries of the Ma.s.s...and everything was but a humble prayer to the Almighty and to the Redeemer!--I thought of you in my heart of hearts, and sought for you--for you are indeed so very near and dear to me in spirit!--Next Monday, the 8th September, at the consecration of the Hermine-Kapelle (which the Cardinal Prince Primate of Hungary will consecrate), my Ma.s.s for four men's voices will be sung. Winterberger will accompany it on a Physharmonica of the organ genus. On the same evening (Monday) the concert for the benefit of the Pension Fund will take place at the theater: Singer and Pruckner will play at it, and two of my Symphonic Poems--"Les Preludes" and "Hungaria" (Nos. 3 and 9)- -will be given.

On the 14th September at latest I shall get to Vienna, and I will write to Haslinger more definitely about it. Meanwhile will you please tell Haslinger, as I cannot write to him until the concert in the Hungarian theater is over.

.--. I expect to leave here before the end of next week.

G.o.d be with you and with your

F. L.

At the rehearsal this morning I was told that you have got such an excellent article on the Ma.s.s in the Wanderer. I suppose you sent the number to Weymar? If possible let me have one here also.

163. To Louis Kohler

Bravo, dear friend, for the three very graceful and charmingly conceived melody-dialogues! I have pleasure in them, and am certain of the success of this charming selam. [Meaning a musical bouquet.] As an old laborant [Worker in a laboratory] at piano music allow me merely to lay before you a slight alteration in the two bars before the return of the motive (No. I). According to my conception one bar more would have a beneficial effect there, thus:--

[Here Liszt writes out a 5-measure excerpt of piano music]

If you agree with this version, write me simply Yes to the address of Richard Wagner, Zeltweg, Zurich. I shall get there next Sunday, and stay some days with our great friend. At the beginning of November I shall be back in Weymar.

Hearty greetings from yours in all friends.h.i.+p,

F. Liszt

Stuttgart, October 8th, 1856.

In No. 3 (in the first two bars) the F seems to me the right sound in the ba.s.s, and that was what you had first written:--

[Here, Liszt ill.u.s.trates with a musical score excerpt]

instead of:--

[Here, Liszt ill.u.s.trates with another musical score excerpt]

Will you leave these little alterations to me in the proof?