Letters of Franz Liszt
Chapter 38 : 156. To Wilhelm wieprecht, General Music Director of the Military Corps of the State of

156. To Wilhelm wieprecht, General Music Director of the Military Corps of the State of Prussia

[Autograph in the possession of Herr Otto Lessmann at Charlottenburg. The addressee (1802-72) was one of the inventors of the ba.s.s-tuba, and improved many of the wind instruments.]

Dear Friend, I learn from several Berliners, who have pa.s.sed through here, that you have had the great kindness to instrument my march "Vom Fels zum Meer" ["From the Rock to the Ocean."]

splendidly, and have had it performed several times. Permit me to express my warmest thanks to you for this new proof of your friends.h.i.+p, and at the same time to remind you of a promise the fulfillment of which is very much desired by me.

It is that, in my last visit to Berlin, you were so kind as to say that the Symphonic Poem Ta.s.so would not be amiss arranged by you for a military band, and you, with your well-known readiness for action, expressed your willingness to arrange the instrumentation accordingly. Allow me today to lay claim to half your kind offer, and to beg you to strike out forty-two pages of this long score, and so to dispose your arrangement that, after the last bar of page 5 (score), you make a skip to the second bar of page 47 (Lento a.s.sai), by this means shortening the lamento of Ta.s.so and of the public also.

[Here, Liszt ill.u.s.trates with a musical score excerpt of the last bar of page 5.]

[Here, Liszt ill.u.s.trates with another musical score excerpt, from the second bar of page 47.]

By the same post I send you the score and the piano arrangement (for two pianofortes) for convenience in looking it over. If the concluding figure (Letter M., Moderato pomposo) seems to make a better effect in the instrumentation by following the piano arrangement with the simple quaver figure [Liszt ill.u.s.trates with a brief musical score excerpt] instead of the triplets, according to the score, I have not the slightest objection to it, and beg you altogether, dear friend, to feel quite free to do as you like in the matter. The flattering thing for me would be just this-- that the work should please you sufficiently for you to be allowed to take what liberties you wish with it.

Some years ago Dahlmann gave a lecture at Bonn upon immature enthusiasm. G.o.d preserve us rather from untimely pedantry!

Certainly no one shall have to suffer from this from my side!

I am sending you, together with the "Ta.s.so" score, that of "Mazeppa" also. Take an opportunity of looking at the concluding "March" (beginning page 89 of the score):--

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

(N.B--It must begin with the 4/6 chord, perhaps after a couple of introductory bars roll on the drum--without any distinct tone.)

Perhaps the subject may suit for some occasion or other.

Forgive me, dear friend, for being so pressing, and behold in this only the joy which the fulfillment of your promise will give me. Next winter I hope to give you my thanks in person in Berlin.

Meanwhile accept the expression of high esteem of yours truly and with all friendly acknowledgments,

F. Liszt

Weymar, July 18th, 1856

If, as I imagine, the Finale from "Ta.s.so" could be so arranged that moderate military bands could play it fairly well, I should of course be glad. However I leave it entirely in your hands to do with it whatever seems best to you, and give you my best thanks beforehand for your kindness.

157. To Concertmeister Edmund Singer

Dear Friend,

In consequence of the definite decision which was made known to me yesterday by T. R. the t.i.tular Bishop and the Cathedral Cantor Fekete, my Ma.s.s is to be performed on the day of the consecration. [Of the Cathedral of Gran] I shall therefore get to Pest by the 11th or 12th August, as I had previously arranged, and shall be very glad to see you and two or three others of my friends again. I am also reckoning on you for certain as leader of the orchestra at the rehearsals and performance of the Ma.s.s. I am writing tomorrow to Winterberger, who is making a tremendous sensation in Holland, to beg him to undertake the organ part, and to be in Pest by the middle of August.

While speaking of Holland, I may add that Herr Vermeulen (General Secretary of the "Maatschappy" ["Maatschappy tot bevordering der toonkunst."]) is coming to see me here early in August. This offers me a good opportunity of being of service to you in regard to your concert arrangements in Rotterdam and Amsterdam, etc., of which I will not fail to make use. More of this viva voce.

Meanwhile, it would be better for you not to write there.

I enclose several notes of acknowledgment for E., Dr. F., B. and K., to which I beg you will kindly attend.

And now one more commission, which you can easily fulfill through Rosavoegly, [Music publisher in Budapest] with my best greetings to him. In my reply to the official letter of H. R. von Fekete yesterday I forgot to repeat that, in order to avoid loss of time, it is easy to have the voice parts (solos and chorus) written out before my arrival, and as carefully as possible, clean and clearly. I will willingly discharge the copyist's fee, and the orchestral parts I will bring with me together with the score, so that the rehearsals may begin as soon as the performers taking part in it are a.s.signed to me.

I confidently hope that we shall have a very fine performance, without trouble and worry, and one in which musicians as well as audience will find pleasure and edification. The length of the Ma.s.s will also fulfill the required dimensions, and yesterday I hunted out a couple of "cuts," which could be made, if necessary, without any essential harm to the work. You know, dear Singer, that I am a special virtuoso in the matter of making cuts, in which no one else can easily approach me!--

I am simply not disposed, in spite of much prudent advice, to cut my Ma.s.s and myself altogether, all the less so as my friends and countrymen have on this occasion shown themselves so kind and good to me. I therefore owe it to them to give them active proof that their confidence and sympathy in me are not wholly undeserved--and with G.o.d's help this shall be irrefragably proved!

For the rest I want to keep very quiet and private this time in Pest. Composers of my sort write, it is true, plenty of drum and trumpet parts, but by no means require the too common flourish of trumpets and drums, because they are striving after a higher aim, which is not to be attained by publicity.

"Auf baldiges Wiedersehen," ["To a speedy meeting"] dear friend-- I leave here by the 9th August at latest. Meanwhile best thanks for your letter,--and

Ever yours,

F. Liszt

July 28th, 1856.

158. To Joachim Raff

[Raff (1822-82) lived, as is well known, for some years in Weimar (first of all as Liszt's secretary), and at that time joined the Liszt tendencies as a composer, afterwards going other ways.]

Dear Sir and Friend,

It is very pleasant to me to find from your letter that you have taken aright the recognition in my article on the "Sleeping Beauty," and see unequivocally in its att.i.tude a fresh proof of the high estimation in which I hold your artistic powers, as well as of my readiness to be of use to you as far as my insight and loyalty in Art matters will permit me. In this first discussion of a work so much thought of and so widespread, it was most important that I should draw the attention of Art-fellows.h.i.+p to your entire works and higher endeavors during the past six years.

You will still give me the opportunity, I hope, later on, of spreading much deserved praise and of placing more in the shade any chance differences in our views. If I have not placed you this time so completely as I should have wished among the musical fellows.h.i.+p of the time, like a Peter Schlemihl,[The man without a shadow--German fable.] this was partly in consequence of your own oft-repeated advice that "one should not exclusively praise men and works if one wishes to be useful to them."[Neue Zeitschrift fur Musik. Later "Gesammelte Schriften," vol. v.]

I do not always agree with you in this view, but on this occasion I hope I have hit the happy medium.

Accept my best thanks for the friendly interest you have shown in my orchestral compositions in the concert direction of Wiesbaden.

Whether I shall be able to comply with several invitations for concerts in the coming winter depends on a good many circ.u.mstances which I cannot quite settle beforehand. But in any case I shall be glad if my compositions become more widely spread, and perhaps during your present stay in Wiesbaden the opportunity may offer of conducting one or two numbers of the Symphonic Poems, in accordance with your previous intentions.

At the end of next week at latest I set out for Gran, to conduct my Ma.s.s on the 31st of August (in celebration of the consecration of the Basilica). Toward the middle of September I go to Zurich, where, if I am not prevented by any special hindrances, for which I always have to be prepared, I think of spending a couple of weeks with Wagner.

Fare you well, dear Raff, and send soon some tidings of yourself to

Yours most truly,

F. Liszt

Weymar, July 31st, 1856.

Hans von Bulow has been with me a couple of days, and goes to Baden-Baden the day after tomorrow. Winterberger is scoring an extraordinary triumph by his organ-playing in Holland, and played the Prophete and BACH Fugue [Fugue on the name of Bach] before an audience of two thousand people with immense success.

Do not forget to give my friendly greetings to Genast [the celebrated Weimar actor, afterwards Raff's father-in-law] and my homage to Mademoiselle Doris [Afterwards Raff's wife, an excellent actress].

159. To Anton Rubinstein