Letters of Franz Liszt
Chapter 34 : F. Liszt Monday, May 21st, 1855 138. To Anton Rubinstein My dear Rubinstein, On my retu

F. Liszt

Monday, May 21st, 1855

138. To Anton Rubinstein

My dear Rubinstein,

On my return from the Musical Festival at Dusseldorf, where I hoped to meet you, I found the parcel of oeuvres choisies and the portrait, which is very successful, of Van II. I hasten to give you my best thanks for this first sending, begging you not to forget your promise to complete, in the course of their publication, the collection of your works, which have for me always a double interest of Art and friends.h.i.+p. This morning we had a taste, with Singer and Cossmann, of the Trio in G minor, of which I had kept a special recollection--and afterwards Princess Marie Wittgenstein (who commissions me to give all her thanks to you, until she can have the pleasure of giving them to you in person) demanded the pieces dedicated to her, which had complete success. A propos of dedications, the Grand d.u.c.h.ess Sophie is enchanted with the "Persische Lieder" ["Persian Songs"], and this she has probably already intimated to you. Shortly before her departure for Dusseldorf she sang several of them over again, taking more and more liking to them. Decidedly the first impression that these "Lieder" made on me, when you showed them to me, and when I begged you to publish them without delay, was just, and I have not been deceived in predicting for them a quasi-popular success. Mdlle. Genast, who has returned from Berlin, tells me that she made a furor there with "Wenn es doch immer so bliebe!" ["Oh, could it remain so for ever!"] But, unfortunately, as an older song has it, "it cannot remain so for ever under the changing moon!" The last time I was pa.s.sing through Leipzig (where they gave my "Ave Maria" exceedingly well at the Catholic Church), I told Gotze to appropriate to himself three or four of your "Persische Lieder," which he will sing splendidly; and, as he comes here pretty often, I will beg him to give us the first hearing of them at some Court concert. The Grand d.u.c.h.ess Olga is expected for the day after tomorrow; and if, as is probable, they treat her to a little concert, I shall take advantage of the opportunity to make her become better acquainted with the Trios you dedicated to her, and which I consider as among your best works. In the parcel I noticed the absence of "L'Alb.u.m de Kamennoi-Ostrow," which I should like to make known, or, better still, to offer from you to H.I.H. the Dowager Grand d.u.c.h.ess, and which I want you to send me for this purpose.

If by chance you pa.s.s through Bonn, do not forget to go and see Professor Kilian, who has been interested in you from very old times, and with whom we talked much of you and your works during the journey from Cologne to Dusseldorf.

Write me word soon what you are doing now. I, for my part, shall spend the summer at Weymar, up to the time of my journey to Gran (June-August). I count on your promise to come and see me in the autumn, unless your road should lead you into these parts sooner.

You may be very sure of being always most welcome at the Altenburg--and, even if a number of those holding our musical opinions should meet still less often than in the past, that would not in any way influence the very sincere feelings of friends.h.i.+p and esteem which I bear towards you and keep towards you invariably. When we see each other again, you will find my "Divina Commedia" pretty far advanced; I have sketched a plan of it (a Symphony in three parts: the two first, "h.e.l.l" and "Purgatory," exclusively instrumental; the third, "Paradise,"

with chorus): but I cannot set myself entirely to this work until I have finished the new score of my choruses from Herder's "Prometheus," which I am rewriting in order to have it printed shortly after the publication of my Symphonic Poems, six of which will come out next October.

I am very curious to see what your new case of ma.n.u.scripts will contain. Have you set to work on "Paradise Lost"? I think that would be the most opportune work for taking possession of your fame as a composer.

A thousand cordial expressions of friends.h.i.+p, and

Yours ever,

F. Liszt

June 3rd, 1855

139. To Dr. Franz Brendel

[Weimar, June 1855]

Dear Friend,

Best thanks for your munificence. The weed [Cigars] is very welcome, and you will have to answer for it if it induces me to importune you with some more columns. Meanwhile I send you the proofs of the second Berlioz article, together with a fresh provision of ma.n.u.scripts, and with the next proofs you will get the end.

I will also send you very soon a report of the Dusseldorf Musical Festival (not by me), the authors.h.i.+p of which I beg you to keep strictly anonymous. Probably he will be piquant and forcible. On the whole, and also in detail, the Dusseldorf Musical Festival can only be described as a great success, and I, for my part, rejoice in this and every success without particularly envying it. My task is quite a different one, the solution of which is by no means troubled thereby.

If you should by any chance have read that I am going to America (!--there are many people who would be glad to have me out of sight!), and that a Leipzig virtuoso (in Leipzig such animals as virtuosi are seldom to be met with!) is going to take my place here, you can simply laugh, as I have done, at this old canard-- but don't say anything to contradict it in your paper; such bad jokes are not worth noticing, and are only good as finding food for inquisitive Philistines. In a few days I hope to be able again to do something serious with my work, and shall not leave Weymar until my journey to Hungary (at the end of August).

Gutzkow's appointment is still in suspense, but is not impossible. Have you read Frau Marr's (Sangalli's) brochure, brought out by Otto Wigand? The pages which she devotes to my work here may perhaps interest you, and I have absolutely nothing to complain of in them, especially in view of the fact that I have not hitherto been able to go "hand in hand" with Marr. Marr has, moreover, according to what he told me, given in his resignation as artistic Director, [At the Weimar Court theater]

and one cannot get clear about the entire theater-management for some weeks to come. I keep myself very pa.s.sive in the matter, and don't fish in troubled waters. Thus much is certain--that if Weymar wants to do anything regular, it cannot do without my ideas and influence. About the rest I don't need to trouble myself. Last Sunday we held a satisfactory performance of "Tannhauser" in honor of the Princess of Prussia--and next Monday the opera will be repeated.

Friendly greetings to your wife from your almost too active fellow-worker and friend,

F. Liszt

I am writing to Fraulein Riese one of these next days, to invite her to the performance of my Ma.s.s at Jena. [The Ma.s.s for male voices was performed there in the latter half of June.]

140. To Dr. Franz Brendel.

[The first sheet of the original is missing]

Evers' [Doubtless Carl Evers (1819-75), composed Sonatas, Salon pieces, etc.] letter has amused me, and it will cost you but little diplomacy to conciliate the sensitive composer. You know what I think of his talent for composition. From people like that nothing is to be expected as long as they have not learned to understand that they are uselessly going round and round in what is hollow, dry, and used up. That good Flugel [Music writer and composer; at that time teacher in a school at Neuwied; now organist at the Castle at Stettin.] has also little power of imagination, although a little more approach to something more earnest, which has at least this good in itself--that it checks a really too naive productiveness...His letter on the Dusseldorf Musical Festival is again a little bit of Barenzucker [Liquorice.] (reglisse in French), and W.'s article in comparison with it quite a decent Pate Regnault. When we see each other again I will make this difference clear to you--meanwhile make the Rhinelanders happy with the latter, and don't be afraid of the whispers which it may perhaps call forth; for, I repeat, it contains nothing untrue or exaggerated, and in your position of necessary opposition it would be inconsistent if you were to keep back views of that kind from the public.

With the most friendly greeting, your

F. Liszt

June 16th, 1855.

My Ma.s.s for male voices and organ (published by Hartel two years ago) will be given next week at the church in Jena. As soon as the day is fixed I will let Fraulein Riese know.

Once more I recommend you to keep the W. article strictly anonymous.

141. To Concertmeister [Leader of orchestra] Edmund Singer.

Dear Singer,

If I write but seldom to my friends there is, besides other reasons, one princ.i.p.al cause for it, in that I have but seldom anything agreeable or lively to tell them. Since your departure very little has happened here that would interest you. One half of our colleagues of the Neu-Weymar-Verein [New Weymar Union] is absent--Hoffmann in Holland, Preller in the Oldenburg woods, Pruckner and Schreiber at Goslar, etc., etc.--so that our innocent reunions (which finally take place in the room of the shooting-house) are put off for several weeks. Cornelius is working at a Ma.s.s for men's voices--on the 15th of August we shall hear it in the Catholic Church. I, on my side, am working also at a Psalm (chorus, solos, and orchestra), which will be ready by your return, in spite of all interruptions which I have to put up with by constant visits. An exceptionally agreeable surprise to me was Hans von Bulow, who spent a couple of days here, and brought with him some new compositions, amongst which I was particularly pleased with a very interesting, finely conceived, and carefully worked-out "Reverie fantastique." Until the 15th of August (when his holidays end) he remains in Copenhagen, where he will certainly meet with a friendly reception. Perhaps next summer you would be inclined to go there.

You would find it a very pleasant neighborhood, and many pleasant people there, who have also been agreeably remembered by me. If I had time, I would gladly go there again for a couple of weeks, to find a little solitude in the Zoological Gardens and to forget somewhat other b.e.s.t.i.a.lities. [Probably a play on the words Thiergarten (beast-garden) and b.e.s.t.i.a.litaten] This satisfaction is not so easily attainable for me elsewhere.

I envy you immensely about Patikarius [Hungarian gipsy orchestras] and Ketskemety. [Hungarian gipsy orchestras] This cla.s.s of music is for me a sort of opium, of which I am sometimes sorely in need. If you should by chance see Kertbeny, who has now obtained a logis honoraire, please tell him that my book on the Gipsies and Gipsy Music is already almost entirely translated by Cornelius, and that I will send it to him by the autumn. But beg him at the same time not to write tome, as it is impossible for me to start a detailed correspondence with K.

I sent the pianoforte arrangement (with the voices) yesterday to Herr von Augusz, with the request that he would present them, when he had an opportunity, to His Eminence Cardinal Scitowsky.

The Ma.s.s [Liszt's Graner Messe.] will not take up an excessively long time, either in performance or studying. But it is indispensable that I should conduct the general rehearsal as well as the performance myself; for the work cannot be ranked amongst those in which ordinary singing, playing, and arrangement will suffice, although it offers but small difficulties. It is a matter of some not usual trifles in the way of accent, devotion, inspiration, etc.

When are you coming back, dear Singer? Only bring home with you an orderly packet of ma.n.u.scripts, that is to say to Weymar, where I hope that you will feel yourself more and more at home.

The members of our Club who are still here send you the most friendly greetings by me, to which I add a cordial "auf baldiges Wiedersehen" ["May we soon meet again!"].

Yours ever,

F. Liszt

August 1st, 1855

P.S.--Joachim is going to make a walking tour in Tyrol. I hope he will come and see us on his return. Berlioz proposes to give some concerts in Vienna and Prague next December. I shall probably postpone my journey to Wagner (at Zurich) until November. I shall remain here for the next few months, in order to write several things in readiness for the winter.

142. To Bernhard Cossmann In Baden-Baden

Wilhelmsthal, August 15th, 1855