Chapter 2

Many thanks for your "Kunstler." You had in me a somewhat adverse judge of this composition--I mean, I was not in the mood for it. I have got so unaccustomed to judging in an objective sense that in everything I go entirely by inclination. I take up only what attracts my sympathy, and enjoy it, without in the least analysing that enjoyment in a critical manner. Imagine then the contradictions which the very choice of the poem necessarily roused within me. It is more or less a didactic poem. In it speaks to us a philosopher who has finally returned to art, and does so with the greatest possible emphasis of resolution;--in brief Schiller to the life! Besides this, a chorus for a concert! I have no longer any feeling for that kind of thing, and could not produce it at any price. I should not know where to take my inspiration. One other thing: my musical position towards verse and metre has undergone an enormous change. I could not at any price write a melody to Schiller's verses, which are entirely intended for reading. These verses must be treated musically in a certain arbitrary manner, and that arbitrary manner, as it does not bring about a real flow of melody, leads us to harmonic excesses and violent efforts to produce artificial wavelets in the unmelodic fountain. I have experienced all this myself, and in my present state of development have arrived at an entirely different form of treatment. Consider, for instance, that the ENTIRE instrumental introduction to the "Rhinegold" is based upon the common chord of E flat. Imagine then how sensitive I am in these matters and how startled I was when, on opening your "Kunstler," I hit upon the exact contrary of my PRESENT system. I do not deny that I shook my head while going on, and that stupidly I observed in the first instance only the things which startled me--I mean details, always details. At the same time, there was something in these details which seemed to strike me in spite of my unsympathetic mood. At the close I reflected and arrived at the reasonable idea of letting the WHOLE pass by me in full swing. In fact, I imbibed it in a manner with the most fortunate results. I saw you suddenly at your desk, saw you, heard you, and understood you. In this way I received another proof of the experience that it is our own fault if we cannot receive what is magnanimously offered. This your address to the artists is a grand, beautiful, splendid trait of your own artistic life. I was deeply moved by the force of your intention. You give utterance to it, body and soul, at a time, in circumstances, and before people who would be well advised in trying to understand you. You have done well in drawing Schiller's lines out of their literary existence and in proclaiming them loudly and clearly to the world with trumpet sound. You have, as I say, done well. How to do it was your own affair. YOU knew HOW these lines should be proclaimed to the world, for to none but you had occurred the necessity of that proclamation. I at least know nobody who could do something of this kind with such force. WHAT an artist intends to do shows to him HOW he should do it, and by this HOW we recognize the WHAT. What you intended to do here you could not have expressed otherwise than by this tremendous display of eloquence, of emotion, of overpowering strength. This is my criticism. I have no other. But who will be able to sing this to your liking? Mercy on me when I think of our tail-coated concert singers! During the performance at Carlsruhe you had, probably from your own inspiration, worked yourself into such a state of excitement, that you thought you heard them sing as they should have sung. I suspect, however, that the public heard correctly what was sung, and therefore could of course not understand the matter at all. Dear friend, you require singers such as I want for my Wotan, etc. Consider this! I have become so abominably practical that the moment of actual representation is always before my eyes, and this is another source of my joyful despair.

Thanks then for your "Kunstler." I feel as if it were meant for a present to myself only, and as if no one else were to know what you have really given to the world.

I am hard at work. Can you tell me of any one who would be able to compile a score from my wild pencil sketches? I worked this time quite differently from what I did before, but this having to make a clean copy kills me. I lose time over it which I might employ to better purpose; and apart from this, the continual writing tires me to such an extent that I feel quite ill and lose the inclination for real work. Without a clever man of this kind I am lost; WITH HIM the WHOLE will be finished in two years. For that time I should require the man. If there were a pause in the scoring, he might copy parts in the meantime. Look out for one. There is no one here. It is true that it may seem absurd that I am going to keep a secretary, who can scarcely keep myself.

If you can help me, you will be doing God's work. Am I not worth a few thousand thalers for half a year to some German enthusiast? I will give him full security on the royalties due to me in the autumn.

On Monday I expect Gustav Schmidt, of Frankfort. I have summoned him in order to go through "Lohengrin" with him, and perhaps he will bring his tenor. I am glad to see him so full of zeal.

As to the rest, I shut my ears against all the world. I do not want to know how low I have sunk.

Shall I hear from you soon? If you think of me at all, think of me always as of one hard at work and profoundly melancholy. Farewell, best and dearest friend. The "Kunstler" is splendid. Greet all at home.

From your

R. W.

ZURICH, MARCH 4TH, 1854.

149.

UNIQUE FRIEND,

I am frequently sad on your account; and on my own account I have not much reason to rejoice. My chief object and task is taking a very serious and painful turn. I had no right to expect much else in that direction, and was prepared, but these long entanglements which I have to submit to have caused me much trouble and have jeopardised my pecuniary position, so that at present I am unable to assist a friend. This I feel very much, and prefer to say nothing further about it. You will understand me and not misinterpret my silence. When the time comes, I shall explain my affairs to you by word of mouth; they are not rose-coloured, and another man might have perished, which other men might not have disliked to see.

Today I only want to tell you that on the day of the performance of the opera by the Duke of Gotha I met Herr von Hulsen at dinner. He led the conversation to the performance of your works at Berlin, and told me that he was only waiting till you had sold your rights to Messrs. Bote and Bock in order to produce them. I made bold to say that I had reason to doubt very much whether this would be done, and that even if B. and B. bought the scores of "Tannhauser" and "Lohengrin" I did not think for a moment that you would abandon your previous demand of my being invited to Berlin in order to secure an adequate rendering of your works. Write to me how this matter stands. I do not want to advise you, but I think that the Berlin performance is an important point for you, and that you would gain nothing by altering your previous position--I mean that the performance should not take place except through my medium and according to my directions.

I was told that the Konigsberg troupe intended to perform "Tannhauser" at Berlin this summer. I tell you this because I think that you will not approve of the plan, and will refuse your consent if asked for it.

I am very weary and tired, but spring will give us new strength.

Write soon to your affectionate and truly devoted

F. LISZT.

GOTHA, APRIL 4TH, 1854.

P.S.--This afternoon I return to Weymar. R. Pohl and his wife are there, and I have asked him to give you an account of the impending performances of "Tannhauser" and "Lohengrin."

150.

MY DEAR FRANZ,

Heaven knows how anxiously I waited this time for your letter! I reply at once in order to explain the "business" part.

I knew nothing about Messrs. Bote and Bock, but have now come to the conclusion that they must be the purchasers of my operas whom my Berlin agent had in his eye when necessity compelled me last winter to apply to him. I declare that at present I should not sell my operas to Bote and Bock or anybody else, for reasons which I need scarcely tell you. I find it difficult to understand how Herr von Hulsen can be naive enough to think that I should consent to the performance of "Tannhauser" at Berlin by the Konigsberg troupe. I shall write to Konigsberg about it this very day, and I ask you also to write to Hulsen at once and to announce my VETO to him. You may do this in MY NAME, and mention at the same time that I have ONCE FOR ALL placed everything concerning my operas at Berlin in YOUR HANDS, being firmly resolved to treat with Berlin only through you and according to your opinion, but never again personally. You may further say that if Herr von Hulsen intended to give an opera by me, and was waiting till he had no longer to treat with me, but with a third person (Bote and Bock, as he thought), because he had fallen out with me personally, he would now have a splendid opportunity of settling everything without coming in personal contact with me, because he would have to deal with you alone; that, as my plenipotentiary, you were compelled to protest against the performance by the Konigsberg troupe, but that in the same capacity you were prepared to arrange the matter with him in some other way. I think this would be a good opportunity of bringing the Berlin affair to a satisfactory conclusion. There is much need for it, I can assure you. Heaven only knows how I am to pull through; and although I do not wish to torture you any more, I may tell you that in my present position you can do me a great and very valuable service by your intercession in another quarter. Listen! They have performed "Tannhauser" at Augsburg, badly enough, it is true, but it has paved the way for Munich. Dingelstedt has written me an amiable and encouraging letter, and I have sent him the opera which is to be given there in the summer. As regards honorarium, I have entreated him to procure me the best possible terms, as these operas are my only capital, and I must mainly rely upon the great court theatres. I have, however, made no definite demand, having full confidence in him. You know Dingelstedt intimately, and you would oblige me by asking him to get me something substantial, royalties in preference. Before all, I should wish to have some money BEFORE THE END OF THIS MONTH, either as an advance on these royalties or, if that is impossible, as the final purchase money, in which case I think I might ask a hundred louis d'or. (Dresden always used to pay me sixty louis d'or; but as "Tannhauser" has everywhere proved a great draw, I think I might expect the lump sum of a hundred louis d'or from so great a court theatre as Munich.) He is probably on his travels now, but if you address to the care of W. Schmidt, inspector of the Court Theatre, the letter will, I think, be forwarded to him. Do not be angry with me.

It is only a friend like you whom one can ask to be of active help to others while he himself is in such a painful position as you, poor man, seem to be. Although I have a general idea of your situation, I am very desirous to know precisely how your affairs and those of your dear ones really stand. I feel aggrieved because you touch upon them always in a very cursory manner. From all I can make out, I must fear that the Princess has been cut off from her estate permanently and completely, and I must own that such losses are well adapted to upset one's equanimity. I also understand that you look into the future with a heavy heart, as the fate of a most lovable, youthful being is equally involved. If you had to inform me that you three dear ones were now quite poor and solitary, even then I could not be very sorry- -so stupid am I--especially if I saw that you had kept up your courage. My dearest, dearest, unique Franz, give me the heart, the spirit, the mind of a woman in which I could wholly sink myself, which could quite comprehend me. How little should I then ask of this world. How indifferent would be to me this empty glitter, which, in my despair, I have latterly again been tempted to gather round me as a diversion of my fancy. If I could live with you in beautiful retirement, or, which would be the same thing, if we could live here wholly for each other instead of frittering our beings away with so many insipid and indifferent people, how happy I should be. And "off and on" we should be sure to undertake something to give vent to our energies in the outer world.

But I am talking wildly. Correct me if I deserve it; I shall never be anything but a fantastic good-for-nothing.

Has Eugene sent you my medallion? It is not bad, only a little sickly.

I shall soon have to write again; I have more materials than I can deal with today.

The instrumentation of the "Rhinegold" is going on apace. At present I am with the orchestra down in "Nibelheim." In May the whole will be ready, but not the clean copy, only single sheets with illegible pencil sketches on them. It will be some time before you can see anything of it. In June I have to begin the "Valkyrie." When are you coming? You say nothing about it, and yet you talk of "verbal communications." Schindelmeisser wrote to me yesterday, asking me to come to Darmstadt on the sly on Easter Monday, because "Lohengrin" would be splendid. That I shall leave alone.

Adieu, dearest, dearest Franz. I have so many things to write to you, that I must close for today.

Convey my best regards.

Your

R. W.

ZURICH, April 9th, 1854.

151.

What do you think, dear friend? Would it be of any use if I sent you a letter to the King of Saxony, which the Grand Duke of Weimar might forward to him through a confidential person (perhaps his ambassador)? I admit that the Prime Minister of Saxony would be more important than the King, but to such a person I cannot possibly apply. Would the Grand Duke do this? Something must be done; I must be able to fly from my ordinary condition at least "off and on," otherwise--

How are YOU? Do write!

Your

R. W.

152.

For five days, dearest Richard, I have been in bed suffering from catarrh and intermittent fever, and shall probably have to be very careful till next week.

I wrote to Dingelstedt long ago, and asked him to reply to you direct and make the contents of his letter as weighty as possible. Dingelstedt is a gentleman, and will no doubt behave in such a manner as will satisfy you.

"Lohengrin" and "Tannhauser" were given here last week. On the first occasion the house was illuminated, because the Grand Duchess visited the theatre for the first time since her confinement. Gotze (at present professor at the Leipzig Conservatoire, previously for fifteen or twenty years tenor at our theatre) sang "Lohengrin," and gave the lyrical portions of the part with much greater effect than had previously been the case. He had studied the part thoroughly at numerous performances, both here and at Leipzig, and therefore sang the music with absolute certainty. "Tannhauser" drew, as usual, a full house; at the "Lohengrin" performance many strangers who had only arrived in the afternoon had to be refused admission.

Pohl's wife played the harp part very well, and I asked him to write to you about the performance. Pohl is a zealous and warm adherent of yours.

The newspapers announce that you are going to conduct the impending Musical Festival in Canton Valais. Is there any truth in it? What part will Methfessel take in the direction? Let me know about this, as I have been asked several times.

----

I had got so far in my letter when yours was brought to me.

That is once more a dark, hopeless complaint! To help or to look on calmly--the one is almost as impossible to me as the other.

After the experiences I have had, and of which I told you only the smaller part, I can scarcely believe that the King of Saxony will perform the act of grace desired by us. However, I will try again. Send me your letter to his Majesty. I hope it will be placed before him soon and in the best possible way. Our Grand Duke is for the moment absent, and I shall not be able to see him before next week. Write to me at once, and concoct your letter for Dresden, which you must send to me open.

I have looked out for the copyist you require for your "Nibelungen." It is difficult to find the proper individual who could undertake such a task. I know several young men who would willingly try, but they are not sufficiently skilful and competent. I have sent a message to one of my former friends at Berlin asking him whether he could place himself at your disposal. With him you would be quite satisfied. In case my inquiry leads to a favourable result, I will let you know. You ask me how I am ...

"When need is highest, God is highest."

Do not be anxious about my indisposition; it will soon be over, and my legs have to carry me a good way further still.

Your

F. LISZT.

153.

DEAR, DEAR FRANZ,

I can never complain to you again. I go on worrying you with my confidences in a sinful manner, while you keep your own grief to yourself. My troublesome candour knows no bounds; every drop of the fount of my sorrow I pour out before you, and--I must hope that that is the very reason why you are so silent as to your own circumstances. But I begin to feel that the best remedy for our sufferings is sympathy with those of others. My only sorrow today is that you hide your grief from my sympathy. Are you really too proud to let me know, or do you refrain from giving me back the painful impression I made on you with my complaints, because you were unable to assist me? Be it so, dear friend; if you do not feel the want of making a clean breast of it all, be silent! But if you do feel such a want, then esteem me worthy of listening to your grief. Do not think me as weak as I may appear to be. My difficulty lies in the abominable meanness of my situation; but of that I can take a larger view if some strong sympathy induces me to break with my habit of thought. I think I have said enough. If more were needed, even this would have been too much.

Assume henceforth that all is right with me; that I have no other care but that which your troubles give me.

The letter to the King of Saxony I shall leave alone; I should not know how to utter any truth in it that he would comprehend, and to tell lies I do not care; it is the only sin I know. I shall finish my "Nibelungen;" after that there will be time to take a look round the world. For "Lohengrin" I am sorry; it will probably go to the d-- in the meanwhile. Well, let it go; I have other things in my bag. Well then, I have once more needlessly troubled you.

Dingelstedt has not replied to me yet; he will have difficulties; it is not the custom to pay decently for dramatic work. Neither do I know how to oust X. from "Tannhauser." He is said to be a complete ass and a blackguard to boot. Hartinger, the tenor, is very good and full of his task; but it was just he who told me that he did not see how X., even with the best intentions, could execute such music. You of course I cannot expect to venture into this wasp's nest of Philistines.

The Konigsberg manager has replied to me, saying that he has no idea of producing "Tannhauser" at Berlin. What nonsense Herr H. has been talking to you! Do you care to write to him about it?

Do not misunderstand me if now and then I leave something concerning myself unmentioned to you. The cause generally is that I attach no importance to it. The truth about the Valais Musical Festival is as follows. The committee asked me some time ago to conduct that festival, which I flatly declined, declaring, however, my willingness to undertake a symphony by Beethoven (that in A) if they would appoint for the festival proper another conductor who would agree to that arrangement. This they readily accepted, and engaged Methfessel, of Berne, who is quite devoted to me. In their announcements they think it useful to put the matter in such a way as to make it appear that I have undertaken the direction of "the Musical Festival" conjointly with M. Perhaps it was this that surprised you. Altogether not much that is "musical" can be expected from this gathering. People frighten me about the orchestra they are likely to bring together, but there are even greater doubts as to the collection of a decent chorus. As, moreover, they are going to have only ONE rehearsal, you will easily understand why I did not want to have much to do with the affair, and especially had no thought of making propaganda. Latterly, it is true, they have asked me to produce something of my own, and I have given up to them the "Tannhauser" overture, but with the condition that I must see myself whether they can manage it; after the rehearsal I shall be at liberty to withdraw it. The whole thing attracts me only because it gives me an opportunity for an Alpine trip (by the Bernese Oberland to Valais). In the same sense I have sent out invitations right and left, especially to Joachim, who had already promised me his visit for the summer, and whom I have asked to arrange so as to be here about that time; he might in that case do a little in the "festivalling" line in Valais. B. I also invited, but to YOU I had so many other things to write at the time that I forgot about this invitation, and the same might easily have occurred again today. However, how do matters stand? You are sure to come to me, are you not? And will you follow me across the Alps? It is to be at the beginning of July.

If Joachim would like on the same occasion to let me hear something, I could easily get him a regular engagement for the festival.

To Brendel I have been owing a letter some time for his book; I don't know what to write to him. All that is very well, and those who cannot do anything better should do what these people do, but I have no inclination that way any longer.

By your activity, however, I am delighted. What a lot of things you do! Do not think I am indifferent because I keep silence; no, I am really glad! May you succeed in all you do! About this another time.

The clean copy of my scores I shall, after all, have to make myself. It would be difficult to compile it to my liking, especially as the sketches are frightfully confused, so that no one but myself could make head or tail of them. It will take more time; that is all. Many thanks for your trouble in this matter also. We may perhaps talk about it; and if it tires me too much, I may still make use of your Berlin friend.

God bless you, dear Franz; you must soon let me hear MUCH, ALL!

Have confidence in your devoted

RICHARD.

ZURICH, MAY 2ND, 1854.

While I am composing and scoring, I think only of YOU, how this and the other will please you; I am ALWAYS dealing with you.

154.

(FROM HERR VON HULSEN.)

MUCH-ESTEEMED DOCTOR,

In reference to our conversation when I had the honour of seeing you at Gotha, I beg to ask,--

If I should wish to produce "Tannhauser" at the beginning of next winter, what would be the conditions?

Be kind enough, dear sir, to let me have your answer as soon as possible.

With the greatest esteem,

Your obedient servant,

HULSEN.

BERLIN, May 17th, 1854.

[MY ANSWER.]

DEAR SIR,

I have the honour to return the following answer to your question as to the "conditions" of the performance of Wagner's operas in Berlin:--