Letters of Franz Liszt, Volume 1, "From Paris to Rome:
by
Franz Liszt; Letters assembled by La Mara and translated
Part 9 out of 9
Damrosch, Tausig, Lassen, and my daughter (Madame Ollivier).
To our speedy meeting then, my best Cornelius!
Bring your "Cid" with you as far as it is done, and kindly
dedicate some days to your heartily devoted
F. Liszt
Weymar, July 12th, 1861
P.S.--Shortly after the Tonkunstler-Versammlung I shall be
leaving Weymar for a long time.—-
256A. To Peter Cornelius
[Autograph in the possession of Constance Bache. This letter was
left out by La Mara, but is inserted by the translator.]
Dearest Cornelius,
I have just been told that the score of the "Barber of Baghdad"
is not in the theater library here, as I thought, but that you
have kept it.
I can therefore no longer keep it a secret from you that I am
intending to give the Terzet [Canon] from the beginning of the
second act at the third concert (7th August) of the Tonkunstler-
Versammlung, and I have not the smallest doubt as to the capital
effect that this exquisite piece of music will produce.
But do send me by return of post the score of your "Barber."
The Terzet is a necessary integral part of our programme, which
will consist of the "performance of manuscript works of the
present day."--
With heartfelt greetings, your
F. Liszt
July 14th, 1861
257. To Alfred Dorffel
My dear Sir,
Whilst giving you my warmest thanks for the great pains you have
taken with the "Faust" score [as corrector of the score] I have,
in conclusion, one more request to make.
I wish to modify the prosody of the passage in the tenor solo,
[Here, Liszt writes a 4-measure music score excerpt of the treble
portion of the piece at the point where the words, "das Ewig
Weibliche" are sung.]
each time, just as I have written it on the accompanying note-
sheet. If I mistake not, it would in this way be more singable
and weiblicher [more womanly]. [Referring to Goethe's words "Das
ewig Weibliche" ("The eternal womanly")]
Accept, my dear sir, the assurance of my highest esteem and most
friendly gratitude.
F. Liszt
Weyar, July 18th, 1861
P.S.--The "Faust" Symphony is to be given here on the 6th August.
Perhaps it would be possible to you to be present at that
concert, and to give me the pleasure of a visit from you.
258. To Hofconcertmeister Edmund Singer in Stuttgart
Dear Friend,
The article in the Allgemeine Zeitung on the Tonkunstler-
Versammlung (12th August) is an event, and I thank you sincerely
for the part you have taken in it. [It was written by Singer.]
Although, as you know, I must on principle keep myself
unconcerned as regards criticism, as I cannot allow it the first
word in matters of Art, yet it has long been my wish to see the
"systematic opposition" to the present incontrovertible tendency
(or, better, "development") of music not exclusively represented
in the Allgemeine Zeitung. Just because this paper is not a
merely local, but an European and intellectually historical one,
did the local aversions and the diatribes of the island "Borneo"
appear to me far more inadmissible than in other papers. The
reporter of the Tonkunstler-Versammlung has taken an important
step towards agreement; may he continue to work with us yet
further!
The Altenburg has been closed and locked up since last Sunday--
and in a few hours I am leaving Weymar for a long time. In the
first place I shall spend some weeks with my patron, Prince
Hohenzollern (who is musically very well disposed!), at
Lowenberg. I intend to take up again there and quietly to carry
on my work which has been too long interrupted. My promised
contributions to Herr Stark's Pianoforte School must also soon be
taken in hand. Meanwhile remember me most kindly to Herr Lebert,
[Professors at the Stuttgart Conservatorium. For the great
Pianoforte School edited by Lebert and Stark, Liszt wrote the
concert-studies "Waldesrauschen" and "Gnomenreigen."] and assure
him that I am most anxious to discharge the task allotted to me
in a satisfactory manner.
Pohl has promised me that he will soon send you the "Prometheus"
and "Faust" notices that you want. For the rest you don't require
any further explanation to enable you satisfactorily to instruct
the public in these things. As I am pressed for time I must only
give you for today once more my best thanks, and remain
Yours in all friendship,
F. Liszt
August 17th, 1861
My best greetings to your wife.
259. To the music publisher, C.F. Kahnt
Don't be alarmed, dear sir! Once more a manuscript of mine is
coming to you. "Ich glaube, die Wellen verschlingen, Am Ende
Schiffer und...Kahnt!" [A quotation from Heine's poem "Die
Loreley," set to music by Liszt:
"I fear me the waters engulfing
Are drawing the boatman beneath,--
'Tis Loreley, with voice enchanting,
Who lures him on to death!
Liszt makes a play on the words Kahn (a boat) and Kahnt (the
publisher).]
The pianoforte transcription of the "Loreley" has cost me more
trouble than I expected. But I hope therefore that it has not
succeeded badly. Let a clean and correct copy be made of it by a
reliable musician (Corno perhaps?) [August Horn in Leipzig, whom
Liszt held up as being "very exact and reliable."] before you
give the little piece into the engraver's hands. N.B.--The words
are to be engraved with it, as in the Vienna edition of my
transcription of the Schubert Songs.
As regards the publishing of the scores of my three songs--
"Loreley," "Mignon," and the "Zigeuner"--I leave them entirely to
your pleasure or the reverse, as also the size of the edition
(whether larger or smaller--but in any case, not quite full
size)..--.
I shall be staying at Lowenberg up to the 8th September.
I beg that you will send the final proof of "Loreley" to Herr von
Bulow--and also the second edition of "Mignon" in time, which is
to be engraved from the score left behind by Brendel--for voice
and pianoforte accompaniment (without instrumentation) in the
first place--as you were kind enough to promise me.
With best greetings, your obliged
F. Liszt
Lowenberg, August 27th, 1861
260. To Dr. Franz Brendel
Dear Friend,
A musical scribble that I had promised, and which I wished to
finish here, and various little excursions in the neighborhood,
have prevented me from answering your letter sooner.
The Prince [Of Hohenzollern-Hechingen] continues to show me the
same amiable friendship as ever, so that it is hard to me to
leave Lowenberg. Seifriz will write you word a couple of weeks
beforehand to which concert your coming here would be most
advantageous. The concert season does not begin till November,
and, with the exception of the winter months, when the musical
performances take place, a great proportion of the members of the
orchestra is absent. His Highness adheres always firmly and
faithfully to the endeavors of the "New German School," and is
desirous of supporting it still further. On this account I think
it would be desirable to elect Seifriz as a member of the
Committee of the Allgemeane Deutsche Musikverein. I also vote
especially for Stein (of Sondershausen), Eduard Liszt, Herbeck,
Ambros, David--without a word against the rest of the names which
you have proposed.
As regards the other points of your letter I write as follows:--
1. I believe that N.'s reliability and extensive influence in the
affairs of the Mozart Society are a bit hypothetical. You find
out more exactly what he is likely to accomplish.
2. I will undertake with pleasure the examination of the
manuscripts and the decision as to what works shall be performed
at the general assembly--but please do not give me the title of
President, but simply the name of Reporter or Head of the musical
section.
3. I entirely agree with the intention of distributing Pohl's
["On the Tonkunstler-Versammlung in Leipzig in 1859."] pamphlet
gratis to the members of the Society.
Of course the two speeches by yourself and Draseke must be
included in it. Should it be necessary, I will gladly contribute
a few thalers towards the publication.
4. According to my opinion the Society should not be placed under
the protection of the Grand Duke "until everything is ready."
According to what he has said to me there is no doubt about his
acceptance of it, but still it is indispensable that you should
write to H.R.H. about it. Pohl and Gille will be the best to help
you in composing the letter to the Grand Duke, and perhaps they
will sign their names to it also. Later on we shall have to
discuss in what form and fashion other German Princes are to be
invited to give their countenance to the Society-or not.
5. Wagner's photograph has unfortunately been locked up in the
Altenburg against my wish. I cannot therefore be of any help with
it--and can only advise you to write to Wagner himself, in order
to learn which of his likenesses would be the most suitable for
publication in the Modenzeitung.
.-.I shall be in Berlin by the evening of the day after tomorrow,
and shall probably stay there till the 24th-26th of this month.
May I also beg you to remind Pohl of his promise to send me my
arrangement of the Dance of Sylphs (from Berlioz' "Faust")? I am
now wanting this little piece, of which I did not keep any copy.
It is the same with my arrangement of the "Tannhauser" Overture,
which I left behind with Pflughaupt. Get Pohl to send me the
Dance of Sylphs and the "Tannhauser" Overture as soon as possible
to Bulow's address in Berlin. I will then send him my thanks in
writing, and will quietly wait for the catalogue of music in his
possession out of my library (which he wanted to send me some
days after my departure!).
How is it with regard to Damrosch's leadership of the orchestra
at Weymar? Pohl must tell me all about it.
Has Bronsart's marriage taken place yet?
If it is not giving you too much trouble, I should be glad to
receive the pamphlets, marked with red pencil, by Bronsart,
Laurencin, Wagner, and Ambros, while I am in Berlin. The
publication of Zellner's brochure on "Faust" shall meanwhile be
left to the geniality and munificence of Schuberth. A propos of
Lassen's songs (which Schuberth boasted that he should bring out
so quickly that last evening he was with you!), the first book
only--say three songs!--and not the second, has come out,
although Schuberth presented me with two books, relying on my
being absent-minded and preoccupied! But he has such an
extraordinary talent for tricks of that kind that it would be
almost a pity if he did not exercise it here and there!.-.
With friendliest greetings to your wife,
Most faithfully,
F. Liszt
Lowenberg, September 16th, 1861
[Shortly after this Liszt departed from Lowenberg. He took the
road which the Princess Wittgenstein had gone before him, and
went, by way of Paris, to Rome.]
END OF LETTERS OF FRANZ LISZT, VOL. I.
INFO ABOUT THIS E-TEXT EDITION
This volume of "Letters of Franz Liszt" is the first volume of a
2-volume set. The letters were selected by La Mara, and
translated into English by Constance Bache. The edition used was
an original 1893 Charles Scribner edition, printed in America.
Each page was cut out of it and fed into an Automatic Document
Scanner to make this e-text; hence, the original book was
fragmented in order to save it.
Some adaptations from the original text were made while
formatting it for an e-text. Italics in the original book were
ignored in making this e-text, unless they referred to proper
nouns, in which case they are put in quotes in the e-text.
Italics are not easily rendered in ASCII text, and in the
original book they generally do not seem to add much to Liszt's
expression.
Also, special German characters like U with an umlaut, and French
characters like a's and e's with various markings above them were
ignored, replaced with their closet single-letter equivalents. U
with an umlaut is U, A with a caret above it is A, and so on.
Words altered include Gotze, Tonkunstler, Gluck, Handel and
Bulow, among others.
In addition, the English spellings of words like "honour,"
"colour," "humour" and "theatre" were changed into American
equivalents like "honor," "color," "humor" and "theater."
This electronic text was prepared by John Mamoun with help from
numerous other proofreaders, including those associated with
Charles Franks' Distributed Proofreaders website. Special thanks to S.
Morrison, R. Zimmerman, K. McGuire, A. Montague, M. Fong and N. Harris
for proof-reading, and also thanks to B. Schak, D. Maddock, C. Weyant,
M. Taylor, K. Rieff, J. Roberts, K. Peterson and others.
This e-text is public domain, freely copyable and distributable for any
non-commercial purpose, and may be included without royalty or
permission on a mass media storage product, such as a cd-rom, that
contains at least 50 public domain electronic texts, whether offered
for non-commercial or commercial purposes. Any other commercial usage
requires permission. The biographical sketch was prepared for this e-
text and is also not copyright and is public domain.
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