I Will Send Riedel The Pianoforte Edition Of My Mass Very
Shortly.
With heartfelt greetings,
Yours,
F. Liszt
November 2nd, 1858
207. To Johann von Herbeck
Dear Friend,
Your three splendid fellows, my high-minded and honorable
gipsies, ["Die drei Zigeuner" ("The Three Gipsies"), by Lenau,
for voice with pianoforte accompaniment.] are most excellently
lodged on the Altenburg. First of all the song was played on the
violin, then with cello - another time I tried it alone, and
yesterday Caspari sang me the song, so full of pith and beauty
and intrinsic worth, to the delight of us all and of myself in
particular. It will remain as a brilliant repertoire piece
amongst us, and I shall very soon introduce it to Tichatschek,
who will assuredly give it with inspiration and will make it
widely known. Please forgive me, dear friend, for not having
expressed my warm thanks to you sooner. - I only got home a few
weeks ago from my journey to the Tyrol and Munich, and have
scarcely been able to sit down to write, owing to all the
business pressing upon me from every side. If Lessing says "One
must not must," nevertheless the saying of Kladderadatsch, "Bien
muss," ["The bee must" - referring to a joke in the German Punch
(Kladderadatsch).] is, for ordinary mortals, much more
applicable - and over this "bee must" one at last becomes quite
idle from sheer weariness.
I will take the first opportunity of sending you your manuscript
of the score of the Mass for men's voices to Vienna. The Gloria,
which was performed at the University Jubilee Festival of Jena
last August, was made most effective by your excellent
instrumentation. You will observe a slight alteration at the
conclusion (six bars instead of five, and a slightly less risky
modulation), which I beg you to follow at any performance there
may chance to be in Vienna.
As regards the choruses to "Prometheus," I confess to you
candidly that, much as I thank you for thinking about them, I
think it is wiser to wait a little bit. I am not in the slightest
hurry to force myself on to the public, and can quietly let a
little more of the nonsense about my failure in attempts at
composition be spread abroad. Only in so far as I am able to do
something lasting may I place some modest value upon it. This can
and will be decided by time alone. But I should not wish
previously to impose on any of my friends the disagreeables which
the performance of my works, with the widespread presuppositions
and prejudices against them, brings with it. In a few years I
hope things will go better, more rationally, and more justly with
musical matters.
Until then we will go forward composedly and contemplatively on
our way! Once more best thanks and greetings from yours in all
friendship,
F. Liszt
Weymar, November 22nd (St. Cecilia's Day), 1858
208. To Felix Draseke
My very dear Friend,
Herewith the piano edition of the two first acts of "Sigurd."
[Opera by Draseke.] - Imagining that you may also want the score
of the first act, which had remained here, I send it also, sorry
as I am to part from this monumental work.
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