In case you should be disposed to acquiesce in my wish, and to
undertake the publishing of the two or three men's choruses, I
would propose to you to bring them out as the opening numbers of
a short succession of "Compositions for Male Voices," and also,
as with the Songs, to give them a title page (with a statement of
the different numbers - to which the Basle Quartets might also be
added; thus six numbers up to now). Do not fear, dear sir, an
over-productiveness in this genre on my part! But if by chance
one or other number of these Quartets should have some spread, I
should not dislike to write a couple more, either secular or
sacred. Among the latter I hope that the Psalm "The Heavens
declare," which will be performed next summer at a great Festival
of Song, will produce a good effect.
Pray pardon my verbosity - it is not usually my way to indulge in
unnecessary words; and accept, dear Sir, the assurance of the
well-known sentiments with which I remain,
Yours most truly,
F. Liszt
Weymar, December 2nd, 1860
The first performance of "Rienzi" is announced for the second day
of the Christmas holidays. I have engaged to conduct the
rehearsals, but at the same time have positively refused to
conduct the performances. Herr Musik-director Stor undertakes
that. [After the opposition of a coterie that was inimical to
Liszt, to which, as is well known, Cornelius's "Barber of
Baghdad" fell a sacrifice, Liszt had finally resigned his post as
conductor of the theater.]
248. To the Music Publisher C.F. Kahnt
. - . With regard to the publishing of my Songs for men's voices I
do not wish in the least to hurry you, dear sir - yet I should be
glad if you could advertise the things soon - and possibly on the
back of the title-page of my songs (?), if that does not seem
impracticable to you. The two collections (the songs and the
men's songs) have a certain connection, and that is why I make
this suggestion, about which you must decide. A couple of months
ago Louis Kohler wrote to me in his witty, friendly manner, "You
really owed us some Quartets for men's voices, which Bierbruder
["Beer-drinkers," "brothers of the glass"] metamorphosed into
demi-gods!" and when the songs were published, I was already
intending to let the men's songs follow shortly after. As most of
these latter are tolerably short, I think that the score of the
twelve will not require more than forty, or at the most fifty,
plates (small size). Economy might be employed in publishing the
parts by having them well copied.
