Although the Vision of Ezekiel
attains in its small dimensions the culminating point of
Raphael's greatness, yet he painted the School of Athens and the
entire frescoes in the Vatican.
"Manfred" is glorious, passionately attractive! Don't let
yourself be stopped in it; it will refresh you for your "Faust" -
and German art will point with pride to these twin productions.
Schuberth has sent me your "Album fur die Jugend" [Album for the
Young], which, to say the least, pleases me much. We have played
your splendid trio here several times, and in a pretty
satisfactory manner.
Wagner stayed some days here and at Eisenach. I am expecting
tidings from him daily from Paris, where he will assuredly
enlarge his reputation and career in a brilliant manner.
Would not your dear wife (to whom I beg to be kindly remembered)
like for once to make a romantic country excursion into the
Thuringer Wald [the Thuringian Forest]? The neighborhood is
charming, and it would give me great pleasure to see her again at
Weymar. A very good grand piano, and two or three intelligent
people who cling to you with true sympathy and esteem, await you
here.
But in any case there will appear in Leipzig as a claqueur
[clapper (to applaud)]
Your unalterably faithful friend,
F. Liszt Weymar, June 5th, 1849
61. To Robert Schumann
[original in the Royal Library in Berlin]
Best thanks, dear friend, for your kind information about the
performance of your "Faust" on the 28th of August.
To draw "das Ewig-Weibliche" rightly upwards ["Das Ewig-Weibliche
zicht uns hinan" ("The Eternal-Womanly draws us upwards"). -
Goethe's "Faust"] by rehearsing the chorus and orchestra would
have afforded me great pleasure - and would probably have
succeeded. ["Gelangen" and "gelingen" - untranslatable little
pun.] But unfortunately obstacles which cannot be put aside have
intervened, and it will be utterly impossible for me to be
present at the Goethe Festival, as I have to betake myself in a
few days' time to an almost unknown but very efficacious bath
resort, and my doctor's orders are most strict that I must not
make any break in my "cure" during six weeks.
Notwithstanding this very deplorable contretemps for me, I
immediately informed Herr Councillor A. Scholl, as head of the
Goethe Committee, of your friendly proposal. Herewith his answer.
Allow me meanwhile to refresh your memory with an old French
proverb, "Ce qui est differe n'est pas perdu" [What is put off is
not given up], and give me the hope that soon after my return to
Weymar we may occupy ourselves seriously with the performance of
your "Faust."...
Hearty greetings to your dear wife, and believe me yours ever
most sincerely,
F. Liszt Weymar July 27th, 1849
62. To Robert Schumann
[autograph in the Royal Library in Berlin]
Dear Friend,
A summons which cannot be put off obliges me to be present at the
Goethe Festival here on the 28th of August, and to undertake the
direction of the musical part.
My first step is naturally to beg you to be so good as to send us
soon the score of your "Faust." If you should be able to spare
any of the voice or orchestral parts it would be a saving of time
to us; but if not we shall willingly submit to getting the parts
copied out as quickly as possible.
Kindly excuse me, dear friend, for the manner in which this
letter contradicts my last. I am very seldom guilty in such a
way, but in this case it does not lie in me, but in the
particulars of the matter itself.
For the rest I can assure you that your "Faust" shall be studied
with the utmost sympathy and accuracy by the orchestra and
chorus. - Herr Montag, the conductor of the Musik-Verein [Musical
Union], is taking up the chorus rehearsals with the greatest
readiness, and the rest will be my affair! - Only, dear friend,
don't delay sending the score and, if possible, the parts.
Sincerely yours,
F. Liszt
Weymar, August 1st, 1849
If your opera is given not later than the 1st of September I
shall certainly come to Leipzig.
63. To Carl Reinecke
Heligoland, September 7th, 1849
I am very sorry, my dear M. Reinecke, not to have met you at
Hamburg. It would have been such a real pleasure to me to make
acquaintance again with your Nonet, and it seems to me, judging
from its antecedents in the form of a Concerto, that by this
decisive transformation it ought to be a most honorably
successful work.
The "Myrthen Lieder" have never been sent to me. If you happen to
have a copy I should be very much obliged if you would send it me
to Schuberth's address.
With regard to the article which has appeared in "La Musique" I
have all sorts of excuses to make to you. The editors of the
paper thought fit, I do not know why, to give it a title which I
completely disavow, and which would certainly have never entered
into my mind. Moreover the printer has not been sparing of
changing several words and omitting others. Such are the
inevitable disadvantages of articles sent by post, and of which
the proof correctors cannot read the writing.
Anyhow, such as it is, I am glad to think that it cannot have
done you any harm in the mind of the French public, which has
customs and requirements that one must know well when one wishes
above all things to serve one's friends by being just to them.
Two numbers of your "Kleine Fantasie-Stucke" have been
distributed, up to about a thousand copies, with the paper "La
Musique," under the title of "Bluettes," - a rather ill-chosen
title to my idea, - but, notwithstanding this title and the words
"adopted by F. Liszt," which the editors have further taken the
responsibility of putting, I am persuaded that this publication
is a good opening (in material) into the musical world of France,
and, looking at this result only, I am charmed to have been able
to contribute to it.
