I hope you will accept my invitation, and therefore I
shall say, Auf Wiedersehen [Au Revoir]!
Yours in friendship,
F. Liszt
June 12th, 1854
It will be easy for you to find out for certain about the
performance at Halle. In any case I shall come for the day fixed
for the "Weltgericht" (a peculiar work, written, as it were, from
a pedestal of his own!). At present it is announced for next
Saturday. Should there be any alteration, I shall arrange
accordingly, and come later. - .
P.S. - The proofs must be very carefully revised, as there are a
great many little alterations. Be so good as to revise the whole
thing accurately yourself. When the article has appeared, please
send me today's proofs back. ["Gesammelte Schriften," vol. iii.,
I.]
115. To Karl Klindworth in London
[A pupil of Liszt's, eminent both as a pianist, conductor, and
musical editor; born at Hanover in 1830, lived in London, Moscow,
and America; has, since 1882, been director of a music school in
Berlin.]
Best thanks, dear Klindworth, for your nice letter. After the
"Lamento" it seems a "Trionfo" is now about to be sounded. That
gives me heartfelt pleasure. Your Murl-connection and Murl-
wanderings [The Society of "Murls" (Moors, Devil-boys - that is to
say, Anti-Philistines) was started at that time in Weimar. Liszt
was Padischah (i.e. King or President); his pupils and adherents,
Buelow, Cornelius, Pruckner, Remenyi, Laub, Cossmann, etc., etc.,
were Murls.] with Remenyi [A celebrated Hungarian violinist.] are
an excellent dispensation of fate, and on July 6th, the day of
your concert at Leicester, the Weimar Murls shall be invited to
supper at the Altenburg, and Remenyi and Klindworth shall be
toasted "for ever!" - [Liszt writes "for ever hoch leben lassen."]
On July 8th I go from here to Rotterdam. The days of the
performances are July 13th, 14th, and 15th. The last number but
one of Brendel's paper (June 16th) contains the complete
programme. The principal works will be Handel's "Israel in
Egypt," Haydn's "Seasons," the Ninth Symphony, and a newly
composed Psalm by Verhulst (the royal conductor of the
Netherlands, director of the Euterpe Concerts in Leipzig about
twelve years ago, and at present director of the Rotterdam
Festivals). Roger, Pischek, Formes, Madame Ney, Miss Dolby, etc.,
have undertaken the solos, and the programme announces nine
hundred members. It would be very-nice if you and Remenyi and
Hagen [Theodor Hagen, a writer, known as a witty critic of his
time under the name of "Butterbrod" [bread and butter] in the
signale; died subsequently in America.] could come; in that case
you would have to start at once, for on the 13th it begins, and
on the 16th I leave Rotterdam - and go for a couple of days to
Brussels, where I shall meet my two daughters.
A couple of Murls would look well in Rotterdam, and would make up
to me in the best possible way for a lot of Philistinism which I
shall probably have to put up with there (by contact with many
honorable colleagues and companions in Art)...So, if you possibly
can, come. We will then have a Murl-Musical Festival in my room.
(N.B. - I shall be staying with Mr. Hope, the banker.)
One has to get accustomed to the London atmosphere, and make
one's stomach pretty solid with porter and port. For the rest,
musical matters are not worse there than elsewhere, and one must
even acknowledge some greatness in bestiality. If you can stand
it, I am convinced that you will make a lucrative and pleasant
position for yourself in London, and also gain a firm footing for
the Murl propaganda ("une, indivisible et invincible") on the
other side of La Manche, "ce qui sera une autre paire de
manches." (In case you don't understand this joke, Remenyi must
explain it to you.) So be of good courage and among good things!
However things may be, never make capitulation with what is idle,
cowardly, or false - however high your position may become-and
preserve, under all circumstances, your Murldom! -
The two pieces from Raff's "Alfred" [Arranged by Liszt for the
piano.] have been brought out by Heinrichshofen (Magdeburg), and
are dedicated to Carl Klindworth. Write me word how I can send
them to you in the quickest and most economical manner - together
with the Sonata. [It bore the title, in Liszt's handwriting, "Fur
die Murlbibliothek" (for the Murl Library).] The Dante Fantasia
will appear in the autumn, with the other pieces of the "Annees
de Pelerinage," at Schott's, and I will tell him to reserve a
copy for you.
Since you went away I have worked chiefly at my Symphonic Poems,
composing and elaborating. The nine numbers are now quite ready,
and seven of them entirely copied out. Next winter I intend to
publish the scores, which ought to make about a thousand engraved
plates. Immediately after my return from Rotterdam I shall set to
work on the Faust Symphony, and hope that I shall have it ready
written out by February.
Hartel is publishing also a couple of transcriptions from
"Lohengrin" (the Festal March before the third act, with the
Bridal Chorus, Elsa's Dream and Lohengrin's rebuke to Elsa),
which I wrote lately.
A propos of Hartel, haven't you heard anything of your
arrangement of the Schubert Symphony? The matter is being delayed
rather long, and when I go to Leipzig I will inquire at Hartel's.
[The arrangement for two pianos of the C major Symphony was
brought out by them.] I have nothing new to tell you of Wagner.
Joachim and Berlioz came to see me in May. Hoffmann von
Fallersleben has settled here, and we see each other pretty
often. His last poems, "Songs from Weymar," are dedicated to me.
