Probably he will be piquant and forcible. On
the whole, and also in detail, the Dusseldorf Musical Festival
can only be described as a great success, and I, for my part,
rejoice in this and every success without particularly envying
it. My task is quite a different one, the solution of which is by
no means troubled thereby.
If you should by any chance have read that I am going to America
(! - there are many people who would be glad to have me out of
sight!), and that a Leipzig virtuoso (in Leipzig such animals as
virtuosi are seldom to be met with!) is going to take my place
here, you can simply laugh, as I have done, at this old canard -
but don't say anything to contradict it in your paper; such bad
jokes are not worth noticing, and are only good as finding food
for inquisitive Philistines. In a few days I hope to be able
again to do something serious with my work, and shall not leave
Weymar until my journey to Hungary (at the end of August).
Gutzkow's appointment is still in suspense, but is not
impossible. Have you read Frau Marr's (Sangalli's) brochure,
brought out by Otto Wigand? The pages which she devotes to my
work here may perhaps interest you, and I have absolutely nothing
to complain of in them, especially in view of the fact that I
have not hitherto been able to go "hand in hand" with Marr. Marr
has, moreover, according to what he told me, given in his
resignation as artistic Director, [At the Weimar Court theater]
and one cannot get clear about the entire theater-management for
some weeks to come. I keep myself very passive in the matter, and
don't fish in troubled waters. Thus much is certain - that if
Weymar wants to do anything regular, it cannot do without my
ideas and influence. About the rest I don't need to trouble
myself. Last Sunday we held a satisfactory performance of
"Tannhauser" in honor of the Princess of Prussia - and next Monday
the opera will be repeated.
Friendly greetings to your wife from your almost too active
fellow-worker and friend,
F. Liszt
I am writing to Fraulein Riese one of these next days, to invite
her to the performance of my Mass at Jena. [The Mass for male
voices was performed there in the latter half of June.]
140. To Dr. Franz Brendel.
[The first sheet of the original is missing]
Evers' [Doubtless Carl Evers (1819-75), composed Sonatas, Salon
pieces, etc.] letter has amused me, and it will cost you but
little diplomacy to conciliate the sensitive composer. You know
what I think of his talent for composition. From people like that
nothing is to be expected as long as they have not learned to
understand that they are uselessly going round and round in what
is hollow, dry, and used up. That good Flugel [Music writer and
composer; at that time teacher in a school at Neuwied; now
organist at the Castle at Stettin.] has also little power of
imagination, although a little more approach to something more
earnest, which has at least this good in itself - that it checks a
really too naive productiveness...His letter on the Dusseldorf
Musical Festival is again a little bit of Barenzucker
[Liquorice.] (reglisse in French), and W.'s article in comparison
with it quite a decent Pate Regnault. When we see each other
again I will make this difference clear to you - meanwhile make
the Rhinelanders happy with the latter, and don't be afraid of
the whispers which it may perhaps call forth; for, I repeat, it
contains nothing untrue or exaggerated, and in your position of
necessary opposition it would be inconsistent if you were to keep
back views of that kind from the public.
With the most friendly greeting, your
F. Liszt
June 16th, 1855.
My Mass for male voices and organ (published by Hartel two years
ago) will be given next week at the church in Jena. As soon as
the day is fixed I will let Fraulein Riese know.
Once more I recommend you to keep the W. article strictly
anonymous.
141. To Concertmeister [Leader of orchestra] Edmund Singer.
Dear Singer,
If I write but seldom to my friends there is, besides other
reasons, one principal cause for it, in that I have but seldom
anything agreeable or lively to tell them. Since your departure
very little has happened here that would interest you. One half
of our colleagues of the Neu-Weymar-Verein [New Weymar Union] is
absent - Hoffmann in Holland, Preller in the Oldenburg woods,
Pruckner and Schreiber at Goslar, etc., etc. - so that our
innocent reunions (which finally take place in the room of the
shooting-house) are put off for several weeks. Cornelius is
working at a Mass for men's voices - on the 15th of August we
shall hear it in the Catholic Church. I, on my side, am working
also at a Psalm (chorus, solos, and orchestra), which will be
ready by your return, in spite of all interruptions which I have
to put up with by constant visits. An exceptionally agreeable
surprise to me was Hans von Bulow, who spent a couple of days
here, and brought with him some new compositions, amongst which I
was particularly pleased with a very interesting, finely
conceived, and carefully worked-out "Reverie fantastique." Until
the 15th of August (when his holidays end) he remains in
Copenhagen, where he will certainly meet with a friendly
reception. Perhaps next summer you would be inclined to go there.
You would find it a very pleasant neighborhood, and many pleasant
people there, who have also been agreeably remembered by me.
