At Spina's you would find several volumes of the Bach-
Gesellschaft, to which is always added a list of the subscribers
and a statement of accounts for the past year.
I advise you to keep on good terms with Zellner, who was the
first to air the subject in his paper (after I had invited him to
do so), and to get him into the proposed Committee, if the matter
be taken up in earnest. In the Committee of Revision Schmidt (the
librarian) and Holz must not be forgotten. With regard to my
humble self, I don't want to be put forward, but simply to take
my place in alphabetical order; but please explain beforehand
that I am ready to undertake any work which they may think fit to
apportion to me. I likewise undertake to invite the Grand Duke of
Weimar, the Duke of Gotha, etc., to become subscribers.
The whole affair must bear the impress of an Art enterprise - and
in this sense the invitation to a Mozart-Verein [Mozart Union]
must be couched. (I leave you to decide whether you prefer the
word Mozart-Gesellschaft [Mozart Society] or Mozart-herein for
the Publication of the Complete Works of Mozart, or any other
title.) Together with this I repeat that certainly there is no
need to fear any loss in this matter, but that probably there
will be a not insignificant gain. This gain, according to my
ideas, should be formed into a capital, until the edition is
completed, to be then employed, or perhaps not till later, by the
Society of Austrian Lovers of Music for some artistic purpose to
be decided upon.
. - . Be so good as to give Herr Krall the sum (24 florins) for
the four seats kindly placed at my disposal for the two concerts
of the Mozart Festival. Although I have only paid in cash six
gulden of the amount, because the other gentlemen insisted on
sending me several gulden, yet I expressly wish that the receipts
should not be any smaller through me - any more than that the
performance should suffer by my conducting! - Therefore please
don't forget the twenty-four gulden.
Berlioz arrived here yesterday evening, and I shall be over head
and ears in work with Cellini, the great Court concert on the
17th, and the performance of Berlioz' Faust in the course of next
week, the preparations for which I have undertaken.
Cellini I shall conduct - with the two others I only direct the
rehearsals.
In faithful friendship thy Saturday, February 9th, 1856.
F. Liszt
149. To Dr. von Seiler, Mayor of Vienna. [Autograph in the
possession of M. Alfred Bovet, of Valentigney.]
Dear Sir,
As it was not permitted me to see Your Worship again at home
before my departure, I venture to express once more in these few
lines my warmest thanks for the very great kindness shown to me
during my stay in Vienna, the remembrance of which will not fade
from my grateful thoughts.
The worthy example which you, dear Mr. Mayor, and the Town
Council of Vienna have given on the occasion of the Mozart
Festival, guaranteed and attained the desired prosperity and
success of the affair. This example will doubtless bring forth
fruit in other places, so that the whole artist society will owe
you the most grateful acknowledgments for it. As regards myself
and my modest services on that occasion, I am very happy to think
from the kind letter signed by yourself and Herr Councillor
Riedel von Riedenau, that what I did so gladly was well done - and
I only cherish the wish that coming years may offer me an
opportunity of devoting my poor, but seriously well-intentioned
services in the cause of music to the city of Vienna, whose
musical traditions shine forth so gloriously. Accept, dear sir,
the assurance of high esteem with which I have the honor to
remain
Your most obliged
F. Liszt
Weymar, February 10th, 1856
150. To Dr. Franz Brendel
Dear Friend,
Before everything else I must give you my warmest thanks for the
manifold proofs of your friendship and attachment which you have
given me lately; especially has the article in the last number
but one of the paper, taken from the concluding chapter of your
musical history, truly rejoiced me, and I should have written you
at once a couple of lines in grateful acknowledgment had I not
been so very much engaged, on my return here, that I have had no
leisure hour until now. In Leipzig I could only stay from the
time of one train to the other, and could not go to see any one
except Hartel, whom it was necessary for me to see. Scarcely had
I arrived here than I had to go to Gotha (where I was present at
Berlioz' concert), and the previous week we had enough to do with
the preparations and rehearsals of "Cellini" and the Court
concert. The performance this time was really capital. Caspari
had studied his part admirably, and made a good thing of it; the
opera, thanks to him, made quite a different impression from what
it did formerly, when poor Beck (now the proprietor of a cafe in
Prague, where I saw him lately) had to fit himself as best he
could into the Cellini jacket! - Probably Pohl will send you a
full account, and also mention the concert which took place the
day before yesterday at the Castle. Berlioz conducted it, and
Fraulein Bianchi very much pleased the nobility as well as the
rest of the audience - so that she is again engaged for a small
concert next Thursday.
