You, dear friend,
have, through your singing, often led me to this in the best way,
without thinking of it. Moreover it always does me so much good
when we meet in unity in the same path. -
Owing to a heap of visits (among which were several of deep
interest, such as Kaulbach, Varnhagen, Carus, etc.), I have been
much interrupted in the completion of the "Elizabeth." Still, I
hope to be ready with it by February. You will then again do the
best part for it, and must practice works of artistic mercy! -
What is the good of anything that is written on paper, if it is
not comprehended by the soul and imparted in a living manner? -
But among the works of mercy I am not desirous that you should
have to bury a still-born Oratorio! -
My heartfelt, twofold greetings to Milde, as friend and as
artist. I am writing the part of Landgrave Ludwig for him - and,
as the Landgrave is very speedily got out of the way, I will ask
him to undertake, in addition, two other parts (those of a
Hungarian magnate and a bishop).
The day after tomorrow I accompany the Princess to the mountains
and cascades of the Tyrol. On our return journey we shall spend a
couple of days in Munich, and shall be back here by the end of
September. Will you allow me to conduct "Alceste" on the 2nd of
October? - Sobolewski's "Comala" [Opera by Sobolewski.] is fixed
for the 12th. I shall give over to our common friend Lassen (to
whom please remember me warmly) the pianoforte rehearsals during
my absence.
I hope you will get quite strong and enjoy yourself much at the
seaside, dear friend, and return in good spirits to us at Weymar,
where you are quite indispensable to
Yours most truly and devotedly, F. Liszt
P.S. - Possibly Fraulein * * * (whose name at this moment I
forget) will come from Berlin to Weymar during my absence. I
recommend her again to Milde and yourself. Preller will introduce
her to you, and I beg that Milde will help her with good
teaching. If I am not mistaken, she would stand proof well in
mezzo-soprano parts.
I have trustworthy tidings of the brilliant success of the first
performance of "Lohengrin" in Vienna (on the 19th of this month).
Rienzi was also taken up again in these days as before.
206. To Dr. Franz Brendel
Dear honored Friend,
The memorandum is excellent, and I agree with it in all points. I
have noted this, according to your wish, at the end by the words
vu et approuve [Seen and approved.] (a perfectly correct formula
in French). The Prince's address is as follows: -
To His Highness Prince Constantin Hohenzollern-Hechingen,
Lowenberg, Silesia. I should not be able for the present to find
you a Paris correspondent. But, as I understand, Bülow intends to
go to Paris in the course of this winter, and would then be best
able to tell you of a colleague there. There is no hurry about
the article on theater curtains. As soon as I am somewhat through
the mass of arrears in correspondence I will take an opportunity
of sending it to you, but whether it will be in time to appear in
the first number of the "Anregungen" I cannot say.
I told Pohl yesterday that I wish the Dresden Weber concerto
affair in the meantime not to be mentioned in the paper. The
whole affair has for the moment made an extraordinary stir, and I
will tell you about it later on. For the present there is nothing
to be said about it on our side, even if other papers mix
themselves up in it in an incompetent manner. Very likely the
winter will slip away before the intended concert comes off. [The
Dresden theater directors intended, as M. M. v. Weber tells us in
his biography of his father (vol. ii., p. 721), to arrange a
concert for the benefit of the Weber Memorial which was to be
erected. Liszt was equally desirous of doing something publicly
for the Master whom he so highly esteemed; but "because they
could not agree whether he should take part in the directors'
concert or use the personnel of the Royal Opera at his own
concert, neither of the concerts was given."]
Sobolewski (who has been detained this time by his theater work
in Bremen) will come here for the second performance of "Comala".
I will let you know about it.
The work is worth your hearing and interesting yourself in. Owing
to the acting of the two Schmidts (husband and wife), as guests
here, ["Das Gastspiel" - the playing as guests at a theater - is an
expression used when actors or singers other than those attached
to the theater of the place come to act or sing there for a time]
the second performance has been postponed until towards the
middle of this month.
I will send Riedel the pianoforte edition of my Mass very
shortly.
With heartfelt greetings,
Yours,
F. Liszt
November 2nd, 1858
207. To Johann von Herbeck
Dear Friend,
Your three splendid fellows, my high-minded and honorable
gipsies, ["Die drei Zigeuner" ("The Three Gipsies"), by Lenau,
for voice with pianoforte accompaniment.] are most excellently
lodged on the Altenburg. First of all the song was played on the
violin, then with cello - another time I tried it alone, and
yesterday Caspari sang me the song, so full of pith and beauty
and intrinsic worth, to the delight of us all and of myself in
particular. It will remain as a brilliant repertoire piece
amongst us, and I shall very soon introduce it to Tichatschek,
who will assuredly give it with inspiration and will make it
widely known.
