For the present I allow myself to send you my Sonata, which has
just been published at Hartel's. You will soon receive another
long piece, "Scherzo and March," and in the course of the summer
my "Annees de Pelerinage, Suite de Compositions pour le Piano"
will appear at Schott's; two years - Switzerland and Italy. With
these pieces I shall have done for the present with the piano, in
order to devote myself exclusively to orchestral compositions,
and to attempt more in that domain which has for a long time
become for me an inner necessity. Seven of the Symphonic Poems
are perfectly ready and written out. I will soon send you the
little prefaces which I am adding to them, in order to render the
perception of them more plain. Meanwhile I merely give you the
titles: -
1. "Ce qu'on entend sur la Montagne" (after V. Hugo's poem in the
"Feuilles d'Automne").
2. Tasso. "Lamento e Trionfo"
3. "Les Preludes" (after Lamartine's Meditation poetique "Les
Preludes").
4. "Orphee."
5. "Promethee."
6. "Mazeppa" (after V. Hugo's Orientale "Mazeppa").
7. "Festklange."
8. "Heroide funebre."
9. "Hungaria."
By Christmas I intend to bring out the scores of all these - which
would make about fifteen hundred plates in octavo size.
The post affair in regard to your letter with the article on
Raff's "Fruehlingsboten" is very unpleasant to me. Neither has
come into my hands, or else I should assuredly have let you know
much sooner. What has become of it cannot now be traced; a
similar thing happened also with a manuscript sent to me from
Dresden, which was never able to be found. Excuse me, dear
friend, for the carelessness which you supposed I had shown, of
which I am in this case not guilty, as Pohl has already written
to you by my request - and continue to keep for me always your
sympathetic friendship, with which I remain, in complete
harmonious unison,
Yours most truly and gratefully,
F. Liszt
112. To Dr. Franz Brendel
Dear Friend,
Whilst you are trotting about in Leipzig aus Rand und
Band,[Uncontrolledly; a pun on the words Rand and Band (edge of
the paper and volume), Brendel being editor of a paper.] I have
been obliged to keep my bed, owing to a slight indisposition. The
reading of your article in the Jahrbuchern [Year-books] has given
me a pleasant hour, and I thank you heartily for the value and
significance which you accord to my influence and endeavour here,
both in this article and in the topographic section of your book.
As long as I remain here we will take care that Weimar does not
get into a bad way.
I hope to be quite on my legs again in a few days.
