Letters of Franz Liszt Volume II Part 10

Bulow was unfortunately prevented by serious illness from conducting. From a personal as well as an artistic point of view I felt his absence very keenly--however no complaint whatever can be made about the performance, and the reception accorded by the audience, especially to my Psalms, was extremely favorable. I a.s.suredly never expected to meet with such sympathetic appreciation, after my experiences of former years. Friend Lowy had, on this occasion, no reason to hide himself in a seat at the back! In the Chamber-music soirees three of my Songs ("Es muss ein Wunderbares sein," "Ich liebe Dich," and "Mignon") were sung by Herr and Frau Hauser, and an encore was demanded. Remenyi played magnificently, and Fraulein Topp [Alida Topp, a pupil of Liszt's.] is a marvel.

At the conclusion of the Tonkunstler-Versammlung I started early on Sunday morning for Munich with Cosima (who remained with me the whole week of the concerts). Hans was confined to bed at the Bairischer Hof; his nervous rheumatic complaint has now settled in his left arm, which he will probably be unable to move for several weeks to come. In addition to the physical pain he suffers most grievously from this enforced state of inactivity.

To endure things patiently is to some natures an absolute impossibility. He travelled back to Berlin, ill as he was, last Sat.u.r.day, accompanied by his wife, and I have promised to go and spend a couple of days with him after my visit to Prince Hohenzollern in Lowenberg, where I go in a day or so.

Of Wagner's wondrous fortune you are sure to have heard. No such star has ever before beamed upon a tone-or a word-poet. N.B.-- H.M. the King of Bavaria addresses his communication, "To the Word-and Tone-Poet, Richard Wagner." More by-and-by about this remarkable affair of Wagner's. I saw him in Munich on several occasions, and spent one day alone with him in his villa on the Starnberger See.

I have been here since the day before yesterday. .--.

Continue to love me--as I do you.

With all my heart your

F. Liszt

Address me to Weimar (at the Altenburg). I must return here from Lowenberg (between the 15th and 8th September) in order to await the Grand Duke at the Wartburg.

35. To Breitkopf and Hartel

Dear Herr Doctor,

Together with the corrected proofs of the Pastoral and the C minor Symphonies (in which I found one or two errors) I sent you (from Weimar) my pianoforte arrangement of the 3rd instrumental movements of the 9th Symphony. After various endeavors one way and another, I became inevitably and distinctly convinced of the impossibility of making any pianoforte arrangement of the 4th movement for two hands, that could in any way be even approximately effective or satisfactory. I trust you will not bear me any ill-will for failing in this, and that you will consider my work with the Beethoven Symphonies as concluded with the 3rd movement of the 9th, for it was not a part of my task to provide a simple pianoforte score of this overwhelming 4th movement for the use of chorus directors. Arrangements of this kind have already been made, and I maintain that I am not able to furnish a better or a more satisfactory one for helpless pianofortes and pianists, and believe that there is no one nowadays who could manage it.

In my edition of the 9th Symphony for two pianos, prepared for Schott, the possibility was offered to me of reducing the most essential parts of the orchestra-polyphony to ten fingers, and of handing over the chorus part to the second piano. But to screw both parts, the instrumental and vocal, into two hands cannot be done either "a peu pres or a beaucoup pres!"

In case other proofs of the remaining Beethoven Symphonies are ready, you might send me them to Weimar before Tuesday, 20th September. I should be glad at the same time to receive the splendid 6 Mottets of Bach in eight-voice parts (among which is "Sing unto the Lord a new song"). I am all the more in need of reading such works, as I am at present unable to hear a performance of them.

Next week I shall again spend a few days in Weimar (or Wilhelmsthal); thence I go to pay my mother a visit in Paris, and by 18th October, at latest, I shall be back in Rome.

Yours respectfully and sincerely,

F. Liszt

Schloss Lowenberg, September 14th, 1864

I requested Herr Kahnt to return to you with my best thanks the copy of the Symphonic Poems which was kindly forwarded to me in Carlsruhe.

36. To Breitkopf and Hartel

Dear Herr Stadtrath, [Town Councillor]

In compliance with the wish you so kindly express, I will again make an attempt to "adapt" the 4th movement of the 9th Symphony to the piano, and soon after my return to Rome will set to work upon the required tentative. Let us hope that the variation of the proverb: "Tant va la cruche a l'eau qu'a la fin...elle s'emplit"--may prove true. [So often goes the pitcher to the water that at last it is filled.]

While talking of various readings allow me to draw your attention to an exceptionally valuable collection. A very carefully and well-trained musician with whom I have been acquainted for many years past--Herr Franz Kroll (in Berlin)--has, with industrious and unceasing perseverance, been collecting, copying and arranging for publication the noteworthy various readings of Bach's ma.n.u.scripts of the "Wohltemperiertes Clavier." [The well- tempered Piano] Last week he showed me several of them, and I became convinced of the substantial interest of the collection and encouraged friend Kroll to send you a full account of them.

In now enclosing his letter to you--written at my instigation--I take upon myself, with pleasure and the fullest conviction, the musical duty of advocating the publication of these various Bach readings, and of heartily recommending Kroll's work as an essentially useful, complementary addition to your admirable edition of the "Bach-Gesellschaft" [The Bach Society].

Pray accept, dear Herr Stadtrath, the a.s.surance of my sincere esteem and devotion.

F. Liszt

Wilhelmsthal, October 1st, 1864

37. To Madame Jessie Laussot

You will be good enough to excuse me, dear Madame, for having delayed replying to your kind letter. Amongst your many rare qualities there is one that I particularly admire; it is the prowess of your musical sympathies. Nevertheless I must scruple to expose you to too harsh trials, and, knowing by experience with how little favor my works meet, I have been obliged to force a sort of systematic heedlessness on to myself with regard to them, and a resigned pa.s.siveness. Thus during the years of my foreign activity in Germany I constantly observed the rule of never asking any one whatsoever to have any of my works performed; more than that, I plainly dissuaded many persons from doing so who showed some intention of this kind--and I shall do the same elsewhere. There is neither modesty nor pride in this, as it seems to me, for I simply take into consideration this fact--that Mr. Litz [Liszt quotes the very common misspelling of his name which has frequently been seen since he was "le pet.i.t Litz" in Paris.] is, as it were, always welcome when he appears at the Piano (--especially since he has made a profession of the contrary--) but that it is not permitted to him to have anything to do with thinking and writing according to his own fancy. The result is that, for some fifteen years, so-called friends, as well as indifferent and ill-disposed people on all sides, sing, enough to split your head, to this unhappy Mr. Litz, who has nothing to do with it, "Be a pianist, and nothing but that. How is it possible not to be a pianist when, etc., etc."

Possibly they are right--but it would be too much to expect me to sign my own condemnation. Far from that, I confess that contradiction ends by tempting me seriously, and that I am resolved to pursue it to the end, without any illusion or approbation whatever. Only at certain moments I fancy that that judicious maxim of Champfort is somewhat applicable to me "Celebrity is the punishment of talent and the chastis.e.m.e.nt of merit."

Our friend Sgambati is happily in a fair way to incur this punishment and chastis.e.m.e.nt--and certainly with very good reason.

He has done wonders this winter at his four concerts, which have had a success both of fas.h.i.+on and of real good taste. I, for my part, have gained a thorough affection for Sgambati, and the remarkable development of his talent of so fine and n.o.ble a quality interests me keenly.

A thousand very cordially affectionate and devoted things.

F. Liszt

Rome, March 6th, 1865

38. To Dr. Franz Brendel

Dear Friend,

While awaiting from you definite word about the next Tonkunstler- Versammlung in Dessau, let me, meanwhile, thank you for your last communication. The main interest of the musical performances is, of course, on this occasion centred in Riedel and his Verein. In the programme-sketch I notice my Psalm 137 at the very beginning.

What lady takes the solo?--mind and soul are indispensable in it.

Bronsart wrote to me at the beginning of March that he entertained the idea of a concert-tour to the Russian provinces on the Baltic. I should be glad to hear that the Euterpe squabble and quarrel in connection with the T.K.V. in Dessau were at an end, and that Bronsart was to undertake the conductors.h.i.+p.

As a supplement to this I send you herewith the programme of the concert held in the hall of the Capitol, where for some years past no special festivities have been given, and probably never anything of this kind before. For the first time the different orchestras in Rome (the Sistine, St. Peter's, Lateran and Liberian) all united to give a performance which upon the whole may be said to have been as successful as it was well received.

The concert was proposed to the Holy Father, and approved of by him. Owing to the exceptional character of the undertaking, which, like that of last year, was made to fit in with the plan of the detailed arrangements--(some ladies belonging to the aristocracy, and commissionaires distributed the tickets which were sold at a minimum, no advertising, etc.), I determined to give my co-operation. I played the "Cantique" (the last number of the "Harmonies poetiques et religieuses" published by Kistner), and, as there was no end to the applause, I added my transcription of Rossini's "Charite" (published by Schott).

Everybody in Rome with any claim to culture was present, and the hall was more than full.

With friendliest greetings, your sincerely devoted

F. Liszt

April 3rd, 1865

P.S.--Please get Kahnt to inquire of Hartel as soon as possible, how far the printing of my arrangement of the Beethoven Symphonies has progressed, and whether I may rely upon his sending--during Easter week as already settled--the orchestral parts (autographed) of several of my Symphonic Poems,--more especially of the Dante Symphony? It is possible that the Dante Symphony may be performed here towards the end of April. But you shall have further news of me before that.

Bote and Bock will shortly publish a very simple Hymn of mine (for pianoforte) ent.i.tled "The Pope's Hymn."