- 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.
