In use or not, being unable to be employed except by the
arbitrary curtailment of such and such an interval.
In fact it will soon be necessary to complete the system by the
admission of quarter and half-quarter tones until something
better turns up! -
Behold the abyss of progress into which the abominable "Musicians
of the Future" precipitate us!
Take care that you do not let yourself be contaminated by this
pest of Art!
For a week past it has done nothing but rain here, and I have
been obliged to have fires and stoves lighted in the house. If by
chance you are favored with such a temperature at Schwalbach, I
invite you to profit by it to make some new Fugues, and to make
up, by plenty of work for the pedals, for the pedestrian exercise
of which you would be necessarily deprived.
B., to whom I beg you to give my cordial and kind remembrances,
led me to hope that you will stay a couple of days at Weymar
after your cure. If this could be so arranged I for my part
should be delighted, and should pick a quarrel with you (even if
it were a German quarrel!) if you were not completely persuaded
of it!
Remember me most affectionately to la Sagesse, and do me the
kindness to count, under all circumstances, on
Your very sincerely devoted
F. Liszt
239. To Dr. Franz Brendel
Dear Friend,
Your last proposition is the best. Come quite simply to me at
Weymar. As I am now quite alone at home we can hold our
conference and arrange matters most conveniently at the
Altenburg. I am writing at the same time to Bulow at Wiesbaden
(where he is giving a concert tomorrow, Friday), to beg him to
arrange with you about the day on which the meeting shall be held
here. You two have to decide this. Of course you will stay with
me. There shall also be a room in readiness for Kahnt.
With regard to Wagner's pardon [Wagner had been exiled from
Germany for political reasons.] I am expecting reliable
information shortly. It seems strange that the Dresden papers
should not have been the first to give the official announcement,
and that an act of pardon of H.M. the King of Saxony should be
made known through the "Bohemia" (in Prague). Wagner has not yet
written to me.
To our speedy meeting. Heartily your
F. Liszt
August 9th, 1860
240. To Princess Caroline Sayn-Wittgenstein.
[Portions of the above were published in the Neue Zeitschrift fur
Musik of 4th May, 1887.]
Weymar, September 14th, 1860
I am writing this down on the 14th September, the day on which
the Church celebrates the Festival of the Holy Cross.
