My good mother told me to press you to come, for she is
very fond of you. Till tomorrow then! Kind regards and thanks.
F. Liszt
I have been at least six times to you without having the pleasure
of seeing you.
61, Rue de Provence.
5. Monsieur Pierre Wolff (Junior), Rue de la Tertasse, Geneva,
Switzerland
[Autograph in the possession of M. Gaston Calmann-Levy in Paris.]
Nous disons: "Il est temps. Executons, c'est l'heure." Alors nous
retournons les yeux - La Mort est la! Ainsi de mes projets. - Quand
vous verrai-je, Espagne, Et Venise et son golfe, et Rome et sa
campagne,
Toi, Sicile, que ronge un volcan souterrain, Grece qu'on connait
trop, Sardaigne qu'on ignore, Cites de l'Aquilon, du Couchant, de
l'Aurore, Pyramides du Nil, Cathedrales du Rhin! Qui sait? -
jamais peut-etre!
[We say: "Now it is time. Let's act, for 'tis the hour." Then
turn we but our eyes - lo! death is there! Thus with my plans.
When shall I see thee, Espagna, And Venice with her gulf, and
Rome with her Campagna; Thou, Sicily, whom volcanoes undermine;
Greece, whom we know too well, Sardinia, unknown one, Lands of
the north, the west, the rising sun, Pyramids of the Nile,
Cathedrals of the Rhine! Who knows? Never perchance!]
Earthly life is but a malady of the soul, an excitement which is
kept up by the passions. The natural state of the soul is rest!
Paris, May 2nd [1832]
Here is a whole fortnight that my mind and fingers have been
working like two lost spirits, Homer, the Bible, Plato, Locke,
Byron, Hugo, Lamartine, Chateaubriand, Beethoven, Bach, Hummel,
Mozart, Weber, are all around me. I study them, meditate on them,
devour them with fury; besides this I practice four to five hours
of exercises (3rds, 6ths, 8ths, tremolos, repetition of notes,
cadences, etc., etc.). Ah! provided I don't go mad, you will find
an artist in me! Yes, an artist such as you desire, such as is
required nowadays!
"And I too am a painter!" cried Michael Angelo the first time he
beheld a chef d'oeuvre...Though insignificant and poor, your
friend cannot leave off repeating those words of the great man
ever since Paganini's last performance. Rene, what a man, what a
violin, what an artist! Heavens! what sufferings, what misery,
what tortures in those four strings!
Here are a few of his characteristics: -
[Figure: Liszt here writes down several tiny excerpts from
musical scores of Paganini's violin music, such as his famous
"Caprices"]
As to his expression, his manner of phrasing, his very soul in
fact! - -
May 8th [1832]
My good friend, it was in a paroxysm of madness that I wrote you
the above lines; a strain of work, wakefulness, and those violent
desires (for which you know me) had set my poor head aflame; I
went from right to left, then from left to right (like a sentinel
in the winter, freezing), singing, declaiming, gesticulating,
crying out; in a word, I was delirious. Today the spiritual and
the animal (to use the witty language of M. de Maistre) are a
little more evenly balanced; for the volcano of the heart is not
extinguished, but is working silently. - Until when? -
Address your letters to Monsieur Reidet, the receiver-general at
the port of Rouen.
A thousand kind messages to the ladies Boissier. I will tell you
some day the reasons which prevented me from starting for Geneva.
On this subject I shall call you in evidence.
Bertini is in London; Madame Malibran is making her round of
Germany; Messemaecker (how is he getting on?) is resting on his
laurels at Brussels; Aguado has the illustrious maestro Rossini
in tow. - Ah - Hi - Oh - Hu!!!
6. To Ferdinand Hiller
[This letter, published by F. Niecks ("F. Chopin, Man and
Musician," Vol. 1. German by Langhans. Leipzig, Leuckart, 1890),
was written by Liszt and Chopin jointly, and was also signed by
Chopin's friend Franchomme, the violoncellist. The part written
by Chopin is indicated here by parentheses (). - Addressed to the
well-known composer and author, afterwards Director of the
Conservatorium and Concert Society at Cologne (1811-1885).]
This is the twentieth time, at least, that we have tried to meet,
first at my house, then here, with the intention of writing to
you, and always some visit, or some other unforeseen hindrance,
has occurred. I don't know whether Chopin will be strong enough
to make excuses to you; for my part, it seems to me that we have
been so unmannerly and impertinent that no excuses are now
permissible or possible.
We sympathized most deeply in your bereavement, and more deeply
did we wish that we could be with you in order to soften, as far
as possible, the grief of your heart. [Hiller had lost his
father.]
(He has said it all so well that I have nothing to add to excuse
me specially for my negligence or idleness, or whim or
distraction, or - or - or - You know that I can explain myself
better in person, and, this autumn, when I take you home late by
the boulevards to your mother, I shall try to obtain your pardon.
I am writing to you without knowing what my pen is scribbling, as
Liszt is at this moment playing my Studies, and transporting me
away from all suitable ideas. I wish I could steal his manner of
rendering my own works. With regard to your friends who are
staying in Paris, I have often seen, during this winter and
spring, the Leo family [August Leo, banker in Paris], and all
that follows. There have been evenings at certain ambassadresses'
houses, and there was not a single one at which somebody living
at Frankfort was not mentioned. Madame Eichthal sends you many
kind messages - Plater [Count Plater, Chopin's countryman, and a
friend also of Liszt], the whole family were very sorry for your
departure, and begged me to give you their condolences.) Madame
d'Apponyi [Apponyi, the Austrian ambassador in Paris] was very
much vexed with me for not having taken you there before your
departure; she hopes that when you come back you will be sure to
remember the promise you made me.
