F. Liszt
13. To Robert Schumann
[Addressed to the celebrated German Tone-poet (1810-1856). Liszt
had spoken of Schumann's Op. 5, 11, and 14 in the Gazette
Musicale, 1837, with equal enthusiasm and understanding, which
soon brought the two together.]
[Without a date; received by R. S. May 5th, 1838.]
My dear Monsieur Schumann,
I shall not attempt to tell you how grateful and touched I am by
your friendly letter. Mademoiselle Wieck, whom I have been so
happy as to meet here, will express to you, better than I can,
all the sympathy, all the admiring affection I have for you. I
have been such a nomad latterly that the pieces you were kind
enough to address to me at Milan only reached me on the eve of my
departure from Venice about a fortnight ago; and since then we
have been talking so much of you, day and night, that it hardly
occurred to me to write to you. Today, however, to my great
astonishment, I get a fresh token of your friendly remembrance,
and I certainly will not delay thanking you many times for it, so
I have just left a charming party of very pretty women in order
to write these few lines to you. But the truth is you need hardly
thank me for this little sacrifice, for it is a great pleasure to
me to be able to have a little chat with you.
The "Carneval" and the "Fantasiestucke" have interested me
excessively. I play them really with delight, and God knows that
I can't say as much of many things. To speak frankly and freely,
it is absolutely only Chopin's compositions and yours that have a
powerful interest for me.
The rest do not deserve the honor of being mentioned...at least,
with a few exceptions, - to be conciliatory, like Eusebius.
In six weeks to two months I shall send you my twelve Studies and
a half-dozen of "Fantasiestucke" ("Impressions et Poemes") - I
consider them less bad than others of my making. I shall be happy
to think that they do not displease you.
May I confess to you that I was not very much struck with
Henselt's Studies, and that I found them not up to their
reputation? I don't know whether you share my opinion, but they
appear to me, on the whole, very careless. They are pretty to
listen to, they are very pretty to look at, the effect is
excellent, the edition (thanks to our friend Hofmeister) is most
carefully done; but, all counted, I question whether H. is
anything but a distinguished mediocrity. [How highly Liszt
thought, later on, of Henselt's Concerto and other of his
compositions is well known, and is spoken of in a subsequent
letter to Baroness Wrangel, in May, 1883.] For the rest, he is
very young, and will doubtless develop. Let us, at least, hope
so.
I am extremely sorry that I cannot come and pay you a little
visit at Leipzig at present. It is one of my keenest desires to
make your personal acquaintance and to pass some days with you.
But as that is not possible now, let us, at least, try not to be
entirely separated, and let us combat, as far as we can, the
laziness about writing, which is, I think, equally in us both.
In a fortnight I am returning to Venice. I shall be back in Milan
at the time of the coronation (towards the end of August). Next
winter I expect to pass in Rome, if the cholera or some other
plague does not stop it. I will not induce you to come to Italy.
Your sympathies would be too deeply wounded there. If they have
even heard that Beethoven and Weber ever existed, it is as much
as they have done.
Will you not have what you have sent me printed? Haslinger would
have it gladly, I think, and it would be a great pleasure to me
to see my name associated with yours.
If I might make a request, I would ask you to write some trios,
or a quintet or septet. It seems to me that you would do that
admirably, and for a long time nothing remarkable in that line
has been published. If ever you determine to do so, let me know
at once, as I should be anxious to have the honor of making them
known to the public. Adieu, my dear Monsieur Schumann; keep me
always in affectionate remembrance, and accept once more my warm
sympathy and devotion.
F. Liszt
14. To the "Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde" in Vienna
[Society of Musical Dilettanti, or Amateur Musical Society.
Autograph in the Archives of the Society in Vienna]
Gentlemen,
I am extremely grateful for the honor you have done me in
admitting me among you as a member of the Vienna Musik-Verein
[Musical Union]. I cannot, unfortunately, flatter myself that I
have as yet deserved this distinction, but allow me to say that
it will not be my fault if I do not become worthy of it.
If ever the occasion should offer in which I can be agreeable or
useful to the Society of the Musik-Verein, be assured that I
shall gladly avail myself of it, and that you will henceforth
have a claim on my gratitude and devotion.
I have the honor to be, gentlemen,
Yours faithfully,
F. Liszt
Venice, June 1st, 1838
15. To Simon Lowy in Vienna
[Autograph in the possession of Herr O. A. Schulz, bookseller in
Leipzig. - Addressed to a Vienna banker, an intimate friend of
Liszt The "Soirees de Vienne," composed on Schubert Valses, are
dedicated to him.]
I am very sensible, my dear sir, of your friendly remembrance.
Your kind letter found me in the midst of the official hurly-
burly of the coronation fetes.
