Annals for 1847:
Hiller’s concerts. (Schubert’s symph. Gade. — Minuet of 7th Symph. Ruins of Athens.) Social life: Club. — Schumann. — Lohengrin Act III completed. (Iphigenia performed. — Easter repeat of 9th Symph.) Move to Friedrichstadt: Marcolini Palace (rent 100 thalers.) Hähnel. Large garden. Greek antiquity. (first Gibbon: then classical historical works. Aeschylos — fearful impression. Droysen’s Alexander, Hellenism. — also Hegel’s Philosophy of History.) — Glorious summer. Hide in shrubbery reading Aristophanes. The Birds. Pleasant evenings. Visitors. Rapprochement with Ed. Devrient. — Sister Cäcilie on visit. Dry fountain bowl with Neptune. Memories of Napoleon. At theatre perf. of Tannh. and Rienzi. — Very excited and in good spirits. Complete detailed composition of Lohengrin, Acts I and II (August). — Circumstances tight owing to salary reductions. Decide to summon Berlin to my aid. Queen Marie of Saxony. (Audience) request to recommend Rienzi to her sister of Prussia. Following which, invitation from Küstner. — September to Berlin for Rienzi rehearsals. — Meyerbeer (departing and remaining) Redern. — Werder: apartment overlooking Gendarmenplatz. — Frommann: evening visits. (Lohengrin.) Countess Rossi. Sontag: Also Lohengrin (breakfast). — Sans Souci trips: no getting to the King.
Cabinet Minister Illaire. — Tieck: Lohengrin. — Taubert: — jealousy; also dinner. — H. Franck (also brother Eduard Fr.:) pleasant and instructive. Lohengrin. Gaillard. Kossak (genial.) Truhn (Lutter and Wegner). Rellstab. — Küstner: Stawinski. (Werder — Stawinski.) Dinners — Meinhardt (C.C.) Dinner — Redern (Littolf. Fonton.) No King to be had. — October: Minna’s arrival. Meinhardt: oyster-evening. Wretched rehearsals. (Wieprecht.) Recovery at Franck’s. (Desperate nature of political views: defunct United Landtag.) — —Marx and wife (also dinner!) — Even Clare coming to the performance from Chemnitz.
These two repeats finally at end of October (previously J. Lind.) — minus King.
Prince and Princess of Prussia. — Feeling low. (Learnt at Redern’s of death of Mendelssohn.) Return to Dresden with Minna. Criticism on train. — There Hiller’s Konradin von Hohenstaufen. (Johanna and Tichatschek: — scheming.) 4th perf. of Hiller’s opera: latter to Düsseldorf. — Petition for increase in salary: disgraceful report by Lüttichau; on my part, misunderstanding of Royal Decree.
Capitulated. — Previously: November, Tannh. in presence of King of Prussia (on visit). Arranging of orchestral concerts at theatre. (Major memorandum concerning orchestra going ahead.) — : gratuity of 300 thalers.