Annals for 1849:
New Testament: sketch of ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ in 5 Acts. — Theodor Uhlig increasingly intimate. Orchestral Players’ Union: my visit and address. Reported to Lüttichau. Big scene: expect him to apply for my dismissal; Ed Devrient sent to see me: breach avoided. Dull, hopeless wasting away of position. — Michael Bakunin in hiding at Röckel’s. Extensive association with him in secret. Many Poles. Czechs. — Told him about Jesus of Nazareth. Nothing of Siegfried. Poem ‘An die Not’. Also ‘An einen Staatsanwalt’. Ideas for an ‘Achilles’ in 3 Acts. Beginning of new year, walks with Bakunin. (Schnapps. Sausages between bread.) Polish countess. Haimberger. German Catholic priest (Viennese refugee: of whom heard first of Feuerbach.) Strange acquaintances: Viennese Calabrians. Refugee demagogues. Evenings at Hempel’s: Röckel and Todt. ‘Volksblatter’ — Ministry of reaction. Everyone making ready to fight. — Beginning May Landtag closed. Röckel flees: Volksblatter. 3 May. Sultry heat. Fatherland Committee: Kleine Brüdergasse. Dr Gerber: reports, conferences. (Shrapnels.) Painter Kaufmann: with him in the Postplatz, hear alarm bell from tower of St Ann’s Church. Yellow-brown atmosphere. Frau Tichatschek. To the Neumarkt: encounter wounded; Calabrians rubbing their hands. Barricades. Town Hall. Communal Guard: Semper as a citizen guard. Enormous confusion. Marschall von Bieberstein. Defence committee. 4 May (Thursday) Town Hall. Provisional government: parade in Market. Köchly proclaims and administers oath of allegiance to Imperial Constitution. Bakunin in tails. Promenades between barricades. Brühl Terrace to bridge. Agitation against expected march-in of Prussian troops. 5 May (Friday) continuing truce: provisioning, preparations. Leo von Zychlinsky. Bakunin — Polish officers. Semper. (Frau Schröder- Devrient at Heines’: seen for last time.) Wilh. Devrient and Heine jun. over barricades each evening and cosily home to Friedrichstadt. There found Ottilie and Clara Brockhaus (Luise’s daughters): longish time every Sunday. Good spirits. 6 May (Saturday) Prussians march into New Town. Midday, battle begins. Up tower of Church of Cross: schoolmaster Berthold and others. 2 o’clock heavy attack with cannon: retire. Town Hall: Bakunin a Heubner enthusiast after attack on Frauengasse -Neumarkt barricade, under Marschall’s command. Todt and Tzschirner disappear. Church of Cross tower again, in line of fire. Spend night there. Clock tower. 7 May (Sunday) glorious morning through mist. Nightingales in Schütze garden. Marseillaise from Plauen direction. Sun: columns of volunteers; Altmarkt bivouac. Battle continued without decision. Conical bullets: Mattress. Tower occupied by armed gymnasts. At about 11, burning of Old Opera House and part of Zwinger Gallery: ‘stuffed noblemen’. Tower under cannon fire. Very difficult getting home in afternoon: wife’s reproaches for being out all night. The two Brockhauses: much excitement and hope. Hähnel reactionary. Frau Röckel. 8 May (Monday) Morning once again by roundabout route via barricades to Town Hall. At St Ann Barricade guard shouts ‘Well, Mr Conductor, joy’s beautiful divine spark’s made a blaze.” (3rd perf. 9th Symphony at previous Palm Sunday concert; Opera House now burnt down. Strange feeling of comfort.) Meet Hiebendahl — dissuasive: Röckel, back from Prague, searching houses with guards for muskets. Plauensche Gasse. Gymnast reinforcements; led by Röckel. Don’t see latter again. Town Hall. Bakunin, Heubner. Plan: retreat to Erzgebirge and join up with Thuringian reinforcements. Prussians in Ostrallee. Home: quick decision to take Minna to Chemnitz to Clare. On ahead and hire carriage in first village: over ground of old walks; glorious morning: larks. Very heavy musket and cannon fire in town: long in my ears. (Roar and motion of sea in London.) Minna arrives with Papo and Peps. Journey via Tharand and Freiberg. Company of marksmen. Irregulars; encouraged. In Oederan to Town Hall: HQ of Chemnitz Municipal Guard: bad position for me. Then on: Chemnitz, Wolframs. — 9 May (Tuesday): early back to Dresden alone. Freiberg: hear of reinforcements. Evening reach Town Hall with difficulty (via broken-through houses). Situation there: Tzschirner brought back. Heubner. Marschall, Zychlinsky. All hoarse. Bakunin well: on mattress smoking cigar with young Haimberger. Röckel (jittery) presumably captured. Plan, as blowing up of Town Hall not accepted, for energetic fighting to cover retreat. Reports of reinforcements. Undertake to speed their arrival. Marschall offers to accompany me. To his home: warm clothing. Carriage. By night to Freiberg. 10 May (Wednesday) Reinforcements urged on; march-off promised. Morning turn back alone by special mail coach. Meet the retreat. Government carriage. Bakunin, Heubner: the hirer out of the carriage! — Approach from Chemnitz Municipal Guard on hill: wheel about. Freiberg. At Heubner’s: his wife. Breakfast with Bakunin. Discussions. Compositor Born. Bakunin’s sleep. To Heubner at Town Hall. Situation there. Shouting, unheard-of confusion. Withdrawal to Chemnitz decided on. Departure of post coach delayed by march-off of irregulars (drum). Twice back to Heubner’s so as to travel with them to Chemnitz; miss them or they sleeping. — Finally off by post coach: more frequent attempts to halt by shooting. Night in Chemnitz inn: brief sleep. Out very early to Wolframs. Morning, news about state of things: Heubner, Bakunin etc., arriving shortly after me, arrested in Chemnitz. Disintegration. Troops expected. Reversal. Wolfram accompanies me in his carriage to Altenburg: night 11 May from Altenburg to Weimar by post. — Liszt. Previous performance of Tannhäuser: Repeat of work. Rehearsals. Liszt’s nervousness. Princess Wittgenstein. Altenburg: dogmatizes. Outing to Eisenach — Liszt on to Karlsruhe. Stör; Kimstädt. Wartburg — visited for first time. Wilhelmstal. - Grand Duchess of Weimar at Eisenach Castle. Beaulieu. — Letter from Minna in Dresden says warrant out for me. Liszt back. Prof. Wolff. Sybel. Minister von Watzdorf. Zigesar. Dress rehearsal of Tannh. (Fr. Haller.) By one-horse carriage to Magdala, 3 hours from Weimar: as Prof. Werther from Berlin — on account of Camerliis. Expeditions on foot: irregulars: National Assembly. 22 May (36th birthday) Minna via Weimar to Magdala to see me. (Dante.) Next day on foot to Jena: there at Prof. Wolff’s again met Minna. Very miserable parting. With passport of Prof. Widmann (Swabian) by post via Rudolstadt, Koburg, Nuremberg, Lindau (anxiety over passport) — to Rohrschach; evening at 6 o’clock (last day of May) from Oberstrass to Zurich in glorious weather: lake and alps for first time. Excellent spirits: great moral well-being. Schwert Hotel. Alex. Müller (Würzburg). Willh. Baumgartner (Dresden visit). Sulzer. Hagenbuch: passport to Paris. Strassburg — Paris. 3 June. Letter of recommendation to Belloni. Rue Notre D. d. Lorette. Cholera. Low spirits. Desplechin: Semper. W. Heine. Liszt: Journal d. débats. — Meyerbeer at Schlesinger’s. — After a week, with Bellonis, to Laferté-sous-Jouarre (Rueil). Monsieur Raphael: Marchand de vin. (Consumption. Caterwauling.) Fishing. Hiking. Lamartine: Histoire des Girondins. In Paris 13 June (Ledru-Rollin). Uprising and collapse in Baden and Palatinate. Attempt poem. Communist studies. Unpleasant letter from Carolyne to Belloni: ingratitude. — Very unpleasant letter from Minna: she against our re-uniting. Liszt remitting 100 thalers for her (from unknown donor). End June: Paris. (Alb. Franck) Kietz. Beginning July to Zürich: completely without money. Two months at A. Müller’s. am amenable to everything. Strohhof. Sulzer, etc. Reading of Siegfried’s Death. Winterthur wine: banquets at Cantonal Secretary’s. Arrival of Baden refugees: of Dresden refugees. Marschall. Zychelinski. Also schoolmaster Berthold from tower of Church of Cross. — Schröder-Devrient at Schwert Hotel: never meet her again. — (Görgey near Villagos.) Great despondency. Hopes for France. Increasing excitement despite calm outer and inner composure. Out of touch with Minna. — Feuerbach: Death and immortality. — ‘Art and Revolution’. Sent to Leipzig, to Wigand. — Revise ‘The Wibelungen’ (Many acquaintances: Prof. Fröhlich from Bern.) End August: letter from Minna. Conciliatory. Announcing arrival. — Beginning September to Rorschach via Toggenburg, St Gallen, on foot: Lindemann’s. Welcome Minna together with Natalie, Peps and Papo. To Zürich. Lodgings at Kaufmann’s. Dolder. Sulzer helps. Spyri. From October move to Escher-houses rear. Miserably furnished: piano, title page of Nibelungen follow: becomes quite bearable. Friends often at our house. Conduct A major Symphony at Music Society Concert. For which 100 francs. November and December write ‘The Art-Work of the Future’. Eduard von Bülow in Zürich: visits, discussions. Growing nervous disorder. Writing to Dresden for help. —