Annals for 1861:
January and Feb.:— orchestra and theatre problems. Cercle artistique. Meetings at Comte d’Osmond’s. Auber-Gounod. Polignac. (A major Symphony) Ballet scene complete and orchestrated. (3 a.m. Minna from ball.) Szemeres. — Meysenbug. — Niemann critical. Tedesco. — Chorus master Masse. — Leborue (copy.) Cormon (direction). — Gasperini. — Here for performance: O. Wesendonck. Kietz. (Präger.) — Bülow. Growing concern. — Walewski — Dietsch. — March: Repeated efforts against Dietsch: conference, useless. (Dealings with Flaxland over publications: quarrel.) Legal action. (Ollivier’s Etoile du soir.) — Renewed dress-rehearsals: orchestra. 13 March First performance. (Pifferaro.) Dreamy Song Contest. Great Uproar in Act III. ‘Il prend encore sa harpe.’ Morelli. — After performance: Hans beside himself, embraces Minna. — 18 March: Second performance. Good: to middle of Act II. Huntsman’s whistles. Niemann in Act III. — 25: (Sunday.) Third performance. Stay at home. Great uproar. — Liszt does not come. — Letter to Royer: score withdrawn. Truinet. Roche. — Aufmordt. Stümer. — Comtesse Gasparin (from Geneva). April: Frau von Lowenthal: matinée. Viardot. St Saens. — Gounod. — Metternichs. Pourtalès. Erlanger withdraws. — Hans from Karlsruhe: Rhinegold. 15 Apr: travel to Karlsruhe. Grand Duke and wife. — Kalliwoda. Eduard Devrient. (Durlach.) After 6 days back to Paris. — Much distress. Meysenbug. Lorbac. — Gasperini (Lucy.) — Opera-comique (de Beaumont). — Baudelaire. — Frau von Seebach. — May: via Karlsruhe (Grand Duke) to Vienna. Rehearsal and performance of Lohengrin. Esser. Dustmann. Ander. — ‘Flying Dutchman’ — Some intoxication; more exertion. — Cornelius. Tausig. Standhartner. (Students refused.) Lanckoronski: Tristan decided on. — Via Munich, Winterthur (‘Years of travel’) 22 May Zürich. Karlsruhe; Grand Duke. — With Tausig (Strassburg) to Paris. — There: Liszt. — June: Déjeuner at Gounod’s. Soirée at my place. (Liszt.) Hesitation on all sides. Blandine. Flaxland. Mlle Eberty (dinner Bois de Boulogne). — 22 June. Fips dies (like Peps,) to save travel difficulties. Buried, with some difficulty, in Stürmer’s garden. From domestic and matrimonial point of view, intolerable. — July. Hatzfeld. Metternich: help. 12 July. Minna to Soden; invitation from Countess Pourtalès. Same day move into Prussian Embassy hotel. Black swans. — Fly. Dutchman translated with Truinet. Album pages: soirée with Saint-Saens: Neapolitan princess. (Dr Schuster.) Bethmann-Holweg. Countess Pourtalès: tea evenings. P. Hatzfeld. Count Donhoff. Diplomatic dinners: Prince Metternich on legitimacy. — Prussian passport. (Count Pourtales’ efforts in Berlin thwarted. Hülsen.) — August: via Cologne to Soden. Minna (Schiffner). Frankfurt (Schopenhauer dead). Take leave of Minna. — Weimar: 2 a.m. Pay respects to Altenburg which in process of being sealed up. (Edward Liszt.) Franz Liszt in cap. Music festival. The Brendel-ry. Great number of musicians. Marie’s rooms: Blandine, Ollivier. Banquet (no torch-procession). Hans. Peter. Tausig. Gille and students. Damrosch. Tieffurt. Emilie Genast. Röckels. — Alwine Frommann. Faust Symph. — Prometheus. Weissheimer. Draeseke (March). Annoyance. — 9 Aug: left with Olliviers. See Liszt off by train: (‘luxury’), Eisenach. Nuremberg. (Landlord: ‘Margarethe’. German Museum: torture box.) Blandine during journey. (qu’est-ce qu’il dit?”) Ollivier: ham. — Munich: antique buildings. Beer cellars. Hornstein. — Reichenhall: — Cosima. — (Adoption:) — Salzburg (Liszt’s Sina cigars.) — 14 August: arrival in Vienna. — Kolatschek. — Dr Standhartner; Seilerstätte. Doll. Rudi Liechtenstein. Cornelius. Tausig. (O. Bach.) Count d’Osmond. (Memories of Paris.) Difficulty with Ander. (Mödling.) September: — With Liechtenstein to Count Näkö’s at Schwarzau. Tziganery and Van Dyck. Hungarian magnates. To Mödling: alone in the Brühl; morning; breakfast. Sparrows. Much cheered. — Ander — Affliction. — Dinners at Dustmann’s in Hietzing. Reading, irritation. — Salvi. — Winterberger: Countess Banfy. (Karl Ritter in Naples.) Mösmer: harp. — Evenings with Doll, Tausig, Cornelius. Translation into German of new Tannh. scenes. — Esser: Schönbrunn. (— Minna to Dresden.) — Flying Dutchman. — Beck and Privy Councillor Raimond. — Chevalier Hebbel. His plays. — End September: Standhartner returns with family. Hotel Elisabeth. Ander declared unfit. Hunt for tenor. Persecution by critics. Hanslick. (Look back at.) — Laube and wife. Burgtheater (Goethe’s Faust.) — Tenor: Morini (Lucia — Cornelius.) Peter up: Tausig down. With Dustmanns: Reichenau. — Grand Duke of Baden’s reply to my letter re small pension. Very dim prospects. — November: trip to Venice. (Telegram to and from Tichatschek and Schnorr.) Wesendoncks. Grey sky. Hotel Danieli: Luigia; also Tuski. (English widow at table d’höte.) Dinner Albergo St Marco. Titian’s Assumption of Blessed Virgin. Palace of the Doges. Tessarini. 4 days later: long grey journey back to Vienna. ‘Mastersingers’. Overture in C major. — Return: gondola and Italian song for Cornelius. — Salvi. Rehearsal of extracts from Tristan. Metternichs. Dinner. Invitation to visit them in Paris. — Research for Mastersingers. Management: fee for Tristan; reject their proposal. Negotiate with Schott for Mastersingers. Draft of scenes: (Library. Wagenseil.) Cornelius in Floridsdorf. 24 November. Minna’s silver wedding. — Bad telegram from Schott. Decide to seek deliverance in Berlin: mean to travel that evening; midday good letter from Schott. Doll: packing; at 4 o’clock to Mainz. (‘Der Vogel der heut’ sang’.) Cornelius happy at saving of Mastersingers which, with Berlin, would have been lost. 1 December: Mainz. Schott family. Weissheimer. — Difficult negotiations. (Paris or Karlsruhe?) — 3 December to Paris. Death of Countess Sandor: my quarters at Metternichs’ occupied. Hotel on Quai Voltaire. Truinet. (Taverne anglaise.) Flaxlands. — Gaspérini. — Death of Count Pourtales. — Do not take up Metternichs’ offer of hospitality. Countess Pourtales. — Theatre with Czermak and Gasperini. — Much correspondence. Olliviers. Blandine at Mama Liszt’s. Dinners. — -End December: begin writing poem of Mastersingers. Opposite Tuileries and Louvre. Omnibus. —