Cosima's Diaries

Diary Entry of March 13, 1872

Overview

The day begins with more discussion of Romeo and then moves into R.’s work, while she tends to the children. Over lunch he admits envy of Shakespeare, and a little later a bleak letter from Lauterbach confirms how badly musicians are cooperating in Dresden. In the evening they finish Romeo and Juliet, admiring its power while also finding parts of it overly spoken, and end beneath a lovely crescent moon.

Content

Wednesday, March 13:

We begin the day talking about Romeo; R. then goes to work, I with the children. At lunch he says he is horribly envious of Shakespeare, whereupon we continue in very lively spirits to speak about the play, which, to use R.’s expression, evokes with its marvels moods which are not artistically satisfied. (As with the Greeks.)

R. goes out; I go to meet him, he has found some bock beer in town, which has refreshed him. Pitiful letter from Herr Lauterbach: no musician from Dresden will take part. “That’s how it is everywhere I lived and worked - that’s how people behave.” He writes to Councilor Dufflipp to tell him why he is not inviting the Munich Court orchestra. In the evening finished Romeo and Juliet; the short scenes, the at times overemphatic speech (like Juliet to Paris), the wailing in words, Romeo’s spoken description of the apothecary’s shop (though very correct in feeling) damp our emotions. Lovely crescent moon.