Monday, December 2:
In the Cologne museum; examined as much as I could; then the Church of Saint Gereon. R. is meanwhile writing letters, among others to Eckert, who is said to be offended that the Tristan score was refused him.
R. then goes into a beerhouse; the landlord approaches and asks whether he does not recognize him. He was the landlord of the restaurant on the Rolandseck where, 10 years ago, a bank note for 100 florins, which R. had lost, was restored to him. He had written an account of it on this bank note, with which R. had then paid the bill, and an Englishman had offered him 200 florins for it. The joke makes us laugh a lot, for we had recalled this little episode during our journey here; I had also been present.
In the afternoon inspected the rare antiques of our landlord, Herr Disch. After that an audition: the singers whom we had not heard in the opera sing various things for R., Diener too. Not much to be gained here.
R. talks about the miserable state of the theater: no tradition left, no example, the conductors straight from music schools, though an old and experienced singer would be much more capable of doing it; the terrible dragging of the recitation.