Tuesday, April 22:
A good night in the Hotel Disch; early in the morning R. is very annoyed to hear military music, but luckily he discovers that it is not for him, but for a colonel. One piece that is played astonishes us with the utter shallowness of its melody over captivating harmonies. Eventually we recognize it as Gounod’s Meditation on Bach’s C Major Prelude, and we have to laugh at the way the old master helps out this most trivial of inventions.
Table d’hôte; Herr Lesimple joins us, tells us all sorts of things, including that Herr Hiller came into the shop to inquire whether the concert hall would be full: “Ridiculous meanness,” says R. In reply to Lesimple’s joking remark, “Who knows, you will perhaps be reconciled with Wagner!,” Hiller had replied, “With anything, but not with the author of Judaism in Music,” and went on to tell a story that Wagner hated Jews so much because in school he had been boxed on the ears by a Jewish boy!!!
Around 6 o’clock rehearsal; much vexation, the parts for Lohengrin are missing, lengthy break. The orchestra tolerable, but inexperienced in interpretation. They do not greet R. at the start, but when he raises his baton to conduct the Kaisermarsch they play a prolonged flourish. R. thought at first how badly they were playing, and the misunderstanding led to much laughter. I stay for only part of the rehearsal, since I go to meet Marie Schleinitz who, good and friendly as always, arrived today from Berlin.