Saturday, July 31:
I wrote nothing during these days; how much now lies between! On Saturday the 31st, large banquet for our singers; absent Scaria, Materna (ill), Schlosser, the Vogls, and Niemann—otherwise all there, along with ballet master Fricke, Brandt, Richter, Seidl, Rubinstein; all participants. R.’s speech moves all to tears. Hill replies to him, Betz toasts my father; my father again toasts R. This assembly can be looked upon as really successful.
On the afternoon of Sunday the 1st, rehearsal to test the orchestra tone quality; R. is received by the orchestra with cheers. Betz sings “Vollendet der Bau,” heavenly sound, overwhelming impression; R. is very moved. On Monday, August 2, Rheingold rehearsal in the morning with orchestra only, in the afternoon with the singers; my father there throughout. Friend Mimi arrives and also attends everything; in the evening always a party, every day some guests at table. On Tuesday, second part of Rheingold and the same life; from Wednesday on, one act each day. Everyone, musicians and singers, taking part with unstinted enthusiasm and joy, indescribable impression on the very large audience of our friends, the Schleinitzes (the minister having come too), the Eckerts, Rohde, Overbeck, Gersdorff, the Heckels, the Schirmers (America), the painter Menzel, and many others. At the end there is so much emotion that all the participants declare they do not know how they will be able to bear ordinary life again, particularly ordinary theatrical life.
In the margin: “Alwine Frommann dead!”
On the 13th R. gives a garden party for the orchestra and the singers who are still present, and he makes a speech in which he gratefully mentions that such times arouse feelings which usually remain slumbering within him. He invites my father to play for the orchestra members, who have not all heard him; my father does so and plays his Saint Francis Legend, so well chosen for the occasion, splendidly. On the following day all depart, with great emotion. My father, whom Frau v. Meyendorff had visited here, leaves on Tuesday the 17th. In the final days of his presence here he received the peculiar reward which the public always holds ready for him. Since there is nothing more one can say about him, his attitude toward everything and his miraculous achievements being well known, it is now I on whom abuse is loaded; it is said that I offend everybody, denounce to my husband all his friends. Prof. Hofmann, Betz, Niemann, Richter, etc. I have offended everyone, in fact, down to the costumier of the Munich theater. R. declares publicly that these are all lies and then writes to Richter, telling him that his attitude toward our house (never to appear when he is invited) is providing a pretext for such slanders; he demands from him an apology and a promise that things will be different in the future. Long silence from Richter, in the meantime letters to me, a complete madhouse activity, for which Niemann’s return of his script provided the main incentive; R. sees the influence of Herr Julius Lang and Baron Perfall in much of it, for Vogl had been instructed to inquire of R. whether he would reply if Perfall were to write him a long letter of explanation; to this R. gave a negative answer. At last—on