Wednesday, December 22:
21-22. More Christmas shopping with a heavily bowed maternal heart! R. confers again with Herr Feustel about his business affairs. He has written to Herr Voltz that he wishes to have nothing more to do with Herr Batz! Legal proceedings against Herr Fürstner are being initiated, but whether with any prospect of success ...
On top of that Herr Feustel told me that a lawyer in Paris, Herr Lucy, has asked the president of the Wagner Society in Munich, Herr v. Baligand, to let him know the present state of R.’s finances. A request has come from America for a composition for the opening of the exhibition, perhaps he will accept the commission.
The main difficulty at the moment is paying the bills, since the 30,000 thalers from the Reich funds are not available. R. has declared his willingness to conduct concerts all over the place following the performances, but this is insufficient security for borrowing money. It is pointed out that R. might die! R. asked me whether I believed our undertaking would ever come to anything.
R. remarks that it is now once more four years since he last wrote a note of music; how this pains me! Herr O. Beta has sent us his pamphlet on the Jews, privately printed; it is badly written, without style, but contains remarkable insights into the present nature of things; the comparison between Antonio’s melancholy toward Shylock and the present behavior of the Germans toward the Jews is very apposite.
In the evening Herr Gross brings a letter from Herr Scaria: he is demanding 2,700 thalers for the month of August and 250 marks for each evening rehearsal. R. dispenses with the services of this gentleman. Now he has to look around for a new Hagen! In the evening a little music-making with Herr Rubinstein. R. in cheerful mood in spite of everything and everybody.