Friday, December 21:
Viennese artists are planning a Germania procession, and they ask R. in extravagant phrases to compose the music for it. How curious the disparity is between devotion of this kind and what really inspires R.’s spirit!
Took care of Fidi’s Christmas with R. R. has survived his rhythmical battle and tells me when he comes from his work, “Today I have set a philosophical precept to music: ‘Hence space becomes time.’” He says he is now about to start on something in which “bits of dramatic nonsense” will be of no help to him!
In the evening, the history of the Arabs, in which I am put off both by Herr Dozy’s view of the Goths and by Count Baudissin’s negligent translation. “None of these people know our language,” says R. “They haven’t studied Grimm, and are still basing themselves on Lessing. Good God, whether fuf or vof - how vivid Grimm makes it all!”