Thursday, August 22:
For me somewhat distracted life; R., however, works on undisturbed, and tells me I shall see in what a completely different way the Parsifal theme emerges. He is in very good spirits and shows nothing but delight over my father. He tells him, among other things, that he will from now on read only French books, for German books are like an unstraightened bedroom, one stumbles here over a bootjack, there over a pair of stockings, and so on.
At lunch my father enlarges upon the hunting fanfare in Tannhäuser, its beauty, originality. R. says it is worth the trouble of writing things for him. Then R. plays the fanfare from Euryanthe, which he loves very much and prides himself on playing particularly well. At supper much talk about Berlioz and his nastiness toward my father. The evening spent in chat.