Thursday, December 7:
R. is vexed to see the sky still heavily overcast, and it brings further bitter complaints from him but does not prevent him from making witty remarks at breakfast, including one about the “Wittgenstand” (for Witwenstand [widowerhood]) of my father. He sings a phrase from the role of Amazily [in Fernand Cortez] and says that Spontini was the first to make use of certain accents and lines — there are hints of them in Mozart, but all rather trifling [the last four words obliterated in ink by an unknown hand]. We then talk about the singers Materna and Malten; he praises the former’s free emission of tone, the childlike sound which does not actually convey very much to one, whereas [Therese] Malten possesses a dark timbre which is capable of tragic accents.
The sun comes out, R. goes out around lunchtime and returns cheerful and contented from his visit to “the one and only town.” Lunch with our friends the Grosses. Toward 6 o’clock, after meeting in Saint Mark’s Square, R. discusses with friend Adolf the performances, our attitude toward the King, who is insisting on having a performance given in Munich; R. is at first violently against it but then accepts my suggestion of offering the King our decorations and done on them, and there will have to be rehearsals in the spring. The conversation then turns to Holtzendorff, Batz, and Voltz, and it turns out that much correspondence and much time will still be needed; R. becomes very agitated and leaves the room. We have supper without him (Father and children at Princess Hatzfeldt’s). But he then returns, and a friendly conversation develops after all.