Cosima's Diaries

Diary Entry of June 28, 1870

Overview

A pamphlet from Marr and a touching letter from Lindner arrive before Cosima visits Count Bassenheim and hears sad family disclosures. Reports from Rome depict the Vatican Council descending into insults, providing grotesque comedy alongside private concern. Wagner plays the Norns’ scene with Richter, Cosima finishes Wilhelm Meister, and she urges Pohl to stress that no musician should conduct Walkuere without the composer.

Content

Tuesday, June 28:

A Herr Marr (son of the actor) sends us a little pamphlet which appears to be not at all badly written. Letter from Herr Lindner, the engraver, touching in its clumsy simplicity. In the afternoon to Count B.’s to hear news of the Countess. Sad disclosures about his son.

In Rome they are now calling one another donkey, rogue, and rascal; asino is what the Pope called Prince Rauscher, and rogue and rascal the majority bishops called Cardinal Guidi in the assembly vi {ill. — R. plays the Norns’ scene with Richter; and we finish W. Meister. (I write to Herr Pohl, asking him, in the event that he writes about Die Walküre, to be sure to mention the one important point: that no musician should be prepared to conduct the work without the composer’s participation.)