Sunday, September 4:
The news is correct, we have seen the bulletin. God in Heaven, what an outcome! “I am bad for the Napoleons,” R. says. “When I was six months old there was the Battle of Leipzig, and now Fidi is hacking up the whole of France.” Letter from his sister Luise, her 18-year-old grandson has died. R. is expecting a coup d’état in Paris.
Yesterday R. told me he would like to compose funeral music for the fallen, and wished he could be commissioned to do it. Not a victory hymn—that he could not do. I write to Marie Muchanoff about this, so that she might use her influence to get him the commission.
At 3 o’clock arrival of the Wille family, then the Bassenheims, at 4 o’clock the christening takes place. Helferich Siegfried Richard Wagner behaves passably well. Merry gathering afterward. Semper’s hanging lamp is inaugurated. Dr. Wille brings a silver cup but loses it on the journey, and arrives in a bad temper; suddenly an old woman appears and returns it. Then a terrible thunderclap as the christening begins.