Cosima's Diaries

Diary Entry of November 11, 1871

Overview

Bologna's Lohengrin success continues to expand, raising hopes that Italy may lead somewhere larger. Wagner works busily while Cosima teaches, writes to the Luccas, receives an unsatisfactory composite photograph of Wagner, and worries over silent financial correspondence. The proofs of the second volume arrive, a new student teacher proves promising, and Wagner plays through his second act in the evening.

Content

Saturday, November 11:

Still Italy: Lohengrin seems to pull everything along with it in Bologna. Could this lead to anything? R. works very busily; I give lessons to the children and write to the Luccas on R.'s behalf.

In the afternoon a messenger arrives from Herr Bruckmann in Munich and brings a new photograph of R., based on a drawing by Herr Jaeger; not too badly done, but still terrible. One sees it has been put together again from all sorts of pictures. R. walks into town and brings back proofs of the second volume. For us the student Bolder comes; he turns out to be the son of a former acquaintance of R.'s in Zurich, is very well-mannered, and teaches well.

In the evening R. plays his second act. We talk about my father--has the correspondence come to an end? Since my banker is silent, I feel anxious and ask whether he has received the money order.