To the Esteemed Members of the Orchestra
I assume that I am meeting the wishes of the esteemed members of the orchestra in here suggesting a series of orchestra concerts through the coming winter, to be considered as the undertaking of the orchestra and to be arranged for its benefit.
I have obtained the permission and friendly endorsement of Director Holtei, and my proposal in brief is as follows: The number of concerts—for the first season at least—should not exceed six, since the enterprise might not yet have attained sufficient success; the concerts would have to follow at intervals of about three weeks each. In regard to the day of the week, Mr. Holtei kindly indicates Tuesday, on which day there are frequent dramatic performances in Mitau, so that the day would be available for the orchestra here. The orchestra should invite the public to subscribe to these 6 concerts, through several subscription lists. I suggest for the 6 performances 4 silver rubles as a subscription price, and as the admission fee on the evening of each concert the customary one ruble. After the subscription is closed, a finance committee of 4 of the oldest orchestra members would at once deduct the cost of the overhead from the receipts and divide the balance equally among the members; about the expenses I shall give you my opinion later on. In order to avoid in advance any quarrel over the distribution, as between the leading players and the rest, I suggest equal distribution among them all; those who sit at the first desks, or, to put it more unmistakably, those who are eligible to be soloists, may be given the privilege of applying, and they would be paid extra from the concert receipts for each number performed. I would include in this category duos, trios, quartets, etc., so as to give a full opportunity to those eligible, to appear at least once in the course of the six concerts. The concerts should average two solo numbers in each, and the fee should be provided for in advance, according to the subscription receipts. But since variety in the repertoire calls also for vocal numbers, a fee should also be fixed for the singers, so that we should not be subject to the whims of those, male and female, who would be especially invited. They should have about the same fee as the instrumental soloists, on the basis of two vocal numbers for each concert. The fee at each concert for four solo numbers (that is, two instrumental and two vocal ones) would have to be added to the overhead from the very beginning; even if this (overhead) may appear quite high, since we must also take into account the rent of the hall, the printing of programs and advertising, etc. (each item to be considered at the lowest possible price), we may still count on substantial cash receipts at each concert, which at the end of the season need only to be distributed equally among all the members.
Since the enterprise as here stated may appear as something novel, and may not yet be fully appreciated by the public, it ought to be the duty of each member to do his best toward increasing the subscriptions, and it would give me the greatest pleasure if I could succeed in getting a large number of signatures by personal invitation. An audience which as a whole is not yet used to the more serious kind of music, which we are to offer in due time, will have to be offered inducements other than the music itself, as I have observed in the Leipzig Gewandhaus Concerts, of which 24 are given each winter to a capacity audience. So, not only must the prospect of uplifting musical delights be offered to the connoisseurs, but the rest of the public should be given an opportunity for meeting and conversing, which could take place freely in the long intermission between the first and second part of the concert. A Swiss bakery, among others, could be given charge of a buffet, whereby refreshments could be offered during the intermission; in a word, everything would have to be done to combine the concerts with pleasant evenings of entertainment for the greater part of the public, since everybody knows quite well that art alone is not what the majority of people want.
Even if after considering all this the financial results for this winter should be slight, there is always the hope that we can make the concerts so attractive that their success will increase from year to year and in time may be comparable to the situation in many other cities of Germany. The project should be in itself an advantage to an artist through its very concept of a perfectly organized body, as we may now call our orchestra, which may display its ability for independent development. For what true musician would not be distressed to see such a fine ensemble used for nothing but routine, and never of its own accord venture on what gives deep enjoyment and inspiration? This before everything else has moved me to offer my suggestion, for I wish to make it clear from the start that I renounce any material profit from this enterprise and refuse any fee.
My well meant proposition (which however leaves much still to be discussed) is submitted herewith to all members of the orchestra for examination and, should they agree, for signature. When signed by all of you, it may serve as a step toward a musical artists' society which in time will surely not fail to win general recognition.
Richard Wagner
Conductor at the Theater
Riga, 11th of Sept. 1838
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner: The Burrell Collection, ed. John N. Burk (Macmillan, 1950), No. 22