My dear Friend!
Forgive me for not telling you about all the various accidents that have steadily harassed me since we last met. It may suffice to announce that by complete retirement I have been able to master my emotions again, that I am working hard to finish my Meistersinger and hope to achieve this aim by the end of the coming winter. So I am already making plans for this work, and especially the arrangement of the piano score. After several attempts I have come to the following decision: Fr. Schott shall first publish—together with the orchestra score—a real piano score for practical use with all the indications for the singers, etc. (at a low price).
This score must not be arranged by any piano virtuoso, but rather by you, dearest friend, for you seem to me to be the most fitting man for such a task. In the same way that you arranged Tristan und Isolde for the piano rehearsals, the Meistersinger arrangement ought to be outlined from the beginning. There would be no point in including all the middle parts, etc.: it should merely give the less skilled conductors, singers, stage managers, etc., an easily playable score, for the purpose of coaching, accompanying, etc., with an indication of the figurations in accordance with the formulas for a simple accompaniment. This method may be explained on the title page, so that the apparent incompleteness in the rendition of the score may be justified from the start. It may depend then on the work's success whether later a second more pianistic score should be published, for which Bülow, who would be the most suitable man, would need considerable time. Therefore I ask you to declare yourself ready to undertake this and to notify Herrn Schott about it. I can't send the score to you yet, of course, nor to Herrn Schott, until I get a correct copy of it. For that part of the original manuscript which was in the hands of the printers was returned to me in such a carelessly soiled state that I could not bring myself to expose my manuscripts to a similar treatment in the future. So I need a very intelligent, entirely musical copyist. If you know one among your numerous younger or other needy musicians of Vienna who would be suitable for this job, a man whom you could recommend for it, you would oblige me very much. So I would take him as my assistant, first for half a year for board and salary (probably in my Lucerne flat for this winter) in order that he may accomplish this difficult copying correctly under my supervision. I should like to learn his terms. The arrangement would begin in October.
Now, a word for Matheus Salvo—venia! Your excellent, though always sleepy opera director let me know some time ago that he may possibly produce my opera Rienzi in the coming season, and that he would like occasionally to learn my terms for remuneration from this opera. Since I happened to read again recently in the Viennese papers that preparations are indeed being made in the opera house to perform my Rienzi next November, I beg to request of you that you notify Director M. Salvi that if I am to consent to the performance of my five-act opera Rienzi in the present old opera house, before payment of the expected royalties, then the same conditions should be granted to me which were previously given by Herrn Eckert for Lohengrin. This time, however, with the special proviso that the amount of 2,000 gulden convention currency, which I got at that time, be remitted instantly with a good draft for 5,000 francs. Having concrete reasons for insisting on this demand, I wish that the honorable administration would decide right away whether it would rather give up the idea of performing my opera or yield to my conditions. The score and book of words are to be had from C. F. Meser, Court Music Shop (H. Müller) in Dresden on simple payment of the cost. Well, dear Esser, be kind enough to let me have an early answer to my request. One word more about Die Meistersinger: Having planned this work in order to save myself from a miserable world of experience, I finally succeeded in finishing it in order to keep myself alive by this same occupation. The work gives me a final immense satisfaction; this month I hope to finish the second act. It will be the means of leading me back to the world again. I count with certainty on my most popular success from this work, and am reckless enough to promise you some exhilarating amusement from it if you would like to read it. Now farewell. Greetings to Vienna and its dear Jews. Keep yourself in good health and convey my best regards to your wife. Heartily your grateful friend—
Richard Wagner
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner: The Burrell Collection, ed. John N. Burk (Macmillan, 1950), No. 287