Most esteemed Herr Voltz!
I enclose a paper that Herr Batz sent me. I see from it that you did not inform him about my wishes concerning our further relations such as I had expressed to you previously.
You know that, highly as I esteem the merits and the outstanding abilities of your partner, it has become unbearable for me through his behavior and the tone sometimes adopted by him, to enter into any, even written communications with him, neither can I appoint a substitute for these relations which he tries to re-establish again and again, otherwise I would expose each of my friends to a treatment from Herr Batz which one simply cannot tolerate. As a proof of this, his recent activities as "representative" of my administrative committee are still fresh in my memory; now he still wants to get some rights of patronage or other awards for this alleged "activity," though his behavior actually could consist in nothing but—maybe unintentional—scaring off. All this seems to prove that he has no idea with whom he is dealing.
This irreparable personal situation is all the more disagreeable as I had quite a need for the professional knowledge and skill of Herr Batz in order to arrange my property-right relationships more thoroughly. Last spring I believed that I could discuss many of these things with you; since, as it happens, you are connected with Herr Batz, I hoped you would bring all these arrangements to a speedier fulfillment, but you did not come! At the present time it is impossible for me to concern myself about anything aside from the preparation of my performances; as to the right to perform my compositions in concerts, I must also postpone my decisions for the time being. For this reason I wanted Messrs. B. Schott's Söhne to rely on that clause and go ahead with my claims.
This time I ask you, dear Herr Voltz, to make a clear and final statement about the use of that disputed Frankfurt revenue, at the end of the current quarter. It is impossible to keep this item undecided any longer. I ask you earnestly to get this business over with.
If you want to attend the performance of my Festival Plays, I shall get a seat for you, though we are now forced to reserve all seats for sale. Therefore I just wondered why my friends and those who are linked with my affairs could not also make an effort and buy a seat. I myself have enough expenses for the undertaking, and as I shall never get one groschen of profit out of this business, I wonder why it should be I who must distribute gifts.
Apart from that, please consider my very shaky health and be so kind as to spare me any bickering and the like.
Kindest regards,
yours,
Richard Wagner
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner: The Burrell Collection, ed. John N. Burk (Macmillan, 1950), No. 334