Royalties bring next to nothing—last year I got a total of 200 marks. I am of the opinion that you should try to get something worth while for Die Meistersinger—and not spend too much money on lawsuits.
I have just had an idea! Tell them that I oppose the deal because everywhere I have had the experience that my more recent works, for which royalties must be paid, are neglected in favor of the older ones for which no royalties are due, so that the former are performed only rarely, whereas Tannhäuser, Lohengrin, The Flying Dutchman are constantly played. Witness for this is also Schwerin, where my Nibelungen have been entirely disregarded, whereas, etc. The same thing would happen to Die Meistersinger.
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner: The Burrell Collection, ed. John N. Burk (Macmillan, 1950), No. 343