Dear, kind friend,
It seems I shall never cease to encounter difficulties. On every side the most absurd rumours concerning my sudden wealth are having the most unfortunate consequences. Even the official authorities have found it necessary to protest on the spot against such jealous animosities: I have sent my wife this correction which was published in a local newspaper: from it you, too, can see how modestly I am provided for in terms of my outward situation: I have just enough to manage on my own if I live very frugally, and then only because the King is providing for my accommodation. I have taken it upon myself to reduce my personal interests to the most modest dimensions in order to be able to give free rein to the King’s admirable arrangements for performing my works. - I would now beg you most earnestly, as an old and trusted friend, to help me remove the difficulties which have arisen as a result of this, as far as it lies within your power to do so. Firstly, be so kind as to enlighten poor Frau Kriete as to her error; believing that I am rolling in money here, she is demanding 1822 thalers interest on a capital sum of 2000 thr. that has already been repaid. — It is madness to demand such a thing from me now: it is possible that the time will come when I am actually rewarded for my works and for my sufferings: but I need a great deal more patience if I am to bring this about. On the other hand, should not Herr Müller, the music-dealer, be persuaded, for honour’s sake, to pay out some more money to Frau Kriete? as I now discover, he managed to get Flaxland in Paris to pay him a tidy sum (behind my back) for the Paris edition. He is now doing excellent business with the Flying Dutchman. If he wishes to behave decently, I shall give him my new scenes from Tannhäuser to exploit as he likes, and seek no further compensation from him, but otherwise I shall not publish them. - That’s the first point! -
Now my wife! - My monthly income, apart from my free accommodation, is 100 fl. And this satisfies my needs. My wife’s annuity of 1000 thalers I can of course pay only out of random receipts from other quarters. As a rule these will be sufficient to cover this, but they are not regular, so that it is difficult for me to be punctual. But if you, my dearest friend, were to be kind enough to mediate here! In particular, I would ask you, on my account, to hand over 250 thalers to my wife regularly, every quarter; I, by contrast, will send you whatever I receive from abroad as soon as it arrives. Of course, the money you lay out must remain within acceptable limits, and you must in any case have been repaid whatever old amount is still outstanding before a new one falls due. However, if such an arrangement were possible, I need hardly say how much it would contribute to the peace of mind that is so necessary to me! - At present, for ex., I had twenty louis d’or (no thalers) coming to me from Coburg for the Flying Dutchman, and I forwarded this sum directly to my wife. From Berlin I am expecting notification of my percentage of the profits there, which I shall similarly send on to her; from Brunswick I can expect 30 louis d’or within the course of the coming months. You see, my dearest Anton! I would forward these receipts to you directly I knew that you had, for ex., been kind enough to deliver to my wife the missing 140 thalers.
Certainly, you ought not to suffer any loss by doing so, and - if ever I really fell into arrears - the King would be only too pleased to help me (and you) in such individual cases. But only as a last resort. You must understand this! And so, if you can, do this as a favour for me, and in return you can count on my most scrupulous honesty. -
Only - let me have peace! Peace! - these perpetual cares are undermining all hope of ever setting my spirit free - as I must needs do!
And so - all the best, and let me hear some good news soon.
Write to me at Munich, Briennerstrasse, 21.-
Adieu! A thousand good wishes to your family! Remain kindly disposed towards me, and accept my eternal thanks!
Cordially yours,
Richard Wagner
Source: Selected Letters of Richard Wagner, trans. and ed. Stewart Spencer and Barry Millington (W. W. Norton & Company, 1988), No. 312