My esteemed, dear friends, Herr Feustel and Herr Muncker,
Do not take it amiss if I write to you jointly on this occasion, but such is the information that I have to impart that I should find it difficult to tell what I should have to say to you individually, not least because, as I now recognize, you are but one heart and one soul as far as I am concerned.
It is also surely unnecessary for me to testify how much your kind letters refreshed and fortified me. For some time I have cherished an even greater desire than that of the success of my artistic activity: it is the desire to settle down to a life of reassuring domesticity in which, to some extent, I might recover my sorely overtaxed mental powers by means of some welcome relaxation; and even more so now that, in old age, I have been granted the supreme blessing of an incomparably happy family life. -
It was this desire above all which guided me in choosing your charming town of Bayreuth, and - since I have got to know you, my dear friends, and, through you, gained an insight into the friendly domestic conditions in your town, - the consideration of settling in your midst has actually outweighed my other consideration, namely the success of my extraordinary artistic undertaking. I have given the King of Bavaria to understand this quite plainly; and this I had a right to do, since the very first assurances which I received from him and which persuaded me to enter into an agreement with him concerned this very point, namely that I should be relieved of all life’s cares and allowed to live undisturbed for the free exercise of my art. It was sufficient for him to know the value that I placed upon settling here and to know, moreover, that He alone could make that move possible, for Him to recognize the point at which He could torment me. Everything that we have planned for Bayreuth and at which the whole world is already gazing with increasing suspense is deeply repugnant to Him: He wants to play with what, to me, is a matter of deadly earnest, and He flies into a rage when prevented from doing so. On this point we must be clear, my friends, and it is fitting that we know with Whom we have to deal. I say to you in all honesty that I am afraid that your friendship for me could be prejudicial to the interests of the town of Bayreuth. If agreement for building the railway that you want to have depends upon the King, I am most concerned lest your sympathies with me prove a hindrance to you in this point. -
Perhaps I am going too far in feeling apprehensive in the way that I have intimated to you here, and certainly I know from experience that the King always manages to reconcile himself to any given state of affairs, but I still deem it advisable - if I am to stick to my present plans and wishes - to renounce the King’s co-operation in settling here. I have said as much recently to Court Councillor Düfflipp, and shall remain steadfast in refusing royal assistance for the purposes of settling in Bayreuth; as a result of which you, my dear Herr Feustel, will finally be entreated to resell the plot of land, when occasion offers, for the benefit of the royal exchequer.
I confess that, as a result of this disappointment in the case of my most ardent wish, I was disposed to renounce all my plans for Bayreuth. But your two splendid letters have persuaded me to change my mind. Let us remain steadfast! The work shall flourish, even though its creator be abandoned to his former distress. Even without any property, you will, I am sure, accept me into your midst as one of your fellow-citizens. - - We were moved to tears to learn of the care which you, my dear Herr Muncker, had taken upon yourself in planting the plot of land which had previously been intended for me. Please accept my thanks, as if it really had been for me! -
Am I to gather from your intimations, my dear Herr Feustel, that your efforts on behalf of our great undertaking have been crowned with the most heartening success? I pray that I am not mistaken! You will encounter a good deal of indolence and unreliability, but you will presumably manage as I have done, namely by not abandoning your belief that all of us good Germans must and will finally - finally achieve something!
Neumann is dreadful. Two days ago, after receiving your letters, I telegraphed him, very circumstantially and categorically, and hope it may have had some effect. He is just a thoughtless Berliner! Brandt from Darmstadt is quite, quite, different: and he really understands the affair; I only wish we could have left the choice of an architect to him. We may still have to call upon his help. Would you be kind enough to telegraph me at once with news of how N. has conducted himself, so that we may then take whatever steps are necessary. - I fear he will have become engrossed in plans for “my” house, which I regret very much, since this work - at least for the foreseeable future - is now utterly useless! In this connection I am reminded of my previous project, and believe I must ask you in this regard to cancel my agreement with the landlord of the Hotel “Fantaisie”, for which I assume that there ought still to be plenty of time. The only purpose that so premature a move could have served would have been to ensure that I was on hand when the time came for my definitive removal (a plan now abandoned), and to provide me with a more immediate point of departure in my efforts on behalf of the future festival. As regards the latter, we are now, I assume, agreed that we cannot be ready by next year, and must therefore set our sights on 1874. On this point I intend to reach an understanding with our Patrons etc. in Bayreuth on the 22nd of May. I must also - as a simple private citizen - take account of my particular circumstances, and find that, while I still have to pay a very high annual rent here, summer residence in the “Fantaisie” would tax me unduly heavily. However, I am willing to modify my decision the moment that you, my valued friends, consider that my continuing absence from Bayreuth is detrimental to our undertaking. -
With regard to our festival performance of Beethoven’s great symphony, I have discovered a very simple expedient for positioning our large chorus, namely that all the singers who cannot be accommodated on the stage will be placed at the front of the stalls. This will satisfy even my most ideal demands in a quite splendid way, since I am convinced that the actual audience should join in the singing (just like the congregation in church). It is a question here of accommodating the “hosts”, in which regard I should like to suggest that those among them who prefer financial compensation to passing artistic enjoyment should be paid in this way. On the whole, I should like to have had the entire stalls, together with the stage, reserved for us mad musicians and singers, while the listening public was relegated to the boxes & galleries. - The question now is how many acceptances were received from the Patrons and well-wishers. For this reason I regret the misunderstanding which led you to believe that the invitation was not to be published until the 15th of April. Could you effect this publication forthwith? So much the sooner shall we then be clear as to whether the performance is to be well supported, or - as is easily imaginable - has only a moderate appeal. -
As for the rest, I shall write again soon. But for today only the most friendly greetings from the depths of my own and my dear wife’s soul to you and your families!
Most truly yours,
Richard Wagner
Source: Selected Letters of Richard Wagner, trans. and ed. Stewart Spencer and Barry Millington (W. W. Norton & Company, 1988), No. 406