My heaven-sent, dearly beloved and adored friend!
My lord and most gracious King,
A ray of light has once more pierced the gloom; a dove has descended to bring new strength to my spiritual powers! Yes, all that is shielded by the power of your holy love is now prospering: may this be the thanks that I owe you! My life is prospering, - my work is prospering, for all the difficulties under which they are both intended to prosper fade away before the power of your love, and turn to a tissue of deception easy to dispel. - My thanks for so gracious an answer to my timorous question whether it might seem worth my while to report on the way things stand with regard to our great undertaking, an undertaking which owes not only its outcome but also its rebirth to your grace alone! Deeply gladdened by your affectionate command, I therefore submit my report in the lines which follow.
My King! Only through your infinite goodness was it possible for me to proceed with the necessary commissions for our stage machinery and scenery at the beginning of the second quarter of this year. Since I was obliged to deal with artists employed out of town, I had to arrange a meeting with them and my committee of management, and it was not possible to do so until the last day of April this year. It was with this meeting, and the attendant consultations, that I consecrated my new house, your magnanimous gift to me; my family and I moved in that very same day, and slept our first night there after concluding the various contracts.
In the course of these discussions it emerged that it would now be impossible to meet the necessary delivery dates by the following year, and that not until 1876 could we fix the dates of the performances with any certainty. With regard to the actual work itself, the following distribution of labour has already taken place:
From the very outset my chief assistant and advisor for the entire practical side of the production has been Carl Brandt, a brilliant stage technician from Darmstadt; he helped me find an architect to carry out the extraordinarily difficult building work, but from the very first was at a loss as to whom to suggest as a scenery designer, since what we wanted here was a new style of innovatory design, not merely the traditional kind of set-painting, however skilfully done. A chance encounter led me to the right man. In spite of his never previously having painted a theatre set, the Viennese artist J. Hoffmann had designed and painted two series of sets for the opening of the new opera-house in Vienna, namely the “Magic Flute” and the “Freischütz” (which were acknowledged on all sides to be quite outstanding), but since that time he has completely withdrawn from the theatre again. As long ago as the beginning of last year I wrote inviting him to produce designs for all four parts of my work, and he completed and submitted these sketches to me by last autumn. Not only I but all who saw them - including the leading connoisseurs to whom he showed them in Vienna - were utterly enchanted by his work: the most difficult challenge of all, the appearance of Valhalla, the citadel of the gods, in the “Rhinegold”, we were bound to admire as a truly inspired stroke of genius. However, the artist has no studio or any other assistants to help in painting scenery; since he would have to create everything specially, we agreed that the sets should be built and painted, under his supervision, by the Bruckner brothers, scene-painters at the Court Theatre in Coburg, for whom Brandt was able to give the best possible references. These people have adequate studios, in addition to which we shall also be placing at their disposal a temporary workshop in the vicinity of the festival theatre where they will be able to prepare the larger back-cloths that cannot be divided into sections. They, too, travelled to Bayreuth for our conference, and agreements were signed with them and the stage technician Brandt; indeed, the existence of these agreements is perhaps not unknown to you following the deposition of the same with your Royal Court Secretariat. Under the terms of these agreements those sets which, because of their technical complexity, are the most difficult to construct will have to be delivered, ready for use, by the 1st of August next year (1875), while the remaining sections must be in position and fully usable by the 1st of May 1876.
I have accordingly drawn up the following plan for the dramatic and musical aspects of the performance, and shall insist that it be strictly adhered to: the singers whom I shall be choosing in the course of 1874 are to assemble here next year for the whole of July and August, in order to spend the first month rehearsing their parts at the piano, and the second on stage with the most important pieces of scenery, so that they will already be sufficiently familiar with their roles to be able to proceed straightaway the following year to the so-called dress rehearsals. I cannot take on any singers who are unable to make themselves unconditionally available not only for the two months indicated in 1875 but also for the three months of June, July and August 1876. For in 1876 an immediate start will be made on complete final rehearsals for all four evenings; during the first two months I intend rehearsing the company, every day, with orchestra, stage machinery and lighting, and hope to reach the point when the three projected complete performances can then be allowed to go ahead in the month of August. These performances will take place during the second, third, and fourth weeks of the month, beginning each Saturday with the prelude: “The Rhinegold” and continuing with the three principal works on each of the following days. Each performance shall begin at 4 o’clock in the afternoon: the second act will follow at 6, and the third at 8, so that between each of the acts there will be a substantial interval which will allow the audience time to walk in the gardens surrounding the theatre, and partake of refreshments in the open air amid such delightful surroundings, so that, at a signal from trombones on the roof of the theatre, they may then reassemble in the auditorium, fully refreshed and as receptive as they were for the first act. I think that the sunset before the last act will induce a particularly elevated mood.
This, then, is a general outline of the performance schedule. What I was able to do last summer in furtherance of this plan was to invite the singers, male and female, to visit me in Bayreuth, according to whether their own commitments allowed them to do so, in order that I might make their closer acquaintance. It was gratifying to discover that every one of them was glad to come; the more famous artists drew my attention to others whom I did not know but whom in turn they persuaded to visit me. In this way I believe that Germany’s best dramatic singers have all been introduced to me; I was obliged to ignore only those who did not have sufficient leave at their disposal for the coming years: but all of them declared that they regarded their collaboration solely as a question of honour and would not look for profit or compensation for guest appearances & the like. In this way I have managed to cast almost all the parts in the work with the very best singers, and in doing so was able to take account not only of their vocal and dramatic abilities, but more especially their physical appearance. My gods, giants and heroes are all conspicuously tall, so that whenever one of these giants arrived at the local station, the cry would go up: “here’s another Nibelung!”. On the other hand, I was fortunate in finding a particularly suitable performer for the uncommonly difficult role of the passionately wild-tempered Alberich: the singer Hill from Schwerin will be absolutely outstanding as Mime’s brother not only in the dramatic sense but also because of his relatively compact appearance. For Mime, on the other hand, I have turned to Schlosser, a member of the Munich Opera and my well-tried “David” in the “Mastersingers”. The whole tremendous role of Wotan has already been performed by Betz to my complete satisfaction: Hagen will be given an incomparable performance by Scaria from Vienna. Niemann, who first placed himself at my unquestioning disposal some years ago when he showed a degree of remorse that was truly touching, will be taking the part of Siegmund, a role that could have been written for him. A Siegfried is not to be found in any of our existing theatres; I shall have to invent one, but in time of greatest need my guardian angel has provided me with the raw material that I need to do so. A young doctor of laws in Pest, one Herr Glatz, who has just completed his studies, had himself introduced to me last winter by my loyal friend Hans Richter. This handsome young man, whom, because of his appearance, the townsfolk of Bayreuth almost took to be His Majesty the King of Bavaria himself, is the owner of one of the most powerful and noble tenor voices I have ever heard: he is an accomplished equestrian, swordsman and dancer, and also of outstanding intellectual and, more especially, musical training, and is so well-to-do that he is resolved never to set foot in a theatre but to place himself solely at the disposal of my festival. He will be arriving in Bayreuth next month to devote himself uninterruptedly to my instruction and training until the time when the performances themselves take place.
I encountered great difficulties with the women’s roles, until the greatest difficulty of all was finally surmounted when friends drew my attention to Frau Materna in Vienna, whom I have cast for the part of Brünnhilde. She is the only woman with the voice for this tremendous part; in addition she is fiery by nature, heroic in stature and has uncommonly eloquent features, but most of all she is of truly childlike devotion to me and my cause. - As for Sieglinde, I have not yet made up my mind, although several capable singers have already applied for the part. I shall leave this question in the air for the time being, since I want to see how my relations with the famous Swedish soprano Nilsson turn out; she has offered me her services through her business manager, the excellent impresario Ullmann, intimating that she would receive 5000 francs a performance from him but that she would sing for me without a fee. She is said to be a singer of the finest quality, significantly superior to the famous soprano Jenny Lind, and an enthusiastic admirer of my music. But she has not so far sung in German, and must first learn to do so; in addition her husband is French and is afraid that his wife would never again be allowed to sing in Paris if she had taken part in these festival performances in Germany. And so I am leaving this piece of casting undecided for the moment. But Fricka has already found a most admirable exponent in Frau Sadler-Grün from Coburg; a Frl. Oppenheimer from Frankfurt, a stately and most imposing woman, will sing the part of “Erda”, a role of exceptional importance, especially in the third act of “Siegfried”. The difficult “Rhine-daughters” will be taken by the two Lehmann sisters (leading sopranos in Berlin and Cologne) and by the Berlin contralto Lammert: I can rely on the courage and capability of these three singers, whom I shall probably also cast as the “Norns”; they will be returning next year to practise the use of their swimming machines. Gutrune and Holda will be excellently taken by two sisters by the name of Pauli (from Dessau and Hanover); and even the voice of the woodbird has found a wholly suitable instrument in a certain Frl. König from Mannheim. All these ladies will also have to appear as “Valkyries” so that I shall be dealing here not with nervous choristers but only with really dramatic singers.
For the orchestra I was forced to limit myself first and foremost to those Court Theatres which suspend their performances for three whole months of the summer and which therefore allow their musicians the necessary leave of absence as a matter of course. I made the relevant enquiries and found these theatres to be the ones at Darmstadt, Karlsruhe, Coburg, Brunswick and Schwerin, together with Meiningen. Of the orchestras of these six theatres I have singled out only the very best musicians in every regard, and plan to build up my orchestra around this nucleus. Kapellmeister Levi recently enquired of me why I had not also approached the Royal Court Theatre in Munich: as the reason for this omission I was able to draw his attention to the fact just mentioned, that I have to take account of the musicians’ imperative need to take leave of absence, so that there could naturally be no question of my appealing to them: at the same time I assured him that nothing would give me greater pleasure than for him to send me some capable artists from Munich. - However, I have appointed the famous violin virtuoso Wilhelmy as leader of the orchestra, after he had begged this formal appointment from me as a special honour: he will be bringing some especially capable violinists from among his pupils. But in order that their remuneration shall not tax my Patrons unduly, I have preferred musicians with a fixed appointment who will continue to draw their salaries during their leave of absence and to whom we shall therefore have to pay only travel and accommodation expenses. My orchestra, moreover, shall be a model for others to emulate: six excellent harpists in the orchestra and one on the stage have already pledged their services. -
I am now overcome by anxiety lest I may have already unduly wearied my gracious lord by rehearsing all the foregoing details in fulfilment of his affectionate order? - But I tell myself: - He ordered it so, and so I shall continue! - To begin with a report on the present state of our great undertaking, I may assure my exalted benefactor that his magnanimous example appears in every way to have had an encouraging effect: not that he has found imitators, - this does not seem to have occurred to our German princes! - , but in consequence of the inescapable realization that, contrary to rumour, my sovereign protector is not averse to my undertaking and, indeed, is uniquely resolved to see it realized: people’s confidence in its actually taking place had been maliciously undermined, but has now reasserted itself, and my (few!) active friends have met with better success in soliciting support. When approached by a committee founded in Berlin by my most excellent benefactress Frau von Schleinitz, the most eminent German painters declared their readiness to provide paintings and drawings to be auctioned on behalf of the Bayreuth enterprise: the sale will probably take place in November, and all the signs are that the proceeds will be not inconsiderable. Moreover, the number of patrons is imperceptibly increasing, more especially thanks to a quite unique woman, the young Countess Dönhoff, a Neapolitan Princess Campo Reale by birth, so that, under these auspices, the spirits of my much tormented and anxious committee of management are again beginning to rise, although our gaze remains chiefly fixed, as before, upon the magnanimous attitude of our sovereign patron himself. For it is certain that the remaining costs of the enterprise will ultimately be recovered only once the performances have finally been announced and a tremendous sense of curiosity has been aroused in the more well-to-do members of our audience, so that our essential worry now is simply whether we can hold out until then. In this sense, our sovereign patron would offer us the best possible reassurance if he were to empower us to make use, as is indispensably necessary, of the Patrons’ moneys that are now being received, so that we can pay for urgent site-work and other work necessary to secure the building. Fortunately, we have no expenses at present in respect of the artists themselves, and (in view of the good will of all concerned) will probably have very few expenses at all here; and the auditorium need not be decorated until all other work is completed; but we shall fall into highly embarrassing arrears with regard to the work that I have just indicated as necessary, if, out of the moneys that are now trickling in from our Patrons, we were now to have to pay back the advance which you so magnanimously granted us, instead of using it for this other work which is now so necessary. It goes without saying that a precise record of all such expenditure will be submitted to your Court Secretariat until such time as the advance itself has been repaid.
Forgive me, my most gracious friend, for having embarked upon so arid a digression! But all that is beautiful on this earth of ours exists only by virtue of its struggle with the inert mass of practical interests! You above all, oh! my incomparable prince!, know with what daemons I have wrestled all my life in order to find space in this leaden world for so aetherial an ideal as mine. The ideal creations that I fashion are infinitely more delicate and finely woven than people demand or require, which is no doubt why I must fight all the more fiercely with material brutality. - But God has made me the kind of man to survive this struggle, - and whenever I have threatened to go under, He sent me His angel! - And now permit me to answer your affectionate question concerning - my life! -
You want to know how I divide up my day? Splendid! For here lies the decision as to the direction that is to be taken by the life which these days fill. In order to characterize my day, I must first describe the aim of my present life: it is to wrest from the daemon of all earthly existence the greatest possible portion of peace and serenity of mind, in order to be able to perform all the tasks allotted to me in the service of the guardian spirit of a world in need of redemption. In view of the way that my life has turned out, I have only a single major regret, namely that I am not ten or fifteen years younger than I am; so much has come to me so late! Of course, I still see a long and active life ahead of me, for there is no sign of any weakness in my vital powers, and all my friends regard me as a marvel in this respect. But I feel as though I am still the same man today as I was ten or fifteen years ago, and this period has now been lost to me since I can no longer exploit it in the blissful state I now have reached: in other words, even assuming that I may still be granted a long and creative life, I wish I could enrich it with a further ten or fifteen years. For fate has granted me a son after thirty years of sterile marriage. What it means to me to be able to say: I have a son — is indescribable! Like Siegfried he came into the world as destiny’s storm raged around him. But he is just as radiantly calm and sunny: and yet, more especially in the expression in his eyes, he resembles the infant Jesus of the Sistine Madonna. It is impossible for this son of mine to remain insignificant. But I am bound to smile when people see me walking with the boy at my side and claim that it is I myself whom they can see walking beside me as a boy. - Of course, my life has acquired a totally new significance: everything I possess, all thought of domicile, citizenship and wealth has now acquired a sense which it never had before. And now I have a wise woman as my wife who orders, enlivens and spiritualizes all this for me. She has relieved the pressure of daily life, and keeps watch over my tranquillity. Her only care is when she becomes aware that not all life’s disturbances can be kept at bay, and that it is inevitable that I should often hurl myself into a veritable storm of excitement and exertions. So it was last summer when there was nothing for it but for me to perform what are often tremendous scenes with the most passionate emphasis for each of the singers concerned: in doing so, of course, I became so utterly exhausted that I was finally forced to welcome each interruption as a form of deliverance. Similar, and often superhuman, exertions to which I have often subjected myself for the sake of my calling are no doubt another reason for the constant pains that rack my body, frequently robbing me of my sleep, and obliging me to spend all my time engaged in the search for a cure. This summer was the first occasion I was able to use “my” property for this purpose. “My” garden and “my” house, with its well-equipped bath, provided admirable service in helping me take care of my health. This “property” of mine, as I am able to call it thanks to your act of kindness, will also tell you, if I describe it to you, the daily routine that I follow here. The space of an average, decent-sized dwelling house with an elevated ground floor and a single upper storey has been divided up in such a way as to reduce to a minimum the height of the walls in the first-floor family living-room and to fix the height of the walls of the ground-floor living-room so that, by bringing all the side-rooms together as small guest-bedrooms, I was able to create a large salon which is a source of amazement for all my visitors. Having bathed and attended to my toilet in the small living quarters on the upper floor, I take breakfast with my wife and then go downstairs to the salon at about 10 o’clock. This room holds all my possessions: the panelling around the walls contains my collection of books; our paintings are hung above them, low cupboards around the room contain all our papers and documents; the grand piano is over there, and over here is my large desk with a beautiful Bayreuth marble top; opposite it is a smaller desk for Cosima; and over there is a large table for portfolios with all our presents and keepsakes, with comfortable chairs around it for receiving our numerous visitors; the whole room is lit by a bay overlooking the garden. It is here that I work, as long as I am not prevented by business from doing so. At 1 o’clock the bell rings for our midday meal; and the door to the “hall” is opened. This room - which is universally admired - owes its existence to the circumstances that we did not need a wide staircase leading up to the first-floor rooms, since visitors never enter these rooms; as a result we were able to move the narrower staircase, which is all that we need, into a very small projecture overlooking the street, and use the space intended for a larger stairwell as a hall that runs the entire height of the house and is lit by a fanlight in the roof, while at first-floor level there is a balcony leading to the family quarters: marble is the dominant feature here, i.e. the six statues by Zumbusch which my gracious benefactor once presented to me, together with marble busts of my wife and myself: the one of my wife was commissioned from an old friend in Dresden by the name of Kietz, and has turned out a great success, while the one of me was made for Cosima by Zumbusch from the model which you yourself ordered. Beneath the balcony runs a frieze on a gold background with a Scandinavian snake motif and incorporating Echter’s paintings to the Ring of the Nibelung, the very same ones which my exalted friend once had copied for me from the frescoes in the Residenz passageway. It is through this hall that I now pass with Cosima to the modest dining-room where I find the children around the family table, and where, after they have all been properly hugged, we take our meal together. It is here that the mood of the day is decided. Unless serious illness or ill-humour brought about by unpleasant business has gained the upper hand, a family meal with the children is generally a source of cheerful high spirits. It is an infinitely salutary feeling to watch the children of my poor friend Bülow, to whom they were often little more than a burden, flourishing under their mother’s most solicitous cares, as splendidly as their individual talents allow. My son is adored by all the other children: they have ear only for his witty and inspired remarks with which he keeps the little gathering in a state of almost constant amusement. Nor does this generally fail to have its due effect on me, a glance of deepest gratitude at his mother then brings the happy meal to an end, after which I take coffee in the garden, glance through the Bayreuth Tageblatt (the only newspaper which I allow in the house and which I still read), and generally discuss with Cosima some stimulating theme on the subject of art, philosophy or life. After that I have a short rest, and then I glance into the large salon again to see if any post or anything else has arrived. I am lucky if I do not find bad news, but only poems sent in for me to set to music, treatises on the philosophy of art which I am asked to forward to the King of Bavaria, offers of theatrical costumes and knights’ armour for the Nibelung theatre, or, most frequently of all, requests for my autograph from English and American music lovers: for, out of sheer necessity, I have made it a rule never, ever to reply to any of these. All other correspondence is dealt with by my dear wife, after she has agreed with me what she is to say, something which, in the majority of cases, is not even necessary. If all is in order, I may now be able to continue the work I had begun in the morning, and work on the instrumentation of perhaps another page of my score. I then go out for a walk, or, if the landlord of the “Sonne” - the only man who hires out carriages hereabouts - has a carriage available, I take the children to the “Eremitage” or “Fantaisie”, where what the children call “expeditions of discovery” are organized in the woods. But I often only visit the festival theatre on the charming hill overlooking the town, a place which I had to avoid for a longish period last summer because it was continually being visited by so many strangers that I was forced to keep out of the way. I then take pleasure in the affection shown me by the people of Bayreuth, an affection expressed in all manner of ways since they all recognize what a great commotion my undertaking has caused in the town. I am assured that the strangers who came to visit the theatre this summer could be numbered in their thousands, and that often as many as four or five hundred of them visited the future festival building in the space of a day. - Then evening comes, and with it a simple meal with the children at 7 o’clock. At 8 I withdraw to the salon with Cosima, where we regularly take down a book to read, unless my frequent visitors have been given permission to call on us, in which case conversation and music-making are the order of the day. These soirees are also seen as compensation for the self-sacrificial work which several extremely capable young musicians have already taken upon themselves by copying out the music that we need for the performances. Parcels intended for them are already arriving addressed to: “Nibelung Chancellery in Bayreuth”. There are currently four of them: a Saxon, Zumpe, who has already been a Kapellmeister, a Hungarian, a Russian and finally - would you believe it! - a Macedonian. I am also training the four of them to be capable of conducting my work in the future by insisting that they help me in everything now. I then invite these apprentices of mine to make music for us of an evening, and they claim to have learned far more here than in any expensively maintained conservatoire or music school. - This summer, moreover, has brought me so many visits from acquaintances both old and new that it could easily have occurred to me to declare Bayreuth the very centre of the world. At present these visitors, and more especially the citizens of Bayreuth, derive their greatest satisfaction from seeing scaffolding against the front wall of my house, facing the street, since they assume, quite rightly, that “something” is to be added where a blank and windowless wall had previously caused them such keen annoyance (may I ask you to be so kind as to inspect the accompanying photograph?). In fact, my wife had the excellent idea of having a “scrafito” made by a friend of ours from Weimar, a relatively young painter of historical scenes by the name of Krausse, who is admirably competent in this field. It is a monumental representation of the “Art-Work of the Future”. The central section is taken up by Germanic myth; since we wanted the figures to have characteristic features, we gave this one the head of the late Ludwig Schnorr; Wotan’s ravens can be seen flying towards him on either side, while he relates the tidings that he has received to two female figures, one of whom represents classical tragedy in the likeness of Schroeder-Devrient, the other being music, with the head and figure of Cosima; a small boy, armed like Siegfried and with the head of my son, holds her by the hand and looks up at his mother, music, with high-spirited delight. I believe the whole thing will be an outstanding success, and my exalted friend shall be sent a copy of it as soon as it is finished. - An area at the front of the house has been hedged in and planted with flowers, and already contains the granite plinth on which the bronze bust of the owner of all my prosperity and happiness shall be erected. There are still some difficulties in producing it according to my wishes: it emerges from the overall proportions that it will have to be twice life-size. Master Zumbusch explained that the bust would be lighter and less expensive if it were made of marble, whereas, if it has to be cast in bronze, a new model will first have to be made, which will take a good deal of time and incur much greater expense. However, I cannot bear the thought of enclosing the bust in a wooden crate for almost six months of every year to protect it against the bad weather, as would have to be done in the case of marble. As a result I am still undecided, and in the meantime can only gaze sadly at the empty space.
Ah! What happiness it would bring if our most gracious lord were to cast a glance in the direction of his poor Bayreuth! I almost wish that he might indeed do so, since a glance at my house in particular would allow him to recognize the truth of the matter, and see how the facts are always so hideously distorted by the newspapers. We have produced something that, because of its novelty and originality, takes the whole of the world by surprise, and we have produced it, moreover, on very slender means, by omitting all external ornamentation, for ex., and having all the skilled work on the interior of the building carried out by anonymous artisans who have achieved what they have done only by being constantly guided by us in the most painstaking manner. Nevertheless, none of this would have been possible if intellectual property had not received significant protection under recent legislation, as a result of which it is now possible for me to derive a certain income, which would otherwise have been lost to me completely, from the increasing number of performances of my older works which I had previously had to abandon without any form of protection. To this fortunate circumstance I also owe the fact that I can now think of my family’s future provision with relative reassurance, since my works are now protected by copyright until thirty years after my death. For now and for the foreseeable future, however, I have my hands full, trying to make good the additional costs of settling here and furnishing my home, and since, whenever the King visits a prisoner, a royal favour always accompanies that act of clemency, I seize this opportunity to beg my exalted lord once again to grant me the financial relief which I need to survive, and allow me to draw, without any deduction, on the annuity which you granted me so magnanimously. When, a number of years ago, I thought I could get by for a time on a reduced annuity, I did not know that I would be granted the great good fortune of having a family to care for. I have a good deal of help in dealing with all the duties that I have taken on, but I could only act with relative freedom after you were gracious enough to allow me to suspend repayment of the said advance. I venture to lay before you the humble request that I may continue to enjoy this magnanimous favour. -
Time and again I am reminded how bitterly I must regret not being some ten years younger: I have so little time left for patient waiting! At the same time I realize that if one is German, one must live to a ripe old age to enjoy even some of the fruits of one’s labours; but I am well aware that this fruit is now beginning to ripen within me, and, if heaven has granted me the fullness of years of a Goethe, Gluck or Haydn, it is because I may yet be able to garner a harvest such as no man has ever known. - When the Feustel family first set foot in my recently completed salon, Frau Feustel said: “What will you not be able to write here now!” - I glanced at Cosima, and whispered to her: “Yes, indeed, - I, too, now believe in Parzival!” - And this Parzival, my beloved King, I hereby pledge to you! All the preparations for my studies have already been completed. - But, do not think slightingly of the “Twilight of the Gods”! I have now had to work on the instrumentation of this final work with an effort that causes me utter torment, and with the most incessant interruptions, and I often cursed myself for having planned it on such a prodigally lavish scale: it is the tower that rises high into the clouds above the entire Nibelung edifice! Everyone who knows the work has said the same. Oh! my precious and glorious prince! Are you not afraid for its completion? You will regret nothing - nothing, but will learn so many new and unknown things from this work that every reproach will be silenced within you! -
But how fares it with your patience? Had I understood you aright, my dearly beloved lord, when I flattered myself that you wished me to go into such intimate detail in answering your questions? And there is still so much I could tell you, for knowing that my lips have once been unsealed by you is as much as to cause them to overflow. And so I venture to raise one final point which may almost turn into a humble request, for - it concerns what is perhaps the very difficult question of your royal attendance at the forthcoming festival.
How shall I begin - finally - to broach this question with the modesty that befits me, a question which, from the very outset, might have indicated a serious difficulty that stood in the way of the whole of my enterprise? I know - and have learned from a powerful example - that it is with the utmost seriousness that the enlightened protector of my art has always regarded all performances involving that art, and that, in attending the same, he seeks no superficial or conventional amusement. If I am now offering these performances of my great work to the German public, I do so, my King, in your exalted name; among the patrons of the undertaking are German princes - from the Emperor downwards. Their support for the undertaking has scarcely proved enthusiastic enough to make me think that they were more concerned with the affair itself than with the simple need to come to terms with it. None the less, it is still quite possible that a number of their Serene Highnesses will attend the festival performances. For that reason I have had a gallery built separate from the main auditorium and provided with its own private entrance, but capable of holding at least a hundred persons comfortably. This gallery is at the exclusive disposal of my exalted lord and King: he will admit to it only those whom it pleases him to single out, whereas the purchase of Patrons’ certificates will entitle their holders only to good and comfortable seats in the main auditorium. I now come to my anxious question: will my King really come here for the festival performances? Will he give them their true festive solemnity through his exalted presence? Or - will he, profound and serious-minded as he is, wish to withdraw from the fellowship of princes who may possibly also come here; and will he prefer to remain away rather than subject himself to - no doubt - many inconveniences which will impede his artistic enjoyment and which he may be made to feel out of his regard for these illustrious visitors?
Of course, I have no right to ask this question, for nothing you have been kind enough to say to me has given me cause to do so. But if, in expressing the concern that I feel, I might have touched on a scruple that causes my exalted friend disquiet in any form, I should beg for nothing more than to know your mind exactly. At all events, I believe that one offer at least which I have to make may not be wholly unwelcome, namely my offer to arrange a performance of the entire work - as a final rehearsal, as it were - during the first week of August 1876, at which my exalted lord would be the only spectator in an auditorium completely closed off to the world. What my King may subsequently decide to do - whether, by virtue of his continuing exalted presence, he might deign to grant this festival of German art the true solemnity of a festival marking the birth of a nation - this may perhaps be left to the outcome of the evenings themselves on which the work shall first be presented to him alone.
I venture to allude to this matter in order to acquaint my exalted lord with the possibilities that lie open before him, in order that he may choose among them and inform his most reverentially loyal servant what his instructions may be in the matter. It grieves me only that I was obliged to defer the timing of the performances until so late a date; but I am secure in the knowledge that it was not any lack of enthusiasm on my part which was to blame for this delay; on the contrary, it is my profoundest consolation that, after all I have lived through and witnessed, the ultimate realization of this enterprise of mine must now seem an impossibility made possible. Only a King like you, my exalted friend, and only - perhaps I myself together with you could succeed in this.
All hail! All hail to you, my King! All hail to the invisible spirits that watch over our work! The most abundant blessings to the lord of my days, to him who commands my most sacred strength of spirit! -
Thus do I sign myself, eternally true to my most sublime and exalted benefactor,
Richard Wagner
Source: Selected Letters of Richard Wagner, trans. and ed. Stewart Spencer and Barry Millington (W. W. Norton & Company, 1988), No. 426