My dear Herr Unger,
In order that I may perform at least one friendly act this New Year’s Day, I am writing to you at the day’s end, in reply to your kind letter which arrived today. -
I can say in all truthfulness that, since our preliminary rehearsals came to an end, I have encountered nothing but unpleasantness. But it is comforting to cast my gaze in your direction. You and Hey are entered in my Book of Hopes. - Ever since Schnorr’s death I have known that I was alone and dependent upon new and unknown talent. I never expected to find it ready made, but believed I should first have to nurture and develop it. What I needed to be sure of the right person was not merely a respectable and adequate natural talent, I also had to be able to rely on the character and deeper seriousness of the person whom I was now to acknowledge as having been meant for me. -
Now, you have pleased me greatly in both these respects! But you must never for a moment doubt in me! So - Scherbarth has temporarily faded from the scene? - An admirable thing for him to do! Leave him where he is, he’ll cause us no great harm. - How glad I should be to have you here again! But - patience! I am thinking of giving Tristan in Vienna with you late next autumn. If our heavenly Hey insists upon studying it with you now, I would ask you not to do so until you are certain of Siegfried right down to the very last muscle. For - what you learn from one role can then be transferred to every other one in terms of your acting: but you first need to make this one fully your own! Once you have mastered Siegfried completely, Tristan will be merely a question of memory for you.
But you could always study smithying with Mime who, as “Locksmith”, ought to be fairly conversant with the craft by now. I wish Hey would take him in hand as well. It emerged recently that he had not yet properly settled into this difficult role of his. He must assume a false voice, except that the voice itself must not sound false. It would be good if he could begin by singing this difficult part in his natural voice (as a lyric tenor, let us say): once he has overcome the enormous intonational problems, he may then, as an actor, distort his voice in a certain sense, i.e. make it sound rough and hoarse, in order to do justice to the unique dramatic character of the part. But he must not begin like this; - that was his mistake at the preliminary rehearsals; he intended it to be dramatically perfect from the outset, - and it was that that made us all laugh. - All right? -
As for my good friend Seidel, keep him nice and warm: I don’t believe there are many others like him. If he grows full of melancholy, empty his pockets for him at the Orlando Lasso! I like your little clique there very much. They also have such good-natured faces! I am sorry that any kind of temporary activity in Munich has been made impossible for me - curious, isn’t it? -
By the way, if ever you meet a more admirable singing teacher and person than Hey, do let me know! I should like to know what he looks like! For our splendid Hey has so far proved my ideal in every respect! He can believe it or not!
Fare you well! Every good wish to the smithy! - I have had some splendid insights for which I need you both here!
Happy New Year!
May it repay all your labours!
Your sincerely devoted
Richard Wagner.
Source: Selected Letters of Richard Wagner, trans. and ed. Stewart Spencer and Barry Millington (W. W. Norton & Company, 1988), No. 434