O You Most Excellent Fellow, Man, Brother, Friend, Chorus-director and Music-copyist!!!
I have just discovered what a piece of work you have done for me — and indeed without saying a word to me about it! For only now have I had occasion to open the packet which Heine sent me some time ago, commissioned by you; and as I now look through the score, I recognize with deep feeling and astonishment that father-brother Fischer has with his own hand undertaken and carried out the copying job, which I thought had been attended to by a certain "Wölfel," and for the finishing of which I expected an account, which, after all, I must now ask from Wilhelm Fischer, Sen. You are indeed a good fellow! What now shall I say? To have given you so much trouble! It is indeed more than touching! Well, for the present: best thanks! If I am able, I will one day do more, or quite another sort of thing!
The reason why I formerly asked you to see to the Tannhäuser scores was, that the present Frankfort Capellmeister, G. Schmidt (i.e., Prince Eugen), applied to me with an enclosed letter from the management, and wished to have the opera for Frankfort. I answered him that I certainly had no reason to oppose the performance of my opera, except where I failed to find either in the artists or in the taste of the public the conditions for an intelligent and good performance; that I had no inclination to be scoffed at; but, on the other hand, Frankfort seemed disposed to that. He must therefore — his hand on his heart — answer this question: whether he felt capable of maintaining that earnest mood among the singers which the task demanded, and, on the other hand, of so influencing the public that this earnest effort would meet with its reward? I promised to keep a score in readiness. Prince Eugen still owes me a reply, and the scores remained unpacked. But a short time since, the Schwerin Court Theatre applied to me: I racked my brains as to who could have happened on the thought of Tannhäuser; then it occurred to me that Röckel's sister, the Frau Moritz, is in Schwerin; she is a highly intelligent vocalist and actress, and has certainly suggested the performance of Tannhäuser, an opera which she knows; this rejoiced me, and afforded me a certain guarantee. I consented, and received twenty louis d'or: then I opened the packet. They want to give Lohengrin at Leipzig: I will see if they agree there to give, first, the Dutchman, then the Tannhäuser, and only then the Lohengrin; for thus only can the public become acquainted with me and learn to understand me. I would rather have nothing to do with Dresden. First of all, you have no conductor there who has the requisite intelligence and good-will; secondly, no lady vocalists such as I require; and, thirdly, I cannot and will not have anything more to do with the whole Dresden management, from A to Z.
How stood matters formerly, when I was still there — I who had written this opera specially for Dresden, and for the then members of the company? Then folk thought good to chicane me a little: already the orders for scene-painting had been given to young Heine, when it suddenly occurred to L. to countermand everything. I was silent at the time: but you did not know how miserably depressed I felt to find myself and my artistic efforts so dependent upon circumstances that only as a hypocrite and sycophant could I see any prospect for my art. Pish! any one with a grain of honour takes himself off.
Well, these are old tales of the past; they have become indifferent to me, and lately one has received sufficient absolution; one has now the pope (or even two popes) at hand.
My dear old friend! Once for all, I am built on different lines from what you all suppose, with your use and wont; in me you have to reap a new experience, and that is why God sends new blood into the world. They shall not drag me down into the swamp of old tradition and traditional commonplace.
Many disclosures as to myself, and the connection between my life and my art, will be offered you in a very circumstantial "Address" (Mittheilung) that I am drawing up as a Preface to my three older opera-poems, which will soon be issued by Härtels. Your love for me convinces me that this will much interest you. Also Oper und Drama will soon appear at J. J. Weber's. I have just written the poem of a "Young Siegfried" (of bright contents), and will now set to work at the music. But I am resolved first to be in thoroughly sound health, so that I may also write good healthy music. For this purpose I am going on the 15th of this month to a hydropathic establishment in the neighbourhood: there will I wash out my body, as now by my literary work I have washed clean my intellect.
In case I should again want a Tannhäuser score, I have commissioned Uhlig to get a dozen copies from Meser. So please for the future get him to attend to the scribbling, etc.; he is able, younger than you, and can better bear my plaguing. But you, my dear old fellow — I wish you had long since tried the water-cure; you would not then have found it necessary to ruin yourself by going to Carlsbad. For these mineral baths do no good: they only weaken one more and more.
With your strong and powerful constitution, I am convinced that even now a water-cure would free you from your complaint — at least, that you would be in sounder health instead of getting worse. Listen to my advice! Get your pension, come here, and try water in the presence of and amid the air of the glorious Alps!
Is there any more honour, joy, enjoyment, to be got out of your surroundings? And how long do you people think, then, that your present state will still go on? Truly I trouble myself no more about politics; but even a blind man — unless he is stuck in the thick of it — can see that the end will be terrible!
(Peps confirms this by a sneeze!)
Now, do not be angry with me if I spoil the joy which Lohengrin in Dresden would certainly have caused you. But reflect that nothing any more can cause me joy except what is genuine. The whole resolve of L. is not genuine; it is a mixture of a thousand "I-could-wishes" and "I-would-likes," but not the firm will of a man who knows what he wills and whom it concerns. Or is perhaps R.'s wish to produce my opera genuine? Get along with all these … and turncoats; they shall not annoy me one hour longer.
If I now expect to be able to get quite well, it is because I live as pleasantly as is possible in my situation and in my relations to our present art-world: I live protected by the true and genuine love of men who know me as I am, and who would not have me a jot otherwise. I am only to be envied.
Now, one thing more. I intended writing to Heine at the same time as to you. As I have not received his letter (the one sent through the Elberti), which was to contain fuller details, I could not, in the principal matter — i.e., in the communications about myself — write anything further than what I have written to you. Now, to save a duplicate, will you not be so good as to send this letter with the enclosed lines to Heine, for him to look through?
Do make me happy by writing very soon again: you cannot think how much I am edified by your true and hearty friendship! Heartiest greetings from Minna and self to you and your daughter. Farewell! get strong, and always think kindly of me.
Your
Richard Wagner.
If you do not write to me for some little time, my address will be: Albisbrunn, near Hausen, in the canton of Zurich.
Source: Richard Wagner's Letters to His Dresden Friends, Theodor Uhlig, Wilhelm Fischer, and Ferdinand Heine, trans. J. S. Shedlock (Scribner & Welford, 1890), No. 106