My Faithful Dear Friend!
I am asking you to draw up in suitable fashion, and to arrange to send me for legal execution, that deed of assignment which will put you or your heirs lawfully in possession of all the income to be gained after my death from the theatrical production of my dramatic works. As far as possible I wish to avoid the necessity of legal intervention in the future affairs of my bequeathed estate and therefore I prefer, through deeds of sale or obligation and suitable assignments of property, so to apportion my estate that at my death everything will be in order and each one within his rights. In this way I am disposing of my furniture, my manuscripts — which are to belong to the King of Bavaria — and I should like just as much to dispose of the theatre receipts which will belong to me after my death. These shall now devolve upon you, dear friend, in accordance with my earlier offer which you accepted in such a friendly spirit. I should like the document that is requested of you to be executed now, in order that I may not need to make any testament, or, in one, may be able to quote briefly in what way all my possessions have already been disposed of legally, in accordance with our concluded agreement of assignment. I believe it can contain simply an acknowledgment of indebtedness to the extent of the capital once borrowed from you, together with its interest, and in addition the assignment of all the income to be obtained through theatrical representations of my works, which until my death you relinquish to me and which after my death shall in return be collected solely by you or your heirs. The author's rights paid by the Royal Court Theatre in Berlin continue for ten years after an author's death; supposing that after my death this theatre perhaps ventures to maintain an administration favourably inclined towards me, and with tendencies that correspond — right in that period of time and just from this theatre, truly lucrative receipts might then be obtained. Should especially abundant revenues accrue from my works just after my death — something not at all incompatible with experiences in the past — so that it would turn out that interest and capital as well would soon be entirely returned to you, and should you then feel no need to increase your means through this, I would then leave it to you or your heirs to convert whatever surpluses would occur in favour of some assured artistic ends, concerning which I shall express myself to you more closely in a letter which shall be delivered to you after my death.
Now be gracious enough to fulfil this wish: indeed, I must ask you to take care of this, because the official document must be drawn up so carefully that it can admit no combating of your rights in Dresden, and will grant to you in particular the actual rights of possession and disposal, in the face of all the German theatres.
You see, I am in a very serious mood, the only one that is really becoming to me: perhaps in just this frame of mind I shall prosper, since in other respects I have now won, for a little time, the quiet for creating a great and joyful work. — Wish me this success, and — perhaps I dare to say it — wish it to the world! Whatever you can contribute to that purpose will be done beautifully and readily: that I know of you, my dear good friend!
Now farewell, greetings to your dear ones, and remain good to me always!
With heartiest greetings,
Your
Richard Wagner
Source: The Letters of Richard Wagner to Anton Pusinelli, trans. and ed. Elbert Lenrow (Alfred A. Knopf, 1932), No. 46