Most Honoured Sir and Friend!
I hope that you may perhaps remember me with the like benevolence which you formerly exercised towards me in a high degree and for which I still feel I owe you the liveliest and most heartfelt gratitude. I can sincerely say that from time to time upon remembrance of you I have been painfully overcome by the thought that I should perhaps never see you again, since you had settled so far away, and I am consequently all the more pleasantly affected now by the knowledge that, being so much nearer to you, I may even entertain the idea of coming nearer still, under certain fortunate circumstances. Since, then, I have touched upon this point at the very beginning of my letter, I will go on without ceremony to mention the matter which, although not the only, was yet the most immediate, occasion of my recalling myself to your recollection and troubling you with these lines. Two years ago, then, I too—enthusiast and ci-devant disciple of Beethoven—applied myself to a practical career, during which time I have acted as music director in Magdeburg, and flatter myself that I have so far achieved such a measure of success in this role that certain former colleagues of the Leipzig opera wish to acclaim me as their faithful pupil and follower (though I must acknowledge to you in passing that they would be intensely astonished at the radical transformation of my extreme musical opinions). Destiny and desire together have now sent me to Königsberg where I had, as I believed, well-founded claims upon an engagement. As regards the probable unsuccess of these, my sole mistake has been in believing it certain that Herr Schuberth would return to Riga in the autumn. It appears that he no longer has the smallest desire to do this and—God knows what is keeping him—he will remain here. I must now acknowledge that the great distance which I have covered has somewhat embarrassed me, and that I cannot resist looking somewhat hopefully towards Riga. You may perhaps still feel sufficient interest in me to think me worth the little trouble involved in acceding to my request that you will send me a short note saying whether a passable theatre, including opera, will open in Riga for the autumn season and whether they would have any use for me as music director there, for I must suppose the position not yet filled, as they must hitherto have relied on Herr Schuberth. In such a case my betrothed, Fräulein Planer, at present holding the appointment of jeune première here, would follow me there, having already received proposals thence which she naturally would not entertain if I were not placed there too. It would give me great pleasure to be able to present her to you and to your good lady and to be permitted to recommend ourselves to your friendship as a young married pair. Once again, my honoured friend, may I ask you to see just how things stand and whether I can honourably take a place there, and to favour me with a few lines which will find me at Memel, poste restante. There are certain relationships in life which remain constant [...] and I shall certainly never be other than ward and protégé to you the guardian and patron. That is clear from this very first contact which I re-establish with you after so long an interval. If you will only show your good will to me in this situation in like measure as I most certainly preserve a thankful heart towards you, I shall count myself most fortunate. [...]
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner, Vol. 1, selected and ed. Wilhelm Altmann, trans. M. M. Bozman (J. M. Dent & Sons, 1927), No. 38