My dear friend,
As your letter was the first to greet me upon my arrival in Berlin, you shall now be the recipient of my first greetings upon my return to Tribschen (at noon today). I am fairly frightened at having made myself so plainly understood that day in Basle.
Gersdorff will have told you everything, as he was fully informed in regard to all that was taking place. Of Bayreuth, however, he knows nothing. Gratifying marks of esteem were bestowed upon me there, and I now realize clearly that, as far as the material side of the undertaking is concerned, Bayreuth will prove to be one of the happiest inspirations of my life. If I could only talk this over with you!
Everything has been arranged in the most satisfactory manner, and my regime has been inaugurated.
You offered me your services and I shall now proceed to take immediate advantage of this offer. I am confronted by many days of the most complicated correspondence. Come to my aid. Request Fritzsch in my name to fill the following order: one Birth to Dean Dittmar; one ditto to Rector Grossmann; further, one German Art and Policy to Councillor of the Consistory, Herr Krausse; one ditto to Professor Fries. All of them to Bayreuth. Everything at my expense.
Further! Friend, I have no connections at all with the Augsburg Allgemeine Zeitung. The Norddeutsche Allgemeine is at our disposal. Would it be agreeable to you to send Rohde to them?
Have I made myself clear? I am very tired today after the night trip. Tomorrow I have to make arrangements for the Ninth Symphony, and this will require the writing of something like ten letters. The date is fixed for the twenty-second of May. Nothing remains to be done but to look about for the "élite" orchestra.
I am very happy today and announce this to you, first of all, dear friend.
Many cordial greetings.
Source: The Nietzsche-Wagner Correspondence, ed. Elizabeth Foerster-Nietzsche, trans. Caroline V. Kerr (Boni and Liveright, 1921), No. 27