My dearest, best Mienel,
I can't possibly tell you how sorry I am for your happening on such detestable weather for the start of your cure. Really it worries me daily and hourly, as often as I see it rain; and as often as a friendly gleam of sunshine shews itself, I'm delighted for your sake. Put up with it, though, as best you can! People who understand have assured me it would go on raining all this week, but then would come settled fine weather. God grant it! — Heartiest thanks for your letters. — I always receive them on my return home at night, for they are never delivered till between 6 and 7 o'clock, at which time I'm always occupied, with rare exceptions. I could well imagine you'd be glad, and I wrote back to Spohr that the only grief his letter had occasioned me was the impossibility of embracing you, dear wife, in my delight! That we must defer for the nonce, but what a hug we'll give each other when the time comes! — With this Spohr, for that matter, I really have made a remarkable conquest; all who know him, represent him as the coldest, brusquest and most inaccessible of men, one who gives everything strange the cold shoulder. My having won him over to this extent, and purely through my work, is accounted to me a great merit by everyone. — This fortunate result at Cassel lends me great advantages. — I have written to Küstner, Berlin, redemanding my original score, as I at least may presume that the copy is finished now; for the rest, I informed him that this opera had now been given at Cassel with marked success, but proudly mentioned nothing further. — For that matter, all are coming to the opinion that it perhaps would be better if the Holländer were given precedence at other places, because if people don't yet know the brilliant subject of Rienzi, the Holländer will interest more and whet their appetite, which Rienzi then will satisfy far better than the other way about. Well, I shall let things happen as God wills!
As for the unveiling ceremony of the 7th inst., I'll merely add the following: I had over 200 singers for the festal choruses; my composition was set quite simply for men's voices in four parts, without accompaniment, so that the tenors had a brilliant field. It was a windless day, and all sang with the greatest affection; the effect was solemn and stirring. Mendelssohn's composition was quite another thing: brass instruments accompanied it, and "God save the King" was woven in; the chorus sang in unison throughout, and moreover in the deep bass register, so that the tenors made no effect at all, and hardly could even join in: the result being, that at most points one heard nothing but the brass, scarcely anywhere the voices, and as it all sounded like "God save the King," nobody could make head or tail of it. With mine, on the contrary, almost every word was positively understood; and the whole town speaks of my chorus alone, whilst Mendelssohn's gets nothing but a head-shake. That's the truth. — For the rest, the ceremony was really very brilliant, and I'll describe it to you circumstantially by mouth. —
Should you be fretting about my health, you'd be doing wrong: I'm brisk and well, my head is clear; even my lower regions are behaving well again now, I hardly suffer at all from gripe. Nevertheless, I should like to take a cure with you. — The nuisance is, that this bad weather often debars me from my walks now. I have a deal to do; when I've no opera, there's some shindy or other with the Liedertafel. My composition is all but finished now, and I count on a great, an inspiring effect for it.
The day before yesterday the King commanded me to the Bastei, with a few singers and bandsmen; luckily the weather turned out so bad, that the party was put off again. — Tomorrow is the feast of Corpus Christi, and I must conduct at church in uniform, as it is the highest of saints'-days and every one appears in gala. We had never given that a thought! —
Our operas are going excellently, and since for my own part I'm holding next to no rehearsals now the band is perfectly amazed at my aplomb, as with the Stumme, besides thanking me for saving it trouble.
The other day I dined at Flemming's. — Yesterday we, the Heines, Tichatscheck, and so on, were at the Wüst's, who had much exerted herself for her dinner-party. For that matter, her health's in a very bad way; at any moment she cannot sing, and all believe she won't be able to much longer. They speak of — consumption of the windpipe: isn't that dreadful! — Lüttichau, for another thing, is expected back very soon; I am thoroughly glad of it, for sake of my leave too.
And now I must conclude, as we have a rehearsal. Reconcile yourself to the bad weather with the thought that it's bound to improve soon! — If you remark any sort of progress in your health, you may easily imagine how happy it will make me! Do everything for it, and write me in plenty of time if money runs short, do you hear! — Farewell, my dear good Wife! Take my thanks for your love, and rest assured of mine for ever!
Thy Richard.
Kindest regards to the Mama.
Don't you despise my snuffbox! People value it at about 100 thaler — particularly the work. —
Source: Richard to Minna Wagner: Letters to His First Wife, trans. William Ashton Ellis, Vol. 1 (H. Grevel & Co., 1909), No. 8