121 To Bernhard Cossmann, Schloss Chanceaux Bei Loches in Touraine
Weymar, September 8th, 1854
Dear Friend,
Whilst you are promenading at your leisure beneath the fine oaks, beeches, birches, horse-chestnuts, etc., of Chanceaux, I have the sotte chance [Silly opportunity] of gaping chanceusement [doubtfully] to the crows of Weymar, where we have certainly no Chanceaux, but pretty well of gens sots [stupid people] im Loch [In this hole. All plays upon words, and given therefore in the original.] (near Loches!!). This almost attains to the height of punning of our friend Berlioz, does not it?—I should not be able to keep on such heights, and therefore I hasten to descend to more temperate regions (des regions plus temperees),-“le Clavecin bien tempere of J. S. Bach,” for example, or to some “Beau lieu” with or without marque au nez (Marconnay). [A play on words. The name of the Intendant of the Weimar Court theater was Beaulieu-Marconnay.] (I implore you to keep this execrable improvisation to yourself, for, in my position as Maitre de Chapelle, I should run the risk of being fined by the “Hofamt” [office in the royal household] for allowing myself such an application of Berlioz’s treatise on instrumentation—but I really don’t know what tarantula of a pun is biting me at this moment!)
Mr. de Beaulieu has just done two graceful acts for me, for which I am very grateful. Madame Pohl is engaged as harpist to the Weymar Kapelle, and A. Ritter of Dresden—the brother of Hans de Bulow’s friend—as violinist in place of little Abel, who is leaving us to go and probably assassinate some Cain at a second or third desk in an orchestra, somewhere!
A. Ritter is going to marry Mdlle. Wagner on the 12th of this month (the sister of Johanna), who has played in comedy at the Breslau theater, and who, by her husband’s orders, will not continue playing when she has her home to keep. Let us hope so at least! These two new engagements are a great pleasure to me, and I shall willingly console myself for the loss of the innocent Abel.
And as Mr. de Beaulieu is just in such a good temper, I advise you to profit by the circumstance to write him a letter, artistically turned, to beg for a prolongation of your holiday, which he will grant you with a good grace, I am sure.
The theater will reopen the 15th September. The 16th “Ernani” will be given. In the course of October we shall have the “Huguenots”, with a new singer from Prague, Mdlle. Stoger, of whom one hears wonders.
For the 9th October (fiftieth anniversary of the entry of H.I.H. the Grand Duchess Marie Paulowna into Weymar) a rather curious performance will be arranged:—
1st. The Homage to Art by Schiller.
2nd. One of my Poemes Symphoniques.
3rd. “The Hunters of Siberia”, Opera in one Act—Music by Rubinstein.
4th. The Finale of “Lorelei” by Mendelssohn.
For the winter season they are thinking of giving the two “Iphigenies”, “in Aulis” and “in Tauris”, by Gluck, and Schumann’s “Genoveva”.
Rubinstein and Wasielewski (of Bonn) have been here some days. Raff has published his volume “The Wagner Question.” I would neither answer nor vindicate it!—My monster instrument with three keyboards has also arrived a fortnight ago, and seems to me to be a great success—and on your return I shall pretty nearly have finished my Faust Symphony, at which I am working like a being possessed.
This is all my news from here, to which I add the expression of the old and sincere friendship of your very affectionate
F. Liszt
P.S.—I, on my side, will also write to Mr. de Beaulieu about you, but it is the thing for you to write him a few lines. The matter in itself will not present any difficulty.