154 To Louis Kohler
My Very Dear Friend,
At last I have come out of my “Purgatory”—that is to say that I have come to the end of my symphony to Dante’s “Divina Commedia.” Yesterday I wrote the final bars of the score (which is somewhat smaller in bulk than my “Faust” Symphony, but will take pretty nearly an hour in performance); and today, for rest and refreshment, I can allow myself the pleasure of giving you my friendliest thanks for your friendly letter. The dedication of your work “Systematic Method of Teaching for Pianoforte Playing and Music” (the latter must not be forgotten!) pleases me much, and you will allow me to take a modest revanche [revenge] shortly, in dedicating one of my latest works to you. Probably Schlesinger will bring out several books of my songs next winter, in which you will perhaps find much that is in sympathy with your ideas of the melody of speech. Hence I wish that you would not refuse me the pleasure of using your name in connection with them, and of letting it precede them, as an interpretation, as it were, of the intention of the songs. Hartel will send you in a couple of days the first seven numbers of the arrangements for two pianofortes of my Symphonic Poems which have already appeared. An arrangement of that kind is not so easy to make use of as a four-hand one. Nevertheless, after I had tried to compass the score of Tasso plainly into one pianoforte, I soon gave up this project for the others, on account of the unadvisable mutilation and defacement by the working into and through one another of the four-hand parts, and submitted to doing without tone and color and orchestral light and shade, but at any rate fixing an abstract rendering of the musical contents, which would be clear to the ear, by the two-piano arrangement (which I could arrange tolerably freely).
It is a very agreeable satisfaction to me that you, dear friend, have found some interest in the scores. For, however others may judge of the things, they are for me the necessary developments of my inner experiences, which have brought me to the conviction that invention and feeling are not so entirely evil in Art. Certainly you very rightly observe that the forms (which are too often changed by quite respectable people into formulas) “First Subject, Middle Subject, After Subject, etc., may very much grow into a habit, because they must be so thoroughly natural, primitive, and very easily intelligible.” Without making the slightest objection to this opinion, I only beg for permission to be allowed to decide upon the forms by the contents, and even should this permission be withheld from me from the side of the most commendable criticism, I shall none the less go on in my own modest way quite cheerfully. After all, in the end it comes principally to this—WHAT the ideas are, and HOW they are carried out and worked up—and that leads us always back to the FEELING and INVENTION, if we would not scramble and struggle in the rut of a mere trade.
When is your Method of teaching coming out? I rejoice beforehand at all the incitement and forcible matter contained in it. You will shortly receive a circular with a letter from E. Hallberger (Stuttgart), who asks me to undertake the choice of pieces to appear in his edition of the “Pianoforte.” Do send something soon to it; it is to be hoped that the establishing and spreading of this collection will prove quite satisfactory.
Fare you well in your work, dear friend, and think affectionately of Yours ever sincerely,
F. Liszt
Weymar, July 9th, 1856.
P.S.—In your next letter send me your exact address.