Weymar, July 31st, 1856.
Hans von Bulow has been with me a couple of days, and goes to Baden-Baden the day after tomorrow. Winterberger is scoring an extraordinary triumph by his organ-playing in Holland, and played the Prophete and BACH Fugue [Fugue on the name of Bach] before an audience of two thousand people with immense success.
Do not forget to give my friendly greetings to Genast [the celebrated Weimar actor, afterwards Raff's father-in-law] and my homage to Mademoiselle Doris [Afterwards Raff's wife, an excellent actress].
159. To Anton Rubinstein
It is a very great regret to me, my dear Rubinstein, to have to miss your visit the day after tomorrow, of which you sent me word by Mr. Hallberger. You know what a sincere pleasure it always is to me to see you again, and what a lively interest I take in your new works. This time in particular I am at high tension about the completion of your Paradise Lost. If the continuation and the end correspond with the beginning which you showed me, you have reason to be really and truly satisfied with yourself, and you may sleep in peace conscious of having written a grand and beautiful work.
Unfortunately, whatever curiosity I have to be quite assured of this, I cannot stay here any longer, and must start tomorrow morning for Gran, where, in spite of a lot of useless talk, the thread of which you have perhaps followed in the papers, they will end after all by giving my Mass on the 31st of August (the day of the consecration of the Basilica). You see that I have only just time to set the thing on foot, and cannot, without the risk of unpleasantness, defer my arrival beyond the day which, moreover, I officially fixed about a week ago.
Please excuse me then, my dear Rubinstein, for my involuntary fugue, and allow me to make up for it without too much delay. On my return from Hungary I shall come through Stuttgart (towards the middle of September). Perhaps I shall find you still there, which would be a very great pleasure. We would sing together the choruses, solos, and orchestra of your new score with all our might! And Winterberger (who has just had a fabulous success at Rotterdam, Haarlem, etc., where he has given several organ concerts largely attended) might also be one of the party, for I expect to make the journey from Zurich with him, and on our way we shall explore the organs of Ulm, Stuttgart, Friburg, and Winterthur.
Will you let me know by a few lines what your plans are for the end of the summer and autumn? Shall you return to Leipzig? Will it suit you to try your Oratorio first at Weymar? In this latter case, which you may be sure will be the most agreeable to me, I will try to facilitate the arrangements that have to be made as regards copies, and to save you the expense of copying. Toward the end of October, at latest, I shall be back here; and, if we do not meet before, I count on your not letting this year elapse without coming again for a few days to your room at the Altenburg, where you are certain of being always most cordially welcome, for we shall make no changes.
If you have a quarter of an hour to spare do write a piece of a few pages for Hallberger, without making him wait any longer, for I especially want one of your loose works to appear in the first copy of the "Pianoforte."
The Princess bids me give you her best compliments, to which I add the expression of frank and cordial friendship of your very devoted