I must be found guilty [of negligence?]. I do not apologise. My aversion to letter-writing has grown excessive. But who could answer more than two thousand letters a year without becoming an idiot?
I have been ailing a good deal for the last three months. As soon as there was an improvement, something else appeared. Do not let us mention this any more, for you know how little my health occupies my thoughts, and how disagreeable it is to me to hear it talked of. In short, I feel sufficiently recovered to set out for Rome the day after tomorrow. My very dear granddaughter Daniela goes with me, and will remain till the beginning of January. This is a providential pleasure on which I did not count at all, but for which I thank the good angels.
I will tell you by word of mouth the minor reasons which prevented me from sooner communicating your two splendid scores and the pianoforte duet arrangements of them to the publishers, Breitkopf and Hartel. Your fine manuscripts have at last reached Leipzig, and you will soon have a letter from the present proprietors of the ancient and illustrious house Breitkopf and Hartel, with their conditions for publication, which will be their ultaiytalunz. They are aware of the sincere interest I take in your works, and will, I trust, share it, without leading you into any expense.
Stern [Adolph Stern in Dresden, author of the libretto.] has given me fairly good news as to the preparations for the performance of your Haubar at Dresden. Young composers are always too impatient.—
Pray remember me cordially to our excellent friends the Veghs,
Albert Apponyi, Madame d'Eotvos and her daughter, Mademoiselle
Polyxena, and…I was just going to add the name of a charming
woman with whom I am out of favor.
Yours ever,
F. Liszt
Bayreuth, October 8th, 1881
My address from the middle of October to the lst of January: Via and Hotel Alibert, Rome.
You are held in affectionate remembrance at Wahnfried. Wagner is finishing the instrumentation of the 2nd act of Parsifal, and gives it his most passionate attention. We shall have something new, marvellous, unheard of, to hear.