intervals which are indicated in the first bars of the piece.
You intimate the friendly desire that I should revisit Paris. Travelling at my age becomes burdensome, and I greatly fear that I should be found out of place in capitals like Paris or London, where no immediate obligation calls me. This fear does not make me less grateful towards the public, and especially towards my Parisian friends, to whom I acknowledge myself to be so greatly indebted. Besides, I should not like completely to give up the thought of ever seeing them again, although the deplorable performance of the Gran Mass in 1866 left a painful impression upon me.
This is easily explained on both sides. Nevertheless, it would be too much for me in future to expose myself to such misapprehensions. Without false modesty or foolish vanity I cannot allow myself to be classed among the celebrated pianists who have gone astray in composing failures.
By the way, allow me to ask a question. If I were to return to Paris, would you feel disposed, dear friend, to repeat your former offence by conducting any of my works in I know not what orchestral concert? I dare not ask you to do it, but, supposing that a favorable opportunity should occur, I should be very proud to be present. Meanwhile be so good as to remember me very kindly to Viscount Delaborde, and to thank your colleague of the Institute, Massenet, sincerely for his telegram. He will excuse me for not answering him at once. To fulfil the duties of a correspondent is an insoluble problem for your very grateful and devoted friend,
F. Liszt
Rome, December 8th, 1887.
256. To Ludwig Bosendorfer
Very Dear Friend,
I was raised to a very exhilarated state of mind by the many tokens of sympathy and friendship on the 22nd October. [Liszt's 70th birthday.] To give it expression, I wrote several pages of music, but no letters at all. Antipathy to letter-writing is becoming a malady with me…Have the kindness to beg my friends in Vienna to excuse this. Perhaps I may yet live long epough to prove my affection to them in a better way than by words. My health does not preoccupy me at all; it is fairly good and only requires care, a thing which is at times irksome to me.
As usual for the last 10 years, I shall return to Budapest in the middle of January '82.