May her soul live for ever in the fulness of the light and peace of God!—
Very cordially yours,
F. Liszt
October 15th, 1863
(Madonna Del Rosario, Monte Mario.)
Pray excuse my delay in these few lines. It was only yesterday that I learned your address through Mr. Sgambati.
24. To Dr. Franz Brendel
Dear Friend,
Kahnt's last sending that reached me last week brought me much that I found pleasant and encouraging in the numbers of the Neue Zeitschrift. I could verily not have imagined that so mild and kindly a ray of light could have been shed over my compositions discussed there, as is given under cipher 8. Let me know who writes under cipher 8—I promise not to divulge the secret—and meanwhile present my as yet unknown reviewer with my sincerest thanks for his appreciation of my nature, which he manifests in so kind and sympathetic a manner in his commentary to the "Seligkeiten" [Beatitudes] and the instrumentation of "Mignon's Song." [The review was written by Heinrich Porges.] He has formed the most correct estimate of my endeavors by pointing to the result, namely, to throw life into the truly Catholic, universal and immortal spirit—hence to develop it—and to raise the "culture that has been handed down to us from the remote Middle Ages, out of the heavy atmosphere of the monasteries and, as it were, to weave it into the life-giving ether of the free spirit pervading the universe."
I also perfectly agree with the extremely applicable close of the same article: "Our age has not yielded its right to feel itself connected with the Infinite," and I intend to set to work in earnest to comply, as far as possible, with the kindly expectations of my reviewer. His reference to my Psalms leads me to wish that I might soon see the four Psalms published in score (they are very diverse, both as regards feeling and musical form). Kahnt's willingness to publish them is, therefore, welcome news to me, and I beg he will give me a proof of his goodwill by kindly having them ready for next Easter's sale.