I shall be much pleased to become fully acquainted with the new works by Kremser, Hasel and Ziehrer, which you promise me, on my return.
Meanwhile with best thanks and kind greetings, yours in all friendship,
F. Liszt
Rome, August 7th, 1864 (Madonna del Rosario)
34. To Eduard Liszt
Weimar, September 7th, 1864 (In the blue room of the Altenburg)
It grieved me to have to do without your presence at the Tonkunstler-Versammlung in Carlsruhe, dearest Eduard. Your letter, however, speaks of your having made some advance in your career, and this greatly delights me. I hope you will soon have more definite news to communicate to me on the subject. You know that to see you prosperous is one of the satisfactions I most desire in life!—
As regards the Tonkunstler-Versammlung you will find a kindly and satisfactory resume of the proceedings in the supplement of the Allgemeine Augsburger Zeitung—3lst August, 1st to 3rd September. Bulow was unfortunately prevented by serious illness from conducting. From a personal as well as an artistic point of view I felt his absence very keenly—however no complaint whatever can be made about the performance, and the reception accorded by the audience, especially to my Psalms, was extremely favorable. I assuredly never expected to meet with such sympathetic appreciation, after my experiences of former years. Friend Lowy had, on this occasion, no reason to hide himself in a seat at the back! In the Chamber-music soirees three of my Songs ("Es muss ein Wunderbares sein," "Ich liebe Dich," and "Mignon") were sung by Herr and Frau Hauser, and an encore was demanded. Remenyi played magnificently, and Fraulein Topp [Alida Topp, a pupil of Liszt's.] is a marvel.
At the conclusion of the Tonkunstler-Versammlung I started early on Sunday morning for Munich with Cosima (who remained with me the whole week of the concerts). Hans was confined to bed at the Bairischer Hof; his nervous rheumatic complaint has now settled in his left arm, which he will probably be unable to move for several weeks to come. In addition to the physical pain he suffers most grievously from this enforced state of inactivity. To endure things patiently is to some natures an absolute impossibility. He travelled back to Berlin, ill as he was, last Saturday, accompanied by his wife, and I have promised to go and spend a couple of days with him after my visit to Prince Hohenzollern in Lowenberg, where I go in a day or so.
Of Wagner's wondrous fortune you are sure to have heard. No such star has ever before beamed upon a tone-or a word-poet. N.B.— H.M. the King of Bavaria addresses his communication, "To the Word-and Tone-Poet, Richard Wagner." More by-and-by about this remarkable affair of Wagner's. I saw him in Munich on several occasions, and spent one day alone with him in his villa on the Starnberger See.