F. Liszt
Wilhelmsthal, October 1st, 1864
37. To Madame Jessie Laussot
You will be good enough to excuse me, dear Madame, for having delayed replying to your kind letter. Amongst your many rare qualities there is one that I particularly admire; it is the prowess of your musical sympathies. Nevertheless I must scruple to expose you to too harsh trials, and, knowing by experience with how little favor my works meet, I have been obliged to force a sort of systematic heedlessness on to myself with regard to them, and a resigned passiveness. Thus during the years of my foreign activity in Germany I constantly observed the rule of never asking any one whatsoever to have any of my works performed; more than that, I plainly dissuaded many persons from doing so who showed some intention of this kind—and I shall do the same elsewhere. There is neither modesty nor pride in this, as it seems to me, for I simply take into consideration this fact—that Mr. Litz [Liszt quotes the very common misspelling of his name which has frequently been seen since he was "le petit Litz" in Paris.] is, as it were, always welcome when he appears at the Piano (—especially since he has made a profession of the contrary—) but that it is not permitted to him to have anything to do with thinking and writing according to his own fancy. The result is that, for some fifteen years, so-called friends, as well as indifferent and ill-disposed people on all sides, sing, enough to split your head, to this unhappy Mr. Litz, who has nothing to do with it, "Be a pianist, and nothing but that. How is it possible not to be a pianist when, etc., etc."
Possibly they are right—but it would be too much to expect me to sign my own condemnation. Far from that, I confess that contradiction ends by tempting me seriously, and that I am resolved to pursue it to the end, without any illusion or approbation whatever. Only at certain moments I fancy that that judicious maxim of Champfort is somewhat applicable to me "Celebrity is the punishment of talent and the chastisement of merit."
Our friend Sgambati is happily in a fair way to incur this punishment and chastisement—and certainly with very good reason. He has done wonders this winter at his four concerts, which have had a success both of fashion and of real good taste. I, for my part, have gained a thorough affection for Sgambati, and the remarkable development of his talent of so fine and noble a quality interests me keenly.
A thousand very cordially affectionate and devoted things.
F. Liszt
Rome, March 6th, 1865
38. To Dr. Franz Brendel