[Autograph in the possession of Herr Alexander Meyer Cohn in
Berlin.]
Dear Friend,
Your friendly letter has again brought me a whiff of German air, which is all the more welcome to me here as I have not too much of it. One sees extremely few German papers in Rome—also I read them very irregularly—and my correspondents from Germany are limited to two, of whom friend Gottschalg, my legendary Tieffurt Cantor, is the most zealous. His letters flow from his heart—and are therefore always welcome to me.
For all of good news that you tell me I give you twofold thanks. Firstly, because you have for the most part brought it about, prefaced it, and seen it through. And then, because you tell it me in so friendly a fashion. Although I have long been prepared to bear the fiasco of my works quietly and unmoved, yet still it is pleasant to me to learn that the "Faust" Symphony in Leipzig did not have such a very bad fate. [In one of the "Euterpe" concerts, under Bronsart's conducting, at which Schnorr of Carolsfeld sang the tenor solo.] Do not fail, dear friend, to give Herr Schnorr my best thanks—and if perchance my songs would be a little pleasure to him will Kahnt be so good as to send Schnorr a copy (bound) at my order?
With regard to the Bronsart affair, I sincerely regret that I had not the opportunity of smoothing matters down sooner. Between people of one mind dissension and variance should never appear— much less lead to an outbreak. As you ask me for my opinion, I openly confess that in the main Bronsart appears to me perfectly justified in vindicating his choice of new compositions for the musical directors, in spite of the fact that the two or three experiments he has made do not show in favor of the principle (as seen by the consequences). But between ourselves we must not conceal the fact that a great part of the laxity and corruption of our musical condition in Germany (as also elsewhere) is to be attributed to the too great—or too petty—yielding and pliancy of conductors and music-directors. I well know that the Euterpe Committee nourishes and cherishes quite another idea than that of the company X. Y. Z., or of the Court Theater directors A. B. C. D. Yet the question constantly arises—Shall the cook cook? Shall the coachman drive?—Ergo let the musician also have his own way. The harm that may spring from that is not so very terrible.
On the other side, I consider a change of persons in the management of a new institution is not desirable. In intellectual movements in particular the leaders of them are especially recommended to keep themselves conservative as regards their people. The public requires definiteness before all else—and just this is endangered by a change of persons. The substitute for B., whom you mention to me (his name also begins with B.), is certainly highly to be recommended in all that concerns talent, position, and I think also worthy character; none the less do I vote very decidedly that Bronsart be retained—if possible.
I do not need to add, dear friend, that this opinion of mine is a purely objective one. I have not heard a word from Bronsart since last September, and, as I said to you before, my musical news from Germany is limited to two, or at most three letters which Gottschalg wrote me.
With the wish that all difficulties may be smoothed in the best way by your intelligent gentleness and forbearance, I remain your warmly devoted
F. Liszt
[Rome] April 12th, 1862