VIII
To N. F. Meck.
“Village of Nizi, June 6th (18th) 1878.
“Forgive me, my friend, for not having written to you from Petersburg. In the first place, I was afraid my letter might not reach you in time, and secondly, you cannot imagine what a hell my three days’ sojourn in Moscow proved to be. They seemed more like three centuries. I experienced the same joy when I found myself in the train once more that I might have felt on being released from a narrow prison cell. I have come here in answer to the invitation of a hospitable old friend, Kondratiev, whom I formerly used to visit almost every summer. Here I composed Vakoula and many other works.”
To N. F. von Meck.
“Kamenka, June 24th (July 6th), 1878.
“You want to know my methods of composing? Do you know, dear friend, that it is very difficult to give a satisfactory answer to your question, because the circumstances under which a new work comes into the world vary considerably in each case.
“First, I must divide my works into two categories, for this is important in trying to explain my methods.
“(1) Works which I compose on my own initiative—that is to say, from an invincible inward impulse.
“(2) Works which are inspired by external circumstances: the wish of a friend, or a publisher, and commissioned works.