My dear Mason, excuse these bad jokes, justified only by my good intentions; that you may bear yourself valiantly, physically and morally, is the most cordial wish of
Your very friendly affectionate
F. Liszt.
Weimar, December 14, 1854.
You did not know Rubinstein in Weimar?[2] He spent some time here, and was conspicuously different from the opaque mass of self-styled composer-pianists who do not even know what it is to play the piano, still less with what fuel it is necessary to heat one's self in order to compose, so that with what they lack in talent for composition they fancy themselves pianists, and vice versa.
Rubinstein will publish forthwith about fifty compositions—concertos, trios, symphonies, songs, light pieces, etc., which deserve notice.
Laub has left Weimar. Ed. Singer takes his place in our orchestra. The latter gives much pleasure here, and is pleased himself also.
Cornelius, Pohl, Raff, Pruckner, Schreiber, and all the new school of the new Weimar send you their friendliest greetings, to which I add a hearty shake-hand.
F. L.
Other letters received from Liszt are perhaps not very important, but with one exception never having been published before, they are printed in the Appendix.