LISZT.
In a letter written to Franz von Schober, the poet and writer, and the
intimate friend of Schubert, in 1840, Liszt says: "Most affectionate
remembrances to Kriehuber. His two portraits of me have been copied in
London. They are without doubt the best."
Joseph Kriehuber, whose fine drawing of Liszt at the piano, playing
Beethoven's C sharp minor sonata to some friends, we reproduce, was a
Viennese artist of great talent, who made many excellent portraits in
pencil, lithography, water-colours, and miniatures. In this work,
Kriehuber has introduced a portrait of himself seated at the left of
the pianist, with pencil and sketchbook in hand. Behind the piano
stands Berlioz, and next him is Czerny, the celebrated music teacher
and composer, and the teacher of Liszt.
A Morning with Liszt. From drawing by Joseph Kriehuber.
We will quote here an interesting letter, written from Paris by Liszt
to Czerny. At this time Liszt was but seventeen years old.
"MY VERY DEAR MASTER:—When I think of all the immense obligations
under which I am placed toward you, and at the same time consider how
long I have left you without a sign of remembrance, I am perfectly
ashamed and miserable, and in despair of ever being forgiven by you!
'Yes,' I said to myself, with a deep feeling of bitterness, 'I am an
ungrateful fellow, I have forgotten my benefactor, I have forgotten
that good master to whom I owe both my talent and my success.' …
At these words a tear starts to my eyes, and I assure you that no
repentant tear was ever more sincere! Receive it as an expiation, and
pardon me, for I cannot any longer bear the idea that you have any
ill-feeling toward me. You will pardon me, my dear master, won't you?
Embrace me then … good! Now my heart is light.
"You have doubtless heard that I have been playing your admirable works
here with the greatest success, and all the glory ought to be given to
you. I intended to have played your variations on the 'Pirate' the day
after to-morrow, at a very brilliant concert, that I was to have given
at the theatre of H. R. H. Madame, who was to have been present as well
as the Duchess of Orleans; but man proposes and God disposes. I have
suddenly caught the measles, and have been obliged to say farewell to
the concert; but it is not given up because it is put off, and I hope,
as soon as ever I am well again, to have the pleasure of making these
beautiful variations known to a large public.
"Pixis and several other people have spoken much to me of four
concertos that you have lately finished, and the reputation of which is
already making a stir in Paris. I should be very much pleased, my dear
master, if you would commission me to get them sold. This would be
quite easy for me to do, and I should also have the pleasure of playing
them from first hand, either at the opera or at some big concerts. If
my proposition pleases you, send them to me by the Austrian Embassy,
marking the price that you would like to have for them. As regards any
passages to be altered, if there are any, you need only mark them with
a red pencil, according to your plan which I know so well, and I will
point them out to the editor with the utmost care. Give me at the same
time some news about music and pianists in Vienna; and finally tell me,
dear master, which of your compositions you think would make the best
effect in society.
"I close by sending you my heartfelt greetings, and begging you once
more to pardon the shameful silence I have kept toward you: be assured
that it has given me as much pain as yourself!
"Your very affectionate and grateful pupil,
"F. LISZT.
"December 23, 1828.
"P. S.—Please answer me as soon as possible, for I am longing for a
letter from you; and please embrace your excellent parents from me. I
add my address (Rue Montholon, No. 7bis)."
Returning to Kriehuber's picture, we see, on the master's right, Ernst,
the famous violinist. Writing to his pupil and friend, Franz Kroll,
from Weimar in 1845, Liszt speaks thus of Ernst:
"Ernst has just been spending a week here, during which he has played
some hundred rubbers of whist at the 'Erbprinz.' His is a noble,
sweet, and delicate nature, and more than once during his stay I have
caught myself regretting you for him, and regretting him for you.
Last Monday he was good enough to play, in his usual and admirable
manner, at the concert for the Orchestral Pension Fund. The pieces he
had selected were his new 'Concerto Pathétique' (in F sharp minor) and
an extremely piquant and brilliant 'Caprice on Hungarian Melodies.'
(This latter piece is dedicated to me.) The public was in a good
humour, even really warm, which is usually one of its least faults."
The following epistle, written by Liszt to Ernst, and dated at Weimar,
May 30, 1849, is of special interest because of its references to
Wagner.
"DEAR FRIEND:—Weimar has not forgotten you, and I hope soon to be
able, after the return of the hereditary prince, whom we expect for the
day of his fête, by the 24th of May at the very latest, to forward to
you the token of the distinguished remembrance in which you are held.
It pleases me to think that it will be agreeable to you, and that it
will tend to attach you more in the sequel to people worthy to
appreciate you.
"I should have desired to tell you sooner of this, but the inevitable
delays in present circumstances postpone more than one wish.
"After the deplorable days in Dresden Wagner came here, and only
departed again in order to escape from a warrant (lettre de cachet)
with which the Saxon government is pursuing him. I hope that at the
present moment he will have arrived safe and well in Paris, where his
career of dramatic composer cannot fail to be extended, and in grand
proportions. He is a man of evident genius, who must of necessity
obtrude himself on the general admiration, and hold a high place in
contemporary art. I regret that you have not had the opportunity of
hearing his 'Tannhäuser,' which is for me the most lyric of dramas, the
most remarkable, the most harmonious, the most complete, the most
original and selbstwürdig (the most worthy of his country), both in
foundation and form, that Germany has produced since Weber. Belloni
has, I believe, written to you on the subject of Wagner, to ask for
information as to the actual state of the English opera in London.
"I make no doubt that if it were possible for Wagner to obtain from the
directors a tour of performances in the course of the year for a new
work ('Lohengrin,' the subject of which, having reference to the
Knights of the Round Table who went to search for the Holy Grail, is of
the most poetic interest), he would make a great sensation and large
receipts by it. As soon as he tells me the news of his arrival in
Paris, allow me to induce him to write to you direct, if his plans do
not change in this matter."
As for Berlioz, we find Liszt in 1854 endeavouring to aid him in
securing a production of "Benvenuto Cellini." Liszt writes about it to
Wilhelm Fischer, chorus director at Dresden, thus:
"DEAR SIR AND FRIEND:—Your letter has given me real pleasure, and I
send you my warmest thanks for your artistic resolve to bring 'Cellini'
to a hearing in Dresden. Berlioz has taken the score with him to Paris
from Weimar, in order to make some alterations and simplifications in
it. I wrote to him the day before yesterday, and expect the score with
the pianoforte edition, which I will immediately send you to Dresden.
Tichatschek is just made for the title rôle, and will make a splendid
effect with it; the same with Mitterwurzer as Fieramosca, and Madame
Krebs as Ascanio, a mezzo-soprano part. From your extremely effective
choruses, with their thorough musicianly drilling, we may expect a
force never yet attained in the great carnival scene (finale of the
second act); and I am convinced that, when you have looked more closely
into the score, you will be of my opinion that 'Cellini,' with the
exception of the Wagner operas,—and they should never be put into
comparison with one another,—is the most important, most original
musical dramatic work of art which the last twenty years have to show.
"I must also beg for a little delay in sending you the score and the
pianoforte edition, as it is necessary entirely to revise the German
text and to have it written out again. I think this work will be ready
in a few weeks, so you may expect the pianoforte edition at the
beginning of February. At Easter Berlioz is coming to Dresden to
conduct a couple of concerts in the theatre there. It would be
splendid if you should succeed in your endeavours to make Herr von
Luttichau fix an early date for the 'Cellini' performance, and if you
could get Berlioz to conduct his own work when he is in Dresden. In
any case, I shall come to the first performance, and promise myself a
very satisfactory and delightful result.
"Meanwhile, dear friend, accept my best thanks once more for this
project, and for all that you will do to realise it successfully, and
receive the assurance of the high esteem of
Yours very truly,
"F. LISZT,
"Weimar, January 4 (1854)."
A few years later, in 1862, Liszt addresses his friend, Dr. Franz
Brendel, the writer on music, saying:
"I have just received a few lines from Berlioz. Schuberth, whom I
commissioned before I left to send the dedication copy of the 'Faust'
score to Berlioz, has again in his incompetent good nature forgotten
it, and perhaps even from motives of economy has not had the
dedication plate engraved at all! Forgive me, dear friend, if I
trouble you once more with this affair, and beg you to put an
execution on Schuberth in order to force a copy with the dedication
page from him. The dedication shall be just as simple as that of the
Dante symphony, containing only the name of the dedicatee, as follows:
"'To Hector Berlioz.'
"After this indispensable matter has been arranged, I beg that you will
be so kind as to have a tasteful copy, bound in red or dark green,
sent perhaps through Pohl (?) to Berlioz at Baden (where he will be at
the beginning of August)."
Liszt was always generous to a fault; he carried charity almost to
excess. If it were possible that his art could be forgotten, his name
would still be gratefully remembered for his numberless deeds of
kindness. We have quoted Wagner's acknowledgment of Liszt's exertions
in his cause, and his efforts on behalf of Robert Franz rescued that
composer from poverty when old age was coming upon him. Beethoven was
always the object of Liszt's worship, and the monument to the master at
Bonn was reared chiefly through his labours of love.
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