[A pupil of Liszt's; became later Kammervirtuosin (court-pianist) in Weimar, and lives now in Berlin.]

Pest, December 27th, 1873

Dear Fraulein,

The best "solution" in reply to the ministerial order lies in your hands. Merely play the first page of Henselt's Concerto and no one will doubt that I am very kindly disposed towards you. And I shall be glad to render you further service in your zeal for study and your ambition as a virtuosa. No matter whether I be in Pest or in Weimar.

In all friendliness yours,

F. Liszt

138. To ?

[Autograph without address or date in the possession of Count Albert Amadei in Vienna.--According to him the letter belongs to the year 1873.]

Very dear Fraulein,

Please reply at once per telegram:--"Please do not come.--Liszt does not need or wish to be heard, as he has no one for whom he must strike up."

Tomorrow evening more by word of mouth.

Sincerely yours,

F. Liszt

Monday

139. To Countess Marie Dunhoff in Vienna

[Sketch of a letter in the possession of Herr O. A. Schulz, bookseller in Leipzig.--The addressee, the wife of the German amba.s.sador Von Bulow, lives now in Bucharest.]

[Beginning of January, 1874]

Dear Countess,

You speak to me so eloquently of the merit, talent and superiority of Madame L.B. that I am quite ashamed of not fulfilling her wish subito. But in reality that would be more difficult than she imagines; a "pet.i.t morceau de piano" would only be a small part of the matter; the public is a very exacting master, even in its days of favor; the more it gives the more it expects...

Half a dozen such requests as that of Madame L.B. have been addressed to me at Vienna this week. How can one suffice for such a business, which, be it said in pa.s.sing, is at once outside and far beyond my duties?--At my age one must try to behave reasonably, and to avoid excess; I shall therefore limit myself in Vienna to the one concert of the "Kaiser Franz Joseph Stiftung," [Emperor Francis Joseph Scholarship] which reasons of great propriety, easy to understand, have led me to accept with alacrity. I am told that it will take place on Sunday, 11th January; so be it: I shall willingly conform to the arrangements of the Committee and have no other wish in this matter than...not to inconvenience anybody. [The concert for the "Emperor Francis Joseph Scholarship" did not take place till April; and Liszt did actually play, in the Easter week, for the Countess's protegee, though not in the Concert Room, but in the Palais Auersperg.]

Permit me to hope, dear Countess, that you will not, under the pretext of "discretion," inflict upon me the immense punishment of seeing you less often this time than formerly, and that you will not retract any of your kindness, on which I place the greatest store.

A thousand and a thousand sincere and most respectfully devoted expressions of homage.

F. Liszt

140. To B. Bessel, Music Publisher in St. Petersburg

Horpacs (Chez le Comte Szechenyi), February 2nd, 1874.

Dear Sir,

Pray excuse me for being so late in thanking you,--you and all those who signed the telegram sent to Pest on the occasion of my jubilee fete. I am deeply touched with the n.o.ble sentiments it expresses with a chivalrous eloquence, and beg you to convey the tribute of my most sincere grat.i.tude to Messrs. Balakireff, Borodine, Cui, Moussorsky, Rimski-Korsakoff, Scherbatcheff, and Sta.s.soff.

You were kind enough, Sir, to let me see several of their works at Weimar; I appreciate and esteem them highly, and as far as depends on myself I will do all I can to make them known, and shall feel honored thus to respond to the sympathetic kindness which brave colleagues such as these accord to

Their very devoted

F. Liszt

141. To Professor Skiwa in Vienna

[Printed in the Signale, 1874, No. 20.--Skiwa had dedicated his "Beitrage zur Literatur des Harmoniums" ("Contribution to Harmonium Literature") to Liszt.]

Very Dear Sir,

Kindly excuse the delay in my sending you my sincere thanks, which I shall very shortly take the liberty of expressing to you personally in Vienna. I shall then also ask you to do me the favor of making me more intimately acquainted with your excellent transcriptions. In reading them through one at once observes the author's masterly style and his care and artistic handling of the characteristic peculiarities of the harmonium, especially in the management of the ba.s.ses and the mid-voice parts. But still the mere reading your transcriptions does not satisfy me, and I should like to hear them, so as to be able fully to enjoy them.

Herr Bosendorfer will bring you the ma.n.u.script of the "Consolation," the dedication of which is very acceptable to me.

The transcription of this small piece into A major appears to me very appropriate, and the arrangement excellent.

With marked esteem and friendly thanks,

F. Liszt

Pest, March 2lst, 1874

142. TO C. F. Kahnt, the Music Publisher

[Published in the Neue Zeitung fur Musik, 14th September, 1892.]

Dear Friend,

The day after tomorrow I again go to Vienna, and remain there about a week. In case the "Prometheus" proofs are ready send them to me to my usual address ("Schottenhof bei Hofrath E. v. Liszt") by the middle of Easter week; after that my address will be rather uncertain, as I intend spending a few days in Pressburg and Kalocsa (with Archbishop Haynald), and do not return here till after April 20th. Hence, if the "Prometheus" proofs are not ready within the next few days, do not send them till after my return to Pest (April 21).

Please send the proofs of Mihalovich's songs as soon as possible to the composer, addressed to

"Servitenplatz, im Teleky'schen Haus."