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My Life, Volume II

R >> Richard Wagner >> My Life, Volume II




In addition to these musical circles I also became acquainted
with Prince Odoiewsky, as the result of an introduction and
strong recommendation by Mme. Kalergis. She had told me that in
the Prince I should meet one of the noblest of men, who would
fully understand me. After a most arduous drive of many hours, I
reached his modest dwelling, and was received with patriarchal
simplicity at his family mid-day dinner, but I found it
exceedingly difficult to convey to him any particulars as to
myself and my plans. With regard to any impressions I might be
expected to gather respecting himself, he seemed to rely on the
effect produced by the contemplation of a large instrument
resembling an organ, which he had had designed and erected in one
of his principal rooms. Unluckily there was no one there who
could play it; but I could not help thinking it must have been
intended for some specially devised form of divine worship, which
he held there on Sundays for the benefit of his household,
relatives and acquaintances. Ever mindful of my kindly patroness,
I attempted to give the genial Prince some idea of my position
and my aspirations. With apparent emotion he exclaimed, 'J'ai ce
qu'il vous faut; parlez a Wolffsohn.' On further inquiry I
learned that the guardian spirit thus commended to me was not a
banker, but a Russian Jew who wrote romances.

All these events seemed to justify the conclusion that my
receipts, especially if I included what I might still derive from
St. Petersburg, would amply suffice to carry out my project of
building a house at Biebrich. I therefore sent a telegram about
it to my authorised agent in Wiesbaden from Moscow, and left
there after a stay of only ten days. I also forwarded one
thousand roubles to Minna, who was complaining that her expenses
for settling down in Dresden were very heavy.

But, unfortunately, on reaching St. Petersburg I met with serious
disappointments. Every one advised me to relinquish the idea of
giving my second concert on Easter Monday, the date I had fixed,
as it was the general custom in Russian society to reserve that
day for private gatherings. On the other hand, I could not well
refuse to give a concert, on the third day after the date
announced for my own, on behalf of those imprisoned for debt in
St. Petersburg, seeing that this was to be given at the urgent
request of the Grand Duchess Helene herself. In this latter
function all St. Petersburg was already interested for the sake
of their own credit, as it was under the most distinguished
patronage; so that, while every seat was sold in advance for this
function, I had to be content with a very empty house at the
Nobles' Casino, and with proceeds which luckily did at least
cover expenses. By way of contrast, the debtors' concert went off
with the greatest success, and General Suwarof, the governor of
the city, a strikingly handsome man, handed me a very beautifully
wrought silver drinking-horn as a thank-offering from the
imprisoned debtors.

I now set about paying my farewell calls, one of which was on
Fraulein von Rhaden, who distinguished herself by the warmth of
her sympathy and interest. By way of compensating me for the loss
of the receipts I had reckoned upon, the Grand Duchess sent me
through this lady the sum of one thousand roubles, coupled with a
promise that, until my circumstances improved, she would repeat
the gift annually. On discovering this friendly interest, I could
not help regretting that the connection thus formed was not
likely to have more stable and profitable results. I addressed a
petition through Fraulein von Rhaden to the Grand Duchess,
praying that she would permit me to come to St. Petersburg for a
few months every year, to place my talents at her disposal, both
for concerts and theatrical performances, in return for which she
would only have to pay me a suitable yearly salary. To this I
received an evasive reply. On the day before my departure I
informed my amiable guardian of my plan for settling at Biebrich,
and in doing so I made no secret of my fear that after spending
the money I had earned here in carrying out my building plan, my
condition might be very much the same as of yore, a fear which
made me wonder whether it would not be better to abandon it
altogether. Whereupon I received the spirited reply: 'Build and
hope!' At the last moment before starting I gratefully answered
her in the same manner, and said that I now knew what to do. Thus
at the end of April I departed, carrying with me the hearty good
wishes of Seroff and the enthusiastic members of the orchestra,
and steamed away across the Russian wilderness without calling at
Riga, where I had been invited to give a concert. The long and
weary road brought me at last to the frontier station of
Wirballen, where I received a telegram from Fraulein von Rhaden:
'Not too rash.' This was in reference to a few lines I had left
behind for her, and it conveyed quite enough to revive my doubts
as to the wisdom of carrying out my house-building plans.

I reached Berlin without further delay, and at once made for
Bulow's house. During the last few months I had heard no news of
Cosima's condition, and it was, therefore, with some trepidation
that I stood at the door, through which the maid did not seem
disposed to let me pass, saying that 'her mistress was not well.'
'Is she seriously ill?' I asked, and receiving a smilingly
evasive reply, at once realised to my joy the true situation, and
hastened in to greet Cosima. She had been some time delivered of
her daughter Blandine, and was now on the highroad to complete
recovery. It was only from casual callers that she remained
secluded. Everything seemed well, and Hans was quite gay, the
more so that he now thought me freed from all care for some time
to come, owing to the success of my Russian trip. But I could not
regard this assumption as justified, unless my wish to be invited
for some months every year to St. Petersburg for renewed activity
there met with a ready response. On this point I was enlightened
in a more detailed letter from Fraulein von Rhaden following the
above telegram, in which she told me on no account to rely upon
this invitation. This distinct statement compelled me to reckon
up the balance of my Russian receipts very seriously, and after
deducting hotel and travelling expenses, the money sent to Minna,
and certain payments to the furniture dealer at Wiesbaden, I
found I had very little more than twelve thousand marks left. So
the scheme of buying land and building a house had to be
relinquished. But Cosima's excellent health and high spirits
dispelled all anxious thought for the present. We drove out again
in a splendid carriage, and in the most extravagant of good
humours, through the avenues of the Tiergarten, dined to our
hearts' content at the Hotel de Russie, and made up our minds
that bad times had fled for ever.

For the immediate present my plans were directed towards Vienna.
I had recently heard that Tristan had once more been abandoned,
this time owing to the indisposition of Frau Dustmann. In order
to have this important matter more directly under my own
supervision, and also because I had formed no such intimate
artistic ties with any other German city as with Vienna, I clung
to this as the most suitable place in which to settle. Tausig,
whom I now met there in excellent health and spirits, entirely
confirmed me in this opinion, and still further strengthened it
by undertaking to find me precisely the pleasant and quiet
dwelling in the neighbourhood of Vienna that I had set my mind
upon, and through his own landlord he succeeded in getting
something exactly to my taste. In what had been the pleasant
abode of old Baron von Rackowitz at Penzing, I was offered the
most delightful accommodation for a yearly rent of two thousand
four hundred marks. I could have the entire upper part of the
house and the exclusive use of a shady and fairly large garden.
In the housekeeper, Franz Mrazek, I found a very obliging man,
whom I at once took into my service, together with his wife Anna,
an exceedingly gifted and obliging woman. For many years, amid
ever-changing fortunes, this couple remained faithful to me. I
now had to begin spending money in order to make my long-desired
asylum fit and cosy both for rest and work. The remnant of my
household belongings, including iny Erard grand, was sent on from
Biebrich, as well as the new furniture I had found it necessary
to buy. On the 12th of May, in lovely spring weather, I took
possession of my pleasant home, and for a while wasted much time
over the exciting cares connected with the fitting up of my
comfortable apartments. It was at this period that my connection
with Phillip Haas and Sons was first established, which was
destined with the lapse of time to give me some cause for
anxiety. For the moment every exertion expended on a domicile
associated with so many hopes only helped to put me into the best
of spirits. The grand-piano arrived in due course, and with the
addition of various engravings after Raphael, which had fallen to
my lot in the Biebrich division, my music-room was completely
furnished in readiness for the 22nd of May, when celebrated my
fiftieth birthday. In honour of the occasion the Merchants'
Choral Society gave me an evening serenade with Chinese-lantern
illuminations, in which a deputation of students also joined and
greeted me with an enthusiastic oration. I had laid in a supply
of wine, and everything passed off excellently. The Mrazeka
looked after my housekeeping fairly well, and thanks to the
culinary arts of Anna, I was able to invite Tausig and Cornelius
to dine with me pretty frequently.

But I was soon in great trouble again, on account of Minna, who
bitterly reproached me for everything I did. Having made up my
mind never to answer her again, I wrote this time to her daughter
Nathalie--who was still in ignorance of the relationship between
them--referring her to my decision of the previous year. On the
other hand, the fact that I sadly stood in need just now of some
womanly attentions and care in the management of the household
became abundantly clear to me when I expressed to Mathilde Maier
of Mayence the ingenuous wish that she would come and supply the
deficiency.

I had certainly thought that my good friend was sensible enough
to interpret my meaning correctly without feeling put to the
blush, and I was very likely right, but I had not made sufficient
allowance for her mother and her bourgeois surroundings
generally. She appears to have been thrown into the greatest
excitement by my proposal, while her friend Louise Wagner was in
the end so powerfully influenced that she frankly advised me,
with homely shrewdness and precision, to obtain a legal
separation from my wife first of all, after which everything else
would be easily arranged. Grievously shocked, I at once withdrew
my offer, as having been made without due deliberation, and
strove as far as possible to allay the excitement thus produced.
On the other hand, Friederike Meyer's inexplicable fate still
caused me much involuntary anxiety. After she had spent several
months of the previous winter in Venice, apparently to her
benefit, I had written to her from St. Petersburg suggesting that
she should meet me at the Bulows' in Berlin. I had taken into
mature consideration the kindly interest which Cosima had
conceived for her, with a view to discussing what steps we could
take to bring order into our friend's flagrantly disorganised
circumstances. She did not appear, however, but wrote instead to
inform me that she had taken up her abode with a lady friend at
Coburg, as her very delicate state of health seriously interfered
with her theatrical career, and was endeavouring to maintain
herself by occasional appearances at the small theatre there. It
was obvious that for many reasons I could not send her an
invitation such as that sent to Mathilde Maier, though she
expressed a violent desire to see me once more for a short time,
assuring me that afterwards she would for ever leave me in peace.
I could only regard it as purposeless and risky to accede to this
wish just then, though I kept the idea in reserve for the future.
During the course of the summer she repeated the same request
from several places, until, as I was engaged late in the autumn
for a concert at Karlsruhe, I at last appointed that time and
place for the desired meeting. From that time forth I never
received the slightest communication from this most singular and
attractive friend of mine, and as, moreover, I did not know where
she was, I looked upon our connection as severed. Not until many
years later was the secret of her position--certainly a very
difficult one--revealed to me, and from the facts then stated I
could only conclude that she shrank from telling me the truth
concerning her connection with Herr von Guaita. It appeared that
this man had much more serious claims upon her than I had
suspected, and she had apparently been compelled by the
necessities of her situation to accept his protection, as he was
the only friend left to her, while his devotion was undeniably
genuine. I heard that she was then living in complete retirement
both from the stage and from society on a tiny estate on the
Rhine with her two children, being, it was believed, secretly
married to Herr von Guaita.

But my careful and elaborate preparations for a quiet spell of
work had not yet been successful. A burglary in the house, which
robbed me of the golden snuff-box presented by the Moscow
musicians, renewed my old longing to have a dog. My kind old
landlord consequently handed over to me an old and somewhat
neglected hound named Pohl, one of the most affectionate and
excellent animals that ever attached itself to me. In his company
I daily undertook long excursions on foot, for which the very
pleasant neighbourhood afforded admirable opportunities.
Nevertheless I was still rather lonely, as Tausig was confined to
bed for a long time by severe illness, while Cornelius was
suffering from an injured foot, the result of a careless descent
from an omnibus when visiting Penzing. Meanwhile I was in
constant friendly intercourse with Standhartner and his family.
Fritz, the younger brother of Heinrich Porges, had also begun to
visit me. He was a doctor who had just set up practice, a really
nice fellow, whose acquaintance with me dated from the serenade
of the Merchants' Glee Club, of which he had been the originator.

I was now convinced that there was no longer any chance of having
Tristan produced at the Opera, as I had found out that Frau
Dustmann's indisposition was merely a feint, Herr Ander's
complete loss of voice having been the real cause of the last
interruption. Good old Conductor Esser tried hard to persuade me
to assign the part of Tristan to another tenor of the theatre
named Walter, but the very idea of him was so odious to me that I
could not even bring myself to hear him in Lohengrin. I therefore
let the matter sink into oblivion, and concentrated myself
exclusively on getting into touch with the Meistersinger again. I
first set to work on the instrumentation of the completed portion
of the first act, of which I had only arranged detached fragments
as yet. But as summer approached, the old anxiety as to my future
subsistence began to pervade all my thoughts and sensations in
the present. It was clear that, if I were to fulfil all my
responsibilities, particularly with regard to Minna, I should
soon have to think of undertaking some lucrative enterprise
again.

It was therefore most opportune when a quite unexpected
invitation from the management of the National Theatre in Buda-
Pesth reached me to give two concerts there, in compliance with
which I went at the end of July to the Hungarian capital, and was
received by the manager Radnodfay. There I met a really very
talented violinist named Remenyi, who at one time had been a
protege of Liszt, and showed boundless admiration for me, even
declaring that the invitation to me had been given entirely on
his initiative. Although there was no prospect of large earnings
here, as I had professed myself content to accept a thousand
marks for each of the two concerts, I had reason to be pleased
both with their success and with the great interest manifested by
the audience. In this city, where the Magyar opposition to
Austria was still at its strongest, I made the acquaintance of
some exceedingly gifted and distinguished-looking young men,
among them Herr Rosti, of whom I have a pleasant recollection.
They organised a truly idyllic festivity for me, in the form of a
feast, held by a few intimates on an island in the Danube, where
we gathered under an ancient oak tree, as though for a
patriarchal ceremony. A young lawyer, whose name I have
unfortunately forgotten, had undertaken to propose the toast of
the evening, and filled me with amazement and deep emotion, not
only by the fire of his delivery, but also by the truly noble
earnestness of his ideas, which he based upon a perfect knowledge
of all my works and undertakings. We returned home down the
Danube in the small boats of the Rowing Club, of which my hosts
were members, and on our way had to face a hurricane, which
lashed the mighty stream into the wildest tumult. There was only
one lady in our party, Countess Bethlen-Gabor, who was seated
with me in a narrow boat. Rosti and a friend of his who had the
oars were concerned solely with the fear that our boat would be
shivered against one of the timber-rafts, towards which the flood
was carrying us, and therefore exerted themselves to the utmost
to avoid them; whereas I could see no other way of escape,
especially for the lady sitting beside me, than by boarding one
of these very rafts. In order to effect this (against the wish of
our two oarsmen) I seized with one hand a projecting peg on a
raft we were passing and held our little vessel fast, and, while
the two rowers screamed that the Ellida would be lost, quickly
hoisted the lady out of the skiff on to the raft, across which we
walked to the shore, calmly leaving our friends to save the
Ellida as best they could. We two then continued our way along
the bank through a terrific storm of rain, but yet on safe and
sure ground, towards the city. My conduct in presence of this
danger did not fail to increase the respect in which my friends
held me, as was proved by a banquet given in a public garden at
which a great number of my admirers were present. Here they
treated me quite in Hungarian style. An enormous band of gipsy
musicians was drawn up, and greeted me with the Rakoczy March as
I approached, while the assembled guests joined in with impetuous
shouts of 'Eljen!' There were also fiery orations with
appreciative allusions to myself and my influence which extended
far and wide throughout Germany. The introductory parts of these
speeches were always in Hungarian, and were meant to excuse the
fact that the main oration would be delivered in German for the
sake of their guest. Here I noticed that they never spoke of me
as 'Richard Wagner,' but as 'Wagner Richard.'

Even the highest military officials were not behindhand in
offering me their homage, through the medium of Field-Marshal
Coronini. The Count invited me to a performance by the military
bands in the castle at Ofen, where I was graciously received by
him and his family, treated to ices, and then conducted to a
balcony whence I listened to a concert given by the massed bands.
The effect of all these demonstrations was exceedingly
refreshing, and I almost regretted having to leave the
rejuvenating atmosphere of Buda-Pesth, and return to my dull and
musty Viennese asylum.

On the homeward journey, in the beginning of August, I travelled
part of the way with Herr von Seebach, the amiable Saxon
Ambassador, whom I had known in Paris. He complained of the
enormous losses he had incurred through the difficulty of
administering the South Russian estates he had acquired by
marriage, and from which he was just returning. On the other
hand, I was able to reassure him as to my own position, which
seemed to give him genuine pleasure.

The small receipts from my Buda-Pesth concerts, of which,
moreover, I had only been able to carry away half, were not
calculated to afford me any effectual relief as to the future.
Having now staked my all on what I trusted might be a permanent
establishment, the first question was how best to secure a
salary, which should at least be certain though not necessarily
over-large. Meanwhile I did not consider myself bound to abandon
my St. Petersburg connection, nor the plans I had founded upon
it. Nor did I entirely disbelieve the assurances of Remenyi, who
boasted that he had great influence with the Magyar magnates, and
assured me it would be no great matter to obtain a pension in
Buda-Pesth, such as I had thought of securing in St. Petersburg
and involving similar obligations. He did, in fact, visit me soon
after my return to Penzing, accompanied by his adopted son, young
Plotenyi, whose extraordinary good looks and amiability made a
very favourable impression on me. As for the father himself,
although he won my warm approbation by his brilliant performance
of the Rakoczy March on the violin, yet I quickly perceived that
his glowing promises had been meant rather to create an immediate
impression on me than to ensure any permanent result. In
accordance with his own desire, I very soon afterwards lost sight
of him altogether.

While still obliged to busy myself with plans for concert tours,
I was able meantime to enjoy the pleasant shade of my garden
during the intense heat, and I used to go for long rambles every
evening with my faithful dog Pohl, the most refreshing of these
being by way of the dairy-farm at St. Veit, where delicious milk
was available. My small social circle was still restricted to
Cornelius and Tausig, who was at last restored to health,
although he disappeared from my sight for some time owing to his
intercourse with wealthy Austrian officers. But I was frequently
joined on my excursions by the younger Porges, and for a time by
the elder also. My niece Ottilie Brockhaus too, who was living
with the family of her mother's friend Heinrich Laube,
occasionally delighted me with a visit.

But whenever I settled down seriously to work, I was goaded
afresh by an uneasy apprehension as to the means of subsistence.
As another journey to Russia was out of the question until the
following Easter, only German towns could serve my purpose for
the present. From many quarters, as for instance from Darmstadt,
I received unfavourable replies; and from Karlsruhe, where I had
applied direct to the Grand Duke, the answer was indefinite. But
the severest blow to my confidence was a direct refusal which
came in response to the application I had at last made to St.
Petersburg, the acceptance of which would have ensured a regular
salary. This time the excuse made was that the Polish revolution
of that summer had paralysed the spirit of artistic enterprise.

Pleasanter news, however, came from Moscow, where they held out
prospects of some good concerts for the coming year. I next
bethought me of a very sound suggestion about Kieff made to me by
Setoff the singer, who thought there was a prospect of a highly
profitable engagement there. I entered into correspondence on the
matter, and was again put off until the following Easter, when
all the smaller Russian nobility congregated at Kieff. These were
all plans for the future which, if I then had considered them in
detail at that time, would have been enough to rob me of all
peace of mind for my work. In any case there was a long interval
during which I must provide, not only for myself, but also for
Minna. Any prospect of a position in Vienna had to be handled
most warily, so that, with the approach of autumn, there was
nothing left me but to raise money on loan, a business in which
Tausig was able to help me, as he possessed extraordinary
experience in such matters.

I could not help wondering whether I should have to give up my
Penzing establishment, but, on the other hand, what alternative
was open to me? Every time I was seized with the desire to
compose, these cares obtruded themselves on my mind, until,
seeing that it was only a question of putting things off from day
to day, I was driven to take up the study of Dunker's Geschichte
des Alterthums. In the end my correspondence about concerts
swallowed up the whole of my time. I first asked Heinrich Porges
to see what he could arrange in Prague. He also held out a
reasonable prospect of a concert at Lowenberg, relying upon the
favourable disposition of the Prince of Hohenzollern, who lived
there. I was also advised to apply to Hans von Bronsart, who at
this time was conductor to a private orchestral society in
Dresden. He responded loyally to my proposition, and between us
we settled the date and programme of a concert to be conducted by
me in Dresden. As the Grand Duke of Baden had also placed his
theatre at Karlsruhe at my disposal for a concert to be given in
November, I thought I had now done enough in this direction to be
entitled to take up something different. I therefore wrote a
fairly long article for Uhl-Frobel's paper Der Botschafter on the
Imperial Grand Opera House in Vienna, in which I made suggestions
for a thorough reform of this very badly managed institution. The
excellence of this article was at once acknowledged on all sides,
even by the press; and I appear to have made some impression in
the highest administrative circles, for I shortly afterwards
heard from my friend Rudolf Liechtenstein, that tentative
advances had been made to him with a view to his accepting the
position of manager, associated with which there was certainly an
idea of asking me to become conductor of the Grand Opera. Among
the reasons which caused this proposal to fall through was the
fear, Liechtenstein informed me, that under his direction people
would hear nothing but 'Wagner operas.'

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