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Weymar, May 30th, 1849
Thank you much, dear M. Reinecke, for your welcome lines, and I am glad to hope that you are happily arrived at Bremen, which ought to be proud to possess you. The musical taste of that town has always been held up to me, and I feel assured that the inhabitants will have the good taste to appreciate you at your full value, and that you will create a good and fine position for yourself there without many obstacles.
Wagner, who will probably be obliged to lose his post at Dresden in consequence of recent events, has been spending some days with me here. Unluckily the news of the warrant against him arrived the day of the performance of "Tannhauser", which prevented him from being present. By this time he must have arrived in Paris, where he will assuredly find a more favorable field for his dramatic genius. With the aid of success he will end, as I have often said, by being acknowledged as a great German composer in Germany, on condition that his works are first heard in Paris or London, following the example of Meyerbeer, to say nothing of Gluck, Weber, and Handel!
Wagner expressed his regret to me that he had not been able to send a better reply to the few lines of introduction which I had given you for him. If ever you should be in the same place with him do not fail to go and see him for me, and you may be sure of being well received.
I am very much obliged to you for having spoken of me to Schumann in such a manner as he at least ought to think of me. It interested me much to make acquaintance with his composition of the epilogue to "Faust". If he publishes it I shall try to have it performed here, either at the Court or at the theater. In passing lately through Frankfort I had a glance at the score of "Genoveva", a performance of which had been announced to me at Leipzig for the middle of May at latest. I am very much afraid that Schumann will have a struggle with the difficulties and delays which usually occur in trying to get any lofty work performed. One would say that a bad fairy, in order sometimes to counterbalance the works of genius, gives a magic success to the most vulgar works and presides over the propagation of them, favoring those whom inspiration has disdained, in order to push its elect into the shade. That is no reason for discouragement, for what matters the sooner or the later?
A thousand thanks for your exact and obliging packet of cigars. If you should have the opportunity of sending me some samples of a kind neither too thin nor too light, at about twenty to twenty- five thalers the thousand, I shall willingly give an order for some, which might be followed by a larger order.
Schuberth of Hamburg has just sent me your transcriptions of the Schumann songs, which have given me real pleasure. If you publish other things kindly let me know, for you know the sincere interest I feel both in yourself and in your works,--an interest I hope to have the opportunity of showing you more and more.
Meanwhile believe me yours affectionately,
F. Liszt
P.S.--I have not forgotten the little commission you gave me relative to the "Fantasie-Stucke," and in a few weeks I will let you have a copy of the new edition.
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