R. had a bad night, he believes to be on account of the newly arisen uncertainty with regard to Vienna; he works on the score; yet, as he has received no reply from America, he resolves not to drive himself. He feels as though he were once more in the situation of his dealings with Rio[1] de Janeiro at that time. — A dispatch from Herr Jauner determines our journey to Vienna. In the evening a tuner arrives from America to examine the Steinway. —
“Don Quixote” no longer gives so much pleasure; the Countess Trifaldi[2]episode grows tedious.
[1] Concerns the discussed award of Tristan to Brazil as a commissioned work by Emperor Dom Pedro.
[2] Image: The Countess Trifaldi, also known as the “Dolorous Matron” or the “Grieving Countess”, is a character in the second part of the novel, Don Quixote. She is a fictitious figure invented by the steward in order to deceive Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Her name is often associated with a kind of carnival masquerade. “Trifaldi” derives from the Spanish “tres faldas” (“three skirts”), in reference to the gown she wears, distinguished by a train divided into three points.
Revised English translation by Jo Cousins [© Jo Cousins | WAGNER Salon]