Better news; Herr von Hülsen reports, in friendly brevity, that all is in order; Dr Jauner postpones “Die Walküre” until at least January; Fräulein Scheffsky intends to come on Monday. R. sends a telegraph to the King, supposing that their first meeting twelve years ago fell upon this day; the King returns his greetings, correcting him that it was on the 4th. —
R. rehearses the final scene of the third act with satisfaction; he explains that the theme “Didst thou not sing to me thy knowledge, etc.” occurred to him once when we were driving home together from Hergeschwyl. The connection of places with musical motives—the American march, for example, with the old gate here. —
He speaks with delight of the beauty of “The Diver”, which he has today read in the new Elzevir edition,[1] praising its artistic perfection. —
Much pleasure in the evening from the introduction by M. Bernays to the correspondence between Goethe and F. A. Wolf:[2] good style, an excellent tone and manner of thought, and a most interesting subject.
[1] Editions by Elzevier, a Dutch family of printers; their handy format, clean printing, and clear serif typeface give them a classic feel.
[2] Friedrich August Wolf (1795–1824), classical philologist in Halle and Berlin, had personal contact with Goethe and Wilhelm von Humboldt; “Goethe’s Letters to Friedrich August Wolf,” 1868, edited by Michael Bernays, with an explanation of Goethe’s relationship to antiquity.
Revised English translation by Jo Cousins [© Jo Cousins | WAGNER Salon]
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