Most honoured Herr Doctor,
The time has now arrived when I must come to an understanding with you regarding the interpretation of the various contracts or bonds which I concluded and signed with the firm of B. Schott’s Sons for the purpose of obtaining various advances, amounting together (if I mistake not) to 16,000 florins. Herr Mazière will bear witness that, immediately after Herr Schott’s death, I expressed my misgivings as to the execution of that clause according to which an instrumental composition of the character of an overture was to be remunerated to me with 1,000 florins. At that time Schott had omitted, in the bond forwarded to me for signature, the word “minimum” which I had required to be inserted before the sum of 1,000 florins. To my relief, I was assured that the Schott company would never make any use that was unworthy or detrimental to me of that nature. The case has now arisen in which, for the European publication of my “American Festival March,” as you will perceive from the enclosed, 9,000 Reichsmark are offered to me. According to Herr Friedländer, however, Bote & Bock likewise approached me in Berlin with the proposal to exceed that offer, so that I should be in a position to dispose of this composition for 12,000 marks. I therefore request you, with all possible brevity, to determine whether you are willing to undertake the publication of this March in consideration of striking 9,000 Reichsmark from my indebtedness, with reckoning of 5% for the present duration of the loan; or whether you prefer to renounce this publication on condition that the definitively obtained honorarium (possibly amounting to 12,000 marks) be paid over to you in cash, as an instalment upon my debt to you. –
Through the lawsuit of Fürstner against Fr. Kistner I learn, moreover, that by the new legislation the property in the melody, as in France, is secured to the publisher of a larger work, whereby the hitherto customary pretext (unhappily employed also against myself two years ago) that even a most celebrated opera is of little value to its publisher, since any other person may, under the titles of Fantasias, Transcriptions, Potpourris, etc., exploit the best of its melodies, has now become invalid as a means of diminishing the author’s honorarium. From this I infer that my operas published by the Schott company have subsequently acquired a considerably enhanced value— a circumstance which, in forming your decision, I beg you kindly to take into consideration.
With best greetings
Yours,
Remaining with the highest respect,
Richard Wagner.
Bayreuth, 26 March 1876.
Revised English translation by Jo Cousins [© Jo Cousins | WAGNER Salon]