Autograf: letzter Nachweis 1905 im Besitz von Jacob Teschner, New York (vgl. Druck 1)
Druck 1: H[enry] E. K[rebiehl], „Founder of the Philharmonic. His Relations with Mendelssohn, Spohr and Hauptmann”, in: New York Daily Tribune 29.10.1905, S. 7 (englische Übersetzung)
Druck 2: „Spohr and Mendelssohn and the New York Philharmonic Society”, in: Musical Times 47 (1906), S. 540f. (englische Übersetzung)
Druck 3: Martin Wulfhorst, „Hill, Spohr, Mendelsohn and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony : A Mid-nineteenth-century Music Festival in New York”, in: Newsletter Institute for Studies in American Music 15.2 (1986), S. 8-11, hier S. 9 (englische Übersetzung)
Cassel, January 4, 1845
Highly Respected Sir:
As honorable to me as your invitation to conduct the first American music festival is, my duties are unfortunately of a character to compel me to decline. You will know from the English journals that I was unable to get a furlough for the Norwich festival three years ago. Since then I have made many unpleasant experiences of the same character. Only a short time ago I had to decline another invitation from Norwich, a second one from Berlin, where my ”Fall of Bablyon“ was given for the first time1, a third for the opening of a new music hall in Hamburg, and was only luckty enough to secure a week's furlough to conduct a music festival in Braunschweig2, where my ”Fall of Bablyon“ was also performed. To visit America I should have to have a furlough of at least three months, and such I dare not ask. I must therefore forego the honor which you had planned for me, and I make haste to inform you of the fact since your letter was en route an incredibly long time, and did not reach my hands until the last days of the year which has just ended. If you should nevertheless still have a mind to perform my oratorio ˮThe Fall of Babylon,“ you can get the score, pianoforte score and voice parts with English text from Professor Edward Taylor (Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, London), for our German edition published by Breitkopf und Hartel, in Leipsic, has only German words.
If now you want to turn to Mendelssohn, know that he lives in Frankfort-on-the Main, has severed his connections with Berlin, and will not be compelled, like me, to decline your invitation because of inability to get leave of absence. Have the goodness to greet my daughter3 and her family most heartily, and say to her that my new opera was received with an enthusiasm wholly unheard of in Cassel on New Year's Day4, and will be repeated within a few days. We shall soon write to her and report our musical doings during the winter. In the home of her sister5 and in our own all is well. Greatly did we rejoice at the intelligence that you are contemplating another visit to Europe and that we may hope to see you here. Farewell and keep in friendly recollection your devoted
Louis Spohr
Autor(en): | Spohr, Louis |
Adressat(en): | Hill, Ureli Corelli |
Erwähnte Personen: | Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Felix Taylor, Edward Wolff, Ida Zahn, Emilie |
Erwähnte Kompositionen: | Spohr, Louis : Der Fall Babylons Spohr, Louis : Die Kreuzfahrer |
Erwähnte Orte: | Berlin Braunschweig Frankfurt am Main Hamburg Kassel New York Norwich |
Erwähnte Institutionen: | Breitkopf & Härtel <Leipzig> Hoftheater <Kassel> |
Zitierlink: | www.spohr-briefe.de/briefe-einzelansicht?m=1845010410 |
Dieser Brief ist die Antwort auf Hill an Spohr, 16.11.1844. Hill beantwortete diesen Brief am 28.05.1846.
[1] Die Berliner Erstaufführung von Spohrs Oratorium Der Fall Babylons durch die Sing-Akademie zu Berlin fand am 12.02.1845 statt (vgl. Berliner musikalische Zeitung 26.10.1844, nicht paginiert).
[2] Vgl. „L. Spohr’s Oratorium: ,Der Fall Babylons,’ aufgeführt am 29. September 1844“, in: Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung 46 (1844), Sp. 735f.
[3] Emilie Zahn.
[4] Vgl. O[tto] K[raushaar], „Cassel, im Januar 1845“, in: Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung 47 (1845), Sp. 256-260.
[5] Spohrs zweitälteste Tochter Ida, verheiratete Wolff.
Kommentar und Verschlagwortung, soweit in den Anmerkungen nicht anders angegeben: Wolfram Boder (03.05.2017).