New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-02-13
LlSZT AT HOME.

| WA1NEh FAnio-LiSLT5 DlefUfE Win AEN>
DELssOHN.
II. r. Hdrefs ~ Be0ravia.
! In another moment saw side door open, and the
venerable figure of List, already for years engraven
| on my heart, advanced toward me.
| 1t was the same noble and commanding form
with the large finely chiselled features the restless
gttering eye still full of untamed fire. the heavy
| white hair, hick mantlinR on the brow. He came
forward with that winning smile OF bonhomte which
at once invites cordality, and drew to him with
both hands. conducting me at once into little innes
| sitting roOm with window opening on to the dis
| tant CamDagna.
The kospiiaias de gareon proved anything but
sauce fauitless beefsteak or bisteecoo dressed
with fried mushrooms, cooked dry; apeculiar salad,
composed of variety of herbs in addition to eeks,
onions, lettuce and fruit, the ike OF which can
never hope to taste until lunch again with the
| Abbate at the Villa dEste.
We were alone. need not say that. in such com.
| pany the wines seemed to me to possess an ideal
| fragrance and Siciian favor wholly unlike and
| incomparably superior to the heavy vina2es OF
Sschn and CHOPIN eGs bad awavs wished
| to ask; but at first the conversation was
%mch more general We SPOKE o. the curious recent
bis operas bad been produced at Bologna and juse
then kienzi" az Rome. YES he said, the Italians
are beginning to understand more kinds Of melody
than one; they perceive, perhaps, that WagneI's
melody pervadAs each part OF his score that You
have melSdie plasiesrs etages' This notion Of
me as most apt. az we'll as humorous
Speaking of Wagner. related to him an unhappy
80 -.' to try and prevail on Wagner. when in
E gland. to accompany lie to his house
30 night, where we were 70 meet royal
Princess most anxious to see Wagner. reluc-
family undertook the mission, but failed to induce
the great Maestro to 60 with me, and so was placed
IN the unpleasant position OF having 10 apologize on
nv arrival for his absence "Ab said L's2t, laugh
ing "a similar thing occurred 10 me lately: some
roy aties at Sienna asked me 10 yet Wagner to meet
them but knew Warner Getts ta and at once de-
Your mention OF Lord - reminds me that knew
HIM years ago. Indeed. in my young days. was on
rfgrettabe event occurred to also. Some ladies'
present mportuned me to play. was not unwl-
ling but | did not quite care for the
clined; indeed. l believe l left the house
rather, abruptly. Wen. it was time
tals of Europe, aud much more fuss was beng made
with me than was perhaps necessary and then, you
know. was much younger and / dare Sal acted
He spoke very little OF his extraordinary successes
when at his zenith, which can only be compared to
f hs sposs With pde Of Ssvna rearcd tue
celebrated kiss of Beethoven. Ave" he said,
when was very young man, and In public too,
rising talent; but my fat her got SCHNEIDER 10 in
duce beethoven to come aud hear me-and he en,-
braced me before the whole company" similar
event occurred to joachim who, when boy, re-
ceyed the public embrace of MeLdessOhn after
PLAYING fngue OF Baclrs.
Having been accused, III America and elsewhere,
of misrepres ntIng the relations between Wagner
and Meyerbeer, aud knowing that Wagner will
never mention Mcyerbeers name, nor allow any;
one 20 speak of him in his presence, l asked
Lad reduced Wagner to NJ; Jo, IN
Paris, wIlh a to bringing Opt his I" Flying
Dutchman." knowing all the time that N. JCy was
on the point OF bankruptcy WELL" said lIszC.
"thtl is probably true No one Is exactly 10 biame
if young unkuOwH man fans to arrive at once al the
(irande Opera dc Paris getting up @ work there is
a question OF many months and thousands OF
pounds. Wag eI's librettO was bought for q small
cu,, tnIs discarded. and he practically
turned adrlt Afterward, he was VIGOROUSLY forced
to live by arranging Italian opera tunes Tor the piano
ana corie;-a- piston. 1t is possible that Meyerbeer
NAV have been of some small Use to Wagner at first,
but Wagner will not hear of him. Mendelssoan had
the antiDathy.
Now saw another opportunity: " / have often
wondered. IN reading Ne dels ohn's letters" said,
why his illusions to You are 50 brief and Sc. SO few;
and that you or Cnopiu played; and
to y. though in his ausions to many of his great
contemporaries he IS often explicit and detailed
enough" An! WELL" said List. Memberships
letters have bec To some extent. what Is called ar
ranged and selected Tor publication. There is o
good deal which 1t not advisable to PRINT or
somethLg between me and Mendessohn; / am
sure don't qn..e Know what but at one lime q
certain Goodness sprang M between us; 1t wa, how
ever. much more between our followers than be-
tween Meudelssohn did Lot get on with the
Freuch !, ~ Par,,,, for instance, and with reason
difficulties with the musical authorities, some of
whom were certainly my frieuds The
a5 i'' set tin; ea fsT IN "f 'ls msrni %s,
about II o'clock; he was 'harmIng, full OF lie and
vigor, aud received me joyously . Nine. Aendels-
go, still stayed on talking ind playing till sud-
denly it was o'clock. and then he said Now YOU
must say and dine So stayed, and left about 8
O'clock tfer delightful day then the next tIlne
We met, we had some words abont Meyerbeer,
whom Meudelssohn could not endure, and
spoke rather hoty. dare say 'Tas IN the wrong,
huts chow. from that Ceased to be quite
so cordial. aud We did not meet very often; but
thereawas rupture or quarrel between u.s. mono
eyer our partIsans quarree,i; but between us per-
sonally there was never any real amnesty. And
then quite late in his career year before he died,
Mendf ssehn did very graceful R.,5 tle thing:
Chorus che '0 e5p.ed il BeetLoyons hand oaS Of
Mozar's Don Juan; ne knew n,h,. 1t vas
bade mo keep 1t for his sake. Well, was travelling
abou-l gave it with other tnIngs iut0 my mother
keeping, and suppose 1t was SHOW about, ait
some one stole it, at any rate, IL disappearcd; bue
/ always like to remember il, because y proved
that, Notwithstanding the serious differences differences
vna ethdas Defors his Sesh psrsoa felt
The conversation turning on Heine-"Of course l
whom it is difficult to class; his reputa:
ton was a celebrite fdatrae. Yes he alluded
to me in some Of his prose works not unkinlIy.
had the misfortune tmdtddreSsel I" set on' OF DIS
songs to music"
How few good poems tnere are sul'apie ZOE
musicV -,
"les, and how little good music ~
OF Paranini he said :"No one who has not heard
HIM can form the least idea Of his playing. TIE
performances. the tunes IN harlnonics,
and the arpesglos used IS he used them, were then
ali new 10 the public and the players too; they sat
staring at him pen-mOuthed. Every one can play
his music now, but the same impression eau never
again be made.n
Sneaking Of Bulow and of Rubinstein. he sand,
" They are two men who stand quite apart from all
the rest STILL the general level OF pIanoforte-pIay.
inc has immensely risen within the last twenty
years There u.s. however. a good deal of .humbug'
about some professional regulations y ana pretend"
ING TO hold very carefully watering pot. he added,
Some regulations take good deal Of judicious
watering. | could mention some who had the good
fortune to marry people who watered them beauti.
fully in the newspapers. 1t makes some difference,
ran knnw. l don't say that You can create Y repu.