133

Liszt reports plans to visit Italy hours before an accident preventing it

Franz Liszt

Autograph Letter Signed, "F. Liszt," to "Dear esteemed friend,"

in German, denying rumors of his travelling to Germany or France, reporting that he will be near Rome until January and then in Budapest until April, remarking that performance of "Elisabeth" [The Legend of St. Elisabeth, his oratorio first performed in 1865] in Frankfurt can wait, if it might upset the public. 2 pages, 8vo, written on recto and verso of a single sheet; short closed tears at upper and lower edges, folds.

Weimar, 2 July 1881.

  • Notes: ". . . The business of letter writing is becoming more and more of a burden to me as every day the post bring me a dozen letters. . . . [M]y extended stay in Germany is simply a false newspaper story--the same is true of my trip to Paris. As I have done for years, I shall spend the months from September until the new year in the Villa d'Este (near Rome) and from January to the beginning of April in Budapest. There is no hurry about the performance of 'Elisabeth' in Frankfurt. Do it whenever it is suitable. After all, there is no need to upset the public."

    Soon after having penned this letter--on the same day--Liszt fell down the steps of his Weimar residence during a visit from relatives. Liszt downplayed the injuries he sustained, but they were significant enough to keep him in bed for months, preventing him from making his routine trip to Villa d'Este, a place he would never visit again. Liszt's health began to decline thereafter, and he died five years later.
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April 9, 2026 12:00 PM EDT
New York, NY, US

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