Letter from W. H. Auden to H. W. Henze, March 7, 1960
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Context
Absolute Chronology
Preceding
- 1960-01-25: to Henze
- 1958-12-01: from Henze
Following
- 1960-07-14: to Henze
- 1960-07-07: from Henze
[Manuscript]
77 St Mark’s Place
New York City 3
N.Y.
U.S.A.
1960 (?) ‡
Delighted to get your letter and hope you have received
Chester’s synopsis by now.*
My dear – Piles! – how horrid and undignified for you.
Hope the treatment is not too painful
Rebaptism *
I see your point‡
about
Gundolf‡
‡
, though our protagonist
is sure one to be respected, even as a monster. We suggest
Gerold.
Please leave Hinterhofer
The name of an Austrian Electrician‡
‡ if you possibly can. Leitner‡
doesnt[sic]‡ deserve to be thought of.*
Translation. *
Quite uncertain‡ about the Bachmann: If‡ and what
could be greater than to have a
H.R.H.‡
as a
translator.! If he falls through as anything, my
brother-in-law, Michael Mann, is first-rate, and,
in absolute, a professional‡ musician (viola).*
(Adress[sic]‡. c/o German Dept
Harvard University, Cambridge 38
Mass‡, USA)
Much love
Wystan
Editorial
Responsibilities
- Editor(s)
- Elena Minetti
- Transcription
- Elena Minetti; Joachim Veit
Tradition
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Text Source: Basel (Schweiz), Paul Sacher Stiftung (CH-Bps), Sammlung Hans Werner Henze, Abteilung: Korrespondenz
Shelf mark: Auden, Wystan HughPhysical Description
- Document type: Letter
- Weißes Papier
- Faltung: 1mal längs, 3mal quer
- 1 folio
- 1 written page
- Dimensions: 280x216 [mm] (HxW)
- gelocht
- Rand links: 5cm
- Absätze eingerückt
Material
Extent
Condition
Layout
Writing styles
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1.Handwriting, Auden, Wystan Hugh, ballpoint pen (blue).
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2.Handwriting, Henze, Hans Werner, pencil.
Text Constitution
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"1960 (?) "added below, handwritten, pencil, supposedly by Henze, Hans Werner
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"point"uncertain transcription
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"Gundolf"uncertain transcription
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"… Gundolf"The name is almost illegible, it could also be Gundalf.
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"The name of an Austrian Electrician"added in the left margin
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"… name of an Austrian Electrician"A line connects Hinterhofer’s name to the annotation on the left-hand side of the page.
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"doesnt"sic
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"uncertain"uncertain transcription
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"If"crossed out
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"professional"added above
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"Adress"sic
Commentary
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"… received Chester's synopsis by now."Here, Auden is referring to the synopsis of Elegy for Young Lovers. A document with the synopsis is kept at the Paul Sacher Foundation in the Hans Werner Henze Collection.
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"… Rebaptism"Here, Auden alludes to the renaming of the main character, previously known as Hinterhofer. His first name is fixed here as Gerold, but in the final libretto his name is Gregor Mittenhofer.
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"… deserve to be thought of."Here, probably Auden mentions the conductor Ferdinand Leitner, perhaps because he might have been a possible candidate for the premiere or because he had expressed his opinion about the opera.
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"… Translation."The premiere of Elegy for Young Lovers took place on 20 May 1961 in Schwetzingen with the libretto translated in German. The opera with the libretto in the original language (i.e. English) was premiered on 13 July 1961 in Glyndebourne.
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"H.R.H."abbreviation of "His Royal Highness".
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"… absolute, a professional musician (viola)."Auden suggests his brother-in-law Michael Mann as a translator. He was the brother of Erika Mann, whom Auden had married despite the homosexuality of both of them, in order to enable her to escape from Nazi Germany by means of an English passport acquired through the marriage.
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"Mass"abbreviation of "Massachusetts".
