Letter from W. H. Auden/C. Kallman to H. W. Henze, January 25, 1960
[Typescript]
77 St Mark’s Place
New York City 3
New York
Delighte‡d to get your letter
* and to hear you a‡re satisfied*
We will do the synopsis and a little piece on the conception of the
libretto right away.*
Two little musical suggestions.
-
I) The Doctor– Gräfin * duet in Act I. Blow where It[sic]‡ will.This is
Opera Buffa a’‡la Rossini. The passages of short lines in each
stanza,ie Tooth decay,etc, Deal with mail,etc,Versification,etc
should be prestissimo and sound as if they were delivered
without taking breath.* -
2) Epilogue to Act III Since this occasion is Hinter’s * birthday,
it would be appropriate if,whixxxx‡ the orchestra were playing
a birthday serenade which would sound muted so‡ long as he is
in his dressing room,suddenly swell when he comes on stage,and
die away when he raises his hand to ask for silence.(ideally[sic]‡,it
should be for Organ,but I believe opera houses do not have
organs with 32 foot stops,let alone 64. Hence,a sort of‡
wind-instrument D‡ivertimento might be the most practical and
fitting.*
For your curiosity and the historical record,here is the list of whom‡
wrote what.*
We shall much look forward to seeing you in Kirchstet‡ten
in the
summer.*
P.S. will write soon
Editorial
Author(s)
Responsibilities
- Editor(s)
- Elena Minetti
- Transcription
- Elena Minetti
Tradition
-
Text Source: Basel (Schweiz), Paul Sacher Stiftung (CH-Bps), Sammlung Hans Werner Henze, Abteilung: Korrespondenz
Shelf mark: Auden, Wystan HughPhysical Description
- Document type: Letter
- dünnes Papier
- Faltung: 1mal längs, 1mal quer
- 1 folio
- 1 written page
- Dimensions: 280x216 [mm] (HxW)
- Schrift sehr verblasst. Gelocht. Das unterste Loch ist zur Außenkante hin gebrochen.
- Rand links: 4cm
- Zeilenabstand: 1,5zeilig
- Absätze eingerückt.
- Leicht nach rechts verschoben.
Material
Extent
Condition
Layout
Writing styles
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1.Typescript, Auden, Wystan Hugh.
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2.Handwriting, Henze, Hans Werner, pencil (dark).
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3.Handwriting, Auden, Wystan Hugh, ballpoint pen (blue).
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4.Handwriting, Kallman, Chester, ballpoint pen (blue).
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5.Handwriting, Kallman, Chester, ballpoint pen (blue).
Text Constitution
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" 60 (?) "added below, handwritten, pencil (dark), supposedly by Henze, Hans Werner
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"… 60 (?)"This handwritten date was probably added by Hans Werner Henze.
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"te"added inline, handwritten, ballpoint pen (blue), Auden, Wystan Hugh
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"a"added inline, handwritten, ballpoint pen (blue), Auden, Wystan Hugh
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"It"sic
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"’"added above, handwritten, ballpoint pen (blue), Auden, Wystan Hugh
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",whi"deleted by overtyping
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"so"added inline, handwritten, ballpoint pen (blue), Auden, Wystan Hugh
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"(ideally"sic
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"f""d" replaced with "f"
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"D"added inline, handwritten, ballpoint pen (blue), Auden, Wystan Hugh
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"t""e" replaced with "t"
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Following: handwritten, ballpoint pen (blue), Auden, Wystan Hugh
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Following: handwritten, ballpoint pen (blue), Kallman, Chester
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Following: handwritten, ballpoint pen (blue), Kallman, Chester
Commentary
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"… d to get your letter"The letter has so far not been located.
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"… hear you a re satisfied"Henze was most probably satisfied with Auden and Kallmans’ libretto for Elegy for Young Lovers.
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"… of the libretto right away."It is very likely that the texts on the synopsis of the opera and the genesis of the libretto were written for the programme notes of the premiere of Elegy for Young Lovers. The text on the conception of the libretto was later printed in the libretto published by Schott under the title Genesis of a libretto.
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"… I) The Doctor – Gräfin" "Gräfin" means Countess in German and refers to Mittenhofer’s secretary Carolina Gräfin von Kirchstetten.
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"… were delivered without taking breath."In this duet, Doctor Reischmann and Countess Carolina von Kirchstetten sing about the recognition they should receive for having kept the poet in good health with their care, despite the scant consideration they received. Musically, Henze follows the advice of the two librettists by writing a duet that recalls Rossini’s syllabic way of singing in a progressive crescendo with a comic effect.
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"… Since this occasion is Hinter's" "Hinter" is the Nickname for Hinterhofer, who is called Mittenhofer in the final version of the opera.
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"… the most practical and fitting."This epilogue in Act III, Scene IX (Elegy for Young Lovers) features the appearance of Mittenhofer (at the time of this letter still known as Hinterhofer), who on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday in a Viennese theater presents his poem inspired by the tragic story of the two lovers who died during the snowstorm. Henze would not follow Kallman’s musical suggestion. He does not compose a "birthday serenade" for organ or winds, but rather a "largo" for winds, piano and strings. See the study score of Elegy for young Lovers, pp. 521-524.
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"whom"recte "who".
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"… list of whom wrote what."The librettists attached a document specifying which parts were written by Auden and which by Kallman, but this document has not been located to date.
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"… ten in the summer ."In his Autobiography, p. 166, Henze writes that in 1960 he left Naples to move to West Berlin for a few months and that during the trip by car he spent a weekend visiting his librettists in Kirchstetten. In this letter, Auden is probably referring to this meeting.
