Letter from C. Kallman to H. W. Henze, February 8, 1961
[Typescript]
77 St Marks Place
Forgive our vulgar and prolonged silence. Wystan is ass-deep in translating
Goethe
* and I’‡ve been suffering with a combination of inertia, sinus, and
having just turned forty.* And then, really, we’ve not got very much to say
outside of compose‡ like never before. Well, yes, there are two or three
points now to be made, so I’ll get to them.
Revelly is the only
possible pronounciation‡
*
One: reveille: Our English dictionary says: re-VEL-ly. Our American
dictionary says: rev-elly (Like Embassy, like I told you) So[sic]‡ you can take your choxxx‡i[sic]‡
choice. Maybe you’d best have alternate accentuations for England and America.
I don’t know. But that suggestion of reveille as in Frog-talk is ridiculous. and the prosody here demands
it into‡ the longend‡
‡
‡
*
Two: You’re right, we’re wrong; it is Haversham‡, not Venables.*
Three: This is important. It[’]s about the possibility of restoring a cut in the
second scene of the last act.* Since we don’t have an uncut version on hand, I
can’t say definitely what I mean. but[sic]‡ I think I can indicate so’s you’ll understand.
What I mean is the whole de‡tailed dialogue between Tony and Elizabeth about
their imaginary future married life, the children, the infidelity etc.* I find that
people reading the libretto in its present shortened form get an impression
of chilly abstract personality-lessness from the final scene. So that just
the most important dramatic aspect of the scene, the "lovers" coming into their
own personalities before their deaths, is missing; and what should be moving
is, in its present form, merely theologically exalted. Am I clear? They
need, I am certain, not only the specific looseness of this dialogue to
establish themselves before their duo-peroration, but they also need the
time to establish themselves in the public’s eye as two people alone together
and distinct before their death can be made fully effective. I also am convinced
that the semi-recitati‡ve the scene would seem to call for, is a necessary
aural relaxation between the intensities of Caroline’s madness plus snow storm
and the double Liebestod.(Feel free, by this way, to shuttle back and forth
in the voices in this, even though its[sic]‡ marked as insieme in the text.) please
con‡sider this seriously. The last act is quite short as it is. For one
thing, a little more length might convince Gly‡ndebourne that they can put
the intermission where God and Auden-Kallm‡an intended it--after the Second
Act-* For another thing, I’ve been listening to Homburg, and my main and
most serious criticism of it is: too much intensity too closely placed.*‡
* That is to say: Too german[sic]‡!‡The
result is slightly wearing on the ear and mind, and one relaxes onesel‡f in
self-defence by not paying attention or by thinking of other thi‡ngs. A work
of art should have its own relaxations built into it; and in this case the
relaxation is both dramatically important and emotionally touching. In other
words, be less ernst to be more effective.
That’s all. Please answer quickly and tell us the date of the Schwetzingen
premiere, the cast, and when rehearsals start.* This last espescially[sic]‡
so’s[sic]‡ we
can plan when to come to Eur‡ope. And it would be nice if we could possibly
see a photo of the decor sketch.*
Love
Chester
Editorial
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: Kallman, ChesterPhysical Description
- Document type: Letter
- Helles, dünnes Papier
- Faltung: 1mal längs, 3mal quer
- 1 folio
- 1 written page
- Dimensions: 280x216 [mm] (HxW)
- Gelocht.
- Zeilenabstand: 1zeilig
- Absatz nicht eingerückt, mit Leerzeilen nach jedem Absatz
- Rand: 3,0 cm
Material
Extent
Condition
Layout
Writing styles
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1.Typescript, Kallman, Chester.
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2.Handwriting, Henze, Hans Werner, pencil.
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3.Handwriting, Kallman, Chester, ballpoint pen (blue).
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4.Handwriting, Auden, Wystan Hugh, ballpoint pen (blue).
Text Constitution
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"1961"Underlining, handwritten, pencil, supposedly by Henze, Hans Werner
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"I’""’8" replaced with "I’"
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"Revelly is the only possible pronounciation"added in the right margin, handwritten, ballpoint pen (blue), Auden, Wystan Hugh
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"So"sic
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"choi"sic
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"cho"deleted by overtyping
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"and the prosody … into the longend"added in the right margin, handwritten, ballpoint pen (blue), Auden, Wystan Hugh
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"into"uncertain transcription
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"longend"uncertain transcription
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"into"uncertain transcription
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"longend"uncertain transcription
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"mean. but"sic
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"e""t" replaced with "e"
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"tati""ativ" replaced with "tati"
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"its"sic
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"n""m" replaced with "n"
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"y""u" replaced with "y"
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"m""a" replaced with "m"
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"*"added inline, handwritten, ballpoint pen (blue), Kallman, Chester
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"* That is … say: Too german!"added in the bottom margin, handwritten, ballpoint pen (blue), Kallman, Chester
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"german"sic
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"el""lf" replaced with "el"
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"i""o" replaced with "i"
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"espescially"sic
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"so’s"sic
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"r""p" replaced with "r"
Commentary
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"… is ass-deep in translating Goethe"Here, Kallman is referring to Auden’s translation (together with Elizabeth Mayer) of Goethe’s Italienische Reise, published under the title Italian journey: 1786-1788 in 1962 in London.
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"… and having just turned forty."Kallman had turned forty on 7 January 1961.
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"compose"recte "composing".
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"… is the only possible pronounciation"Auden added the English word "reveille" in this side note on the right as "Revelly", with a spelling that better suggests the pronunciation, rather than in the correct spelling, derived from French.
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"… demands it into the longend"The word "reveille" appears in Act I, Scene II (The Order of the Day), when Carolina reads the list of instructions for the day that she has taken from the poet Mittenhofern. The second task is "Check spelling of 'reveille'."
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"Haversham"recte "Havisham".
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"… is Haversham , not Venables."In the introduction to the libretto (Genesis of a Libretto, p. 61), the two poets quote a female character from Dickens’ novel Great Expectations as the inspiration for the character of Hilda Mack. Henze apparently must have pointed out that the name of the Dickens character quoted in their text was wrong.
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"… of the last act ."The final libretto Act III, Scene II is entitled Farewells and features Hilda, Carolina, Mittenhofer and the Doctor. Toni and Elizabeth are already on the Hammerhorn where the snowstorm is raging.
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"… the children, the infidelity etc."The detailed dialogue between the two young lovers about their married life, the children they had (Bruno, Olga, Detlef and Willi), Elizabeth’s jealousy of Toni because of a girl from Munich takes place in Act 3, Scene VII (Husband and wife), before they die.
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insieme
- together
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"… intended it--after the Second Act-"As Henze mentioned in his letter on 7 July 1960, for the Glyndebourne premiere Rennert had suggested placing a short two-minute interval after the first act and the long interval about halfway through the second act after Elizabeth’s reflection "My own, the little planet flies".
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"… cast, and when rehearsals start."The premiere took place in Schwetzingen at the Schlosstheater, on 20 May 1961.
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"… photo of the decor sketch." Helmut Jürgens was in charge of the stage design.
