Letter [Carbon copy] from H. W. Henze to W. H. Auden, October 26, 1964
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Preceding
- 1964-08-27: to Auden
- 1964-10-19: from Auden
Following
- 1964-11-25: to Sacher
- 1964-11-02: from Sacher
[Typescript]
Castel Gandolfo (Rom)
Via dei Laghi 18
I have just written Curtis Brown, which should
make everything clear for you without further
explanations.*
My darling wippet‡
Dafne who once came with me to
see you in Kirchstetten gave birth to two puppies a
few days ago.* That is very exciting and much nicer
than business and 'die Leu‡te' and 'die Welt der Kunst'.
I’ve almost finished changing furniture and redecorating,*
and there are almost no excuses left for not starting
to compose Bassy-dear. Every letter you write me is
pleasant and helpful. The lady who did not like Bassy’s
title must have failed, like me, to look into the
German dictionary: it is there. And that’s it.* And
now I love the title which teaches you that in life
one must always be taught to love. For instance,
il sottoscritto once didn’t like caviar, and once
abhorred gangbangs. Meanwhile he has learned. But
he has always loved and trusted Mother who now he
tenderly embraces.*
P.S. The piano isn’t tuned yet and it takes the tuner
presumably three
days before he comes out here.
P. P. S. Regarding your book "The Enchafèd
Flood",
where do I find the definition of 'enchafèd'?
Editorial
Responsibilities
- Editor(s)
- Elena Minetti
- Transcription
- Elena Minetti
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
- Durchschlagpapier
- 1 folio
- 1 written page
- Dimensions: 280x221 [mm] (HxW)
- gelocht
- Rand: 4 cm
- Leerzeile zwischen Absätzen
- Eingerückte Absätze
Material
Extent
Condition
Layout
Writing styles
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1.Typescript, Henze, Hans Werner.
Text Constitution
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"eu""ue" replaced with "eu"
Commentary
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"… for you without further explanations."Henze wrote to Auden’s agent Curtis Brown about their disapproval of the Helmut Reinold translation of the libretto of The Bassarids.
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"wippet"recte "whippet".
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"… puppies a few days ago."Henze always loved whippets and greyhounds. Notably, he owned greyhounds until his death.
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die L eu te
- the people
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"… finished changing furniture and redecorating,"Most likely Henze is referring here to the "furnishing and redecorating" of his apartment in Castel Gandolfo. At the time of this letter, however, Henze had already purchased the Villa "La Leprara" in Marino, near Rome. Work on the villa had been in progress since early 1963, but he did not live there until 1966. See Henze’s Autobiography, pp. 210-211.
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"… is there. And that's it."Henze alludes here to the fact that the title of The Bassarids had raised many doubts because it was not clear enough. See the Introduction to the correspondence.
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il sottoscritto
- the undersigned
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"… who now he tenderly embraces."In Auden’s previous letter, the librettist had written to Henze not to ask around for too much advice about the title of the work and to trust his "mother", namely Auden himself.
