Letter from H. W. Henze to M. Barnet, October 12, 1970

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more details: General Remark.
La Leprara
Via del Fontanile
Marino (Roma)
Oct‡ 12, 1970 Querido Miguel,

esta vez no sirve racontarte‡ mucho del trabajo porque Leo puede
racontarte‡ todo.* Para mi‡, el mas‡ importante era el hecho [de] que
Leo ha dirigido la orquesta mas‡ famosa del mundo, la filarmonica‡
de Berlin‡, y ha tenido un exito‡ fabuloso, con su nueva obra
Exaedros II.* Yo creo que está muy contento. Ademas‡, hemos
hecho un trabajo feroz de propaganda pro – Cuba, revolucionaria.
“El Cimarrón”, en la misma sala filarmonica‡,* ha causado una tremenda
demostración de solidaridad en el público: al final, muchisimos‡ han
batudo‡ ‡ el ritmo Ho Ci[sic]‡ Minh, juntos con‡ nosotros sobre el podio. Ti‡
puedes imaginar como‡ fue [de] feliz, aquella noche!

Ahora voy [a] hacer una vacación‡ en el Sur,* y al‡ mi regrezo‡ espero
encuentrar‡ noticias de Cuba porqué‡ espero que me invitan‡ en Noviembre[sic]‡.*
Tengo que trabajar mucho en la investigacion‡ sobre la musica‡ del tiempo
de Rachel porqué‡ tengo que escribir toda la obra hasta el verano‡ *
Hemos desarrollado mas‡ ideas fabulosas: todo el mundo de Rachel se
presenta como la mentaledad‡ y las formas del capitalismo en su decadencia
siempre mas‡ irevocable‡. Un mundo de putas y‡ h.‡d.p.‡ qui‡ se elemina.

La unica‡ preocupación que tengo es el miedo [a] que no me hacen‡ venír‡ *
en‡ Cuba porqué‡ son tiempos dificiles‡ y yo no puedo hacer muchas
cosas utiles‡...así se vee‡ como‡ es futil‡ y‡ inutil‡ la existencia del
artista !! .....

te mandamos los espechuelos‡: ¿lindos, verdad?*

un forte abrazo
hasta pronto (espero)

Fausto te saluda. hans

[Figure: ]
‡

traijeré‡ la cinta de el[sic]‡ Cimarrón * ‡

Querido Miguel

que‡ tal, jo‡ bien, espero
que los espejuelos te vadan‡ bien, ho
caido‡ tambien‡ lente blanca e‡ si‡
tu puede‡ si quieres cambiar de
color_ Roma me cansa mucio‡ e‡
me gustaria‡ volver in‡ Cuba con
Hans para un alho‡ ‡ solo largo _
Saludame todos los compagneros
que jo conoscii in l’Habana,
Caita, ecc. ecc_‡

A pronto‡
Fausto_

Exp. 199
no. 3

La Leprara
Via del Fontanile
Marino (Roma)
Oct 12, 1970 Dear Miguel,

This time it’s not worth telling you much about work because Leo can tell you everything. For me, the most important thing was the fact that Leo has conducted the most famous orchestra in the world, the Berlin Philharmonic, and has had fabulous success with his new work, Exaedros II. I think he is very happy. Moreover, we have done tremendous work for pro-Cuban, pro-revolutionary propaganda. In the same philharmonic hall, “El Cimarrón” caused a tremendous show of solidarity in the audience: at the end, many of them applauded the Ho Chi Minh rhythm, with us on the podium. You can imagine how happy that night was!

Now I am going on holiday in the South, and on my return I hope to have news from Cuba because I hope they invite me in November. I have to work a lot researching music from the time of Rachel because I have to compose the whole work before summer. We have developed more fabulous ideas: Rachel’s whole world is presented as the mentality and forms of capitalism in its increasingly irrevocable decadence. A world of whores and bastards is what is eliminated.

The only concern I have is the fear that they won’t need me to come to Cuba because these are difficult times, and I can’t be of much use...so one can see how futile the existence of the artist is !! .....

We have sent you the glasses: nice, aren’t they?

Take care, See you soon (I hope),

Fausto sends you his regards, hans

I will bring the tape of El Cimarrón

How are you? I am fine. I hope the glasses work well for you. I also got a white lens so that you can change colour if you want to. Rome tires me a lot and I would like to go back to Cuba with Hans for a whole year. Give my regards to all the comrades I met in Havana, Caita, etc. etc_

See you soon, Fausto_

Exp. 199
no. 3

Translation by Yolanda Acker

Editorial

General Remark

The description of the sources was made according to the provided digital copies.

Tradition

  • Text Source: Miguel Barnet, Private Collection

    Physical Description

    • Document type: Letter

      • Material

    • mittelblaues Briefpapier
    • Faltung: 1mal quer, 1mal längs

      • Extent

    • 1 folio
    • 2 written pages

    • Condition

    • Auf der Rückseite der Seite ist die Seite am rechten Rand und in der Nähe der Falten vergilbt.
      •

      Layout

    • Vorgedruckte Kopfzeile in der oberen linken Ecke. Auf der Vorderseite ist der von Henze verfasste Text ausgerichtet und ein Satz am linken Rand vertikal geschrieben. Auf der Rückseite ist der Text von Moroni ausgerichtet und mit größeren Abständen geschrieben.

Writing styles

Text Constitution

  • 1.
    "… al final, muchisimos han batudo"Batuto is a “neologism” by Henze, derived from Italian.
  • 2.
    "Ci"sic
  • 3.
    "Noviembre"sic
  • 4.
    " "added inline, handwritten, felt pen/fineliner (light red), Moroni, Fausto Ubaldo
  • 5.
    " traijeré la cinta de el Cimarrón "added in the left margin, Text turned clockwise (270°), handwritten, felt pen/fineliner (blue), Henze, Hans Werner
  • 6.
    "el"sic
  • 7.
    Following: handwritten, felt pen/fineliner (light red), Moroni, Fausto Ubaldo
  • 8.
    "alho"uncertain transcription
  • 9.
    "… con Hans para un alho"This word is unclear, but could be “año”.
  • 10.
    Following: handwritten, pencil

Commentary

  • 1.
    "Oct"abbreviation of "Octubre".
  • 2.
    "racontarte"recte "contarte".
  • 3.
    "racontarte"recte "contarte".
  • 4.
    "… porque Leo puede racontarte todo."Brouwer had returned to Havana from Berlin and so he himself could recount first-hand the events that Henze writes about later.
  • 5.
    "mi"recte "mí".
  • 6.
    "el mas"recte "lo más".
  • 7.
    "mas"recte "más".
  • 8.
    "filarmonica"recte "filarmónica".
  • 9.
    "Berlin"recte "Berlín".
  • 10.
    "exito"recte "éxito".
  • 11.
    "… nueva obra Exaedros II ." Exaedros II was conducted by Brouwer himself in Berlin on 3 October 1970 at the Philharmonie with the Berliner Philharmonic. See Henze’s Autobiography, p. 297.
  • 12.
    "Ademas"recte "Además".
  • 13.
    "filarmonica"recte "filarmónica".
  • 14.
    "… la misma sala filarmonica ,"The German premiere of El Cimarrón was indeed held at the Philharmonie during the Berliner Festwochen on 20 September 1970 with the same musicians as the premiere. See also Henze’s letter to Enzensberger of 17 August 1970.
  • 15.
    "muchisimos"recte "muchísimos".
  • 16.
    "batudo"recte "aplaudido".
  • 17.
    "juntos con"recte "junto a".
  • 18.
    "Ti"recte "¡Te".
  • 19.
    "como"recte "cómo".
  • 20.
    "una vacación"recte "unas vacaciones".
  • 21.
    "… una vacación en el Sur,"It is not clear where Henze went on holiday in the south, but in his Autobiography, p. 302, he writes that in the autumn and winter of 1970-1971 he travelled “rather aimlessly”.
  • 22.
    "al"recte "a".
  • 23.
    "regrezo"recte "regreso".
  • 24.
    "encuentrar"recte "encontrar".
  • 25.
    "porqué"recte "porque".
  • 26.
    "invitan"recte "inviten".
  • 27.
    "… me invitan en Noviembre ."Henze’s dream was to return (for the third time) to Cuba, as also stated in his letter to Enzensberger on the same day (see also Enzensberger’s response on 17 October 1970), but he never received an official invitation from Cuba.
  • 28.
    "investigacion"recte "investigación".
  • 29.
    "musica"recte "música".
  • 30.
    "porqué"recte "porque".
  • 31.
    "hasta el verano"recte "antes del verano".
  • 32.
    "… la obra hasta el verano"Henze did not complete the score of La Cubana until September 1972. See Henze’s letter to his librettist Enzensberger on 3 September 1972.
  • 33.
    "mas"recte "más".
  • 34.
    "mentaledad"recte "mentalidad".
  • 35.
    "mas"recte "más".
  • 36.
    "irevocable"recte "irrevocable".
  • 37.
    "y"recte "e".
  • 38.
    "h.d.p."abbreviation of "hijos de puta".
  • 39.
    "h."recte "hh."
  • 40.
    "qui"recte "que".
  • 41.
    "unica"recte "única".
  • 42.
    "hacen"recte "hagan".
  • 43.
    "venír"recte "ir".
  • 44.
    "… que no me hacen venír"In the end, Henze was unable to go to Cuba.
  • 45.
    "en"recte "a".
  • 46.
    "porqué"recte "porque".
  • 47.
    "dificiles"recte "difíciles".
  • 48.
    "utiles"recte "útiles".
  • 49.
    "vee"recte "ve".
  • 50.
    "como"recte "cómo".
  • 51.
    "futil"recte "fútil".
  • 52.
    "y"recte "e".
  • 53.
    "inutil"recte "inútil".
  • 54.
    "espechuelos"recte "espejuelos".
  • 55.
    "… los espechuelos : ¿lindos, verdad?"See Barnet’s letter of 12 August 1970 in which he asked Moroni for a pair of glasses. See also Moroni’s message below.
  • 56.
    [Figure Description]⟶: A red arrow is used to indicate that there is more writing on the other side (please turn over). It was probably drawn by Moroni, who wrote on the back of the letter with the same pen.
  • 57.
    "traijeré"recte "llevaré".
  • 58.
    "… la cinta de el Cimarrón"Henze would have liked to bring a recording of one of the performances of the work, but could not bring it himself as he did not return to Cuba.
  • 59.
    "que"recte "qué".
  • 60.
    "jo"recte "yo".
  • 61.
    "vadan"recte "vayan".
  • 62.
    "ho caido"recte "he cogido".
  • 63.
    "tambien"recte "también".
  • 64.
    "e"recte "y".
  • 65.
    "si"recte "así".
  • 66.
    "tu puede"recte "tú puedes".
  • 67.
    "mucio"recte "mucho".
  • 68.
    "e"recte "y".
  • 69.
    "gustaria"recte "gustaría".
  • 70.
    "in"recte "a".
  • 71.
    "Saludame todos los compagneros que jo conoscii in l’Habana, Caita, ecc. ecc_"recte "Salúdame a todos los compañeros que yo conocí en La Havana, Caita, etc. etc."
  • 72.
    "A pronto"recte "Hasta pronto".

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        Credits

        Mit freundlicher Genehmigung der Hans Werner Henze-Stiftung (Dr. Michael Kerstan).

        If you've spotted some error or inaccuracy please do not hesitate to inform us via henze-digital [@] zenmem.de.

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