Letter from W. H. Auden to H. W. Henze, October 10, 1965

Writing styles

• 1.

  Handwriting, Auden, Wystan Hugh, ballpoint pen (blue).

Text Constitution

• 1.

  "ours"uncertain transcription
• 2.

  "am""was" crossed out and replaced with "am"
• 3.

  "just"crossed out
• 4.

  "just beginning to get""" (uncertain transcription) replaced with "just beginning to get"
• 5.
• 6.

  "teach"uncertain transcription
• 7.

  "Die Wörte und das Wort."crossed out
• 8.

  "from us both"added above
• 9.

  "drop us a line"uncertain transcription

Commentary

• 1.

  "… Oct 10 th 1965"The date is ascertained by the fact that, at the beginning of the letter, Auden mentions the exchange of telegrams concerning the completion of the full score of The Bassarids. The telegram from the two librettists dated 29 September 1965, replying to Henze, is preserved. The date is also confirmed by the fact that Auden is talking about his lectures in Oxford, which took place in October 1965. Moreover, Auden asks Henze about the date of the premiere of The Bassarids in Salzburg, that was to be held on 6 August 1966.
• 2.

  "N.-Ö."abbreviation of "Niederösterreich".
• 3.

  "… imagine what a red-letter day"The idiom “red-letter day” indicates an important day, because something of special significance happened.
• 4.

  "… us when your telegram arrived."The telegram Auden refers to here has yet to be located. However, it can be assumed that the news Henze announces concerned the completion of the full score of The Bassarids, gives as 28 September 1965 in his Autobiography, p. 208.
• 5.

  "… decide on the exact date?"In his letter of 6 October 1965, Henze had already told Auden that The Bassarids was scheduled for 6 August 1966, but Auden (who was in Kirchstetten) had yet to receive this letter from Berlin, as it had only been five days.
• 6.

  "… rather than in Salzburg itself."The two librettists booked a hotel on Lake Mondsee, an hour away from Salzburg. See Auden’s letter on 10 October 1965.
• 7.

  "… about the Juilliard Elegy ." Elegy for Young Lovers was performed in its US premiere on 29 April 1965, conducted by Henze himself at The Juilliard Opera Theate in New York.
• 8.

  "… new definitive Collected Shorter Poems"The Collected Shorter Poems by W.H. Auden would be published by Faber and Faber in London, in 1966.
• 9.

  "… ten days in England ."Auden would actually leave on 21 October 1965 for London, see also his letter of 20 October 1965.
• 10.

  "… und das Wort Gottes ."Auden gave a talk during the Evensong service at Christ Church, Oxford, on 24 October 1965, entitled “Words & the Word”, picking up the title of his course in Oxford. See “Words and the Word”, in The Complete Works of W. H. Auden, vol. 5, Prose: 1963-1968, pp. 404-407.