Letter 1272 - Revision history

Tony: "good-natured" for consistency

2024-07-25T10:09:05Z

"good-natured" for consistency

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:09, 25 July 2024
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	\|Translated text={{right\|27 August}}		\|Translated text={{right\|27 August}}
	Does [[Messer]] have a mother? If so, then find out whether the poor old woman is well. Oh, how often I've prayed for her the last few days. I've just finished correcting [[Messer]]'s work. My dear chap, when I wrote to you 3 weeks ago with my critical remarks about his piano reduction, how far I was from a genuine assessment of this work! It was only when I started the corrections that I realised. [[Alyosha]] will be bringing you all my work in a few days, including [[Messer]]'s piano reduction. You will see that only the first page remains intact (it is done very well, because Mr [[Messer]] copied this passage from my arrangement of the introduction, where it's literally repeated) — everything else had to be redone down to the tiniest detail. No! I could never have imagined such ''absolute mediocrity, such phenomenal incomprehension and stupidity''! You will also be receiving the arrangement of the 3rd act, done by [[Kotek]], and will see what a musician's work means ... the work of a handsome, good natured, yet infinitely talented, well-fed German calf. I should really not wish to offend [[Messer]], who has always given me the impression of a good-natured fellow, and whose attentions to "[[Onegin]]" (represented by proofs that were completely incomprehensible to me) touched me.		Does [[Messer]] have a mother? If so, then find out whether the poor old woman is well. Oh, how often I've prayed for her the last few days. I've just finished correcting [[Messer]]'s work. My dear chap, when I wrote to you 3 weeks ago with my critical remarks about his piano reduction, how far I was from a genuine assessment of this work! It was only when I started the corrections that I realised. [[Alyosha]] will be bringing you all my work in a few days, including [[Messer]]'s piano reduction. You will see that only the first page remains intact (it is done very well, because Mr [[Messer]] copied this passage from my arrangement of the introduction, where it's literally repeated) — everything else had to be redone down to the tiniest detail. No! I could never have imagined such ''absolute mediocrity, such phenomenal incomprehension and stupidity''! You will also be receiving the arrangement of the 3rd act, done by [[Kotek]], and will see what a musician's work means ... the work of a handsome, good-natured, yet infinitely talented, well-fed German calf. I should really not wish to offend [[Messer]], who has always given me the impression of a good-natured fellow, and whose attentions to "[[Onegin]]" (represented by proofs that were completely incomprehensible to me) touched me.

	But you must agree, my dear chap, that it's sad to think of this when considering how my nerves were tasked by ''one part of the first act'', with the rest twice as complex and lengthy, and the 2nd act being twice as long and difficult as the first. Well, in short, I want to ask if you can politely wrest from him everything that isn't ready? If so, then kindly send the full score forthwith to [[Kotek]], who is already in [[Berlin]] (Linkstrasse, № 18, Il Treppe, Herrn Iosef Kotek).		But you must agree, my dear chap, that it's sad to think of this when considering how my nerves were tasked by ''one part of the first act'', with the rest twice as complex and lengthy, and the 2nd act being twice as long and difficult as the first. Well, in short, I want to ask if you can politely wrest from him everything that isn't ready? If so, then kindly send the full score forthwith to [[Kotek]], who is already in [[Berlin]] (Linkstrasse, № 18, Il Treppe, Herrn Iosef Kotek).

Brett: 1 revision imported

2022-07-12T12:23:34Z

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Brett at 13:43, 17 December 2020

2020-12-17T13:43:21Z

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{{letterhead
|Date=27 August/8 September 1879
|To=[[Pyotr Jurgenson]]
|Place=[[Simaki]]
|Language=Russian
|Autograph=[[Klin]] (Russia): {{RUS-KLč}} (a{{sup|3}}, No. 2262)
|Publication={{bib|1901/24|Жизнь Петра Ильича Чайковского ; том 2}} (1901), p. 307–308 (abridged)<br/>{{bib|1938/40|П. И. Чайковский. Переписка с П. И. Юргенсоном ; том 1}} (1938), p. 111–112<br/>{{bib|1963/6|П. И. Чайковский. Полное собрание сочинений ; том VIII}} (1963), p. 341–342
}}
==Text and Translation==
{{Lettertext
|Language=Russian
|Translator=Brett Langston
|Original text={{right|27 авг[уста]}}
Есть у Мессера мать? Если есть, то узнай, здорова ли бедная старуха? О, как она часто поминалась в последние дни. Я только что кончил исправление Мессеровской работы. Душа моя, когда я тебе писал 3 недели тому назад мои критические замечания о его клавираусцуге, то как далёк я был от настоящей оценки этого труда! Только взявшись за исправление, я уразумел, что это такое. Алёша на днях привезёт тебе все мои работы, а вместе с ними и Мессеровский клавираусцуг. Ты увидишь, что только первая страница осталась цела (она сделана очень хорошо, ибо г. Мессер списал это место на моего переложения интродукции, где оно встречается в буквальном повторении), — все остальное пришлось переделывать до мельчайших подробностей. Нет! Никогда я не мог себе представить такой ''абсолютной бездарности, такого феноменального непонимания и тупости''! Ты получишь также и переложение 3-го действия, сделанное Котеком, и увидишь, что значит работа музыканта и работа ... красивого, добродушного, но безгранично бесталанного, упитанного немецкого телёнка. Мне очень бы не хотелось обижать Мессера, который всегда производил на меня впечатление добродушного малого и которого внимание к «Онегину» (проявившееся в совершенно непостижимой для меня корректуре) меня трогает.

Но согласись, душа моя, что грустно иметь в виду ту же раздражающую нервы работу, которую я себе задал по поводу ''одной части первого действия'', но только ещё втрое более сложную и длинную, ибо 2-е действие вдвое больше и вдвое труднее первого. Ну одним словом, я хочу тебя просить, нельзя и учтивым образом отнять от него все, что не готово? Если да, то потрудись тотчас же отослать партитуру в Берлин к Котеку, который уже там (Linkstrasse, № 18, Il Treppe, Herrn Iosef Kotek).

''Котек'' имеет то же свойство, что я — делать скоро и (это уж его свойство) — хорошо. Нельзя ли сказать Мессеру, что я теперь освободился и хочу для скорости сам сделать то, что он не успел? Готовую же его работу тоже потрудись отослать к ''Котеку''. Ну, словом, если тебе удастся вырвать из копыт (хотел сказать когтей, но вспомнил, что Мессер телёнок) Мессера работу, то потрудись послать Котеку: 1) уже готовую работу Мессера для переправки, которую он охотно берет на себя, 2) партитуру 2[-го] действия. Начало 1-го действия, мной ещё не просмотренное, я исправлю сам. Я попаду в Москву не ранее половины сентября.
{{right|Твой П. Чайковский}}

|Translated text={{right|27 August}}
Does [[Messer]] have a mother? If so, then find out whether the poor old woman is well. Oh, how often I've prayed for her the last few days. I've just finished correcting [[Messer]]'s work. My dear chap, when I wrote to you 3 weeks ago with my critical remarks about his piano reduction, how far I was from a genuine assessment of this work! It was only when I started the corrections that I realised. [[Alyosha]] will be bringing you all my work in a few days, including [[Messer]]'s piano reduction. You will see that only the first page remains intact (it is done very well, because Mr [[Messer]] copied this passage from my arrangement of the introduction, where it's literally repeated) — everything else had to be redone down to the tiniest detail. No! I could never have imagined such ''absolute mediocrity, such phenomenal incomprehension and stupidity''! You will also be receiving the arrangement of the 3rd act, done by [[Kotek]], and will see what a musician's work means ... the work of a handsome, good natured, yet infinitely talented, well-fed German calf. I should really not wish to offend [[Messer]], who has always given me the impression of a good-natured fellow, and whose attentions to "[[Onegin]]" (represented by proofs that were completely incomprehensible to me) touched me.

But you must agree, my dear chap, that it's sad to think of this when considering how my nerves were tasked by ''one part of the first act'', with the rest twice as complex and lengthy, and the 2nd act being twice as long and difficult as the first. Well, in short, I want to ask if you can politely wrest from him everything that isn't ready? If so, then kindly send the full score forthwith to [[Kotek]], who is already in [[Berlin]] (Linkstrasse, № 18, Il Treppe, Herrn Iosef Kotek).

''[[Kotek]]'' has the same virtue as myself — to work quickly, and (this is his virtue) — well. Is it possible to tell [[Messer]] that I now find myself free, and for speed I want to do myself what he hasn't been able to? Kindly send his finished work to ''[[Kotek]]'' too. Well, in short, if you managed to wrest [[Messer]]'s work from his hooves (I wanted to say claws, but remembered that [[Messer]] is a calf), then kindly send to [[Kotek]]: 1) [[Messer]]'s already completed work, for correction, which he will gladly take upon himself, 2) the full score of the 2nd act. The start of the 1st act, which I still haven't looked at, I will correct myself. I won't make it to [[Moscow]] before the middle of September.
{{right|Yours P. Tchaikovsky}}

}}