Carl Maria von Weber an Charles Kemble in London
Dresden, Donnerstag, 6. Januar 1825

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Absolute Chronology

Preceding

Following

Direct Context

Preceding

Following

Charles Kemble.

Esqr.

Mannager of the Royal-Theatre

Coventgarden

London‡

Sir!

I habe received Your Kind letter and the first Act of Oberon with great pleasure. But: — it is too late, — and seems impossible Δ to finish such a work forΔ the next Season. TheΔ more so asΔ I have only the first Act withoutΔ a plan of the whole.      Before I Δ know the extentΔ and the character of all the Δ musical pieces, I can calculate neither‡ the encreaseΔ of the effects, nor the complection of each individualΔ piece.

Without the surwey ofΔ the whole, my phantasy can not possiblyΔ develop itselfΔ, or be chained down toΔ minutes.

I [w]right this in the firstΔ days of Δ January. This month will certainly pass, ere I receive the other two acts. — At Easter You wish me in London with the new opera. — Easter falls upon the fourt[h] April*. —Δ March would be lostΔ by the journey and the preparations for it. — what left‡ have I left?Δ one month, Δ which I canΔ not even employ entierlyΔ at this performance.

Whether now underΔ these circumstances my presence in London can be advantageous; or whether it were notΔ better to delay this undertakingΔ till the Season of 1826: — all these questions only You Sir can solve.Δ

Besides this, consider, dear Sir, that my personal arrival in London would wear off the edge of the interest of the public for a compositeur, who can not afford to bring along with him a new entertainment for its greedy ears.‡ |

I haveΔ thought it my duty, to acquaintΔ you immediately withΔ my opinion.      We can consol ourselves with its not beingΔ our fault. Now I have yet to confite uponΔ Your Kindness for my weakΔ english Δ, and to assure You of the Δ esteem and friendship with whichΔ I have the honor to signΔ Sir! your mostΔ obedient
ServantΔ
Charles Marie de WeberΔ Dresden the 6t January 1825.

Editorial

Summary

dankt für 1. Akt Oberon; bis Ostern kann er die Komposition nicht mehr vollenden, zumal er erst den Gesamtplan kennen müsse; bittet um Verschiebung auf die Saison 1826

Incipit

“I have received Your Kind letter and the first”

Responsibilities

Übertragung
Eveline Bartlitz; Joachim Veit

Tradition in 2 Text Sources

  • 1. Text Source: Philadelphia (US), The Historical Society of Pennsylvania Library (US-PHhs)
    Shelf mark: Wizter Family Papers, Butler Section, Box 35, Folder 9

    Physical Description

    • 1 DBl. (3 b. S. einschl. Adr.)
    • Siegelrest
    • PSt: a) DRESDEN | 6. Jan. 25 b) Rundst.: FPO | JA 17 | 1825 c) ALLEMAGNE | PAR | FORBACH
    • durchgehend in lateinischer Schrift

    Corresponding sources

    • Copy: Berlin (D), Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Musikabteilung (D-B)
      Shelf mark: Weberiana Cl. II B, 2ß, Nr. 1a, S. 885-886

      Physical Description

      • deutsche Übersetzung
  • 2. Text Source: Draft: Berlin (D), Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Musikabteilung (D-B)
    Shelf mark: Mus. ms. autogr. theor. C. M. v. Weber WFN 6 (XVII), Bl. 90a/r

    Physical Description

Text Constitution

  • 1.
    “… London”Im Entwurf hat Weber die Adresse unten gegenüber der Abschiedsfloskel am Rand notiert.
  • 2.
    “to me”crossed out
  • 3.
    “for”deleted text illegible
  • 4.
    “the”“how” crossed out and replaced with “the”
  • 5.
    “so as”“what” crossed out and replaced with “so as”
  • 6.
    “without”“of the Work sence” crossed out and replaced with “without”
  • 7.
    “not”crossed out
  • 8.
    “t”“s” crossed out and replaced with “t”
  • 9.
    “… pieces, I can calculate neither”im Entwurf ursprünglich: not for neither calculate; zur jetzigen Form korrigiert
  • 10.
    “encrease”“raising” crossed out and replaced with “encrease”
  • 11.
    “complection”“colour” crossed out and replaced with “complection”
  • 12.
    “each individual”“every” crossed out and replaced with “each individual”
  • 13.
    “surwey of”“commanding view over” crossed out and replaced with “surwey of”
  • 14.
    “not ”“im” crossed out and replaced with “not ”
  • 15.
    “it”“me” overwritten with “it”
  • 16.
    “down to”“of by the” crossed out and replaced with “down to”
  • 17.
    “in the first”“the former” crossed out and replaced with “in the first”
  • 18.
    “[…]”deleted text illegible
  • 19.
    “[…]”deleted text illegible
  • 20.
    “be lost”“disappear” crossed out and replaced with “be lost”
  • 21.
    “left”crossed out
  • 22.
    “what have I left?”“what restreminds me?” crossed out and replaced with “what have I left?”
  • 23.
    “rest”crossed out
  • 24.
    “reminds”added above
  • 25.
    “or almost two when you me permit time”crossed out
  • 26.
    “I can”deleted text illegible
  • 27.
    “employ entierly”“only for” crossed out and replaced with “employ entierly”
  • 28.
    “only”uncertain transcription
  • 29.
    “under”“among” crossed out and replaced with “under”
  • 30.
    “not”crossed out
  • 31.
    “not”added above
  • 32.
    “all”crossed out
  • 33.
    “this enterprize undertaking”added in the margin
  • 34.
    “enterprize”crossed out
  • 35.
    “questions”“demands” crossed out and replaced with “questions”
  • 36.
    “can”crossed out
  • 37.
    “can”added in the margin
  • 38.
    “reply for”crossed out
  • 39.
    “… entertainment for its greedy ears.”Dieser Abschnitt wurde im Entwurf von Böttiger auf einem am Rand angeklebten Papierschnipsel hinzugefügt.
  • 40.
    “have”“think” crossed out and replaced with “have”
  • 41.
    “acquaint”“comunicate” crossed out and replaced with “acquaint”
  • 42.
    “with”added above
  • 43.
    “ve”crossed out
  • 44.
    “ourselves”added in the margin
  • 45.
    “that”crossed out
  • 46.
    “not being”“that it is not” crossed out and replaced with “not being”
  • 47.
    “implore”crossed out
  • 48.
    “[…] confite upon”added above
  • 49.
    “[…]”deleted text illegible
  • 50.
    “confite”added above
  • 51.
    “weak”“feeble” crossed out and replaced with “weak”
  • 52.
    “writing”crossed out
  • 53.
    “very”crossed out
  • 54.
    “which”added below
  • 55.
    “tell me”crossed out
  • 56.
    “sign”added inline
  • 57.
    “most”added above
  • 58.
    “Servant”“friend” crossed out and replaced with “Servant”

Commentary

  • 1.
    “… upon the fourt h April”Am 3. April 1825 war Ostersonntag.

Readings

  • 1.
    Text Source 1: No text present.
    Text Source 2: “to me”
  • 2.
    Text Source 1: “for”
    Text Source 2: “[…] for”
  • 3.
    Text Source 1: “The”
    Text Source 2: “how […] the”
  • 4.
    Text Source 1: “so as”
    Text Source 2: “what so as”
  • 5.
    Text Source 1: “without”
    Text Source 2: “of the Work sence without”
  • 6.
    Text Source 1: No text present.
    Text Source 2: “not”
  • 7.
    Text Source 1: “extent”
    Text Source 2: “extenstion”
  • 8.
    Text Source 1: No text present.
    Text Source 2: “pieces”
  • 9.
    Text Source 1: “encrease”
    Text Source 2: “raising encrease”
  • 10.
    Text Source 1: “complection of each individual”
    Text Source 2: “colour complection of every each individual”
  • 11.
    Text Source 1: “surwey of”
    Text Source 2: “sure commanding view over surwey of”
  • 12.
    Text Source 1: “possibly”
    Text Source 2: “imnot possibly”
  • 13.
    Text Source 1: “itself”
    Text Source 2: “meitself”
  • 14.
    Text Source 1: “down to”
    Text Source 2: “of by the down to”
  • 15.
    Text Source 1: “in the first”
    Text Source 2: “the former in the first”
  • 16.
    Text Source 1: No text present.
    Text Source 2: “[…]”
  • 17.
    Text Source 1: “—”
    Text Source 2: “[…]”
  • 18.
    Text Source 1: “be lost”
    Text Source 2: “disappear be lost”
  • 19.
    Text Source 1: “what left have I left?”
    Text Source 2: “what restreminds me? what have I left?”
  • 20.
    Text Source 1: No text present.
    Text Source 2: “or almost two when you me permit time”
  • 21.
    Text Source 1: “I can”
    Text Source 2: “[…] I can”
  • 22.
    Text Source 1: “employ entierly”
    Text Source 2: “only for employ entierly”
  • 23.
    Text Source 1: “under”
    Text Source 2: “among under”
  • 24.
    Text Source 1: “were not”
    Text Source 2: “not were not”
  • 25.
    Text Source 1: “this undertaking”
    Text Source 2: “all this enterprize undertaking”
  • 26.
    Text Source 1: “questions only You Sir can solve.”
    Text Source 2: “demands questions can only you Sir can reply for solve.”
  • 27.
    Text Source 1: “have”
    Text Source 2: “think have”
  • 28.
    Text Source 1: “acquaint”
    Text Source 2: “comunicate acquaint”
  • 29.
    Text Source 1: “with”
    Text Source 2: “with”
  • 30.
    Text Source 1: “consol ourselves with its not being”
    Text Source 2: “consolve ourselves with that it’s that it is not not being”
  • 31.
    Text Source 1: “confite upon”
    Text Source 2: “implore […] confite upon”
  • 32.
    Text Source 1: “weak”
    Text Source 2: “feeble weak”
  • 33.
    Text Source 1: No text present.
    Text Source 2: “writing”
  • 34.
    Text Source 1: No text present.
    Text Source 2: “very”
  • 35.
    Text Source 1: “which”
    Text Source 2: “which”
  • 36.
    Text Source 1: “sign”
    Text Source 2: “tell me sign”
  • 37.
    Text Source 1: “most”
    Text Source 2: “most”
  • 38.
    Text Source 1: “Servant”
    Text Source 2: “friend Servant”
  • 39.
    Text Source 1: “Charles Marie de Weber”
    Text Source 2: No text present.

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