Postmarked Mainz. - Asks Trevelyan to expand the hint about Naxos in 'Act III (new style' [of "The Bride of Dionysus"]. Increasingly grateful to Trevelyan 'for having managed without narrative': in spite of Wagner 'living on narrative', Tovey feels that 'it combines all the musical uselessness of dramatic plot-machinery with the dramatic uselessness of lyric music". Thoughts on the music for A[riadne]'s despair. Has heard many operas in Germany: in the 'provincial towns' of Darmstadt, Mainz, Wiesbaden and Frankfurt there is 'a much-better-than-Beecham opera every day' and only pay five marks for the best seats. The singers are variable, but the orchestra, 'conducted by nobody in particular, is most respectable'. This does not make a profit, but is 'considered as much a necessity as the electric light, the churches & the tramcars'. Imagines Salisbury and Winchester having such institutions. Still struggling with the Theseus and Phaedra duet, but has fixed the shape.
London S.W.1., No. 3 Hobart Place. - They have just returned from a gathering of influential people, including Madame [Nellie] Melba and Sir Thomas Beecham, to hear Donald [Tovey]'s opera ["The Bride of Dionysus"]. Does not know what the outcome will be, but 'there is no doubt about the immense impression it has made'. The 'drawback is, as it is always, the "book"'; hopes the music will cause 'the over-ornate far too lengthy frigid stuff' [the libretto by Robert Trevelyan] to be forgotten. There are things which have long required saying, which she hopes would be 'less harsh spoken by word of mouth' in her own house than written. Wishes for peace, is always ready to forgive, but the 'menace' the Trevelyans have always been 'to Donald's best interests' must be removed; hopes it can be by 'a clear understanding' between them and herself. Asks them to come and see her before Friday evening, when Donald returns from Scotland.
3 Hobart Place, London S.W.1. - Is sorry to have to write instead of speaking; first of all says she was talking [in 8/110] of Robert Trevelyan's poem ["The Bride of Dionysus"] as a libretto: has often 'enjoyed many beautiful scenes and jewelled lines in it' as Bessie knows. Offers examples which she say prove the Trevelyans have been 'a menace and a danger' [to Donald Tovey], such as Robert Trevelyan's announcement, in a train carriage of guests returning from Ridgehurst, that Donald could not get on with his work as he had 'such a wretched home', which caused a fellow guest [Percy Such] to warn straight to Northlands and 'warn' Sophie Weisse; says she ignored the warning, saying 'they know nothing about the past, and they are stupid', and forgetting 'how dangerous stupidity is'. Trusted them to look after Donald while she 'toiled for him at home', but questions whether he was 'safe' with them: says that no one doubts it was their 'meddling and that of another so called friend [Hugh Godley]' which led to the quarrel with Casals; asks whether [Bessie's brother-in-law Jules Engelbert] Röntgen is really Donald's friend. Accuses them of 'constant undermining' of her relationship with Donald, and asks whether he has profited by treating her as he has; they should not have let him criticise her to them, nor 'dare' criticise her to him. As proof of this, claims that a friend of hers when putting Donald's library and papers in order for her last year, brought her 'two scraps of letters', she thinks unsigned but from Bessie, criticising Miss Weisse and expressing sympathy for Donald on his 'position at Northlands'; claims that even now Bessie knows nothing of Donald; says that Mrs [Blanche Warre] Cornish thought the letters were 'low'. The Trevelyans both 'stupid and selfish'; claims that a friend who lives nearby recently said 'they always sow disunion in families and between friends'. There is much more to said when they speak face to face, including some excuses for the Trevelyans 'though they do not understand them'. Expects and wishes the Trevelyans to show this letter to anyone they like, and has kept a copy; the sooner she sees them the better.
Has 'real hopes' for the production of Donald's opera; is lunching at Covent Garden on Thursday to discuss detains with [Sir Thomas] Beecham. Donald is in some ways much healthier; Bessie must feed him 'well and suitably' when he visits, as she expects he will soon.
2 St Margaret's Road, Edinburgh. - Sends best wishes to the Trevelyan for Christmas and the New Year. Expects Grettie will write soon; she is rather down at the moment, but they have 'worried through' this half of term successfully, thanks mainly to her sister-in-law Mrs Archibald who is staying with them. Wonders if Bessie could come to Edinburgh in the spring, as Grettie will not go on visits or do anything to take her mind off 'trivial worries'. The subjects of their trouble last summer have totally vanished, so were 'undoubtedly quite unreal'; he will know this in future, but her family will never understand: did not think that anyone so stupid and conceited could exist, but has to keep the peace as Grettie needs to forget her illness; she will outgrow this soon. IIs going to Manchester to show Sir Thomas Beecham the opera ["The Bride of Dionysus"]. The [Reid] orchestra is 'shaping quite well'; concerts will begin in February. Hopes 'conditions in the University will notably improve'.
The Shiffolds. - Now back from Edinburgh, where he 'spent a few very interesting days staying with the Professor of Chemistry, [George] Barger, who is half Dutch, an old Cambridge man'. The Toveys do not have enough room in their house for guests, but Robert 'saw plenty of them, which was a great pleasure'. The concert went well: the [Reid] Orchestra is said to have 'played better than it has ever done, and the orchestra seemed to enjoy the extract from the opera [The Bride of Dionysus, and recalled Tovey several times']. If [Thomas] Beecham 'had not gone bankrupt, he would probably have produced the opera this year'; instead they will 'have to wait, for operas are expensive things'.
On returning home, found Julian's [whooping] cough much better; he is 'thin, and gets tired easily' but generally 'fairly well and cheerful'. Robert reads history, poetry, and the Bible with him; they 'don't read the bible at his school, so it is as well he should at home, and he certainly enjoys it a great deal', though Robert sees 'no signs as yet of his having a religious turn of mind'. Bessie is reading [Kipling's] Captains Courageous to Julian, who 'likes it very much'.
Robert will go to Cambridge next month to see the Oresteia performed [in J. T. Sheppard's Greek production; Robert's translation was available for the audience]. A letter from Robert's father to Julian came today; Julian will open it tomorrow on his birthday.
27 Gledhow Gardens, London SW. - Will go to the premiere of [Trevelyan's] "Meleager" and [Sturge Moore's] "Medea" with [Austin?] Smyth and Maisie Marshall, a classical scholar, costume and set designer who 'clothes the Beecham Opera'. If Trevelyan, Bessie and Julian are free beforehand, he invites them to dine. Hopes Ronny Watkins won't send them home to commit suicide 'as he did the poor old woman' by reciting miserable poetry. He and Smyth saw the "Bacchae" [the Cambridge Greek Play] and enjoyed it very much; he congratulates Trevelyan for his nephew's part in it.
39 Royal Terrace, Edinburgh. - Following Hedmont's suggestion, Tovey has had a telephone message from [George?] Campbell asking who is to be named as producer, since Hedmont says he is leaving everything to Tovey. Replied firmly that he was not the producer, and that he is having a score marked with the wishes of himself, Trevelyan, and Ricketts; if Hedmont carries these instructions out he will be the producer, at least technically - which he had already stated in a letter to Campbell. In case there is an attempt to make Tovey responsible for production, he would like to find a 'competent artist in sympathy with Ricketts and [Trevelyan]' whom he would be able to work with; perhaps 'the man who did the Court Theatre operas' or Frederic Austin who did Rutland Boughton's Glastonbury productions and may be 'rather conceited & wooly pated but anything's better than Hedmont'. Does not want 'too haw-haw' a person like [Thomas] Beecham: hopes he does not take criticism badly, but there is no time for 'inattention and flightiness'. Hopes to post his interleaved score tomorrow. The local oboes are not available - the first oboe 'has always been rather a skunk in his behaviour to [Tovey] - so he has wired to [Hugh] Allen to see how much a good R.C.M. [Royal College of Music] student oboist would be.