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The Shiffolds, Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking. - Hopes his parents are well; the weather has been quite good here. Paul has been 'much better' recently; thinks it 'must have been teeth'. Will write to his father soon; sends thanks for his last letter. Donald Tovey and his father have been here since Monday, till tomorrow: Tovey's mother 'died rather suddenly on Christmas day', so they got them to visit 'to give his father a change'. His mother had been an invalid for a long time. Donald must have two new quartets ready for his concerts on the 23rd and 27th January, so is working very hard; he finished the first yesterday. Does not have firm plans yet: may go to La Croix for a few weeks to 'get started on some new work'. Bessie seems very well.

It is lucky that Taormina is 'on rocks, and though badly shaken [in the Messina earthquake of Dec 1908] no damage was done'. The Grandmonts seem all right, though 'rather upset': Mrs Grandmont, in her letter the day after, 'talked of going to Messina to help'; they had 'not yet realised how big the disaster was'. Probably the main thing to be done is to 'help the refugees at their arrival at the various towns'.

The postponed meeting about the school at Forest Green is tomorrow.

Northlands, Englefield Green, Surrey. - Sends best wishes for the new year, in which she hopes 'Paul will become an elderly and extraordinary robust person', Bessie will remain just the same, and 'the Poet' [Robert] will 'put forth a great work'. Donald [Tovey] caught a chill on his visits to East Lothian which makes her worry about his concert tour to Manchester and Bolton. He has to be at Englefield Green on Tuesday night, as he needs to find some music for Lady Hallé, and feels he needs to go to Worplesdon [to see his parents] for lunch on Tuesday; asks if Robert Trevelyan could spend Tuesday night at Englefield Green. Is in very low spirites; thinks she will have to go to Valescure in April after all.

Worplesdon Rectory, Guildford. - Don [Donald Tovey] has been 'on one of his very fugitive visits' and read Trevelyan's "Ariadne" ["The Bride of Dionysus"], which gave them so much pleasure that Tovey is writing to tell Trevelyan. Is sure that Trevelyan and Donald's joint work [on the opera] will be 'epochmaking in the history of English history and music'. Only has criticism of the 'most pedantic kind', which he will not bother to write; if the public can stand the Wagnerian legend for the sake of the music, they should really appreciate 'what is truly classical in the best sense'. Encourages Trevelyan to visit, as he promised after they had 'deposited [Henry?] Jackson at the Charing Cross Hotel after that miraculous & bewildering ride in the motor omnibus'. A postscript asks whether [Thomas Babington] Macauley did indeed call Versailles 'a huge heap of littleness'; is sure he did, following [Thomas] Gray's use of a phrase from [Alexander] Pope; invites Trevelyan to see 'how minute [he is] becoming or become'. Also asks Trevelyan whether he is aware that the Arthurian legend exists in Scotland, and that at Meigle in Perthshire 'they show you the tomb of Queen Wander' who was pulled apart by wild horses 'for nae gude that she did', and Wander is Guinevere [see Gray, '"Works" (1825) vol II p. 274].

Worplesdon Rectory, Guildford. - Thanks Trevelyan for sending the photograph of Donald, as does Mrs [Mary] Tovey; does not think Lady Betty Balfour cared much for it; unlike her, thinks it very like Donald. They are 'deathly dull' and he is worried about his wife, fearing she 'grows much weaker'; would brighten life very much for her if Don would come to see her now and then, but they do not know where he is; calls him 'their Moses'. although they have 'not set up a golden calf instead of him'. Lady Betty Balfour 'astonished' him last Sunday 'by appearing at church', and came to see his wife afterwards; had thought she was in the north but G.B. [Gerald Balfour] is at Fishers Hill, busy with the Commission on Lighthouse Administration. Wants to know more about Ariadne ["The Bride of Dionysus"]; asks whether Donald is 'industrious' about it.

University of Edinburgh. - Thanks Bessie, and asks her to thank [her sister] Mrs Röntgen for taking that trouble. Thinks everything is clear, except for 'two little places' which will wait until he gets back to Holland. The Röntgens seemed very well; Franz [Frants] was ill when he arrived, but was soon recovered. The Trio [Julius Sr, Julius Jn and Englebert Röntgen] has been having real success, received enthusiastically by 'audiences of 1500'. Englebert has developed 'most strikingly' in style and tone; Tovey felt 'as if something like the Joachim Quartet was still alive & young'. 'Der Papaselbst' [Julius Englebert Röntgen] is well, although sad about the state of the world, and has been writing some 'most beautiful unaccompanied choral music: Psalms against war'. He took Tovey to a beautiful neighbouring swimming bath and proved himself a good swimmer.

Will send Bessie a letter for G.B. [Grete Busch?] soon, though would be 'ashamed' to make much of his news since she 'so thoroughly sees how unenviable is the [position of a man who is out of it all'. Dreads Miss Weisse breaking bad news to him so is very glad he knows from Grete that she wants to get bad news before it reaches Tovey. Miss Weisse is in 'a very nasty state of mind... peculiarly inhuman pro-Germanism' which he would mind less if she were still in Germany or 'didn't do her duty to England with the savage energy of a District Visitor of the most ruthless kind'. He himself cannot hate anything as she does everything English. However, he is with his 'saintly & dear old aunt', who has much of his mother's wit, and returns to Edinburgh on the 2nd. Is concerned that Miss Weisse may accede to Lady Lewis [Elizabeth, Lady Lewis?]'s request to give Guil[hermina] Suggia an engagement at Northlands. Also, in a letter she sent enclosing Bessie's 'which she thinks contains Dutch criticisms', Miss Weisse urges Tovey 'to join some military organisation' which will benefit him 'both morally & physically'. Will not do so until he has finished his work in Edinburgh, in March, when he will probably join something in Surrey or Berkshire. Thinks Miss Weisse wishes to make his position in Edinburgh 'untenable', as she wants him to do more concerts in Holland as soon as Augustin offers, and knows he could not manage all three. Says in a postscript that he saw the Hubrechts at Utrecht: Mrs Hubrecht [Maria? or Johanna Maria?] took him to tea and he met Paul, and saw photographs of Jan dressed as a yound lady 'so exquisite' that he had to 'strike a Tamino attitude'. Professor [Ambrosius] Hubrecht was better than he expected, and joined fully in the conversation.

Brighton. - Writes with the news that Donald [Tovey]'s mother died on Christmas Day and the funeral is on Tuesday. Wants then to take Donald and his father back to Northlands for a few days, then hopes Donald will still come on to the Trevelyans instead of going back to Worplesdon. Sends best Christmas wishes to the Trevelyans. Does hope Donald's brother and 'his very capable little wife' will look after Mr Tovey at the Rectory so that Donald can come to the Trevelyans; perhaps Bessie could 'urge it a little'. Fears he will not come to Scotland with her now.

Includes testimonials and printed material. Some letters have explicatory notes by Florence Image. Almost 40 letters from Henry Jackson. Several letters from or relating to: H. M. Butler (some to Florence Image), A. V. Verrall, W. Aldis Wright, W. H. Thompson, Duncan Crookes Tovey and other members of his family, J. G. Frazer, J. N. Dalton, and J. W. L. Glaisher; for other correspondents see names below. Some letters by Image himself to various correspondents, and printed material

Northlands, Englefield Green, Surrey. - Lady Betty [Balfour] has plans for Thursday night, so he would not have a chance of seeing his family before going abroad unless he goes to Worplesdon on Friday morning on the way to Dorking. Begrudges time away from the Shiffolds, but feels he should not come straight after the concert.

Northlands, Englefield Green, Surrey. - Was at Worplesdon yesterday and read 'Adney' [Ariadne, i.e. Trevelyan's first draft of the libretto for "The Bride of Dionysus"] to his parents: was delightful to see his father relish its 'classical spirit and detail' and get excited at each point where a 'fine spectacular or dramatic effect' can be imagined'. He confirmed Tovey's feeling that Minos needs to be 'filled out & prevented from an abstraction of ogre-dom', but also inclined him to think that many of his other scruples may be 'meticulous'. Further thoughts on Phaedra in the third Act, and on Minos' speech at the entrance to the Labyrinth; suggests the addition of a reference made by Ariadne to the tears shed for Androgeos by his sisters. Note on the back of the envelope saying how pretty Tovey finds the Satyr, and asking if Trevelyan could make him 'lead a Maenad chorus'.

S.Y. Zingara, off Ryde. - Thanks Trevelyan for the alterations [to the libretto of "The Bride of Dionysus"]; tells him that wherever there is a choice he will take the shortest possible. Lists readings which he is adopting at present, with further suggestions; reminds Trevelyan that he wants as little real alteration as possible, just 'a saving word or clause here and there'; and that at 'critical situations... simple & few words have most weight'. Is on a yacht with Hal Goodhart Rendel off the Isle of Wight, letters will be forwarded to him from Northlands. In a postscript, says that he would like to get Dionysus' new speech before writing Minos's, as his overture 'will be an instrumental version of it' and this in turn affects the beginning of the first act. Requests 'a vigorous emphasis in D's treatment of the world' so that there can be a contrast between the overture and the first chorus, and between Dionysus's two speeches; rather wants Ariadne's 'version of the Androgeos theme to be a climax'.

Northlands, Englefield Green, Surrey. - Thanks Bessie for all her kindness: she is a 'true friend'. Donald [Tovey] has gone to Wales; they few days he spent with her were 'very quiet' with 'no sort of discussion'. Has not yet got the new programmes for the [Chelsea] Concerts. Donald kept saying 'how valueless [Pablo] Casals had always been to him'; this was very hurtful, as it reminds her of his parents, but she said nothing. Donald 'seemed a little better'; hopes he will not talk in Wales and that the subject will 'recede in his mind'. Sends love and best wishes for Christmas to Bessie, Julian and Bob, whom she wishes 'safe back home soon again [from the East]'. Encloses some 'Dutch pence' for the mending of her chain; Julian should 'play with the little silver box' until she finds him a toy she likes. Sends love to the 'kind Röntgens'. In a postscript, urges Bessie to bring Julian 'for a little Christmas tree on the 30th'; Donald could take her back next morning, and perhaps go straight from hers to Aachen on the 2nd. Work is 'the only cure' for Donald; wishes he had practised his concerto.

Postmarked Oban. Sent to Trevelyan at the Shiffolds but forwarded on to Central Post Office, Marlborough. - Has finished Act I [of "The Bride of Dionysus"], leaving a blank space for Minos' new lines. It lasts an hour and twenty minutes, so unless the long speeches of the rest of the play go quicker than this 'very chopped up' act, the opera will be over four hours long: 'quite Wagnerian'. Asks if [Trevelyan's] "Sisyphus" could be called an 'Operatic Drama', implying 'a play tinged with operatic extravagance (if not one that might be set to music)'; if there was classical precedent for calling a play a fable, 'Operatic Fable' might sound well. Would be good if they could run through the first act together more than once: would like Marie Joachim to hear it, and to play it to his parents at Worplesdon, and to Paul [Trevelyan's son?]. Asks Trevelyan to forgive his 'rude remarks about the pied fawn skin' - the line is beautiful, but will not be set to music.