Re Hector Berlioz.
Hotel Bristol, Wien. Glad to hear better news from Trevelyan, and hopes progress will be more rapid now. Should be back by the 5th. The two concerts Casals organised on 17 February and 2 March has rescued him from 'the dumper into which the musical parochialism of that pokey little provincial town London was plunging [him]'. Has also been able to do much work on Ariadne ["The Bride of Dionysus"] during the train journey, and hopes to get to 'the threshold of the finale' on his return journey. Mentions a few small alterations to the text which he would like to make. Is surprised by how much change there has been to the music since his initial stages: even 'Ariadne's despair is very importantly different' and she is not 'perfectly furious'. Hopes Dionysus is good; it makes Tovey 'howl like anything to work at his discourses'.. Saw a goof version of "Meistersinger [von Nurnberg]" here: comments on its length out of 'professional interest' to himself and Trevelyan. Vienna would definitely be the place for Ariadne, and the chorus quite good enough. Also saw a performance of Goethe's Faust Part I yesterday: compares his effectiveness with Gounod and Berlioz, and discusses generally, the ways in which things on stage 'can be infinitely more moving without music'. Talks about Goethe's stagecraft, having just read 'a very jolly book about Shakespeare written with a strong American accent'. Discusses Mozart's "Idomeneo". His belief that 'perfection of form', though desirable and attainable (as by Bach, Palestrina, Beethoven, Mozart and Brahms) is 'never historically or aesthetically prior to rhetorical fitness'.
Well Knowe House, Cartmel, by Carnforth. - Was 'delighted' to received Trevelyan's "Sisyphus" from Longmans the other day; apologises for not writing sooner; was away from home but read the poem 'immediately and eagerly and with huge enjoyment'. Thanks Trevelyan for remembering that he wanted to see it. Praises it highly and says Trevelyan has 'certainly found the most fundamentally comedic idea in the world; the terrible and futile situation of Sisyphus is so much all men's affair'. The fact that 'Grecian things' seem as natural to Trevelyan's thoughts as 'Tube and Hague Tribunals' are to most people today should gain universal respect. Trevelyan knows he can count on Bottomley's interest in his 'quest of a lyrical basis for drama'; thinks Sisyphus is successful in this respect. The work gives 'the musician rare chances': the 'conjuration of time going backward' needs music like the beginning of Beethoven's ninth symphony; thinks Berlioz could have 'heard vaguely the chords to accompany the engulfing of Sisyphus', but could probably not have written them down. Wonders 'what deep force is turning us all so insistently to the drama nowadays', when there is no hope of attention and respect, or even loyal co-operation' from theatre-goers. Glad that Trevelyan is also turning his thoughts towards music-drama; thinks 'fullest expression' is only possible that way; even incidental music like Grieg's "Peer Gynt" gives a 'glimpse of an all powerful mingling of all the arts to make perfect drama possible'. In addition, 'that rebellious artisan, the actor' might be prevented from 'maiming and self-assertion' by the tones which each word of poetry has 'being authoritatively set down for him as definite musical notes. Doubts whether music really could enhance the excellence of the poetry in "Sisyphus", but does still 'feel the beauty of [Trevelyan's] projected union of poetry and music', and would like to hear something of his longer work to which music is now being composed [by Donald Tovey: i.e. the "Bride of Dionysus"].