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Declining invitation

Letters dated 13 May 1842, 13 May 1845.

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.

On Russia and Turkey

Containing verse.

Letters date from 10 May 1842 - 8 June 1842.

The Synges travelled from Peking to Moscow on the Trans-Siberian railway. An account of the journey by Synge, illustrated with pictures taken by his daughter Elizabeth, appeared in the Railway Magazine, August 1960, pp.574-579

G/103: Softback notebook used as detailed diary of journey on Trans-Siberian railway.
G/104: Off-print of article from the Railway Magazine on journey, with letter re publication and typescript draft
G/105: Visas, memorabililia

103: Twelfth Night
104: Measure for Measure
105: Comedy of Errors
106: The Tempest
107: Two Gentlemen of Verona

Enclosing leaflet dropped over Germany [with translation]

115: Letter from Georgina Gascoyne-Cecil to Richard Monckton Milnes, [1861/1862?].

Miscellaneous press cuttings, most of them from English papers, accompanied by a cutting of an article headed 'Découverte de manuscrits d'André Chénier à Angers' in 'Journal des Debats' by Comtesse Jean de Pange (Item 121); a list of Premiers Protecteurs of La Fondation du Foyer du Conservatoire (Item 120); an income tax informational booklet from 1940 (Item 112); and printed minutes for the meeting of the General Council of the University of Glasgow in October 1939 (Item 111). Accompanied by 4 envelopes.

I Tatti, Settignano, Florence. - He and Bessie are just starting for Ravello, and will arrive tomorrow evening. The last few days' weather has been 'perfect', and they have had a 'very pleasant time with the Berensons'. They do not see much of Florence, since the house is some miles outside, but 'go in sometimes in the morning', and they see 'a good deal of amusing people, English, American, or Italian', who live in or near Florence. One day a 'future Henry James would find an excellent subject in a life of Berenson, after the memoirs of Story's life [a reference to James' William Wetmore Story and His Friends].

Has recently been reading Butler's Way of All Flesh, which might interest his father; perhaps it is 'rather depressing reading', but the 'satire on clergymen etc... is at times masterly. Butler was apt to be perverse and cranky', which comes out in the book, but it is 'very sincere' and has for Robert 'the fascination of a pyschologist's autobiography' as he imagines the book is 'autobiographical to a great extent', though expects 'the incidents... are mostly invented'.

Their [new] house seems to be getting on well; plans are now being made for the stables, which will be 'quite small'. Wonders whether his father's farmers 'will get a visit from the Tyneside wolf'; does not 'quite understand where his haunts are', but he supposes nearer Hexham than his father's lands. He and Bessie are both well, and looking forward to Ravello; mentions the sighting of a wolf by a friend walking in the mountains near there, which 'made off as fast as it could'. The few wolves left 'never seem to do any harm, at least they don't attack people'.

Asks his father to tell his mother that he took Fry's drawing of him to Hampstead, and that Fry 'will see what can be done for it. Mrs Fry seems very well again now'. The other day they went to see Mrs Ross, who 'sang some Tuscan songs on her guitar, with great vivacity and still with a good deal of voice left'. She always asks after his father. He and Bessie 'find her amusing, and rather like her, in spite of her being rather coarse and often very absurd'. They both send love, also to C[harles] and M[olly] if they are still at Wallington.

14, Great Russell St, W.C. - Glad that Trevelyan can come on Thursday afternoon, as he is 'all mixed up' for the rest of the week; will expect him between 3 and 4 in the afternoon.

Wallington, Cambo, Northumberland. - Glad that they found Caroline 'a great comfort and pleasure'; is not 'anxious' but 'much interested' about Elizabeth [due to give birth]. Interested by what Robert says about [Aeschylus's] "Eumenides", which he thinks the best Greek tragedy he has read. Hopes the newspaper reports of the discovery of a substantial fragment of Menander are true. Discusses his recent reading of Lucian, whom Macaulay quotes in his essay on Madame D'Arblay.

Thanks his father for his letter. It will be 'nice to live at Grosvenor Crescent'; supposes there will be 'more room' than at Ennismore Gardens. There was a 'frost of 6 degrees' the night before last. Robert and his classmates are studying Virgil and Euripides'; thinks they will start on Homer when they have finished the current play. They are still playing cricket, but it is 'growing so cold' he expects they will soon begin football. They are going to stop doing the [school news]paper, 'because nobody cares anything about it, no more does Mr Arnold, no more do I'.

5 St Mary's Passage - Hamilton "quite unspoilt by Oxford", plans for Easter vacation.