F. LISZT, AUTOGRAPH LETTER TO EDUARD VON LISZT, ST. GALLEN, 24 NOVEMBER 1856

recounting in great detail his relationship with the Hungarian dilettante poet K. M. Kertbeny, explaining that his nationalist sympathies oblige him to offer assistance to all his countrymen living abroad, denying that he ever lived with him, describing an incident where he threw him out, recounting his scandalous present to a female acquaintance of de Sade's novel Justine [the 1797 edition with engravings], mentioning his assault of a book-seller's assistant, his various literary dabblings and his begging letters, explaining that after much pestering he agreed to allow Kertbeny to oversee the publication of his study of gypsies and music, an arrangement which he would have honoured had he not revealed himself to be a morally bankrupt and totally unworthy character, asking his correspondent not to be troubled by his threats and threats and insolent behaviour, and adding that he has nothing to fear from his scandalous writings; in the letter Liszt also informs him of a significant concert which took place the day before, at which Wagner performed the "Eroica" Symphony and Liszt two of his symphonic poems, noting that these were performed very well, DISCUSSING HIS REVISIONS TO HIS MISSA SOLENNIS, providing a musical example from the Credo, describing his composition as being of the purest musical water, expressing his belief that the work will appear by Easter, and also asking him to arrange for his Hungarian Rhapsodies to be bound and sent to a count in Pest 

"...und so wie ich Ihm versprochen hatte wär es auch geschehen, wenn Kertbeny sich nicht in den letzten Jahren allgemein, sowohl Wien wie in Ungarn als ein moralisch gebranntmarkter, charakterloser, nichtswürdiger Mensch bekannt gemacht hätte...Weiterhin bekümmere Dich durchaus nicht über seine Drohungen und Unverschämtheiten; Er mag meinetwegen alle Wiener Journale mit scandalösen Aufsätzen bereichern; Ich fürchte nichts davon und werde keine Silbe darauf antworten den[n] seine niederträchtige Lügenhaftigkeit ist zu notorisch bekannt um daß es mir schädlich sein könnte.
   In S^t Gallen fand gestern ein ganz bedeutsames Conzert statt. Wagner dirigiert die Eroica  Symphonie, und ich ließ Ihm zu Ehren 2 meiner neuen symphonischen Dichtungen aufführen. Letztere wurden vortrefflich gegeben - und aufgenommen. Die S^t Galler Zeitung bringt mehrere Aufsätze darüber die ich Dir zuschicke.
Bis zu Weihnachten werde ich die neue Copie meiner Meße (die ich bei der letzten revision noch wesentlich verbessert zu haben meinte...) einsenden..."



7 pages, 4to (27.3 x 21.4cm), three-bar autograph musical example from the Credo of Liszt's Missa solennis, written on a single hand-drawn stave, some pages marked in the margin with red crayon, some later manuscript annotations, St. Gallen, 24 November 1856, horizontal and vertical folds, dust-staining on first page along horizontal fold                                     

Alan Walker, Franz Liszt, i (1983), pp. 34-5

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing where appropriate.
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The object of Liszt's scathing and richly anecdotal letter was the Hungarian journalist, memoir writer and human rights campaigner Karl-Maria Kertbeny (1824-1882), who is today perhaps best known for coining the words heterosexual and homosexual. Eduard von Liszt (1817-1859) was the youngest son of the third marriage of Liszt's grandfather Georg Adam. Although six years Liszt's junior, he was in fact Liszt's uncle. Eduard, who rose to become Royal Imperial Public Prosecutor in Vienna, was on close terms with Liszt, and for thirty years handled his business affairs.