Franz Liszt (1811-1886)
Autograph letter signed (‘F. Liszt’) to Eduard Liszt, Rome, 19 November 1862
In German. Four pages, 211 x 137mm, bifolium. Provenance: Sotheby's, 27 & 28 November 1986, lot 566.

A heartfelt response to his uncle Eduard Liszt, written during a period of tragedy in his life. Liszt assures his uncle of the closeness and importance of their relationship: ‘Truly you remain by my side, as do I by yours – cum sanguis, cordis et mens’ (‘Wahrlich du bleibst mit mir ...’). Liszt thanks him for his last message and apologises for not writing sooner, since he has needed time to right himself following the death of his daughter. He tells Eduard that ‘Blandine has her place in my heart next to Daniel’ (‘Blandine hat Ihre Stätte in meinem Herzen ...’). He describes his current work on Die Legende der heiligen Elisabeth, from which further compositions have also emerged, such as the Cantico del sole di San Francesco d’Assisi. Now, he is working on the Christus oratorio. He relates an invitation from Baron Prónay to take up the chair of the Budapest conservatory, although he hints that he is unlikely to take this up (‘Wahrscheinlich erfährst du um meiner entschuldigenden Antwort’). He concludes: ‘I would like to do my best in this respect; and in this way I consider it appropriate to return to Hungary’ (‘Hierzu würde ich gerne mein Bestens leisten ...’).

Eduard Ritter von Liszt (1817-1879) was a Viennese lawyer and civil servant, father of the prominent legal scholar Franz von Liszt (the cousin of the composer, who was also his godfather). Franz Liszt had moved to Rome following the death of his daughter, Blandine, two months before the date of the present letter. His son, Daniel, had died the previous year. He declined Baron Gábor Prónay’s invitation, believing his performing career to be at an end, but he later joined its successor, the Royal National Hungarian Academy of Music, now the Liszt Academy.