fmb-1831-06-11-01

            Rome, june 11th 31. My dear Sir
You will be astonished, I dare say, to receive a letter from me after so long a silence, and the more so, as I undertake to write it in English; but during last winter, which I spent in this town, I very often met with your countrymen and as this occasioned my practising again a little, I feel bold enough to adress you in your language, & to claim once more the indulgence, which you so very often showed to me. It is now so long since I did not receive any news from England that I feel the strongest desire to hear again of the friends to whom I owe that delightfull time of my residence in that country. And to whom could I adress such a question but to you, who behaved towards me in that time with a kindness, for which I shall always be indebted to you? Excuse me therefore if you find nothing of importance in this letter, as I know indeed no interesting news to communicate to you: I only wish to awake in you a recollection of me by these lines and (if it is not too much asked) to receive an answer of a few words from you, that I may learn how you & your family have been all the time, how all our friends are, and how music is going on in England. I heard almost none at all, since I entered Italy in the last autumn – the fortunate circumstances which formerly made this country a country of arts seem to have ceased & arts with them. Whether they shall once rise again, I do not know, but the fact is that the only good Italian singers, I heard, were those at the opera in London, that I found no orchestra to be compared to that of some countrytown in Germany, & which seems to me the worst of all, that I know no musician, who took a true interest in his art. They consider it as mere matter of fashion or as a „passetemps“; of course nobody of the hearers do otherwise, as they will always follow the example, which the artists give them, and unfortunately they do not even find that amusement, which they are looking out for. They go to the opera, because they do not know what to do in the evening, as for the music they never listen to it, but when there is nobody to talk with or when some very fashionable air is performed: there is no pleasure to be found in these dull & tiresome opera-houses. (Pray do not show this to any other musician, they would think very ill of me, but I thought I was bound to tell you my true opinion about it) Notwithstanding all this I seldom passed a more agreeable time than the six months, I have been in Rome: I was very busy composing church- and instrumental music (I have finished here a new Simphony, an overture, & several vocal pieces ) the beautifull monuments of every description of arts gave me daily occasion to learn & to admire, & as I spent the greatest part of the evenings with Englishmen I need not say how pleasantly I lived this winter and spring. I am just now returned from a trip to Naples, where I enjoyed that happy and rich nature, of which nobody can fancy the beauty, who has not seen it himself, and I am sure I shall never forget the wonderfull impressions, which I received during my stay in this country. – But as I missed the principal condition for my being happy, good music, I do not so much regret to be now at the eve of leaving Rome; in a few days I am to go to Milan & Genoa, and then by way of Swizzerland to Paris, where I intend remaining the beginning of next winter, till February or March. And as I want to see once more before the end of my travel my friends, who live in England, and my brother being settled there for the next years, I made up my mind to return to London after having been in France, and shall accordingly, please God, be there towards the beginning of spring, when I hope to find you and your family in health and happiness. I cannot say to you, my dear Sir, how I delight in thinking of the time, when I shall see you again at Norwood; the recollection of the friendship you showed me there has eversince kept in my mind, and shall certainly never leave it.
May I ask you to remember me kindly to Mrs. Attwood, Miss Attwood Mr. George & every member of your family, & to pay my best compliments to Mr. & Mrs Newman Smith? – Once more I beg your pardon for this bad letter; I would not have troubled you with it, had I not the hope of receiving perhaps an answer from you. Pray, let me have some lines, you do not imagine how happy you would make me by this favour; Mr. Klingemann who knows always my direction, will forward it immediately.
Believe me, my dear SirFelix Mendelssohn Bartholdy          

            <TEI xmlns="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.tei-c.org/ns/1.0 ../../../fmbc_framework/xsd/fmb-c.xsd" xml:id="fmb-1831-06-11-01" xml:space="default"> <teiHeader xml:lang="de"> <fileDesc> <titleStmt> <title key="fmb-1831-06-11-01" xml:id="title_c1a58c39-0925-4d4f-8b29-8b473a851a1f">Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy an Thomas Attwood in Biggin Hill, Norwood Surrey <lb></lb>Rom, 11. Juni 1831</title> <title level="s" type="incipit" xml:id="title_55c40820-78c6-4767-ab40-07c8134a1c83">You will be astonished, I dare say, to receive a letter from me after so long a silence, and the more so, as I undertake to write it in English; but during last winter, which</title> <title level="s" type="sub" xml:id="title_b6a1facc-8142-44eb-9c04-04032098c817">Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Correspondence Online (FMB-C)</title> <title key="not_yet_determined" type="precursor">noch nicht ermittelt</title> <title key="not_yet_determined" type="successor">noch nicht ermittelt</title> <author key="PSN0000001">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Jacob Ludwig Felix (1809-1847)</author><respStmt><resp resp="writer"></resp><persName key="PSN0000001" resp="writer">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Jacob Ludwig Felix (1809-1847)</persName></respStmt><respStmt resp="transcription"> <resp resp="transcription">Transkription: </resp> <name resp="transcription">FMB-C</name> </respStmt> <respStmt resp="edition"> <resp resp="edition">Edition: </resp> <name resp="edition">FMB-C</name> </respStmt> </titleStmt> <publicationStmt> <publisher>Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Correspondence Online-Ausgabe (FMB-C). 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Juni 1831</title> <incipit>You will be astonished, I dare say, to receive a letter from me after so long a silence, and the more so, as I undertake to write it in English; but during last winter, which</incipit> </msItem> </msContents> <physDesc> <p>4 beschr. S.; Adresse.</p> <handDesc hands="1"> <p>Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy</p> </handDesc> <accMat> <listBibl> <bibl type="none"></bibl> </listBibl></accMat> </physDesc> <history> <provenance> <p>-</p> </provenance> </history> </msDesc> </sourceDesc> </fileDesc> <encodingDesc><projectDesc><p>Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Correspondence Online-Ausgabe FMB-C: Digitale Edition der vollständigen Korrespondenz Hin- und Gegenbriefe Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdys auf XML-TEI-Basis.</p></projectDesc><editorialDecl><p>Die Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Correspondence Online-Ausgabe FMB-C ediert die Gesamtkorrespondenz des Komponisten Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy 1809-1847 in Form einer digitalen, wissenschaftlich-kritischen Online-Ausgabe. Sie bietet neben der diplomatischen Wiedergabe der rund 6.000 Briefe Mendelssohns erstmals auch eine Gesamtausgabe der über 7.200 Briefe an den Komponisten sowie einen textkritischen, inhalts- und kontexterschließenden Kommentar aller Briefe. Sie wird ergänzt durch eine Personen- und Werkdatenbank, eine Lebenschronologie Mendelssohns, zahlreicher Register der Briefe, Werke, Orte und Körperschaften sowie weitere Verzeichnisse. Philologisches Konzept,  Philologische FMB-C-Editionsrichtlinien: Uta Wald, Dr. Ulrich Taschow. Digitales Konzept, Digitale FMB-C-Editionsrichtlinien: Dr. Ulrich Taschow. Technische Konzeption der Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy Correspondence FMB-C Ausgabe und Webdesign: Dr. Ulrich Taschow.</p></editorialDecl></encodingDesc> <profileDesc> <creation> <date cert="high" when="1831-06-11" xml:id="date_9554cfc5-93ab-4f5f-b065-f31670616800">11. Juni 1831</date></creation> <correspDesc> <correspAction type="sent"> <persName key="PSN0000001" resp="author" xml:id="persName_d85a7cef-3d5c-4aa0-b72e-03ec89f9d1b8">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Jacob Ludwig Felix (1809-1847)</persName><note>counter-reset</note><persName key="PSN0000001" resp="writer">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Jacob Ludwig Felix (1809-1847)</persName> <placeName type="writing_place" xml:id="placeName_554b5a61-776c-4c2d-ace2-441cca7de471"> <settlement key="STM0100177">Rom</settlement> <country>Italien</country></placeName></correspAction> <correspAction type="received"> <persName key="PSN0109576" resp="receiver" xml:id="persName_dcafb896-3e24-4954-b339-e38399cb24e0">Attwood, Thomas (1765-1838)</persName> <placeName type="receiving_place" xml:id="placeName_a6f3db36-b374-4df5-8ce7-1d7c14631104"> <settlement key="STM0100326">Biggin Hill, Norwood Surrey</settlement> <country>Großbritannien</country> </placeName></correspAction> </correspDesc> <langUsage> <language ident="en">englisch</language> </langUsage> </profileDesc> <revisionDesc status="draft">  </revisionDesc> </teiHeader> <text type="letter"> <body> <div type="address" xml:id="div_3af1f33d-4af5-41b3-a6d1-9159d688020c"> <head> <address> <addrLine>Th. Attwood</addrLine> <addrLine>Esqu.</addrLine> <addrLine>Norwood.</addrLine> </address> </head> </div> <div n="1" type="act_of_writing" xml:id="div_b2e6c637-db85-4324-93b1-07cc8a13a31f"><docAuthor key="PSN0000001" resp="author" style="hidden">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Jacob Ludwig Felix (1809-1847)</docAuthor><docAuthor key="PSN0000001" resp="writer" style="hidden">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Jacob Ludwig Felix (1809-1847)</docAuthor><dateline rend="right">Rome, <date cert="high" when="1831-06-11" xml:id="date_bd2f79d5-b7a5-498b-bcd7-7f827b23d42e">june 11<hi rend="superscript">th</hi> 31</date>.</dateline><salute rend="left">My dear Sir</salute><p style="paragraph_without_indent">You will be astonished, I dare say, to receive a letter from me after so long a silence, and the more so, as I undertake to write it in English; but during last winter, which I spent in this town, I very often met with your countrymen and as this occasioned my practising again a little, I feel bold enough to adress you in your language, &amp; to claim once more the indulgence, which you so very often showed to me. It is now so long since I did not receive any news from England that I feel the strongest desire to hear again of the friends to whom I owe that delightfull time of my residence in that country. And to whom could I adress such a question but to you, who behaved towards me in that time with a kindness, for which I shall always be indebted to you? Excuse me therefore if you find nothing of importance in this letter, as I know indeed no interesting news to communicate to you: I only wish to awake in you a recollection of me by these lines and (if it is not too much asked) to receive an answer of a few words from you, that I may learn how you &amp; <persName xml:id="persName_87fadef7-e212-4e38-9d65-77f665fbadd0">your family<name key="PSN0109571" style="hidden">Attwood, Familie von → Thomas A.</name></persName> have been all the time, how all our friends are, and how music is going on in England. I heard almost none at all, since I entered Italy in the last autumn – the fortunate circumstances which formerly made this country a country of arts seem to have ceased &amp; arts with them. Whether they shall once rise again, I do not know, but the fact is that the only good Italian singers, I heard, were those at the opera in London, that I found no orchestra to be compared to that of some countrytown in Germany, &amp; which seems to me the worst of all, that I know no musician, who took a true interest in his art. They consider it as mere matter of fashion or as a „passetemps“; of course nobody of the hearers do otherwise, as they will always follow the example, which the artists give them, and unfortunately they do not even find that amusement, which they are looking out for. They go to the opera, because they do not know what to do in the evening, as for the music they never listen to it, but when there is nobody to talk with or when some very fashionable air is performed: there is no pleasure to be found in these dull &amp; tiresome opera-houses. (Pray do not show this to any other musician, they would think very ill of me, but I thought I was bound to tell you my true opinion about it) Notwithstanding all this I seldom passed a more agreeable time than the six months, I have been in Rome: I was very busy composing church- and instrumental music (I have finished here <title xml:id="title_ef34a2b8-176e-4522-81c4-b141c59c5e7a">a new Simphony<list style="hidden" type="fmb_works_directory" xml:id="title_kjhem3eg-4jzl-ilhg-84ha-b9xfo0hnc2ru"> <item n="1" sortKey="musical_works" style="hidden"></item> <item n="2" sortKey="instrumental_music" style="hidden"></item> <item n="3" sortKey="orchestral_music" style="hidden"></item> <item n="4" sortKey="symphonies" style="hidden"></item></list><name key="PSN0000001" style="hidden" type="author">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Jacob Ludwig Felix (1809-1847)</name><name key="PRC0100341" style="hidden">Sinfonie d-Moll (»Reformations-Sinfonie«) für Orchester, [1829] bis 12. Mai 1830; 11. November 1832<idno type="MWV">N 15</idno><idno type="op">107</idno></name></title>, an <title xml:id="title_5cd3e1f7-a790-4402-a395-5a149043907d">overture<list style="hidden" type="fmb_works_directory" xml:id="title_nyqubx5e-da3s-v2bk-pipw-kgcrvon8hdpb"> <item n="1" sortKey="musical_works" style="hidden"></item> <item n="2" sortKey="instrumental_music" style="hidden"></item> <item n="3" sortKey="orchestral_music" style="hidden"></item> <item n="4" sortKey="overtures_and_other_orchestral_works" style="hidden"></item></list><name key="PSN0000001" style="hidden" type="author">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Jacob Ludwig Felix (1809-1847)</name><name key="PRC0100363" style="hidden">Konzert-Ouvertüre Nr. 2 Die Hebriden / The Isles of Fingal (Zur einsamen Insel) h-Moll (»Fingals Höhle«), 7. August 1829 bis 16. Dezember 1830; Umarbeitung bis 20. Juni 1832<idno type="MWV">P 7</idno><idno type="op">26</idno></name></title>, &amp; <title xml:id="title_3a021ed5-07bf-4df1-bbc1-4547fffef9fa">several vocal pieces<list style="hidden" type="fmb_works_directory" xml:id="title_ie0abtq3-b5mr-a4w1-wawu-ptkjly8uhtvq"> <item n="1" sortKey="musical_works" style="hidden"></item> <item n="2" sortKey="vocal_music" style="hidden"></item> <item n="3" sortKey="sacred_vocal_music" style="hidden"></item> <item n="4" sortKey="large-scale_sacred_vocal_works" style="hidden"></item></list><name key="PSN0000001" style="hidden" type="author">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Jacob Ludwig Felix (1809-1847)</name><name key="PRC0100109" style="hidden">Der 115. Psalm »Non nobis Domine« / »Nicht unserm Namen, Herr« für Solostimmen, gemischten Chor und Orchester, [1829] bis 15. November 1830<idno type="MWV">A 9</idno><idno type="op">31</idno></name><list style="hidden" type="fmb_works_directory" xml:id="title_twncjznz-4c7c-jcb1-ltme-m7kvtzotdojg"> <item n="1" sortKey="musical_works" style="hidden"></item> <item n="2" sortKey="vocal_music" style="hidden"></item> <item n="3" sortKey="sacred_vocal_music" style="hidden"></item> <item n="4" sortKey="large-scale_sacred_vocal_works" style="hidden"></item></list><name key="PSN0000001" style="hidden" type="author">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Jacob Ludwig Felix (1809-1847)</name><name key="PRC0100110" style="hidden">Weihnachtslied »Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her« für Solostimmen, gemischten Chor und Orchester, 28. Januar 1831<idno type="MWV">A 10</idno><idno type="op"></idno></name><list style="hidden" type="fmb_works_directory" xml:id="title_birt28xd-x78a-vy1r-5dmi-9ik9jrvsehrk"> <item n="1" sortKey="musical_works" style="hidden"></item> <item n="2" sortKey="vocal_music" style="hidden"></item> <item n="3" sortKey="sacred_vocal_music" style="hidden"></item> <item n="4" sortKey="large-scale_sacred_vocal_works" style="hidden"></item></list><name key="PSN0000001" style="hidden" type="author">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Jacob Ludwig Felix (1809-1847)</name><name key="PRC0100111" style="hidden">Choral / Gebet »Verleih uns Frieden« / »Da nobis pacem, Domine« für gemischten Chor, kleines Orchester und Orgel, 10. Februar 1831<idno type="MWV">A 11</idno><idno type="op"></idno></name><list style="hidden" type="fmb_works_directory" xml:id="title_xilbjbyp-kreo-u8j6-djtz-lyq7o0xedg20"> <item n="1" sortKey="musical_works" style="hidden"></item> <item n="2" sortKey="vocal_music" style="hidden"></item> <item n="3" sortKey="sacred_vocal_music" style="hidden"></item> <item n="4" sortKey="large-scale_sacred_vocal_works" style="hidden"></item></list><name key="PSN0000001" style="hidden" type="author">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Jacob Ludwig Felix (1809-1847)</name><name key="PRC0100112" style="hidden">Choral »Wir glauben all an einen Gott« für gemischten Chor und Orchester, [Dezember 1830] bis 1. März 1831<idno type="MWV">A 12</idno><idno type="op"></idno></name></title>) the beautifull monuments of every description of arts gave me daily occasion to learn &amp; to admire, &amp; as I spent the greatest part of the evenings with Englishmen I need not say how pleasantly I lived this winter and spring. I am just now returned from a trip to Naples, where I enjoyed that happy and rich nature, of which nobody can fancy the beauty, who has not seen it himself, and I am sure I shall never forget the wonderfull impressions, which I received during my stay in this country. – But as I missed the principal condition for my being happy, good music, I do not so much regret to be now at the eve of leaving Rome; in a few days I am to go to Milan &amp; Genoa, and then by way of Swizzerland to Paris, where I intend remaining the beginning of next winter, till February or March. And as I want to see once more before the end of my travel my friends, who live in England, and <persName xml:id="persName_d268fa2e-a41a-4996-bf0c-4c6ba7646902">my brother<name key="PSN0113263" style="hidden">Mendelssohn Bartholdy (bis 1816: Mendelssohn), Paul Hermann (1812-1874)</name></persName> being settled there for the next years, I made up my mind to return to London after having been in France, and shall accordingly, please God, be there towards the beginning of spring, when I hope to find you and <persName xml:id="persName_367bc472-5131-441a-9554-db810e654149">your family<name key="PSN0109571" style="hidden">Attwood, Familie von → Thomas A.</name></persName> in health and happiness. I cannot say to you, my dear Sir, how I delight in thinking of the time, when I shall see you again at Norwood; the recollection of the friendship you showed me there has eversince kept in my mind, and shall certainly never leave it. </p><p>May I ask you to remember me kindly to <persName xml:id="persName_c80d584b-966b-4ef7-b4cb-0a14a027fa41">Mrs. Attwood<name key="PSN0109575" style="hidden">Attwood, Mary Ann (1775-1859)</name></persName>, <persName xml:id="persName_9a37b304-feb9-4a90-991d-3fcb11164878">Miss Attwood<name key="PSN0109573" style="hidden">Attwood, Caroline Eliza (1796-1889)</name></persName> <persName xml:id="persName_d4a87abd-30af-4ead-aa35-33d8f5599009">Mr. George<name key="PSN0109574" style="hidden">Attwood, George (1795-1884)</name></persName> &amp; <persName xml:id="persName_a0fa503a-2bf7-44c1-8d4b-ebd8397f5c1a">every member of your family<name key="PSN0109571" style="hidden">Attwood, Familie von → Thomas A.</name></persName>, &amp; to pay my best compliments to <persName xml:id="persName_4d4f0208-6669-4d8f-a68d-3759242191d3">Mr.<name key="PSN0114950" style="hidden">Smith, Newman (1788-1864)</name></persName> &amp; <persName xml:id="persName_e7ff5c1c-644c-4177-b496-54025187ae32">Mrs Newman Smith<name key="PSN0114949" style="hidden">Smith, Mary Anne (?-1887)</name></persName>? – Once more I beg your pardon for this bad letter; I would not have troubled you with it, had I not the hope of receiving perhaps an answer from you. Pray, let me have some lines, you do not imagine how happy you would make me by this favour; <persName xml:id="persName_53d01002-040b-494b-bc53-36ab90060433">Mr. Klingemann<name key="PSN0112434" style="hidden">Klingemann, Ernst Georg Carl Christoph Konrad (1798-1862)</name></persName> who knows always my direction, will forward it immediately.</p><closer rend="left" xml:id="closer_f5e625fe-7511-4a58-b218-b347bd1c5081">Believe me, my dear Sir</closer><signed rend="right"><add resp="UT" type="editors_addition">Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy</add></signed></div></body> </text></TEI>