[20th January 1875]
In the course of the personal intercourse with you, which it has been my privilege to enjoy, you have learned of my wish to secure your participation in carrying into effect, under absolutely unique conditions, a three-fold performance of my four-part stage work entitled the “Ring of the Nibelung.” I believe that the realisation of this idea, which, on the one hand, has depended upon the extraordinary support of the friends and patrons of my art, can only be made possible by the cordial and vigorous consent of the distinguished artists whose participation has been solicited, as the support of my patrons should and must only be given to an undertaking in connection with which there is no thought of money-making speculation.
You will therefore find yourselves (perhaps for the first time in your lives) called upon to devote your gifts solely and singly to the achievement of an ideal artistic purpose, namely, that of showing to the German public what the German is able to do with his art on his own native ground, and in this way be able to present to foreign countries, from whose artistic leavings we have lived chiefly up to this time, something which they are not capable of imitating.
Allow me now to specify the obligations which you, under the sole pre-requisite I have accepted, would undertake, as soon as you, as I most earnestly request, grant me your final promise of participation. You will be best able to determine these obligations for yourself with great accuracy when I share with you the plan I consider to be most useful for the preparations and performances, according to which you, depending on the role you take on, will find yourself assigned to the appropriate duties, particularly in regard to the time required for these.
From the first of July to the first of August of this year, 1875, the initial preparatory rehearsals are to take place in Bayreuth: from this time onwards the following should be used:
the first week of July for
piano rehearsals of “Das Rheingold”
the second week likewise for “Die Walküre”
the third for “Siegfried”
the fourth for “Götterdämmerung”
From the first to the fifteenth of August, the same rehearsals shall be repeated in a quick succession, with the full orchestra being included, for the purpose of acquainting the musicians with their tasks, as well as clarifying the musical ensemble for the singers present.
The third week of August shall also be devoted to the testing and assessment of difficult scenic evolutions, under the guidance of the machinist and scenic painter, with the necessary participation of the actors involved.
After these preparations, to be carried out in the course of the year 1875, the months of June and July of the following year, 1876, shall be devoted to the complete dress rehearsals of the entire work. By this, I mean that, avoiding any overexertion or fatigue, day by day, with orchestra and full scenery, the individual parts shall be rehearsed in such a manner that, from the first of June to the fifteenth of July,“Das Rheingold”, “Die Walküre”, “Siegfried”, and“Götterdämmerung” shall follow one another in succession, and from the fifteenth to the thirtieth of July, depending on need, all four pieces shall be rehearsed.
In the first week of August 1876, the first performance of the entire work shall then take place in the following manner:
Sunday: the performance of “Rheingold” shall commence at 7 o’clock in the evening;
Monday: at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, “Die Walküre”, first act; at 6 o’clock, second act; at 8 o’clock, third act. (The long intermissions are to be used, both for a renewed gathering of the audience in a pleasant public space surrounding the theatre, as well as for the rest and recuperation of the performing artists in pre-prepared garden spaces for this purpose directly next to their concealed dressing rooms.)
Tuesday: in the same manner, beginning at 4 o’clock in the afternoon, “Siegfried”.
Wednesday: likewise, “Götterdämmerung”.
In the same manner, the first repetition of the full performance shall take place in the second week of August, and the second repetition in the third week.
By presenting you with this performance schedule, I proceed in full awareness of the difficulties inherent in my enterprise, as well as, on the other hand, the capabilities of our artistic forces, provided that, with regard to their participation, an unreserved willingness to engage can be assumed. It is only on the basis of this latter condition, as I previously mentioned, that I undertake my work and place my hopes in its success.
Thus, would you kindly confirm, through a binding commitment, your participation, so that I am able to consider you as one of those won over for the performance of my stage festival, and, at the same time, indicate whether, and to what extent, you would claim compensation for your contribution. From the position I have outlined above regarding my role among the patrons of the enterprise, it is evident that any thought of profit for those involved is to be excluded, and, indeed, a willingness to make sacrifices must be assumed throughout. Nonetheless, I have been careful to provide, in cases where the sacrifice would be unbearable, the necessary compensations for your participation, and this has been made possible for me, in particular, by the already generous renunciation of compensation by certain distinguished artists, for me to proceed in such a manner that none of the artistic forces I have in mind will be compelled to forgo their due to insurmountable material difficulties.
I now await your favourable answer, in order to learn that I shall be able to count you among those who have bound themselves together voluntarily into the most worthy of alliances, and pledged themselves to fulfil an artistic ideal such as has never before been conceived.
R.W.
Bayreuth
15 January 1875
Translated by Jo Cousins.