The Rhinegold is again, or I should say still, at the copyist's in Dresden. To be frank, I am unwilling to burden you with the task of making the pianoforte arrangement. Klindworth is merely a pianist and rightly no doubt does not wish to be otherwise. As such he has little to do in London and so can and will do work of this kind gladly and with speed. With you the case is exactly the contrary; the fact that you are very much occupied as a pianist is, after all, in itself a constraint upon you which you ought to strive against with all your might so as to leave room in your soul for productivity as a composer. I would not like to do anything more to block your path in this direction. You shall have my new scores to look through at leisure as soon as I can spare them; apart from Liszt, Rockel at Waldheim shall be your only rival for them. But it will really ease my mind to know that in the reading of them you will not see yourself at once impelled to exercise your functions as a pianist again. Believe me and my sincerity when I tell you this. If you would like to do me one more favour as arrangeur, I shall perhaps ask you soon for a good arrangement of the Faust Overture, which, however, you would have to let me have gratis, because it is only on this condition that I would get Hartel's to print it; they have already sent me an arrangement in the old style to look through, which I had to refuse, offering, on the contrary, to see to one myself, which I would almost beg them to print. For the rest, do gladden my heart some time with a new composition! Unless you have completely misunderstood me, what I said to you about your overtures can only have encouraged you. I have not yet had a glimpse of your recently published pianoforte compositions; only Baumgartner spoke well of them to me. I cannot form an opinion on things of that kind unless I hear them; accordingly I rest my hopes on Liszt who will certainly play them to me.
But just risen, as I am, from a sick-bed, where I have lain for a considerable time, I find myself obliged to write to you again without knowing where you are staying or whether you will answer. It concerns the Faust Overture. I would not trouble you with it, and above all would not require of you work which is to be published by Hartel's not under your name and without fee, were I not in the really embarrassing position of being otherwise unable to prevent Hartel's issuing a bad arrangement, which they pretend suits their purpose. Furthermore I know that you have already arranged the earlier version of the same overture, so that you would have a minimum of labour in effecting what I want done. I am now extremely pressed and must deliver the arrangement speedily. Consequently I beg you to let me know by return whether you can fulfil my request or not.
So make the pianoforte arrangement, for four hands of course, at your discretion, that is, deal freely with the score in order to make the composition, the musical concept, clear. It was just this necessary freedom of treatment of which Hartel's arranger had not the least conception. Make it with a view to what it will sound like, not to what it will look like. And moreover don't make it difficult; that is to say, no intricate daring passages which disconcert people and make them think it is written only for platform performers.
Richard Wagner
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner, Volume 1, ed. Altmann/Hull (London: Dent, 1927), No. 291