Our letters have crossed. Only a few lines to-day about the suspicion attaching to Tausig. He told me how you admonished him for his reputed ungrateful behaviour to Bülow. The incident has really grieved me, because I have learned thereby of an evident weakness in the character of our good Hans and I have made no secret about it to him. The origin of the affair was briefly as follows. Hans had promised to finish a pianoforte arrangement of Iphigenia quickly for me; as there was considerable delay and I was furthermore under strict agreement with Hartel's for the punctuality of Hans's arrangement of Tristan, I considered whether, on second thoughts, it was not unjust to burden Bülow with such work, his zeal notwithstanding. Moreover, it was clear to me that Hans is so very busy that he could not possibly accomplish even this eagerly accepted work without being rushed. If I thought that creative work of his own, composition, etc., had any place among his activities and hindrances, I should have been sorry to say anything to him, but as a matter of fact I feel sure that these pianoforte arrangements, which he doesn't find time to do, rob him of the last chance of getting time to do his own work. I felt this was a definite reproach to me; previously it made me give the Nibelungs arrangements to Klindworth, because Hans was then in the like situation and unable to proceed with a pianoforte arrangement, without words, of Tannhäuser, while Klindworth, having given up all idea of a career as a composer, and having few current lessons, caused me less misgiving than Hans, whose powers were already too much dissipated.
Well, I wrote to him a little while ago at Weimar, where he was staying with you, and admonished him not to dissipate his forces further, even out of zeal for me, but rather to give me the pleasure of hearing of fresh creative work from him. His answer depressed me profoundly, for I saw Hans thought me insincere in my account of motive, and openly imputed that I had been influenced either by Tausig's importunacy, he being always in want of money, or, this strictly between ourselves, by insinuations from Altenburg. The last supposition in particular dashed me completely, because it convinced me that politics and diplomacy were beginning to operate far outside their proper sphere. I told Hans openly what I felt and reproached him with having distrusted my honesty, saying nothing could disgust me more than to see strange and distorting influences read into my motives. I have been as little influenced from Altenburg in my proposal to let Tausig arrange Tristan as by Tausig himself. As I assured him again, I was decided by my anxiety for Hans himself. As I could see from his answer, however, the great value he attached to the work on Tristan, it was understood that he should retain it. I wish Hans had let you hear of this letter and so spared Tausig from reproaches, this time most unjust. Tausig was anxious to study what I had finished of Siegfried and to this end he began a pianoforte arrangement of the first act. This work gave me the idea, things being as I have told you with Bülow, of offering him Tristan. He undertook it with hesitation and on condition that Bülow, whom he would not cross for the world, was willing to give up the work. He would not hear of a fee under any circumstances, neither has he ever given me an inkling of any monetary embarrassments.
Richard Wagner
Source: Letters of Richard Wagner, Volume 1, ed. Altmann/Hull (London: Dent, 1927), No. 359