them remarked: 'Ha! he may worry a long time before he will be
able to write conductor before his name again.' By way of
illustrating the advance made in music, he related the manner in
which Reissiger, having on one occasion to conduct Beethoven's
Symphony in A major, which had been previously executed by me,
had helped himself out of a sudden dilemma. Beethoven, as is well
known, marks the great finale of the last movement with a
prolonged forte, which he merely heightens by a sempre piu forte.
At this point Reissiger, who had conducted the Symphony before
me, thinking the opportunity a favourable one, had introduced a
piano, in order at least to secure an effective crescendo. This I
had naturally ignored, and had instructed the orchestra to play
with their full strength throughout. Now, therefore, that the
conducting of this work had once more fallen into my
predecessor's hands, he found it difficult to restore his unlucky
piano; but, feeling that he must save his authority, which had
been compromised, he made a rule that mezzo forte should be
played instead of forte.

But the most painful news he gave me was about the state of utter
neglect into which my unhappy operatic publications had fallen in
the hands of the court music-dealer Meser, who, seeing that money
had to be continually paid out, while nothing came in, regarded
himself as a sacrificial lamb whom I had lured to the slaughter.
Yet he steadily refused all inspection of his books, maintaining
that he thereby protected my property, as all I possessed having
been confiscated, it would otherwise be seized at once. A
pleasanter topic than this was Lohengrin. My friend had completed
the pianoforte arrangement, and was already busy correcting the
engraver's proofs.