Richard Wagner (1813-1883)
Autograph letter signed (with initials, 'R.W.') to [Heinrich Szadrowsky], n.p., n.d. [?Zurich, mid-1850s]
In German. Two pages, 247 x 190mm, bifolium, illustrated with two diagrams of the arrangements of the orchestra in an opera pit. Provenance: Sotheby's, 26 & 27 November 1987, lot 418.

The right and the wrong way to arrange an opera orchestra for works by Bellini, Donizetti and Flotow. Wagner provides two diagrams of the arrangement of the musicians in a pit: commenting that the first arrangement would work for 'St. Martha' (presumably Martha by Friedrich von Flotow) and Bellini's La sonnambula, if no high standard were required. For a better result, one should plan the orchestra beforehand, and Wagner would have advised 'a good half-compass' arrangement instead of the 'long thin strip'. However, his diagram of the desired 'half-compass' is so crossed over and corrected as to be almost illegible, leading him to comment that 'you won't learn anything from this', concluding that 'it will be fine' too for Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore and Belisario.

If the intention is not to give a fine performance of St. Martha and Sonnambula, the above orchestral setup will probably work. Naturally, nothing reasonable can come of it; if that were wanted, you would have to ask beforehand how you should construct the orchestra itself, where I would then have indicated that instead of the long thin strip you should prepare a good half-compass – roughly as follows .... Now you won't learn anything from this – but no matter!

Wagner's close friend Heinrich Szadrowsky (1828-1878) was the musical director for the town of St Gall.