Eric Sams   The Making of an Essay Letters on Schumann to and from Alan Walker

26. 

5th  August 1971

Dear Alan,

   just a brief and rather barren interim report on one or two of the points we touched on in that agreeable chat the other day.

   I'm afraid I've drawn a blank on the pictures, so to speak. But I do have three book with rather copious illustrations – Eismann, B6tticher and Dahms, which perhaps you might like to look through quickly. I'll bring them when we next meet, if you wish.

   Emilie. According to Eugenie Schumann (R. S. – Ein Lebensbild meines Vaters, Leipzig 1931, p. 60) there is a short biography of August Schumann by Carl Ernst Richter, published by C. Schumann (presumably the son Carl) in Schneeberg, no date given, which says that August's daughter died a year before he did. On p. 60 also appears a quotation from one of Johanna Schumann's letters (again, no date is given) which says ' I have just spent twelve nights with much sorrowful weeping in the room where my dear Emilie passed away'. So the 1826 drowning looks pretty washed up to me,

   I've been looking again at the Brahms Sonatensatz. Of course it uses F.A.E. How could it fail to, since that was the whole point of it? One has only to accept that and ask oneself the question – how? for the scales to fall from one's eyes, if not ears. As to Brahms's practices in this respect, there's a couple of (I think) interesting articles in the April and May MTs. Which reminds me that the Florestan-Eusebius thing was Feb 67; you may find it worth a peep.

   With renewed thanks to you and Valerie for the pleasantest of sessions

   yours ever Eric