Max und Moritz. Vier der Streiche, in schöne und bekannte Musik gesetzt

My dear Max! So I couldn’t fail to put three of our most beautiful youthful escapades in music. The immortal poetry of the great Busch, who celebrated our deeds so brilliantly, has inspired me to music, so nice hardly to find: there are just wonderful melodies of our greatest opera composers, I – and this is a separate string of me - have stolen and captioned to the German verses. But, with what subtlety! [...] Just hear the leitmotif of the proud rooster! Could I find it somewhere nicer than in Carmen?! How tenderly I have indicated the spousal relationship of the chickens by the Weberian Bridal Wreath. The Champagne Aria, could it find better use than for the meal of the feathered singers? How did I find the right tone painting for the words: “„und ihr Hals ward lang und länger, ihr Gesang ward bang und bänger“ so wonderfully in Troubadour! [...] In faithful love, yours prankish Moritz