Ferdinand von Mueller

27/3/82.

The telegram has just reached us, dear Dr Gray, that your illustrious compatriot Longfellow is dead.

1

The American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow died on 24 March 1882.

At his venerable age he being called away into eternity, does not take anyone by surprise; still the whole world of educated and highminded people will be sorrowful at the loss of so great a man.

When presiding last night at a fête of the "Liedertafel" I took occasion to mention, that I had begged of you, to send the program of the Concert, in which Mr. Siede's musical version of Longfellow's Orion was first played,

2

Julius Siede, conductor of the Melbourne Liedertafel, composed a cantata of Longfellow's 'Occultation of Orion' that was first performed publicly at a Liedertafel concert on 21 November 1881. M sought to have a full copy of the music written out for presentation to Longfellow, and proposed using Gray as intermediary. See M to J. Hooker, 22 November 1881.

to your compatriot with an intimation, that the Music should follow so soon as it was published or manuscript copies for all the needful instruments could be written out. The latter to receive, and (as I thought

3

thought above hoped deleted.

) to hear performed in a great American City, the Poet did not live; but we here hope, that he derived yet timely some little pleasure of learning, that at the antipodes one of his great poems had been first expressed in musical voices. I had nothing to seek in offering the program; but throughout life I have sought to give some little joy to anyone , when chances offered. The life is so sorrowful and prosaic, that any little poetic exhiliration or other rational pleasure should not be missed. When yesterday in the course of an "ex tempore" speech on several musical subjects I referred to Longfellow, Orion & our Concert from the Presidential Chair,

4

M was Vice-President of the Melbourne Liedertafel; on 27 March at a social occasion at Gunsler’s Café he presented gold monograms to F. Whitehead (honorary secretary) and D, Henne (honorary treasurer, Age (Melbourne) 28 March 1882, p. 5.

this passage of my remarks was received by all the active singing members of the Liedertafel with particular applause.