A moment’s reflection showed me that this would only further my desire of preparing a pleasant and hearty reception for his Majesty.  As I was a servant of the Crown, any attempt on my part to render an act of homage in Dresden might have had the appearance of an official parade which would not be admissible.  I seized the idea, therefore, of hurriedly collecting together all who could either play or sing, so that we might perform a Reception song hastily composed in honour of the event.  The obstacle to my plan was that my Director Luttichau was away at one of his country seats.  To come to an understanding with my colleague Reissiger would, moreover, have involved delay, and given the enterprise the very aspect of an official ovation which I wished to avoid.  As no time was to be lost, if anything worthy of the occasion was to be done—­as the King was due to arrive in a few days—­I availed myself of my position as conductor of the Glee Club, and summoned all its singers and instrumentalists to my aid.  In addition to these, I invited the members of our theatrical company, and also those of the orchestra, to join us.  This done, I drove quickly to Pillnitz to arrange matters with the Lord Chamberlain, whom I found favourably disposed towards my project.  The only leisure I could snatch for composing the verses of my song and setting them to music was during the rapid drive there and back, for by the time I reached home I had to have every thing ready for the copyist and lithographer.  The agreeable sensation of rushing through the warm summer air and lovely country, coupled with the sincere affection with which I was inspired for our German Prince, and which had prompted my effort, elated me and worked me up to a high pitch of tension, in which I now formed a clear conception of the lyrical outlines of the ‘Tannhauser March,’ which first saw the light of day on the occasion of this royal welcome.  I soon afterwards developed this theme, and thus produced the march which became the most popular of the melodies I had hitherto composed.

On the next day it had to be tried over with a hundred and twenty instrumentalists and three hundred singers.  I had taken the liberty of inviting them to meet me on the stage of the Court Theatre, where everything went off capitally.  Every one was delighted, and I not the least so, when a messenger arrived from the director, who had just returned to town, requesting an immediate interview.  Littichau was enraged beyond measure at my high-handed proceedings in this matter, of which he had been informed by our good friend Reissiger.  If his baronial coronet had been on his head during this interview, it would assuredly have tumbled off.  The fact that I should have conducted my negotiations in person with the court officials, and could report that my endeavours had met with extraordinarily prompt success, aroused his deepest fury, for the chief importance of his own position consisted in always representing everything