[Boston—Friday, 23 November 1866]
Thursday at home—Friday first concert of Harvard Musical Ass. Dresel played wonderfully I am apt to forget from time to time how superior he is to every other player I have ever heard. His fingers flutter over the notes like birds wings and the music received a spontaneousness from his expression of it. The fine 7th Symphony but I was a little out of tune. I must hear music in a company which shines but with Mrs ——— talking fashion across J. and S. asking what Mr Emerson means by “wood bell’s peal and cry” in the pauses I feel as if the evil one had hold of me and was trying to pull me down from the holy mount.
