In the mean time, Nicholas made a cameo but unwelcome appearance at the Altenburg in
September 1852 to discuss the terms of his property settlement. Liszt already had to
contend with the petty musical, religious and power politics of a provincial town,
including the rather hypocritical antipathy of the people of Weimar to Carolyne who was
technically living in adultery. Adultery was at that time a criminal offence in the grand
duchy of Weimar although no-one was disposed to apply the law to Liszt.
Liszt, in the middle of all this turmoil, not to mention his musical activities, found the
time, energy, inclination and concentration, in late 1852 and early 1853, to compose his
Sonata. To make matters more complicated, in 1853 he fell in love with a new piano
pupil, Agnès Klindworth, and maintained that liaison clandestinely for some time even
after she left Weimar two years later.
Carolyne, of course, had to get a divorce if she were legally to remarry. She was
technically a Russian subject, as she was born in the Ukraine, and a divorce had to go
through the Russian authorities and be approved by the Czar as head of the Russian
Orthodox Church. The Czar’s sister was married to the Grand-Duke Carl Friedrich of
Weimar and Carolyne hoped that this circumstance would smooth the path.
In any event, the divorce went through and was approved by the Czar. Carolyne was now
divorced and legally free to marry in the grand-duchy of Weimar which recognised the
divorce. As Liszt had never been married he was legally free to marry. This could take
place in the Lutheran Church in Weimar but Liszt would only marry in the Catholic
Church. He was canonically free to do this only if the pope approved the annulment of
Carolyne’s marriage to Nicholas. The annulment proceedings commenced by Carolyne
in the Catholic Church tribunal were, however, opposed all the way by the Wittgensteins
for tactical reasons relating to the property settlement.
The Defender of the Marriage Bond, who appeared at the various stages of the nullity
proceedings, had to comply with his obligation under canon law to ensure that the
proceedings were not collusive. There always was evidence which, if believed,
established that Carolyne had been pressured into the marriage with Nicholas. Neither
Carolyne nor Nicholas ever wanted to resume cohabitation.
The legal wrangling was eventually resolved. The decree of nullity of Carolyne’s
marriage to Nicholas was approved by Pope Pius IX, and Liszt and Carolyne’s wedding
was arranged to take place in Rome on Liszt’s fiftieth birthday. On the day before the
wedding, however, a special emissary to the Pope from the Wittgensteins arrived in
Rome alleging fraud in the nullity proceedings. The Pope had no option but to stay the
decree, which led to further legal wrangling. This was resolved decisively in favour of
Carolyne and the stay was lifted.
The papers in the Vatican archives relating to Carolyne’s annulment proceedings, which
were long thought to have been lost or destroyed, have been located by Alan Walker,
translated and published. These voluminous papers, often written in the formal