I wish you would compose a certain piece of music. I have hea imagined it all the morning—that is, imagined I was listening to it—but of course it was only blended sounds, & not articulated, not organized. Theme: “The Splendor falls on Castle walls, & snowy summits old in story.”

I imagined a quartette of mail male voices (without accompaniment) singing, down to where “Blow, bugle, blow” (then a few notes from a bugle behind the singers, or behind the scenes;) “Set the wild echoes flying!” (Bugle notes repeated.) Then “Answer, echoes” (bugle im (the bugle notes softly imitated by a concealed flute at the other end of the house, or in another room.) And so on: “O hark, O hear! (flute) how thin & clear! (flute) And thinner (flute) clearer, (flute) farther going! (flute) How thin & far (flute) from cliff & scar (flute) the horns of Elfland faintly blowing!” (flute.)

Well it does look like the very nation on paper, but it sounds well when it is fading & receding in my mind’s ear Horatio.

May be the song has been already set to music.—then it has been poorly done & nobody sings it; so I wish you’d do it over again & do it right. Won’t you?