Princess Carolyne zu Sayn-Wittgenstein of Sayn-Wittgenstein, Weißheimer was introduced to a new musical world. While here he met his friend, Peter Cornelius, who had also come to Weimar in 1860, and was introduced to Felix Draeseke, Hans von Bronsart, Carl Tausig, the Bohemian Smetana, Franz Bendel, Gruère and Hans von Bülow among other notables. In Weimar, one of Weißheimer's compositions was first performed by an orchestra. Liszt included Weißheimer's symphony on Schiller's Ritter Toggenburg on the program for the court concerts that he conducted on 13 March 1860. To allow Weißheimer to take part in this concert at the Grand Ducal Palace, which was only accessible to the court and nobility, Liszt had him wear a tail coat and a white tie and placed him in the middle of the string orchestra, where he had to pretend to play the violin. At the end of the concert, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess expressed approval of the composer. The next day on his visit to Liszt, Weißheimer met daughter Cosima, who was married for two years to von Bülow and who would later become Wagner's second wife. Weißheimer's stay in Weimar climaxed in 1861. He presented a musical meeting starting with Liszt's Faust Symphony under Bülow's baton. Weißheimer achieved complete success with the presentation of his Grave in Busento by the court orchestra and the academic choir of Jena students. Wagner made an unexpected appearance at this event, after eleven years of exile in Switzerland. Friendship with Richard Wagner In the autumn of 1861 Weißheimer returned to the Mainz theatre as music director. During this period he befriended Wagner. After the Weimar meeting, Wagner tried unsuccessfully to reach Paris in late November where Prince Metternich had provided him with a garden apartment at the Austrian Embassy. On 1 December, he arrived unexpectedly in Mainz to negotiate his stage festival play Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg with the Schott publishing house. He already had the text and the poetic process was to take place in Paris. During the days in Mainz, Wagner attended the opera performances conducted by Weißheimer and Weißheimer also participated in his meetings with Mrs. Betty Schott. After successfully completing his Meistersinger poetry in less than two months in Paris, Wagner returned to Mainz on 31 January 1862. That same evening, in the Schotts' house, before a selected circle of listeners, Wagner presented the Meistersingers poetry. Peter Cornelius and