Schenker Correspondence Project

Diary entry by Schenker, dated June

Juni: Dir. Bopp|¹ hält nicht Wort. Die geplante Aufführung der beiden Ph. Em. Bach Konz. u. der 2 Kantaten von S. Bach|² unterbleibt. So war denn alle meine Plage vergebens, die ich auf die Stücke des Konzertes verwandte, ^u. (nebst Korrekturen an II¹³ u. der so schwierigen Abfassung der “Einleitung”⁴[)] so tapfer trug. Flegelei u. besondere Talentlosigkeit des Direktors Ursache davon. Statt des “historischen Konzertes“ bietet er der IX Symph. von Beeth.⁵ Das Resultat nach sage u. schreibe 40 Proben der allertraurigste[:] der Ventil⁶-Trompetenklang u. Paukenschall im Vordergrund, sonst (streng metronomisch^es7) Abhudeln⁸ des kostbaren Inhalts ohne jeglichen Sinn für deren Bedeutung. Geistige Unzucht wider die Jugend.⁹ Die “Presse” lobt die “That” u. den Mut des Direktors.

© In the public domain.
© Transcription Ian D. Bent 2006.

Diary entry by Schenker, dated June

June: Director Bopp¹ doesn’t keep his word. The planned performance of the two C. P. E. Bach concertos and the 2 cantatas by J. S. Bach² has been dropped. So all the trouble that I expended on the pieces for the concert, ^and (alongside the proofs for II/1³ and the formulation of the “Introduction,”⁴ which was so difficult[)] that I bore so courageously, was in vain. The cause of this [was] the Director’s rude behavior and singular lack of talent. In place of the “historical” concert he offers the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven⁵ The result, after forty—I repeat, forty!—rehearsals, [was] most deplorable[:] the sound of the valve⁶ trumpets and noise of the timpani in the foreground, not to mention the (strictly metronomic⁷) sloppy handling⁸ of the priceless content without the remotest sense of its meaning. Intellectual abuse of youth.⁹ The Neue freie Presse praises the “actions” and the courage of the Director.

© Translation Ian D. Bent 2006.

COMMENTARY:
Format: diary entry

FOOTNOTES:

¹ Wilhelm Bopp [create biogfile and link]

² See WSLB 44, October 18, 1909, in which S reports that Bopp wishes to put on a “historical concert” comprising a single-keyboard concerto and a double-keyboard concerto by C. P. E. Bach, a cantata by J. S. Bach, and possibly a harp concerto by Handel, all in editions to be prepared by S, provisionally scheduled for January/February 1910. Several diary entries record his being at work on these editions.

³ Kontrapunkt, first half-volume (Stuttgart: J. G. Cotta, 1910).

⁴ See WSLB 53, February 15, 1910. The author was officially Moriz Violin, and it was eventually published by UE as No.3089: Über das sogenannte “Continuo”: Ein Beitrag zur Lösung des Problems.

⁵ Review to be located. Neue freie Presse for June 19, 1910, p.15 states: “A few weeks ago, the new institution [i.e. the Conservatory in its new form as Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst] gave its debut—and right happily, it should be said—with Beethoven’s Ninth ...”

⁶ S writes “Velti” or “Welti”. S insisted on the use of natural trumpets in classical works; see his Niloff, Instrumentations-Tabelle (Vienna: UE, 1908), introduction and entries in table.

⁷ originally “metronomisch streng”, then marked for inversion, and ending inserted below; thus he originally intended the phrase adverbially.

⁸ “Abhudeln”: “hudeln” is colloquial, “to do sloppy/skimpy work.”

⁹ Cf. Schenker's report of the jubilee performance of the Ninth Symphony—an attempt at a historical performance using the original numbers of players, following Beethoven's tempo markings, performance and phrasing signs, and returning to the original scoring—conducted by Paul von Klenau at the Wiener Konzerthaus on May 7, 1924, in Der Tonwille 8/9, pp.53-4, "Hundert Jahre IX. Sinfonie" (trans. vol.II, pp.121-22).

SUMMARY:
Bopp, Director of Vienna Conservatory, has abandoned the historical concert planned with S and substituted a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, described by S as "most deplorable."

© Commentary, Footnotes, Summary Ian D. Bent 2006.

Bent, Ian
Schenker, Heinrich
Bopp, Director of Vienna Conservatory, has abandoned the historical concert planned with S and substituted a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, described by S as "most deplorable."
DE
Cambridge University Faculty of Music-Ian Bent
IPR: In the public domain; Transcription, Translation, Commentary, Footnotes, and Summary: Ian D. Bent 2006.
Schenker, Heinrich; Bopp, Wilhelm; Conservatory; Akademie für Musik und darstellende Kunst; Bach, C. P. E.; Bach, J. S.; concerto; cantata; Einführung; Introduction; Beethoven; Ninth Symphony; valve trumpets; timpani; Neue freie Presse
Diary entry by Schenker, dated June, 1910
diary entry
academic; musicology; music theory
OJ 1/9, p.118
1910-06-??
2006-05-13
Schenker diary
Any claim to intellectual rights on this document should be addressed to the Schenker Correspondence Project, Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge, at schenkercorrespondence@mus.cam.ac.uk.
holograph diary entry
Schenker, Heinrich (1910-1935)--Schenker, Jeanette (1935-c.1942)--Ratz, Erwin (c.1942-c.1955)--Jonas, Oswald (c.1955-1978)--University of California, Riverside (1978--)
IPR: in public domain; Image: University of California, Riverside; Transcription, Translation, Commentary, Footnotes, and Summary: Ian D. Bent.
Vienna
1910