Schenker Correspondence Project

Handwritten letter from Halm to Schenker, dated January 22, 1924

Wickersdorf bei [/] Saalfeld-Saale
22. I. 24

Sehr verehrter Herr Professor!

Ganz gewiß will ich Sie nicht um eine Antwort drängen, möchte nur sicher sein. Ich nehme an, daß Sie meinen Brief (d.i. die Antwort auf Ihre freundliche Postkarte)¹ u. einstweilen auch meine Quartett-Partitur² erhalten haben, die Ihnen Herr Reichling³ überbringen wollte. Ich halte es für möglich, daß ein Brief von Ihnen verloren ging u. teile Ihnen mit, daß ich seither keine Nachricht von Ihnen erhalten {2} habe. Falls Sie aber noch gar nicht zum Schreiben kommen, so ist alles in Ordnung, u es eilt nicht im geringsten.

Sie erwähnten einmal in einem Brief den Herrn Dr. Oppel in Kiel.⁴ Ich erhielt einmal eine Aufforderung, mich an der Drucklegung seiner Werke zu beteiligen; diese war so abefaßt, daß ich der Sache nicht traute; gar kein Niveau (z.B. seine Musik gegen die Léhars ausgespielt!). Nun scheint aber nach Ihrer damaligen Bemerkung doch etwas von Wichtigkeit vorzuliegen. {3} Können Sie mir bei nächster Gelegenheit in Kürze etwas Richtunggebendes darüber sagen? Und wer ist der “hochbegabte Tondichter”,⁵ den Sie in dem Abschnitt über das Fisdurpräludium v. Bach erwähnen? (Übrigens hätte ich dessen falsche Antwort auch gegeben; u. ^aber Ihre Deutung hat mich [?] als die ^viel bessere angesprochen.)

Herzlich grüßt Sie

Ihr
[ sign’d: ] A. Halm

© In the public domain; published with the permission of the heirs of August Halm, March 2006.
© Transcription Lee Rothfarb, 2006.

Handwritten letter from Halm to Schenker, dated January 22, 1924

Wickersdorf near Saalfeld-Saale
January 22, 1924

Dear Professor,

I most certainly do not want to pressure you for an answer, would just like to be sure. I take it that you have received my letter (i.e. the answer to your cordial post card),¹ and in the meantime also my quartet score,² which Mr. Reichling³ was going to deliver. I consider it possible that a letter from you got lost, and am letting you know that I have received no news from you since then. {2} In case you just have not had a chance to write, that is all right, and there is no rush in the least.

In a letter you once mentioned Dr. Oppel in Kiel.⁴ I once received an invitation to take part in the publication of his works. It was formulated in such a way that I did not trust the matter. No standard at all (e.g. his music being played off against Léhar’s!). However, based on your remark of the time it now appears that something of importance is going on. {3} Could you give me some orientation about it in brief at the next opportunity? And who is the “highly talented composer” you mention in the section on Bach’s F#-major Prelude?⁵ (By the way, I would also have given his[?] incorrect answer; ^but your interpretation appealed to me as the ^much better one (better addressed).

With cordial greetings,

Yours
[ sign’d: ] A. Halm

© Translation Lee Rothfarb, 2006.

COMMENTARY:
Format: 3-p letter, oblong format, holograph message and signature
Sender address: Wickersdorf near Saale
Recipient address: --

FOOTNOTES:

¹ H’s letter: OC 12/7-9, November 10, 1923; no postcard appears to survive from S to which that was a reply.

² Quartet score: ...

³ Unidentified.

⁴ [check]. Reinhard Oppel [create biogfile and link].

⁵ i.e. “Die Kunst zu hören“ (The Art of Listening), Der Tonwille 3 (1922), 22–25 (Eng. trans., I, 118–20), which begins: „I asked a highly gifted composer on one occasion about the gist of the opening bars of the Prelude in F#, from the first book of Bach’s _Well-Tempered Clavier ..._”; S uses the unnamed composer as a foil for his own way of hearing the piece.

SUMMARY:
Has S received H's last letter and string quartet score? Asks for further details of two people mentioned in S's recent letter(2).

© Commentary, Footnotes, Summary Lee Rothfarb, 2006

Rothfarb, Lee
Halm, August
DE
Cambridge University Faculty of Music-Ian Bent
IPR: In the public domain; Transcription, Translation, Commentary, Footnotes, and Summary: Lee A. Rothfarb, 2006.
Halm, August; Schenker, Heinrich; string quartet; Oppel, Reinhard; Léhar, Franz; Bach, J. S.; Prelude
Handwritten letter from Halm to Schenker, dated January 22, 1924
OJ 11/35, 22
1924-01-22
2006-06-27
Halm
This document is deemed to be in the public domain as of January 1, 2000, and is published with the permission of the heirs of August Halm, March 2006.
Schenker, Heinrich (1924-1935)--Schenker, Jeanette (1935-c.1942)--Ratz, Erwin (c.1942-c.1955)--Jonas, Oswald (c.1955-1978)--University of California, Riverside (1978--)
IPR: In the public domain; Image: University of California, Riverside; Transcription, Translation, Commentary, Footnotes, and Summary: Lee Rothfarb.
Wickersdorf
1924