Handwritten letter from Röntgen to Schenker, dated October 14, 1901 Amsterdam, 14 Oct. 1901 Lieber, verehrter Herr Doctor, Ihre “Indiscretion wider Willen”1 freut mich ungemein und es wäre schön, wenn wir ihr zu danken hätten, daß die Firma Messchaert-Röntgen in Wien keinen Banquerot|2 machte! Gutman[n]s3 Taktik ist allerdings nicht schön. Vor zwei Jahren, als er mit dem hohen Angebot kam, stellten wir als Bedingung, daß es auch für folgende Jahre gültig bliebe, bleibenden Erfolg vorausgesetzt. Hierauf antwortete er zustimmend. {2} Ich habe ihm das dieser Tage deutlich geschrieben, natürlich ohne eine Spur von Hoffnung, daß es etwas nützen würde. Er fängt seinen Antwortsbrief mit dem schönen Satz an: ich bin in erster Linie begeisterter Kunstfreund und dann jammert er über die “schlechten Zeiten” die ja immer herhalten müßen. Nun, Rosé’s4 Anbot hat mir persönlich große Freude gemacht. Ob es sich für dieses Jahr realisirt, ist ja noch ungewiß. Jedenfalls ist Messchaert ja an Gutmann gebunden, mit dem er für sich allein für 3 Concerte im Janner [recte: Jänner] abgeschloßen hat. Am 18t. habe ich mit M. hier Concert u. erfahre dann wohl, wie die Angelegenheit sich entwickelt hat. {3} Ich werde ihm dann Ihren Brief mittheilen u. er mag selbst antworten auf Ihre Vermuthungen, seine Auffassung Ihres Verhältnißes zu Rosé betreffend. Ich habe nie auch das geringste Wort von M. gehört, das mir Ihre Auffassung wahrscheinlich macht! Und was haben Sie Neues gemacht? Sie sprachen in Ihrem letzten Brief von einer größeren Arbeit! Sind Sie mit Ph. E. Bach5 fertig? Ich habe den ganzen Sommer durchgearbeitet, um meinen Bach-Verpflichtungen6 nach zu kommen. Jetzt wundert es mich, daß es mit dem Druck so langsam geht. Mir wurde der 1t. October als äußerter Termin des Erscheinens gestellt u. ich stand jeden Morgen dafür um 6. Uhr auf. {4} Meine letzte eigne Arbeit war eine 4 händige Bearbeitung von Alt Niederländischen Tänzen von 1550, wohl das älteste Denkmal von Niederl. Instrumental Musik.7 Ich freue mich sie einmal mit Ihnen zu spielen! Wenn nämlich von Messchaert-Röntgen nichts wird, komme ich mit Eldering, unserem ausserordentlichen Geiger,8 und spiele den Wienern die 3 Brahms Sonaten vor. Also ich sage auch auf Wiedersehen u. grüße Sie inzwischen auf’s Herzlichste! Ihr © In the public domain. |
Handwritten letter from Röntgen to Schenker, dated October 14, 1901 Amsterdam, October 14, 1901 Dear, honored Doctor, Your “indiscretion against the will”1 has made me extraordinarily happy, and it would be lovely if we had it to thank for the fact that the firm of Messchaert-Röntgen did not go bankrupt in Vienna!2 Gutmann’s3 tactic is not lovely, however. Two years ago, when he came with the high offer, we agreed on the condition that it would also hold for the following year, assuming continuing success. He responded agreeably to this. {2} I recently wrote to him plainly about this, of course without a trace of hope that it would be of any use. He began his letter of reply with this lovely line: I stand in the front line of enthusiastic friends of art. And then he complained about the “bad times” he is always compelled to face. Now, Rosé’s4 offer has personally made me very happy. Whether it will be realized this year is still uncertain. In any case, Messchaert is tied to Gutmann, with whom he has made an exclusive commitment to three concerts in January. On the 18th I have a concert here with M., and I will find out then how the affair has played out. {3} I will discuss your letter with him then, and he can respond for himself to your suspicions concerning his view of your relationship with Rosé. I have not heard a single word from M., which makes me think that your view is correct! And what have you been doing lately? You spoke in your last letter of a larger piece of work! Are you done with Ph. E. Bach?5 I worked the whole summer to fulfill my Bach-obligations!6 It surprises me now that the printing proceeds so slowly. I was given October 1 as the latest possible date for publication, and I stayed up until around 6:00 every morning for that reason. {4} My own most recent work was a 4-hand arrangement of Old-Dutch dances from 1550, probably the oldest monument of Dutch instrumental music.7 It would be fun to play them with you sometime! If nothing becomes of Messchaert-Röntgen, I will come with Eldering, our extraordinary violinist,8 and perform the three Brahms sonatas for the Viennese. Thus I say farewell and offer the most heartfelt greetings in the meantime! Yours truly, © Translation Kevin Karnes 2006. |
COMMENTARY: FOOTNOTES: 1 R may still be responding in part to NMI C 176-01, April 13, 1901, where the Gutmann royalty incident, to which this first paragraph may be a response, is recounted; however, R has already reacted to other parts of that letter in OJ 13/27, [2], April 22. The “indiscretion” is inexplicable on the present documentation: either there has been face-to-face contact during the Messchaert-Röntgen visit to Vienna, or a letter from S is missing. 2 Click on Johannes Messchaert. Banquerot : French banqueroute (bankruptcy). 3 Albert J. Gutmann, agent and concert promoter. Röntgen’s statements continue a discussion begun in Schenker’s letter NMI C 176-01, April 13, 1901. 4 Click on Arnold Rosé. In the present letter, Röntgen apparently refers to an invitation by Rosé to collaborate in one of Rosé’s famous Concert Soirées. A similar case from five years earlier may help to shed light on the cause of Röntgen’s uncertainty. In a letter of April 24, 1896, the pianist Eugen d’Albert, who was, like Messchaert, represented by Gutmann, wrote to Schenker to explain his reasons for declining an invitation to collaborate with Rosé. The principal reason proffered by d’Albert was that all of Rosé’s concerts were arranged by the violinist’s brother (presumably Eduard), and d’Albert did not wish to imperil his relationship with Gutmann by working with another agent or promoter. This letter is transcribed and discussed in Federhofer, Heinrich Schenker nach Tagebüchern ..., p. 56 n. 11. (Ingo Schultz, “Rosé,” in MGG, 2d ed., Personenteil, vol. 14, cols. 392-93.) 5 Schenker’s edition of selected works by C. P. E. Bach would be published as Klavierwerke von Philipp Emanuel Bach: Neue kritische Ausgabe von Heinrich Schenker (Vienna: UE, [1903]; U.E. 458). (On the history and dating of this publication, see Ian D. Bent, “‘That Bright, New Light’: Schenker, Universal Edition, and the Origins of the Erläuterung Series, 1901-1910,” Journal of the American Musicological Society 58/1 (2005), 74-75). 6 The identity of the “obligations” to which Röntgen refers is unclear. During this period, Röntgen’s editorial work for UE was extensive. His editions of J. S. Bach’s Little Preludes and Fugues, Two- and Three-Part Inventions, French Suites, English Suites, Partitas, Italian Concerto, D-minor Concerto, and Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue all appeared in 1902. 7 Röntgen’s Oud hollandsche boerenliedjes en contradansen was published in five volumes between 1897 and 1916 (Amsterdam: De Algemeene muziekhandel, and Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel). 8 Bram Eldering (1865-1943), Dutch violinist. After completing his studies with Jenö Hubay at the Brussels Conservatory, Eldering joined his teacher as violist in the Budapest-based Hubay Quartet (with Victor von Herzfeld and David Popper). In 1888, he moved to Berlin to commence further study with Joseph Joachim, and thereafter served as concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic (1891-94). Eldering was appointed to the faculty of the Amsterdam School of Music in 1899. He moved to the Cologne Conservatory in 1903, where he taught until his death. (Willi Kahl, “Bram Eldering,” in MGG (1949-86), vol. 3, cols. 1243-44.) SUMMARY: © Commentary, Footnotes, Summary Kevin Karnes 2006
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