Handwritten letter from Moriz Violin to Cube, dated March 31, 1931 Wien, 31. 3. 31. Sehr geehrter Herr von Kube![sic]1 Ich schreibe Ihnen aus Wien, wo ich einige Tage verweile, um mir bei unserem geistigen Nährvater2 Rat zu holen für die Verwirklichung meiner Pläne, die mir[?] die Erfüllung der künsterischen, unter dem Namen Schenker beinahe begrifflich gewordenen Sehnsüchte, [word del] näher bringen soll. Ich habe die Möglichkeit[,] in Hamburg ein Institut zu gründen, sagen wir’s gleich: ein “Schenker Institut”3 zu gründen, an dem im Sinne des Namensgebers, wer da Spielen, Komponiren, Kritisieren, Dilet[t]ieren[?] will, einheitlich gelehrt wird. Im Anfang wird es nur durch mich (Klavier) würde es nur duch Sie (Theorie), in der Lehrerschaft sich repräsentieren. Also verrate ich Ihnen kein Geheimnis, daß Dr Schenker mir die Zusammenarbeit mit Ihnen empfolen hat. Heute kann es sich nur um die prinzipielle Anfrage handeln, ob Sie mitmachen wollen? Ich kann Ihnen nur die Bedingungen zu einer verheißungsvollen Existenz zur Verfügung stellen. Sie bestehen im ersten Jahraus einer[corr] freien Station in größter Unabhängigkeit in einem mir befreundeten kunstinteressierten Hause, [word del] u. vor allem in einem gewissen Schülerstock, der sie[?], so glaube ich, bald, nach einem Monat übersaugen[?] wird, daß Sie auf den {3} ersten Teil der Bedingungen verzichten können.5 Wie sich alles zum Reichlichen entwickelt, hängt natürlich von unseren Kräften, Fähigkeiten, von der Propaganda in Schrift u. Wort ab. Wollen Sie mir, bitte, baldigst Ihre Meinung u. Stellungnahme nach Hamburg schreiben. Die Eröffnung ist für 1. September geplant. Mit dem Ausdruck herzlichster Hochachtung © Heirs of Moriz Violin, published with kind permission. |
Handwritten letter from Moriz Violin to Cube, dated March 31, 1931 Vienna, March 31, 1931 Dear Mr. von Cube,1 I am writing to you from Vienna, where I am spending a few days in order to take advice, from the spiritual father who nourishes us,2 concerning the realization of my plans, which will bring me nearer to the fulfillment of my artistic yearnings which have nearly conceptualized under the name of Schenker. I have the possibility of founding an institute in Hamburg—let’s call it a “Schenker Institute”3 straightaway—where anyone who wishes will be taught performance, composition, criticism, and amateur pursuits[?] in a unified way, in accordance with the principles of the person after whom it will be named. To start with, the teaching staff would consist only of myself (piano) and possibly yourself (theory). Thus I am not divulging any secret in saying that Dr Schenker has recommended that I work with you. {2} That Hamburg is an excellent place in which to base oneself, that we would have Schenker’s generous support through the publication of teaching material,4 that the individual areas such as violin, organ, singing, etc., etc., are things we need not organize now but would be aiming for, and many other things: all these will be subjects for a possible face-to-face discussion between ourselves. Today it can merely be a question of whether, in principle, you would like to take part. I can only offer you the means of a promising existence. In the first year it would consist of a free place to stay, in the greatest independence, in a house belonging to artistically minded friends of mine and, above all, of a quanity of pupils which, I believe, will greatly swell[?] soon, after a month, so that you will be able to {3} give up the first part of the conditions.5 How this will develop into a lucrative enterprise naturally depends on our powers and abilities, [and] on promoting [the Institute] in writing and by word-of-mouth. Please be so kind as to let me know as soon as possible your views, and how you would feel about coming to Hamburg. The planned date for opening [the Institute] is the first of September. With the expression of my most cordial esteem, © Translation William Drabkin, 2006 |
COMMENTARY: FOOTNOTES: 1 This letter arrived only a few days after the death by suicide of C’s father. 2 i.e. Schenker. 3 The Schenker-Institut in Hamburg came into existence in 1931 under Violin’s direction, with C as fellow teacher; but Violin left in January 1933, and it was closed down the following year. It reopened in 1947 under the name of the Heinrich-Schenker-Akademie and still exists as of 2006. 4 Presumably Violin has in mind the Fünf Urlinie-Tafel, which was several years in the planning but not published until the autumn of 1932, and Der freie Satz, which had been in the planning even longer but was not brought out until 1935, soon after Schenker’s death. 5 i.e. the free lodging that has been promised for the first year. SUMMARY: © Commentary, Footnotes, Summary William Drabkin 2006
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