Schenker Correspondence Project

Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated October 8, 1908

Sehr geehrter Herr !

Die Anforderungen, die die Saison¹ an mich, als praktischen Musiker u. Lehrer, stellt, sind augenblicklich so stark u. dringend, daß es mir schwer fällt, die ursprüngliche Absicht, Ihnen den Rest des Werkes jetzt ^schon zukommen zu lassen, auszuführen.² Ich habe mich daher entschlossen, Ihnen folgenden Vorschlag zu machen: Wir lassen zu Weihnachten das bisher bei[ corr ] Ihnen erliegende Material sammt einer in[ corr ] wenigen Tagen fertigzustellenden „Einleitung“ als ersten Halbband des „Kp.“ erscheinen, während der zweite, kleinere Halbband (das allerdings mir einiger Ergänzungen u. der Aufgaben bedarf) im Laufe des Winters, spätestens Ostern, auf den Mark gebracht werden könnte.³ Nur wurde ich Sie für den Fall, daß Sie damit einverstanden wären, bitten, mir zu gestatten, daß ich die Kosten erst nach Abschluß des II Halbbandes in einer Summe erstatte. Der Grund ist einfach der, daß das Werk, wie Sie vielleicht vermuten, nicht auf Rechnung des Autors, eines bescheidenen Musikers, {verso} sondern eines Gönners in Szene gesetzt wurde, den ich indessen nicht überflüssigerweise mit Theilzahlungen heimsuchen möchte.

Wie gesagt, folgt die Einleitung in wenigen Tagen, wenn Sie dem Plane zustimmen.

Ihrer frndl. Antwort entgegensehend
zeichne hochachtungsvoll ergebenst
[ sign’d: ] H Schenker
8. 10. 08.

© Heirs of Heinrich Schenker, with the permission of the Deutsches Literaturarchiv Marbach, Cotta-Archiv (Stiftung der Stuttgarter Zeitung), Marbach am Neckar.
© Transcription Ian D. Bent 2005.

Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated October 8, 1908

Dear Sir,

The demands that the teaching term¹ has placed on me as a practical musician and teacher are at the present so heavy and so pressing that it is difficult for me to fulfil the original intention of having the remainder of the book in your hands ^already by this time.² Accordingly, I have resolved to make you the following proposal: that we release the material so far submitted to you, together with an “Introduction” that will be finished over the next few days, at Christmas as the first half-volume of Counterpoint, whilst the second, smaller half-volume (which in any case needs some additions and the exercises from me) could be brought to fruition[?] in the couse of the winter, at the latest at Easter.³ I would just ask that, should you be in accord with this, you permit me to reimburse the costs in a single sum at the completion of the second half-volume. The reason for this, as you might perhaps expect, is simply that the bill for the book will be shouldered not by the author, a mere musician, {verso} but by a patron, and I would not like him to bothered unduly in the meantime by part-payments.

As already said, the Introduction will follow in a few days’s time if you agree to the plan.

Looking forward to your kind reply, I remain,
With kind regards,
Yours truly,
[ sign’d: ] H. Schenker
October 8, 1908

© Translation Ian D. Bent 2005.

COMMENTARY:
Format: holograph letter and signature, single sheet recto and verso
Sender address: --
Recipient address: --

FOOTNOTES:

¹ The teaching term began on October ... [?].

² See CA 80, September 13, for earlier discussion of Christmas deadline.

³ S probably still has in mind the sober advice given him by Cotta in OJ 9/31, [13], October 3, 1906.

SUMMARY:
[ NMTP II = Kontrapunkt:] Has fallen behind his promised deadline, and proposes splitting into two half-volumes, to be issued at Christmas and Easter.

© Commentary, Footnotes, Summary Ian D. Bent 2005.

Bent, Ian
Schenker, Heinrich
[ NMTP II = Kontrapunkt :] Has fallen behind his promised deadline, and proposes splitting into two half-volumes, to be issued at Christmas and Easter.
DE
Cambridge University Faculty of Music-Ian Bent
IPR: Heirs of Heinrich Schenker; reproduced here by kind permission of the Deutsches Literaturarchiv, Cotta-Archiv (Stiftung der Stuttgarter Zeitung), Marbach am Neckar; Transcription, Translation, Commentary, Footnotes, and Summary: Ian D. Bent 2005.
Schenker, Heinrich; Cotta, J. G.; NMTP; vol. II; Kontrapunkt; Counterpoint; Einleitung; Introduction; deadline; splitting volume; half-volumes; Christmas 1908; Easter 1909; payment of costs; patron
Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated October 8, 1908
letter
academic; musicology; music theory
CA 85
1908-10-08
2005-08-29
Cotta
All reasonable steps have been taken to locate the heirs of Heinrich Schenker. 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.
letter; holograph message and signature
J.G. Cotta’sche Nachfolger/Stuttgarter Zeitung (1908-c.1954); Cotta-Archiv, Schiller-Nationalmuseum, Marbach a. N., Germany (c.1954-)
IPR: Heirs of Heinrich Schenker; reproduced here by kind permission of the Deutsches Literaturarchiv, Cotta-Archiv (Stiftung der Stuttgarter Zeitung), Marbach am Neckar; Transcription, Translation, Commentary, Footnotes, and Summary: Ian D. Bent.
Vienna
Stuttgart
1908