Schenker Correspondence Project

Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cube, dated October 26, 1934

[Italic superscripts indicate Cube’s annotations; these reference numbers may have indicated points for reply]

^Wien , 26[corr].10.34

Lieber Herr Professor ⁽¹⁾ v Cube!

für Ihren inhaltsreichen Brief meinen wärmsten Dank.¹ Dank für die Abschrift des Furtw-Brief ^{(2) an Sie, (2)} für das schöne Bil^dchen Ihrer Gattin u. des Jungen u. die wichtigen Mitteilungen. Daß Sie doch einen Wirkungskreis erreicht haben, ⁽³⁾ freut mich aufrichtig, soll auch Sie freuen, denn wir leben in einer Zeit, wo ein Hubermann[sic]² im Meisterkurs nur 3 Schüler hat! Die Menschheit ist aus der Musik “ausgetreten”, wie sie aus Kirchen u. Konfessionen “auszutreten” pflegt. Die neue Jugend {2} ^{will u.} kann des Segens nicht froh werden, ein solches stolze Erbe angetreten zu haben, sie will selbst in Genie, Offenbarung u. Intuition “machen” – wie ratzekahl wird sie als Erblasserin dastehen! Ist nicht die Aufgabe durchaus neu, gerade einer neuen Jugend würdig, endlich|³ die Offenbarungen der Genies sich zu eigen zu machen, um der Kunst u. der Menschheit zu dienen? Doch nein – lieber nichts machen, lieber schlecht, wenn nur endlich jene Großen beiseite geschafft werden!

Die Jugend verstünde heute nur die Lehre, die sie über Nacht befähigte, die X[.] Sinf. Beethovens’, die V. Brahms’ u. noch viel besseres zu schreiben – sonst gilt ihr kein Unterricht was. Ach, sie ist so papageno-bescheiden,⁴ sie will, “nur” das, “nur” jenes, ^u. wie sie überzeugt ist, nie zu viel . . . (?!)

{3} Am besten ist, man brächte sie doch mindestens dazu, das Wunder des “organischen Zusammenhanges” in der Musik zu erleben oder zu glauben, das allein wäre schon der größte Erfolg, der heute erzielt werden kann! Ihre Komponiersorgen oder -freuden mag sie dann selber austragen, vor Allem lerne sie die Großen bekennen!

Prof. Violin⁵ habe ich mit Ihrem Briefe bekannt gemacht.

Können Sie mir den Verlag des Buches von Schäfke|⁶ nennen? Ich wäre Ihnen sehr dankbar, wenn Sie es täten.

Mit Ihren Gedanken über weitere Zusammenhänge von Natur u. Kunst mich gründlicher zu befassen, fehlt mir eine genaue Vorlage ⁽³⁾ u. augenblicklich die Zeit, da ich Druck {4} und Stich durchzuführen habe.⁷ Erst bis der “fr. S” ⁽⁴⁾ erschienen sein wird, kann ich an die Herausgabe des II Url.heftes ⁽⁵⁾ denken: Beeth. Son. cis^m (ganz), Moz. Fant. d^m (ganz), Chop. Et. 10^III, Brahms “Auf dem Kirchhof”, usw. usw. ^{(6) 8}

Beste Wünsche für Ihren Kurs!⁹

Herzliche Grüße Ihnen u. Ihrer Gattin
Ihr
[ sign’d: ] H Schenker

Vielleicht freut es Sie zu hören, daß nun auch die spanische Enzyklopedia universale (Madrid)¹⁰ meinen Namen aufgenommen hat.

© In the public domain.
© Transcription William Drabkin 2006.

Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cube, dated October 26, 1934

[Italic superscripts indicate Cube’s annotations; these reference numbers may have indicated points for reply]

^Vienna , October 26[corr], 1934

Dear Professor ⁽¹⁾ von Cube,

My warmest thanks for your informative letter.¹ Thanks for the copy of Furtwängler’s letter ^{(2) to you}, ⁽²⁾ for the lovely picture of your wife and the young boy, and the important communications. That you have, after all, succeded in finding a place in which to work ⁽³⁾ genuinely pleases me; it should also please you, for we live at a time when a Huberman[sic]² has only three pupils in his master class! Humanity has “left” music, the way it is accustomed to “leaving” the church and confession. The new youth {2} ^{do not want and} are unable to rejoice in the blessing of having inherited such a proud inheritance; they want to “make it” for themselves in genius, revelation and intuition—how dearly would they write its last will and testament. Is not the task entirely new, worthy precisely of a new generation of youth, the task of finally|³ making the revelations of the geniuses their own, to serve art and humanity? But no—they would rather do nothing, or do it badly: if only those great ones were finally pushed aside!

The youth of today would only understand the teachings that would enable them to write a tenth Beethoven symphony, a fifth Brahms symphony, and still even better things. Otherwise no instruction is of any use to them. Ah, they are so Papageno-like modest,⁴ they want “only” this, “only” that, ^and , as they are convinced, never too much . . . (?!)

{3} The best thing is that one at least gets them to experience, or believe, the wonder of “organic connection” in music; that alone would already be the greatest triumph that can be reached today! Their concerns, or joys, in composing are something they can fulfill themselves; above all, they should learn to respect the great composers!

I have made known to Professor Violin⁵ the content of your letter.

Can you tell me the name of the publisher of Schäfke’s book?⁶ I would be very grateful to you if you would do this.

I cannot deal more thoroughly with your thoughts about further connections between nature and art without a precise model ⁽³⁾ and, at present, time, as I must go through the printing {4} and engraving.⁷ Only when Free Composition ⁽⁴⁾ appears in print will I be able to think about the publication of the second series of Urlinien: ⁽⁵⁾ Beethoven’s Sonata in C sharp minor (complete), Mozart’s Fantasia in D minor (complete), Chopin’s Etude Op. 10, No. 3, Brahms’s "Auf dem Kirchhof", etc. etc. ^{(6) 8}

Best wishes for your course!⁹

Cordial greetings to you and your wife.
Yours,
[ sign’d: ] H. Schenker

P. S. It will perhaps please you to hear that now even the Spanish Enciclicopedia universale (Madrid)¹⁰ has included my name.

© Translation William Drabkin, 2006.

COMMENTARY:
Format: 4p letter, oblong format, holograph message and signature, with interlinear parenthesized numerals in Cube's hand
Sender address: Vienna
Recipient address: --

FOOTNOTES:

¹ OJ 9/34, [42], October 4, 1934, in which Cube had copied a letter from Furtwängler [create biogfile and link] in full, and enclosed a photograph of his wife and son.

² Bronislaw Huberman (1882-1947), violinist, widely regarded as one of the most original concert artists of the twentieth century.

³ Double-underlined.

⁴ I.e. “carefree as a bird.” In The Magic Flute, the character of Papageno represents life without great ambition or effort.

⁵ Click on Moriz Violin.

⁶ In his previous letter (October 4, 1934), Cube had mentioned that Schenker’s work was favourably cited in Ludwig Schäfke’s Geschichte der Musikästhetik in Umrissen (Berlin: Max Hesse, 1934).

⁷ Schenker is referring to Cube’s ideas on diatonic systems and their analogue in geometry, as outlined in previous letters and characterized in OJ 9/34, [42], October 4, 1934, as a development of his teacher’s theory of modal mixture in Harmonielehre. Schenker had not responded to an earlier letter on the subject, and now cites the pressure of completing the corrections to Der freie Satz.

⁸ Except for the Mozart Fantasia, all these works appear in Schenker’s handwritten list of works to be analyzed in a planned continuation of his Fünf Urlinie-Tafeln (New York: David Mannes Music School, 1932). The continuation was never published: see Felix Salzer's Introduction, with S’s handwritten list reproduced, to Schenker, Five Graphic Music Analyses (New York: Dover Publications, 1969), pp. 17-21. The list is given previously in Schenker’s letter to Cube vC 49, May 8, 1934, and the three instrumental works are also listed in Schenker’s letter to Jonas, OJ 5/18, 49, August 2, 1934.

⁹ In his previous letter, OJ 9/34, [42], October 4, 1934, Cube had informed his former teacher that he had been offered the opportunity to teach a semester-long course at a music school in Hamburg.

¹⁰ S informs Jonas of this entry ten days earlier, OJ 5/18, 59, October 16, 1934. The Enciclopedia universale ilustrada europeo-americana, the largest of its kind in the world, was published in 70 numbered volumes between 1908 and 1930. The entry “Schenker (Enrique)” in vol. 54 (1927), p. 972, describes him as a “compositor y musicógrafo austriaco contemporáneo” and credits him as much for his compositions (“diversas obras para piano, estudios, fantasias, unas Danzas sirias y melodías vocales”) as for his writings, of which only some of the earlier volumes are listed: “Ensayo sobre la novena sinfonía, Kontrapunkt, Harmonielehre y[sic] Neue Musikalische Theorien und Phantasien.”

SUMMARY:
Acks OC 9/34, [42] and its contents; comments on the "youth of today"—organic connection is the best thing for them; asks publisher of Schäfke book. —Once Der freie Satz is in print, he will give his mind to the continuation of the Urlinie-Tafeln. —His name is included in the Spanish Enciclicopedia universale.

© Commentary, Footnotes, Summary William Drabkin 2006.

Drabkin, William
Schenker, Heinrich
DE
Cambridge University Faculty of Music-Ian Bent
Schenker, Heinrich; Cube, Felix-Eberhard von; Furtwängler, Wilhelm; Huberman, Bronislaw; Beethoven; Brahms; Papageno; Violin, Moriz; Schäfke, Ludwig; Der freie Satz; Free Composition; Urlinie-Tafeln; Graphic Analyses; Mozart; Chopin; Enciclicopedia universale
Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cube, dated October 26, 1934
vC 51
1934-10-26
2006-10-12
Cube
This document is deemed to be in the public domain as of January 1, 2006. Any claim to intellectual rights should be addressed to the Schenker Correspondence Project, Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge, at schenkercorrespondence@mus.cam.ac.uk.
Felix-Eberhard von Cube (1934-87)—Heirs of F.-E. von Cube (1987-present day)
IPR: In the public domain; Image: Heirs of Felix-Eberhard von Cube; Transcription, Translation, Commentary, Footnotes, and Summary William Drabkin.
Vienna
1934