Handwritten letter from Schenker to Emil Hertzka (UE), dated September 30, 1908 [ UE stamp: upside down ] Sehr geehrter Herr Direktor! Wir kommen noch nicht zur Ruhe.1 Zunächst Dank für Ihre Versendung von No. 584 an Prof. Röntgen.2 Ein Amsterdamer Künstler, Herr Andriessen,3 der soeben eine Tournée nach Berlin etc. antritt, hatte heute Gelegenheit, mich durch Zufall kennen zu lernen, u. freute sich sehr, den Autor der "Ornam." kennen zu lernen, die in der Direktionskanzlei des H. Daniel de Lange im Amsterdamer Konservatorium4 auf dem Tische zur Ansicht der Gäste seit Jahren liegt. Ich darf daraus wohl auf eine gute Schätzung meiner Arbeit seitens des Anstaltsdirektors, H. Dr Lange5 schließen. Und da meine ich, daβ es sehr angebracht wäre, daβ Sie dem genannten Direktor die II. Aufl. aus Eigenem einsenden, zumal soeben von Br & Härtel ein Riesenwerk zum selben Thema erschienen ist.6 Der Fortschritt meiner Arbeit wird den Direktor in seiner Schätzung nur bestätigen, u. es wird ihn die Aufmerksamkeit {verso} seitens Ihres Institutes sehr erfreuen. Die Konkurrenz mit dem Berliner Riesenwerk fürchte ich ganz u. gar nicht, zumal Prof. Rudorff,7 der das Vorwort im Auftrage der Akademie schrieb, selbst eher auf meiner Seite zu stehen scheint8 (der Briefen nach.). Beiliegende Karte9 soll die Willigkeit des Hauses Br. & H. dartun, selbst beim Kostenpreis von 12 M. für die Verbreitung des Berliner Werkes zu sorgen. Vergessen Sie nicht an das Blatt! Dass nach anstandslosen 3 Korrekturen, die niemals diesen Fehler zu Tage brachten, plötzlich ein so störender neuer [ corr ] auftaucht, ist doch seltsam. Thun Sie es bitte. Mit nochmals Dank. © Universal Edition A.G., Wien. |
Handwritten letter from Schenker to Emil Hertzka (UE), dated September 30, 1908 [ UE stamp: upside down ] Dear Director, We are not finished yet.1 First of all, thank you for sending U.E. No.584 to Professor Röntgen.2 An Amsterdam [concert] artist, Mr. Andriessen,3 who is just embarking on a tour to Berlin, etc., happened to encounter me today by accident, and was delighted to meet the author of Ornamentik, which has been lying on a table in the administrative office of Mr Daniel de Lange in the Amsterdam Conservatorium4 for years for visitors to look at. I venture to conclude from this that the Dr. Lange, the Director of the institution,5 views my work favorably. Hence I think it would be entirely appropriate if on your own initiative you were to send the second edition to the Director, particularly as a voluminous work on the same subject has just been released by Breitkopf und Härtel.6 The progress of my work will only confirm the Director in his favorable estimation, and the attention {verso} to his institution will please him greatly. I have absolutely no fears about the timing of the big Berlin work, especially since Professor Rudorff,7 who at the behest of the Academy wrote the Foreword himself, appears to be on my side8 (to judge from his letters). The enclosed postcard9 ought to be proof enough that Breitkopf und Härtel are prepared to take care of the dissemination of the Berlin work, even by offering it at a price as low as 12 marks. Don’t forget the [ corrigenda ] sheet! It is indeed strange that after three unproblematic proof stages had failed ever to bring this error to light, a new [error] as confusing as this should suddenly surface. Please do it. With profuse thanks © Translation Ian D. Bent 2005. |
COMMENTARY: FOOTNOTES: 1 i.e. with sending out copies of Ornamentik, the subject of the last few letters. 2 Click on Julius Röntgen. 3 Willem Andriessen (1887–1964): Schenker praised his gift for improvisation, and wrote to him on Oct 3, 1908 that F. Löwe, then in Munich, would move to perform his Quintet, which had just won a prize in Vienna. Federhofer Tagbücher, p.193. 4 "Daniel ... Konservatorium" underlined heavily in crayon. 5 "Anstaltsdirektors ... Lange" underlined heavily in crayon. 6 A. Beyschlag: Die Ornamentik der Musik (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1908). Schenker later in this letter calls it the “big Berlin work” ( Berliner Riesenwerk ) and “Berlin work”; it is not clear why this would be Berlin, but most likely because it evidently emanated from the Berlin Academy of Arts. See WSLB 77, June 21, 1911, for a remark that may illuminate this matter. 7 Ernst Friedrich Karl Rudorff (1840-1916) Pianist, teacher, composer, and member of the Brahms circle. At this time, he was a professor at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik (1869-1910). Schenker and he corresponded between 1908 and 1910, and he and Elisabeth Rudorff at the time of his death; and Oswald Jonas prepared an inventory of the correspondence (OJ 5/35, 13/36, 13/37, 59/15). 8 Schenker clearly considers there to be rivalry between his work and that of Beyschlag. 9 Presumably a card advertising publication: the card is not included with WSLB 21 or in OC 52. SUMMARY: © Commentary, Footnotes, Summary Ian D. Bent 2005.
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