Schenker Correspondence Project

Handwritten letter from Schenker to Emil Hertzka (UE), dated May 21, 1908

Sehr geehrter Herr Direktor !

Ach! Sie sind so ferne von mir; daher vorläufig schriftlicher Austausch.

Die 1ste Korrectur ist fertig. Die 2te ("von den Manieren selbst"¹) hoffe ich bald zu sehen. Ganz am Schluss ^{der Arbeit} werden alle Notenbeispiele fortlaufend num[m]eriert, ein Inhaltsverzeichis beigegeben, u. ein Vorwort geliefert werden. Es wird so ein sehr praktischer Hand- (Lern- u. Lehr)-büchlein zur Ornamentik vorstellen, u[m] Ihnen u. mir Freude machen.

Diese Fassung wird ohne Zweifel, wenigstens auf Jahre hinaus, eine definitive bleiben, u. ich würde Ihnen daher empfehlen, die Frage zu erwägen, ob es nicht praktisch wäre, mit der II. zugleich eine III. Auflage in Einem zu { verso } verbinden, was doch sicher eine beträchtliche Kostenersparnis bedeuten würde.²

Ich glaube, es war des Schweißes eines. "Edlen" wert.

Mit ergb. Grüßen
Ihr
[ sign'd: ] H Schenker
todtmüde !
21.5.08

© Universal Edition A.G., Wien.
© Transcription Ian D. Bent 2004.

Handwritten letter from Schenker to Emil Hertzka (UE), dated May 21, 1908

Dear Director,

Ah! You are so far away from me; hence temporarily [a] written exchange.

The first [batch of] proofs is finished. The second (“On the Ornaments Themselves”¹) I hope to see soon. At the very end ^{of the task}, all music examples will be through-numbered, a Table of Contents added, and a Foreword supplied. It is turning into such a practical hand-book (for student and teacher) on ornamentation as will give you and me pleasure.

This version will without doubt, at least for years to come, remain the definitive one, and I would therefore recommend you to ponder whether it would not be practical to conflate[?] a 3rd edition with the 2nd all in one, { verso } which would surely mean a considerable saving in costs.²

I believe it was worth the sweat of a “nobleman”.

With respectful greetings,
Yours,
[ sign'd: ] H. Schenker
dead tired!
May 21, 1908

© Translation Ian D. Bent 2004.

COMMENTARY:
Format: 2-p letter, single sheet recto and verso, holograph message and signature
Sender address: --
Recipient address: --

FOOTNOTES:

¹ There is no section so entitled. The main body of the book is entitled "The Ornaments," and covers pp.24-72. It is unclear whether Schenker has corrected a complete set of proofs at this point and now awaits second proofs, or whether he has seen first proofs of pp.1-23 and awaits pp.24-72. His remark in WSLB 4, April 22, that he is glad to have held on to the "final gatherings" suggests the former, as does the reference to "second proofs" in WSLB 6, May 27. The work comprises nine regular quaternions (=8-p gatherings) plus a single sheet = 74pp; no gathering begins with that wording, nor does the title "The Ornaments" coincide with the beginning of a gathering.

² According to the UE Archive Verlagsbuch, the 2nd edition was sent to the printers on April 8, but he continued to send new material at least for some days after that. Conceivably, Schenker is still revising the work at this point, with a view to a 3rd edition, and is now proposing merging them. Just to confuse matters further, "to conflate", here in einem zu verbinden, also means "bind together."

SUMMARY:
[ Beitrag zur Ornamentik:] First [batch of ]proofs [for 2nd edn] finished, the second awaited, Table of Contents and Foreword yet to be provided. Work will be definitive. Suggests conflating 3rd and 2nd edns.

© Commentary, Footnotes, Summary Ian D. Bent 2004.

Bent, Ian
Schenker, Heinrich
[ Beitrag zur Ornamentik:] First [batch of proofs [for 2nd edn] finished, the second awaited, Table of Contents and Foreword yet to be provided. Work will be definitive. Suggests conflating 3rd and 2nd edns.
DE
Cambridge University Faculty of Music-Ian Bent
IPR: Heirs of Heinrich Schenker; Transcription, Translation, Commentary, Footnotes, and Summary: Ian D. Bent 2004.
Schenker, Heinrich; Hertzka, Emil; UE; Ornamentik; Contribution to Ornamentation; proofs; Table of Contents; Foreword; Music examples; 2nd edn; 3rd edition; publication
Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated May 21, 1908
letter
Hertzka, Emil
WSLB 5
1908-05-21
2004-12-17
UE
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
Universal Edition Archive (1908-1976)—on permanent loan to the Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Wien (1976-)
IPR: Heirs of Heinrich Schenker; Image: Universal Edition, A.G.; Transcription, Translation, Commentary, Footnotes, and Summary: Ian D. Bent.
Vienna
1908