Schenker Correspondence Project

Handwritten postcard from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), postmarked November 25, 1911

{recto}
[Absender:] H Schenker
III., Reisnerstr. [/] 38

[An:] H. [/] Director Em. Hertzka
I., Reichsrathstr. 9
„Universal-Edition“

[postmark:] || 1/1 WIEN 1 | 25.XI.11-4 | * 4 L * |

{verso}
Sehr geehrter Herr Direktor !

Mir tut es sehr leid, daß Ihre liebenswürdigen Recherchen¹ einen unrichtigen Weg geganommen haben; ich meinte durchaus nicht ein Arrangement für 2 Kl. zu 4 Händen,² sondern eine Ausgabe, wie sie Thern|³ für die “U.E.” gemacht hat, z.B. die Ausgabe der Beethoven–Konzerte, bei der das II Klavier einfach nur das Orchester darstellt, also eine Ausgabe, wie sie zu Studium- u. Probezwecken von Schülern gebraucht wird, bevor sie mit Orchester spielen. Das blos zu Richtigstellung meiner Anregung, da ich nicht gerne als Einer erscheinen möchte, der so dummes Zeug wie Arrangements für 2 Kl. zu 4 Händen nach Klavierkonzerten (!) plant.

Mit ausgez Hochachtung
Ir ergeb.
[ sign’d: ] H Schenker

Ih[r N.] B. “Br.& H.” kündigt calendas graecas|⁴ ein, nicht wahr?

© In the public domain.
© Transcription Ian Bent 2006.

Handwritten postcard from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), postmarked November 25, 1911

{recto}
[From:] H. Schenker
[Vienna] III., Reisnerstraße 38

[To:] Director Em. Hertzka
[Vienna] I, Reichsrathstraße 9
Universal Edition

[postmark:] || 1/1 WIEN 1 | 25.XI.11-4 | * 4 L * |

{verso}

Dear Director,

I much regret that your kind inquiries¹ got off on the wrong track: I certainly did not mean an arrangement for two pianos four hands,² but an edition, such as Thern|³ has done for UE of the Beethoven concertos, in which the second piano simply presents just the orchestra, hence an edition such as is used by students for purposes of study and rehearsal, before they play with orchestra. I say this just to correct my suggestion, since I would much rather not appear as someone who plans such stupid stuff as arrangements for two pianos four hands based on piano concertos (!)

With kind regards,
Yours truly,
[ sign’d: ] H. Schenker

Re your N.B., Breitkopf & Härtel are stringing you along,⁴ are they not?

© Translation Ian Bent 2006.

COMMENTARY:
Format: printed postcard, holograph addresses recto, holograph message and signature verso
Sender address: Vienna III, Reisnerstraße 38
Recipient address: Vienna I, Reichsrathstraße 9

FOOTNOTES

¹ As conveyed in OC 52/57, November 24, 1911. S uses H’s own word, lit. “researches.”

² S’s description, WSLB 84, November 19, 1911, was “... in einem Arrangement für 2 Klaviere, deren 1.^tes eben das konzertierende Solo, 2^tes das Orchester widergibt.“

³ The five Beethoven piano concertos ed. Thern, UE 301–305, described in the UE Nummerverzeichnis as “2Kl. 4h.”. Other two-piano-four-hand editions by Thern include fifteen Haydn quartets (UE 826–829), Schumann Andante and Variations, Op. 46 (UE 832), Chopin Rondo, Op. 73 (UE 841).

⁴ “ To the Greek Kalends”: said by Emperor Augustus, in Suetonius, with the sense of "never". Kalends were part of the Roman calendar, not of the Greek, so the "Greek kalends" are "a date that will never happen." S uses the phrase also in DLA 69.930/11, November 2, 1922, to August Halm.

SUMMARY
H has misunderstood the type of edition that S had proposed.

© Commentary, Footnotes, Summary Ian Bent 2006.

Bent, Ian
Schenker, Heinrich
DE
Cambridge University Faculty of Music-Ian Bent
Schenker, Heinrich; Hertzka, Emil; UE; Mozart; piano concerto; Thern; edition; arrangement; Beethoven; Breitkopf & Härtel
Handwritten postcard from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated November 25, 1911
WSLB 85
1911-11-25
2006-12-01
UE
Hertzka
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.
Universal Edition Archive (1911-1976)—on permanent loan to the Stadt- und Landesbibliothek Wien (1976-)
IPR: In the public domain; Image: Universal Edition, A.G.; Transcription, Translation, Commentary, Footnotes, and Summary: Ian Bent.
Vienna
1911