Draft letter, in JS’s hand, from Schenker to Türkel, dated March 17, 1917] (Dr. Türkel) Sehr geehrter Herr Doktor! Beiliegend ein heute eingelaufener Brief von Herrn Dr. Friedmann.1 Nach dieser talmudistischen Erklärung (ich selbst bin Jude) gelangt man zu dem Schlusse, daß ich das Stipendium2 erst nach meinem Tode vergeben sollte. Welche Wandlung nimmt doch die Sache seit jenem Brief des Herrn Kammerrates an mich,3 der nichts von diesen Haarspaltereien wußte. Und einmal nun wieder in diese Angelegenheit geworfen[corr], will ich, lediglich zu Ihrem privaten Gebrauche, in Würdigung gemeinsamer musikalischer Interessen nachträglich folgende drastische Erläuterung bieten: Den Herrn Kammerrat schätze ich bis zur Stunde als einen Mann, dem ich unter den vielen Industriellen, Bankdirektoren usw, die ich im Leben gesehen, am ehesten das Prädikat „genial“ zubillige.4 Diese Ansicht lasse ich mir nicht einmal von ihm selbst In Ihrer Eigenschaft als Anwalt dürften Sie ebensogut als ich die Natur der Reichen kennen. Nun bin ich glücklicherweise so beschaffen, daß ich ihnen nirgend den Vortritt lasse, am allerwenigsten, wenn sie auf Geld pochend Ansprüche stellen. (Fr. Deutsch wußte davon ein Lied zu singen.) Ins Gesicht sage ich es den reichen Leuten, daß die wahren Bettler u. Schmarotzer der Welt die Reichen sind u. werfen sich Millionäre in die Brust, so [ unsigned ] P.S. Gleichzeitig danke ich Herrn Kammerrat für seine Freundlichkeit mit ein paar Zeilen an ihn selbst. © In the public domain. |
Draft letter, in JS’s hand, from Schenker to Türkel, dated March 17, 1917] (Dr. Türkel) Dear Doctor, Enclosed [is] a letter received today from Dr. Friedmann.1 On the basis of this Talmudic explanation (I myself am a Jew), one is led to the conclusion that I should be able to grant the stipend2 only after my death! What a turn the matter has taken since the Chamber Counsellor’s3 letter to me, which showed not a trace of this hair-splitting! And now that I have once more been thrust into this affair, I will go further and offer you, purely for your own private use, the following drastic explanation in appreciation of [our?] common musical iterests. I esteem the Chamber Counsellor up to the present moment as a man to whom I would, among the many industrialists, bank directors, etc. that I have encountered in the course of my life, soonest accord the attribute of “having a touch of genius.”4 I concede this opinion not solely on the basis of the man himself: One day, some 2–3 years ago, he asked my through Mrs. Deutsch5 whether I {2} could place a girl in a band?! Me and a women’s band: sapiente sat.6 This is the root of the matter. So the Chamber Counsellor sees a man to whom is evidently granted higher status in Germany than Hugo Riemann [or] Hermann Kretzschmar, than [Hans von] Bülow, etc, to whom the majority of the German new generation pays homage and whom it emulates, but of whom people in Austria itself know very little, all because I once divulged to Mr. Benedikt7 that Korngold8 etc., etc. Mr. Alfred Rothberger, Stephansplatz 9,9 once told me that when in London as guest of a major cloth merchant he asked his host after the grave of Walter Scott, whereupon the counter-question came back: ‘Is that Scott the dealer in cheviot wool?” However, his hostess said in a sugary voice: “Oh no, that is surely the fairytale-teller.” For ten to fifteen years I frequented [Vienna] I, Ehendorferstraße 2, the house of a great—of the greatest—timber merchant, as a friend of the family. I quickly made a mental note to myself that Mr. Eisler10 ran a big timber business, but conversely in all those years the {3} remarkable gentleman asked me ......[?]11 which newspaper I wrote for. In the end, I gave up visiting the house. A certain level of consideration has to exist.12 In your capacity as an attorney, you must be as well acquainted as I am with the nature of rich people. Now, happily I am constituted such that I do not under any circumstances give them precedence, least of all when they insistently make claims on money. (Mrs. Deutsch knew a thing or two about that.) I tell rich people to their faces that the true beggars and spongers of the world are the rich people, and when millionaires give themselves airs, I just say: I am a multi-millionaire and that’s enough!13 In actual fact, rich people squirmed before me when it was a matter of a couple of measly pennies, like the most wretched garbage collectors, whereas it was easy for me to forego his money and everything else when this is what he emphasized. I beg you, dear Doctor, to explain my complete indifference in regard to14 all sums of money along these lines. I follow your advice, but go no {4} further. Moreover, in the case of Mrs. Deutsch I really do have a right to a great deal. Please do not forget that I published my New Musical Theories and Fantasies with Cotta of Stuttgart in 1906 and 1910 without any letter of credit or guarantee, etc. It sufficed, it will suffice, because it has to suffice. [12 lines in HS’s hand, inverted, comprising a copy with variants of paragraph 1 of OJ 10/4, January 26, 1916, from Sofie Deutsch to S] I shall appear in your chancellry as you request at the end of March, and remain until then with best wishes yours truly [ unsigned ] P. S. At the same time, I am writing a couple of lines direct to the Chamber Counsellor to thank him for his kindness. © Translation Ian Bent, 2006. |
COMMENTARY: FOOTNOTES: 1 Hugo Friedmann: attorney involved with the estate of Sofie Deutsch, and to whom S had drafted a letter five days earlier (OC 1/19–20) and another three days earlier (OC 16/32v). No letter from him to S prior to this date is known to have survived, but the letter in question was presumably in response to what resulted from those two drafts. 2 i.e. the stipend left to him by Sofie Deutsch in her will: see OJ 10/4, January 26, 1916; OJ 12/52, January 12, 1917. 3 Presumably OJ 12/52, January 12, 1917, from Fritz Mendl to S. 4 Cf. S's first impression of Mendl, at Deutsch's house on December 21, 1906: "At the meal, a brother of the lady of the house, Mr. Fritz Mendl, turns out to be an excellent, clever fellow, and equallysuperb husband and father" (OJ 1/5, pp. 30-31). 5 Sofie Deutsch, long-term pupil and benefactress of S, died January 5, 1917. 6 sapiente sat: Lat.: [define]. 7 Benedikt [identify]. 8 Julius Korngold (1860–1945), influential music critic. 9 Alfred Rothberger [identify] 10 Herr Eisler: [identify] 11 beim Schwarzen: [meaning?]. 12 No paragraph break in the original at this point. 13 “ ich bin ein Milliardeur u. basta“: note S’s toying with other languages, probably to achieve an ironic edge: French Milliardeur (though the French word is actually Milliardaire) and Italian basta. “Milliardeur” is also ambiguous: it could be translated “billionaire.” 14 Note how S uses Latin words and phrases, sapiente sat earlier, puncto here; he does this frequently to raise the tone of discourse or to overawe his correspondent; in this case, it is more likely to be on the basis of one lawyer to another. SUMMARY: © Commentary, Footnotes, Summary Ian Bent 2006
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