Schenker Correspondence Project

Handwritten letter from Schenker to Emil Hertzka (UE), dated June 23, 1908

Sehr geehrter Herr Direktor !

Mit dem "Imprimatur"¹ hat das Mißvergnügen auf meiner Seite ein Ende gefunden, nun wird die Reihe des [M]ißvergnügens wohl an Sie kommen. Ich werde dafür Sorge tragen, daß Ihr Mißvergnügen genau so groß werde, wie das meine war, als ich, von der Fertigstellung des II. Bands² für Cotta abzusehen gezwungen, mich vollständig Ihrem Auftrag mitten in der Saison,³ doch so viele Schönhe[iten?] hingab. Ich freue mich aber sagen zu können, daß die Druckerei ihre Aufgabe besser, als ich es erwarten konnte, gelöst hat, so daß das ganze Werk im Allgemeinen u. das Inhaltsverz. im besonderen ^auch einen schönen äußeren Eindruck macht.

Am Samstag⁴ Nachmittag—früher geht es leider nicht—will ich Sie besuchen, u. bei dieser Gelegenheit werde ich Ihnen auch eine kleine Liste von ^einigen sehr wertvollen { verso } Fachleuten in Deutschland vorlegen, an die das Werk zu senden wäre, schon im Interesse der "Edition" u. ihrer Popularisirung in Deutschland. (Die Fachleute sind seit der Ausgabe meiner Harmonielehre bei Cotta starke Anhänger von mir u. steh[en] in wissenschaftlicher Verbindung mit mir.)

Auch werde ich Ihnen am Samstag einen Vorschlag bezüglich eines auch materiell höher lohnender "Neudruck"⁵ machen, der Ihrem Institut zugleich große Ehre machen würde.

Alles andern mündlich.

Mit ausgez[eichneter] Hochachtung
Ihr erg[ebener]
[ sign'd: ] H Schenker
23. 6. 08

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

Handwritten letter from Schenker to Emil Hertzka (UE), dated June 23, 1908

Dear Director,

The displeasure on my part comes to an end with my imprimatur;¹ now it is your turn to have displeasure. I shall take care that your displeasure will be just as great as mine was, since, forced to break off from the completion of vol.2² for Cotta, I gave myself over entirely to your assignment right at the height of the season,³ thus sacrificed so many beautiful things[?]. I am, however, delighted to be able to say that the printers carried out their task better than I could have expected, so that the whole work in general, and the Table of Contents in particular, ^also make a handsome outward impression.

I will call on you on Saturday⁴ afternoon—any earlier is not, I am afraid, possible—and on that occasion I will also present you with a little list of ^some highly esteemed { verso } experts in Germany to whom the book should be sent, just in the interests of UE, and of increasing its reputation in Germany. (Since the publication of my Theory of Harmony by Cotta, these experts have become strong supporters of mine and are in scholarly contact with me.)

On Saturday, I will also be making a proposal to you concerning a “new publication”⁵ that might even be financially more profitable, [and] that would at the same time redound to your company’s great honor.

More when we talk.

With kind regards,
Yours truly,
[ sign'd:] H Schenker
June 23, 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 i.e. of the final proofs of Beitrag zur Ornamentik, 2nd edn.

² i.e. volume II of the Neue musikalische Theorien und Phantasien, at this time still intended as the whole of Kontrapunkt, but eventually to be Part I of that work.

³ Saison: S uses this word to apply to his teaching year, starting in October, but is probably referring here to the Vienna concert season, hence musical events.

⁴ June 27.

⁵ The word appears to read Neudruckel, but may have been written first in error as Neudruckerei and then the end canceled with a vertical line. —Could this perhaps be the proposal for the Erläuterungsausgabe of the last five Beethoven piano sonatas? See diary OJ 1/5, p.???, August 24, 1912: "After pressing him by telegraph, I have received a letter from Hertzka agreeing to the contractual conditions I had stipulated. With this, the ups and downs since 1908 have come to a fruitful conclusion and the agreeable work can begin." The contract for the Erläuterungsausgaben is OC 52/494, August 25, 1912. Note the remark in the Preface to Beethovens neunte Sinfonie (1912), p. XII (Eng. trans. p.8: "the last five piano sonatas by Beethoven ... (This work, incidentally, was initiated some time ago at the behest of certain authorities in my homeland, who also promised to furnish the necessary resources; its execution, however, has been obstructed by intrigues and vanities.)") [communication from Nicholas Marston]

SUMMARY:
[ Beitrag zur Ornamentik:] Has given his imprimatur. Had to break off from Kontrapunkt so do this; is pleased with the work of the typesetters. Will visit Hertzka on Saturday [June 27] and give him a list of recipients of complimentary copies, and also make a new proposal.

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

Bent, Ian
Schenker, Heinrich
[ Ornamentik:] Has given his imprimatur. Had to break off from Kontrapunkt so do this; is pleased with the work of the typesetters. Will visit Hertzka on Saturday [June 27] and give him a list of recipients of complimentary copies, and also make a new proposal.
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; 2nd edn; imprimatur; NMTP I; Harmonielehre; Harmony; NMTP II; Kontrapunkt; Counterpoint; experts; Deutschland; Germany; Cotta, J. G.; complimentary copies list; new proposal
Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated June 23, 1908
letter
Hertzka, Emil
WSLB 9
1908-06-23
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