Footnotes

¹ Receipt of this postcard is recorded in Schenker’s diary for September 24, 1932: “Von Deutsch (K.): alle Drei kommen Dienstag um ½6^h” (“From Deutsch (postcard): all three will come on Tuesday at 5:30”).

² In response to Deutsch’s previous letter, Schenker invited the Deutsches and Dr. Kurt Thomasberger to afternoon tea. The diary entry for September 27 reports the substance of the meeting: “From 5:45 to between 8 and 8:30, Deutsch and his wife and department counselor Dr. Tomasberger: I recommend that things be left in accordance with Hoboken’s arrangements; better a little than nothing at all. Over the course of three years, much can change! The circles that Vrieslander is drawing with his songs, Jonas with lectures, courses and articles, Weisse, and others, may have the effect of giving new life and cheer – perhaps attractive even to Hoboken. At this point I begin to express my wish: first, however, a certain justice is due to me, as the leader of this new movement; for instance, a class on "manuscripts of the masters" should be created, in which I would also speak – in secret (?!) – about the "Urlinie." The Archive must, however, not exist merely for me and Hoboken, and not become the booty of casual thieves who merely denigrate the photographs as adornment and pretentiousness. At any rate, I forbade myself in making this suggestion to envision publicity for pupils, and to proceed along those lines! Thomasberger leaves at 8 o’clock, Mr. and Mrs. Deutsch stay on; he looks very troubled, has apparently been much damaged financially! He seeks comfort from me – I advise him to accept everything, and not to answer for the time being, etc. Mrs. Deutsch is incensed over the cynical destruction of an important work, which is the property of her husband; I also number the abandonment of works of great value that were ready for publication, by Vrieslander and myself, which testify so eloquently to the significance of the Archive.”.

Commentary

Format

Printed picture postcard: printed picture, typewritten recipient address, postmark and postage stamps, recto; typewritten salutation, message, and valediction, holograph signature, verso

Provenance

Schenker, Heinrich (document date-1935)--Schenker, Jeanette (1935-c.1942)--Ratz, Erwin (c.1942-c.1956)--Jonas, Oswald (c.1956-1978)--University of California, Riverside (1978--)

Rights Holder

Heirs of Otto Erich and Hanna Deutsch, published by kind permission

License

Permission to publish granted by the heirs of Otto Erich and Hanna Deutsch on February 12, 2008. Any claim to intellectual rights should be addressed to the Schenker Correspondence Project, Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge, at schenkercorrespondence[at]mus(dot)cam(dot)ac(dot)uk

Digital version created: 2023-08-08
Last updated: 2015-09-19