Footnotes

¹ Receipt of this postcard is not recorded in Schenker's diary.

² The letter from Schenker to Karpath is not known to survive. The next day he sent what were presumably similar letters, with the announcement, to Max Graf, remarking "Karpath has already agreed," and to Hans Liebstoeckl (OC 1/A, 3 and 4‒5), requesting publication by June 3 at the latest ‒ in short, blanketing the press. The announcement clearly concerned Schenker's planned lecture series "The Decline of the Art of Music." This was a ruse to force the hand of the Academy for Music and Performing Art: the diary entry dated the beginning of June 1911 (OJ 1/10, pp. 131[r], 131[a], and 132) explains how this announcement, which the Neue freie Presse published in its morning edition of June 3 (No.16803, p.14, col.1), came about:

"Latenter Konflikt mit Direktor Bopp u. Prof. Wiener. Brief von Bopp an mich [illeg word], mich in seinem Bureau einzufinden. Dort erhalte ich von ihm die Mitteilung, daß die von mir, der „U.E.“ u. der Akademie gemeinsam geplante Bach- u. Beeth.-Ausgabe auf dem besten Wege zur Verwirklichung sei; zum Schluß: „der H. Präsident möchte mich sprechen.“ Diese unziemliche Art der Einladung quittierte ich indessen sofort mit: der H. Pr. möge Tag u. Stunde bestimmen. Letzterer sollte bitten lernen, was er zu bitten hat !
Nun offener Konflikt. Weder der Prof., noch der Dir. lassen sich „herbei“ den Brief zu schreiben! Noch einmal stelle ich schriftlich das Ultimatum, „widrigenfalls ich mich anderen Aufgaben zuwende.“ Keine Antwort. Da lasse ich folgende Notiz in den Blättern erscheinen: „Dr. H Sch. wird im nächsten Herbst mit einer Serie von 6–8 Vorlesungen beginnen, die unter dem Gesamttitel „Niedergang der mus. Kunst“ an den Werken mehrerer Autoren (Strauß, Reger, Debussy u.s.w.) die schlechte Beschaffenheit der Form, des Satzes, die Kakophonie u. dgl. demonstrieren werden. Daran schließt sich nebst Reformvorschlägen eine Kritik des derzeit mangelhaften Unterrichtsbetriebes “.
Am 3^ten bringt die „N.f.Pr.” die Notiz, u. am selben Tage um 10^h erscheint bei mir der Diener des Dir. Bopp mit der Mitteilung, daß „der H. Dir. sehr überbürdet sei, in 14 Tagen aber die Sache in Ordnung bringen wolle.“ Welche Flegelei! wie unmännlich das feige Sich-Verkriechen, u. noch erbärmlicher die Angst vor der Zeitungsnotiz! . . . Aber wußte ich sofort, daß ich auch weiterhin nichts mehr zu erwarten habe . . ."

("Latent conflict with Director Bopp and Prof. Wiener. Letter to me from Bopp in [illeg word] asking me to present myself at his office. There I am informed by him that the Bach and Beethoven edition planned jointly by me, Universal Edition and the Academy is the best way forward; finally: 'The President would like to speak with me.' I however immediately countered this indecorous form of invitation with: The President may specify the day and time. The latter ought to learn to ask what he wants to ask!
Now open conflict! Neither the Professor nor the Director condescends to write the letter! Yet again I put the ultimatum in writing, 'Failing that, I will move on to a different project.' No answer. So I release the following announcement to the papers: 'Dr. Heinrich Schenker will begin with a series of 6–8 lectures next fall under the collective title "Decline of the Art of Music," which will demonstrate the unhealthy state of form and counterpoint, cacophony, and the like, in the works of several composers (Strauss, Reger, Debussy, etc.). This will be followed, alongside proposals for reform, by a critique of the deficiencies of present-day teaching methods.'
On [June] 3, the Neue freie Presse carries the announcement, and the same day at 10 o'clock Director Bopp's servant appears at my house with the information that 'The Director is terribly busy, but will put matters right in two weeks' time.' What rude behavior! How unmanly is his cowardly hiding-away, and even more pitiful his fear at the newspaper announcement! . . . But I knew immediately that I could expect nothing more of him . . .")

³ "ad acta legen": bureaucratic Latin phrase relating to an application or petition that is "considered to have been dealt with," therefore filed away (archived).

Commentary

Format

printed postcard, printed and holograph addresses recto; holograph salutation, message, and signature verso

Provenance

Schenker, Heinrich (document date-1935)--Schenker, Jeanette (1935-c.1942)--Ratz, Erwin (c.1942-c.1955)--Jonas, Oswald (c.1955-1978)--University of California, Riverside (1978--)

Rights Holder

Heirs of Ludwig Karpath

License

Permission to publish being sought. 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: 2016-06-08
Last updated: 2010-03-18