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OJ 6/4, [50] - Handwritten letter from Schenker to Violin, dated July 22, 1910
[{envelope}] {recto} ⇧ KARERPASSHOTEL (1758 m) KARERSEE 8 (TIROL) BESITZER: ALOIS KNOLL [An:] ⇧ H. Prof. M. Violin Baden bei Wien Jägerhausstr. 10 [postmark:] || KARERPASS | 21.VII.10 | [illeg] || {verso} [Absender:] ⇧ Dr. H Schenker Karerpasshotel Karerpass Tirol [{letter}] ⇧ L Fl . Besten Dank. Heute Nachmittag schreibe ich post rest. recomm.. Hoffentlich gelingt die Sache. Daß ich dir die Schüttelreime nicht bestätigt habe, geschah ja nur, weil der Brief an die „Sau“ 1 mich so sehr okkupiert hat. Ich habe sie sogar der Donna 2 gezeigt u. wir haben schrecklich gebrüllt. Einige waren ganz besonders gelungen, einige hatte zu langen Verse (obwohl auch dieses geht). Ich gebe dir jetzt aber neuerdings Gelegenheit, Schüttelreime zu verfassen: ich muß dich nämlich bitten, mir ein dutzend Fischblasen (nicht Kondons) zu schicken; 3 was ich hatte, habe ich bis nur mehr auf ein Stück bereits aufgearbeitet! Das Alles will lieber e[r]zählt, als schriftlich mitgeteilt werden. Wenn ich dir kein Geld beilege, so nur deshalb, weil ich mich davon nicht entblößen will vor dem fatalen 1sten, u. vor der Einsendung seitens der „Sau.“ Hernach retourniere ich den Betrag. Aber schleunigst! Wäsche ist hier sehr, abermal teuer, z.B. 25 xr ein Nachthemd, 30 xr ein Tageshemd. Wie klug war das von {2} mir, die ganze Wäsche mitzunehmen! Ich wäre schon hereingefallen, wenn ich aufs Waschen hätte ankommen lassen u. das System felixens angenommen hätte, mit Wenigem mitzuführen. 4 Ich brauche täglich, [?erster] den 4 fl., etwa noch 1 bis höchstens 1.50: Weine, Jause etc. Das Essen ist ganz, ganz vorzüglich u. werde sicher auch deinen Beifall finden. Wirst du kommen können? Soeben habe ich Foll hinter mir. 1½ Tage war er hier (Ostertaghütte-Tour 5 ) u. vor seiner Langeweile flüchtete ich mich nur allzugern in den Schoß der Donna. Was sagst du zum Fall Schönberg? Hiers nur das Berliner Tageblatt, wo Max Graf eine Begrüßung losgelegt hat. 6 Na, da wird es Fetzen geben! Wie klug habe ich getan, den perfiden Graf im Stich zu lassen. Ich lese viel, arbeite aber noch nichts, ausgenommen daß ich die Notizen einreihe, ausfertige. 7 Bald beginne ich mit den Arbeiten. Kommst du mal nach Wien hinein? Siehst du {3} die Pollaks? Oder gar nicht? Also: die Sendung erbitte ich schleunigst. © Transcription Ian Bent and William Drabkin, 2019 |
[{envelope}] {recto} ⇧ KARERPASS HOTEL (1758 meters) KARERSEE 8 (TYROL) PROPRIETOR: ALOIS KNOLL [To:] ⇧ Prof. M. Violin Baden near Vienna Jägerhausstraße 10 [postmark:] || KARERPASS | 21.VII.10 | [illeg] || {verso} [From:] ⇧ Dr. H. Schenker Karerpass Hotel Karerpass Tyrol [{letter}] ⇧ Dear Floriz, Many thanks. This afternoon I shall write post restante registered. Let us hope the matter is successful. That I have not acknowledged receipt of your rhyming verses is due solely to the fact that the letter to the "sow" 1 has preoccupied me so much. I have even shown them to the Donna, 2 and we have guffawed frightfully. Several of them were particularly successful, some have lines that were too long (although this is OK). But I now give you a new cause to write rhyming verses: that is, I must ask you to send me a dozen swim-bladders (not condoms). 3 What I had I have by now worn out bar one! All of that will be better conveyed in person than in writing. If I am not enclosing any money for you that is only because I don't want to deprive myself before the fatal 1st [of the month], and before what the "sow" sends. After that I will return the money, but as soon as possible! Laundry here is very, very expensive, e.g. 25 Kreuzer for a nightshirt, 30 Kreuzer for a regular shirt. How clever it was of {2} me to bring my entire laundry with me! I would by now have been caught out if I had depended on the laundry service and had adopted Felix's system of taking little with me. 4 I need each day, the first being the 4 florins, then perhaps a further 1 or at most 1.50 for wine, afternoon coffee, etc. The food is truly, truly excellent, and will undoubtedly meet with your approval, too. Will you be able to come? [The visit of] Foll is just now behind me. He was here for a day and a half (Easter Day Hut tour 5 ), and in the face of his tediousness I took refuge all too gladly in the arms of the Donna. What do you say to the case of Schoenberg? Here we have only the Berliner Tageblatt , in which Max Graf has launched a campaign. 6 Ah well! It will make good scrap paper! How wise I have been to abandon the perfidious Graf. I am reading a lot, but am still working on nothing, except that I am arranging and laying out notices. 7 Soon I will get down to the serious tasks. Do you ever get into Vienna? Do you see the {3} Pollaks? Or not at all? Now then: I ask for the delivery as soon as possible. © Translation Ian Bent and William Drabkin, 2019 |
[{envelope}] {recto} ⇧ KARERPASSHOTEL (1758 m) KARERSEE 8 (TIROL) BESITZER: ALOIS KNOLL [An:] ⇧ H. Prof. M. Violin Baden bei Wien Jägerhausstr. 10 [postmark:] || KARERPASS | 21.VII.10 | [illeg] || {verso} [Absender:] ⇧ Dr. H Schenker Karerpasshotel Karerpass Tirol [{letter}] ⇧ L Fl . Besten Dank. Heute Nachmittag schreibe ich post rest. recomm.. Hoffentlich gelingt die Sache. Daß ich dir die Schüttelreime nicht bestätigt habe, geschah ja nur, weil der Brief an die „Sau“ 1 mich so sehr okkupiert hat. Ich habe sie sogar der Donna 2 gezeigt u. wir haben schrecklich gebrüllt. Einige waren ganz besonders gelungen, einige hatte zu langen Verse (obwohl auch dieses geht). Ich gebe dir jetzt aber neuerdings Gelegenheit, Schüttelreime zu verfassen: ich muß dich nämlich bitten, mir ein dutzend Fischblasen (nicht Kondons) zu schicken; 3 was ich hatte, habe ich bis nur mehr auf ein Stück bereits aufgearbeitet! Das Alles will lieber e[r]zählt, als schriftlich mitgeteilt werden. Wenn ich dir kein Geld beilege, so nur deshalb, weil ich mich davon nicht entblößen will vor dem fatalen 1sten, u. vor der Einsendung seitens der „Sau.“ Hernach retourniere ich den Betrag. Aber schleunigst! Wäsche ist hier sehr, abermal teuer, z.B. 25 xr ein Nachthemd, 30 xr ein Tageshemd. Wie klug war das von {2} mir, die ganze Wäsche mitzunehmen! Ich wäre schon hereingefallen, wenn ich aufs Waschen hätte ankommen lassen u. das System felixens angenommen hätte, mit Wenigem mitzuführen. 4 Ich brauche täglich, [?erster] den 4 fl., etwa noch 1 bis höchstens 1.50: Weine, Jause etc. Das Essen ist ganz, ganz vorzüglich u. werde sicher auch deinen Beifall finden. Wirst du kommen können? Soeben habe ich Foll hinter mir. 1½ Tage war er hier (Ostertaghütte-Tour 5 ) u. vor seiner Langeweile flüchtete ich mich nur allzugern in den Schoß der Donna. Was sagst du zum Fall Schönberg? Hiers nur das Berliner Tageblatt, wo Max Graf eine Begrüßung losgelegt hat. 6 Na, da wird es Fetzen geben! Wie klug habe ich getan, den perfiden Graf im Stich zu lassen. Ich lese viel, arbeite aber noch nichts, ausgenommen daß ich die Notizen einreihe, ausfertige. 7 Bald beginne ich mit den Arbeiten. Kommst du mal nach Wien hinein? Siehst du {3} die Pollaks? Oder gar nicht? Also: die Sendung erbitte ich schleunigst. © Transcription Ian Bent and William Drabkin, 2019 |
[{envelope}] {recto} ⇧ KARERPASS HOTEL (1758 meters) KARERSEE 8 (TYROL) PROPRIETOR: ALOIS KNOLL [To:] ⇧ Prof. M. Violin Baden near Vienna Jägerhausstraße 10 [postmark:] || KARERPASS | 21.VII.10 | [illeg] || {verso} [From:] ⇧ Dr. H. Schenker Karerpass Hotel Karerpass Tyrol [{letter}] ⇧ Dear Floriz, Many thanks. This afternoon I shall write post restante registered. Let us hope the matter is successful. That I have not acknowledged receipt of your rhyming verses is due solely to the fact that the letter to the "sow" 1 has preoccupied me so much. I have even shown them to the Donna, 2 and we have guffawed frightfully. Several of them were particularly successful, some have lines that were too long (although this is OK). But I now give you a new cause to write rhyming verses: that is, I must ask you to send me a dozen swim-bladders (not condoms). 3 What I had I have by now worn out bar one! All of that will be better conveyed in person than in writing. If I am not enclosing any money for you that is only because I don't want to deprive myself before the fatal 1st [of the month], and before what the "sow" sends. After that I will return the money, but as soon as possible! Laundry here is very, very expensive, e.g. 25 Kreuzer for a nightshirt, 30 Kreuzer for a regular shirt. How clever it was of {2} me to bring my entire laundry with me! I would by now have been caught out if I had depended on the laundry service and had adopted Felix's system of taking little with me. 4 I need each day, the first being the 4 florins, then perhaps a further 1 or at most 1.50 for wine, afternoon coffee, etc. The food is truly, truly excellent, and will undoubtedly meet with your approval, too. Will you be able to come? [The visit of] Foll is just now behind me. He was here for a day and a half (Easter Day Hut tour 5 ), and in the face of his tediousness I took refuge all too gladly in the arms of the Donna. What do you say to the case of Schoenberg? Here we have only the Berliner Tageblatt , in which Max Graf has launched a campaign. 6 Ah well! It will make good scrap paper! How wise I have been to abandon the perfidious Graf. I am reading a lot, but am still working on nothing, except that I am arranging and laying out notices. 7 Soon I will get down to the serious tasks. Do you ever get into Vienna? Do you see the {3} Pollaks? Or not at all? Now then: I ask for the delivery as soon as possible. © Translation Ian Bent and William Drabkin, 2019 |
Footnotes1 The allusions to "sow" in OJ 6/4, [49], July 9, and OJ 6/4, [51], August 19, may suggest that the reference here is to Schenker's long-term pupil and patron, Mrs. Sofie Deutsch. On July 9 Schenker agreed to draft a letter "to the 'sow'" and send it to Violin. Presumably in the interim Violin has vetted it, such that Schenker has now finalized it. Neither the letter nor any response is known to survive. 2 Donna: Italian aristocratic title, archaic German for "maid servant" and humorous German usage for "girl friend." This is very likely an allusion to Jenny Kornfeld, who we know from OJ 7/4, [65], July 12 was present at Karerpass. And see the further reference to her in paragraph 3 below. 3 Fischblasen: "air bladder," "gas bladder," "swim-bladder," "maw": in many species of fish, a lung-like organ that provides buoyancy and helps stabilize the fish. The swim bladder was a food delicacy in certain societies, and is also used as a source of collagen, and to make isinglass for clarification of beer. Between the 16th century and the invention of the rubber condom in the 1850s, the swim bladder was used as a contraceptive device. 4 The only obvious candidates are his friend Felix Pollak, or less likely because only aged 14, his pupil Felix Hupka. 5 Ostertag-Hütte: also known as Rotwandhütte, a mountain hut at 2,283 meters in the Rosengarten Group in the Dolomites, near to where Schenker was staying. 6 No clipping of the Max Graf article is preserved in Schenker's papers. 7 It sounds as if Schenker is going through past newspapers (einreihen ‒ to incorporate, rank, classify; ausfertigen ‒ to draft, execute), probably saved up over the year, clipping reviews, placing them in order in his scrapbook and annotating them (OC 2). If this is correct, then this may be the first indication of such activity, though it must have been going on since 1902. |
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Digital version created: 2019-12-03 |