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OJ 89/3, [A] - Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hoboken, undated [between November 14, 1928 and January 1, 1929]
Along the top edge of pp. 1 and 3, Jonas has written a list comprising Roman and Arabic numerals, unrelated to the content of this letter.
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„Am Anfang“ war die Sonne! So sei denn Ihnen u. Ihrer verehrten Gattin zu den kommenden Sonnenfesten, weniger astronomisch als gastronomisch gesprochen, zum Weinachts- u. Neujahrsfest das allerbeste gewünscht! Nun gestatten Sie, daß ich an unser Beider Wünsche gleich eine kleine Bitte anschließe, nicht des nach München abzusendenden Bildchens von Schuberts „vollendetem“ h-moll Menuett 2 nicht zu vergessen. Und haben Sie im Novemberheft der „Musik“ (das den Aufs[atz] von Landshoff 3 enthält) auf S. 142 die Notizen über Ihr „Andreas Bach-“ {2} Buch 4 gelesen? Vielleicht interessiert es Sie es doch? Mit besten Grüßen an Sie u. Ihre Frau Gemalin von uns Beiden © Transcription John Rothgeb, 2016 |
"In the beginning" there was the sun! Therefore all best wishes to you and your dear wife for the forthcoming sun-festivals, [and,] speaking less astronomically than gastronomically, for the Christmas and New Year's festival-banquet! Now permit me to add to the wishes from both of us a small request, not to forget the little image of Schubert's "finished" B-minor Menuett 2 that is to be sent to Munich. And have you seen in the November issue of Die Musik (which includes the essay by Landshoff 3 ) on p. 142 the notes on your "Andreas Bach" {2} book? 4 Perhaps it would after all interest you With best greetings to you and your wife from both of us, Didn't you laugh yourself silly over Schoenberg's essay? 5 The pride of Berlin! I’d rather be the un-pride of Vienna . . . . © Translation John Rothgeb, 2016 |
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„Am Anfang“ war die Sonne! So sei denn Ihnen u. Ihrer verehrten Gattin zu den kommenden Sonnenfesten, weniger astronomisch als gastronomisch gesprochen, zum Weinachts- u. Neujahrsfest das allerbeste gewünscht! Nun gestatten Sie, daß ich an unser Beider Wünsche gleich eine kleine Bitte anschließe, nicht des nach München abzusendenden Bildchens von Schuberts „vollendetem“ h-moll Menuett 2 nicht zu vergessen. Und haben Sie im Novemberheft der „Musik“ (das den Aufs[atz] von Landshoff 3 enthält) auf S. 142 die Notizen über Ihr „Andreas Bach-“ {2} Buch 4 gelesen? Vielleicht interessiert es Sie es doch? Mit besten Grüßen an Sie u. Ihre Frau Gemalin von uns Beiden © Transcription John Rothgeb, 2016 |
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"In the beginning" there was the sun! Therefore all best wishes to you and your dear wife for the forthcoming sun-festivals, [and,] speaking less astronomically than gastronomically, for the Christmas and New Year's festival-banquet! Now permit me to add to the wishes from both of us a small request, not to forget the little image of Schubert's "finished" B-minor Menuett 2 that is to be sent to Munich. And have you seen in the November issue of Die Musik (which includes the essay by Landshoff 3 ) on p. 142 the notes on your "Andreas Bach" {2} book? 4 Perhaps it would after all interest you With best greetings to you and your wife from both of us, Didn't you laugh yourself silly over Schoenberg's essay? 5 The pride of Berlin! I’d rather be the un-pride of Vienna . . . . © Translation John Rothgeb, 2016 |
Footnotes1 It has not been possible to locate a report of the writing of this letter in Schenker's diary. See footnotes 3 and 5 below for dating. 2 The Menuetto of the Piano Sonata in G major, Op. 78, D.894. 3 Most likely Ludwig Landshoff, "Die Aufführungspraxis Bachscher Chorwerke," Die Musik, xxi/2 (November 1928), 81–97. This is referred to in Schenker's diary for November 14, 1928: "Ein Heft der Musik gekauft, darin ein Aufsatz von Landshoff u. einer über das Violin-Konzert von Brahms." ("An issue of Die Musik purchased, containing an article by Landshoff and one on Brahms's Violin Concerto."). The following pages of the same issue contained: Ossip Schmirlin, "Brahms und Joachim bei der Entstehung des Violin- und des Doppel-Konzertes von Johannes Brahms," ibid, 97‒103. 4 Andreas Bach Buch: an anthology of chiefly North German keyboard music compiled by J. S. Bach's elder brother, Johann Christoph Bach and bearing the name of the latter's son, (Johann) Andreas Bach. 5 One possibility for this would be Arnold Schoenberg, "Zur Frage des modernen Kompositionsunterrichtes," Deutsche Tonkünstler-Zeitung, November 5, 1929; Eng. transl. "On the Question of Modern Composition Teaching," in Style and Idea, ed. Leo Black (London: Faber & Faber, 1975), pp. 373–76 (mentioned in passing in Schenker's diary for October 17, 1930, but only by reference to Hans Weisse). A more likely prospect is "Interview mit mir selbst," Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, December 16, 1928, Eng. transl. in Schoenberg's Program Notes and Musical Analyses, ed. J. Daniel Jenkins (New York: Oxford University Press, 2016), pp. 288‒94, because Schenker could well have expected Hoboken to read that newspaper and therefore might not have felt the need to cite the title; but there is no reference to this in Schenker's diary. However, neither of these possible identifications is conclusive; the best that editorial dating can say is: between November 14, 1928 and January 1, 1929. |