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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.
„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 |
„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 |
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. |
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Commentary
Digital version created: 2016-08-15 |