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WSLB 81 - Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated September 14, 1911
Da ich noch vor Eröffnung meiner kleinen Hochschule für (wirkliche) Musik 2 geschäftlich, d.h. verlagsgeschäftlich nach Leipzig u. Stuttgart reise, 3 so erbitte ich mir ein paar Zeilen darüber, was Gegenstand meines letzten Briefes an Sie 4 gewesen, u. was Sie mit der Karte vom 27. Juli 5 nach Ihrer Rückkehr vom Urlaub zu erledigen versprachen. Um Ihnen aber die Mühe der Recherchen zu ersparen, frage ich noch einmal: reflectieren Sie auf meine Beethoven-Ausgabe der letzten 5 Sonaten oder nicht? 6 Von Ihrer mir oft genug bewiesenen Coulance warte ich umgehend „ein lautes, vernehmliches Ja“ oder „Nein.“ Und was ists mit den Korrekturen zur „ IX. Symph.“?? 7 Es wird Sie interessieren zu erfahren, daß von meinem „ Kontrapunkt ,“ trotzdem nur erst der erste Halbband erschienen u. dieser überdies 10 MK kostet, im Laufe von 6 Wochen nicht weniger als 114 Exemplare 8 abgesetzt wurden! So darf ich mich denn doch unter {2} die stark gelesenen Autoren rechnen, trotzdem Stoff u. Darstellung gewiß einige Sammlung der Leser voraussetzen. © Transcription Ian Bent, 2006, 2020 |
Since before the opening of my little Hochschule for (real) music 2 I am traveling on business, i.e. publishing business, to Leipzig and Stuttgart, 3 I ask you to drop me a line or two about that which was the subject of my last letter to you, 4 and with which you, in your postcard of July 27, 5 promised to deal with upon your return from holiday. And to save you the trouble of looking this up, let me ask you yet again: Are you, or are you not, interested in my Beethoven edition of the last five sonatas? 6 In view of your obligingness, often accorded me, I expect by return a loud, clear "Yes" or "No." And what is going on with the proofs for the Ninth Symphony ?? 7 It will interest you to know that my Counterpoint , despite the fact that so far only the first half-volume has appeared, and moreover that this costs 10 Marks, has in the course of six weeks sold no fewer than 114 copies! 8 So I may surely count myself among {2} the much-read authors, although substance and presentation certainly assume a certain collection of readers. © Translation Ian Bent, 2006, 2020 |
Da ich noch vor Eröffnung meiner kleinen Hochschule für (wirkliche) Musik 2 geschäftlich, d.h. verlagsgeschäftlich nach Leipzig u. Stuttgart reise, 3 so erbitte ich mir ein paar Zeilen darüber, was Gegenstand meines letzten Briefes an Sie 4 gewesen, u. was Sie mit der Karte vom 27. Juli 5 nach Ihrer Rückkehr vom Urlaub zu erledigen versprachen. Um Ihnen aber die Mühe der Recherchen zu ersparen, frage ich noch einmal: reflectieren Sie auf meine Beethoven-Ausgabe der letzten 5 Sonaten oder nicht? 6 Von Ihrer mir oft genug bewiesenen Coulance warte ich umgehend „ein lautes, vernehmliches Ja“ oder „Nein.“ Und was ists mit den Korrekturen zur „ IX. Symph.“?? 7 Es wird Sie interessieren zu erfahren, daß von meinem „ Kontrapunkt ,“ trotzdem nur erst der erste Halbband erschienen u. dieser überdies 10 MK kostet, im Laufe von 6 Wochen nicht weniger als 114 Exemplare 8 abgesetzt wurden! So darf ich mich denn doch unter {2} die stark gelesenen Autoren rechnen, trotzdem Stoff u. Darstellung gewiß einige Sammlung der Leser voraussetzen. © Transcription Ian Bent, 2006, 2020 |
Since before the opening of my little Hochschule for (real) music 2 I am traveling on business, i.e. publishing business, to Leipzig and Stuttgart, 3 I ask you to drop me a line or two about that which was the subject of my last letter to you, 4 and with which you, in your postcard of July 27, 5 promised to deal with upon your return from holiday. And to save you the trouble of looking this up, let me ask you yet again: Are you, or are you not, interested in my Beethoven edition of the last five sonatas? 6 In view of your obligingness, often accorded me, I expect by return a loud, clear "Yes" or "No." And what is going on with the proofs for the Ninth Symphony ?? 7 It will interest you to know that my Counterpoint , despite the fact that so far only the first half-volume has appeared, and moreover that this costs 10 Marks, has in the course of six weeks sold no fewer than 114 copies! 8 So I may surely count myself among {2} the much-read authors, although substance and presentation certainly assume a certain collection of readers. © Translation Ian Bent, 2006, 2020 |
Footnotes1 WSLB 80 and 81 have been numbered by the library in reverse chronological order because the first digit of the date of WSLB 80 has been removed by a hole-punch in the original. 2 i.e. his private piano studio, lessons for which would begin in early October. 3 This refers back to WSLB 78, July 23, 1911, in which Schenker suggests "punishing" the President and Director of the Conservatory by publishing the Bach/Beethoven project in Germany. Hence this remark is a scarcely veiled threat to UE. See also WSLB 80, September 20. For Hertzka's full response, see OC 52/492, September 19, 1911. 4 = WSLB 79, August 18, 1911. 5 = OC 52/63, July 27, 1911. 6 Reference is to the plan, first mooted by Hertzka at a meeting with Schenker on October 14, 1910, to publish the last five Beethoven sonatas in conjunction with Book II of the Well-tempered Clavier (the latter a residue of an earlier plan dating from December 1908, which Schenker had declined) in alternate years; mentioned in OC 52/425 of the same day, and WSLB 68, October 21, 1910 (when Schenker had discussed it direct with Bopp). Recent letters include WSLB 75, May 17, 1911; WSLB 77, June 21; WSLB 78, July 23. Significantly, Schenker drops reference to the Bach component in the present letter, which exhibits signs of his losing patience, its sarcastic tone marking a sharp change of mood. The plan (as Hertzka reminds him in OC 52/492, September 19) was dependent on a subvention from the Austrian Ministry of Education that was never forthcoming. 7 The manuscript of the Ninth Symphony monograph had been handed over to UE on May 18, 1911 (diary). 8 Schenker is quoting here from Cotta's annual sales report for 1910, which shows 114 copies sold and 61 review and complimentary copies sent out (OJ 9/32, [26]). |
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Digital version created: 2022-03-13 |