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CA 5-6 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated November 22, 1905
Schenker submits the manuscript of Harmonielehre; asks Cotta not to show it to
potential rivals.
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OJ 12/38, [1] Handwritten letter from Hans Liebstöckl to Schenker, November 29, [1906]
Liebstöckl regrets having annoyed Schenker by unwantedly disclosing his name as
author of Harmonielehre in the Illustrirtes Wiener Extrablatt, promises to write about it
"conscientiously," and disclaims being a Reger adherent.
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CA 68 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated September 13, 1907
Schenker expects the press to be enthusiastic about Harmonielehre. — He
comments of the "Riemann school."
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CA 71 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated December 16, 1907
Schenker proscribes the release yet of his name to Karl Grunsky. He comments
on a review of his Harmonielehre by Max Burkhardt. He will be sending Kontrapunkt
shortly.
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OJ 5/15, [4] Incomplete handwritten letter draft from Schenker to Grunsky, undated [?between
September 23 and December 31, 1908]
Schenker reports progress on his Kontrapunkt. — The main problem in music is
"how length can be produced." — He recollects his love for the pious Bruckner, and his
admiration for the latter's music, but speaks of its "defects," comparing the music
favorably with that of Tchaikovsky. Bruckner's stumbling block was form.
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WSLB 31 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated December 22, 1908
Schenker agrees to the Instrumentations-Tabelle being published without his newly
written Introduction. — He declines the proposal to edit the Well-tempered Clavier Book II for
the new Akademie, offerin alternative suggestions and observations on Busoni's
editing.
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BNba Frimmel Nachl, [3] Handwritten letter from Schenker to Frimmel, dated April 8, 1909
Schenker thanks Frimmel for his copy of Beethoven-Jahrbuch vol. II, and
expresses admiration at Frimmel's editing of the authors' contributions, remarking how
slowly he is proceeding with his own Kontrapunkt. He comments on two of the
contributions.
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WSLB 66/67 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE) + list of names, dated October 19,
1910
Schenker cancels their Thursday meeting. — He argues for sweeping changes to
the draft contract for Beethovens neunte Sinfonie. — He defends his own free speech in the
face of Universal Edition's commercial interests. As with his Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue
edition, UE will never regret publishing the Ninth Symphony monograph. — He also lauds the
prospective editions of the last five Beethoven piano sonatas and volume of J. S. Bach
toccatas in a lofty vision for future publications. — He appends a list of recipients of
complimentary copies of the Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue.
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WSLB-Hds 94478 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Seligmann, undated [shortly before May 31,
1911]
Schenker reports the completion of work on Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and
enlists Seligmann’s help in placing notices in Viennese newspapers advertising a planned
series of lectures on modern music (cacophony).
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WSLB 77 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated June 21, 1911
Schenker asks if he will receive galley-proofs of Beethovens neunte Sinfonie
in time to take on vacation, and inquires as to his proposal for UE to publish the score of
the Ninth Symphony with original markings. — No summons to interview with Academy President
von Wiener, so he fears the worst for the planned Bach-Beethoven edition project. — Tirade
against von Wiener and the Academy's teachers.
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OJ 8/1, [7] Handwritten picture postcard from Heinrich Schenker to Moriz Violin, dated August 4,
1911
Schenker inquires after Violin's location and company; — reports his work on
Riemann's theories.
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OJ 6/5, [1] Handwritten double letter from Heinrich Schenker and Jenny Kornfeld to Moriz Violin,
dated August 18, 1911
Heinrich and Jenny Kornfeld are in the Sulden Valley, Tyrol. Heinrich writes
about his planned refutation of the theories of Hugo Riemann and the need to establish his own
theories in Germany; — and about separate accommodation arrangements for Jenny. Jenny writes
more somberly about the coming autumn and its difficulties.
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WSLB 133 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), undated [August 26,
1912]
Recounting the backstory of the move to found an [Austrian] organization of
musicians, and painting it as a rearguard action by performers against the dominance of Neue
freie Presse chief critic Julius Korngold and certain concert agents, Schenker reports an
approach from Hugo Heller in Germany, and presses Hertzka to reveal how committed he is to
the cause. — Remarking on the lack of coverage of music in [Austrian] newspapers, he
complains at the timid tone of Universal Edition's advertising of his own
works.
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OJ 13/23, [1] Printed form letter from Hugo Riemann to Schenker, postmarked April 15,
1913
Riemann requests autobiographical information for his
Lexikon.
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WSLB-Hds 95658 Handwritten postcard from Schenker to Seligmann, postmarked May 11, 1913
Schenker congratulates Seligmann on his latest feuilleton, especially on the
enduring values of the classical and Romantic artists. — His critical edition of Beethoven’s
Op. 109 will appear soon. — He has received a personal request from Hugo Riemann to provide
biographical details for an entry in Riemann’s Musiklexikon.
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OJ 10/1, [5] Handwritten letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated June 26, 1914
Dahms inquires after Schenker's study of Op. 110, and hopes to review it. He is
sure there will come a day when Schenker's work is fully appreciated.
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WSLB-Hds 95654 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Seligmann, dated July 24, 1916
Schenker tells Seligmann that he has arranged for copies of his critical
editions of Beethoven’s Op. 110 and Op. 111 to be sent to him. He speaks of the positive
interest his works have received in Germany, and about Hugo Riemann asking him to provide
autobiographical material for an entry in the next edition of his music
lexicon.
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OJ 15/16, [27] Handwritten letter from Weisse to Schenker, dated August 3, 1916
Weisse hopes to see Kontrapunkt II soon. — He reflects on the state of
humanity in the light of being in the midst of the war. — He incloses a cutting of an
article [about sources of Saint-Saëns's music.]
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OC 1 B/23 Handwritten draft letter from Schenker to Siegfried Türkel, dated March 17,
1917
Schenker encloses a letter from Dr. Hugo Friedmann and comments on it,
ridiculing the lack of sophistication of the wealthy, and asserting his own indifference to
money.
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OJ 10/1, [31] Handwritten letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated November 9, 1917
Dahms is now with the War Ministry in Berlin. He comments on Korngold and
Bruckner.
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OJ 14/33, [3] Handwritten letter from Steglich to Schenker, dated February 15, 1918
Steglich accepts Schenker's offer of a copy of the Op. 111 Erläuterungsausgabe;
he is a Riemann pupil, and has a keen interest in analyses.
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OJ 6/6, [9] Handwritten triple-letter from Jeanette Kornfeld and Heinrich Schenker to Valerie and
Moriz Violin, dated July 15, 1919
(1) Jeanette to Valerie: offers sympathy and reassurance about her illness;
describes the Tantalier Castle and its romantic associations; (2) Heinrich to Valerie:
recommends eating large quantities; (3) Heinrich to Moriz: supports food theory by reference to
his own proneness to nervous depression; suggests that Valerie recuperate in Zell am
See.
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OJ 10/1, [45] Handwritten letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated September 26, 1919
Dahms responds to Schenker's letter (non-extant). He reflects on Prussian
militarism. He declares that there is no such things as "military genius"; Germany was as guilty
as the Entente Powers for the war; soldiers were treated as slaves by their officers, with
Wilhelm II bearing the ultimate guilt. He rejects all political parties. England does not treat
its people as Germany does. He believes only in the German spirit, which he regards as the
spirit of the world. He cannot wait to leave Germany, and wants only to immerse himself in
Schenker's work.
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OJ 10/1, [52] Handwritten letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated June 9, 1920
Reflecting on the difficulty of finding housing and provisions, and on the recent
German federal elections, Dahms asks whether mastery of chorale and fugue is to be obtained
solely by exercises in the manner of [E. F.] Richter and others. — He inquires whether Schenker
knows Kurth's Grundlagen des linearen Kontrapunkts, and whether there are any worthwhile
[musical] people in Salzburg.
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OJ 10/1, [55] Handwritten letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated July 30, 1920
Dahms finds the Berlin musicians on vacation to be ignorant – "artistic
bolshevism." — He now understands Kurth's work better for Schenker's comments.
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OC 24/20 Handwritten letter from Frimmel to Schenker, dated August 1, 1921
Frimmel acknowledges receipt of a complimentary copy of Tonwille 1, comments
neutrally on Schenker's incursions into politics, imagines something rather different by the
concept of "Tonwille," and while agreeing with the criticism of Riemann thinks it could have
been done more gently. — He asks for review copies of Schenker's editions of Beethoven Op.
110 and 101.
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OJ 10/1, [72] Handwritten letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated October 28, 1922
Dahms chooses to remain in Italy in view of the "moral and physical devastation"
that he hears reported from Germany. — He is committed to Schust & Loeffler for a Haydn
biography. He reports on a review of his book "Offenbarung."
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OJ 5/17, [1, vsn 1] Handwritten draft letter from Schenker to Hindemith, undated [November 3, 1926]
In response to Hindemith's letter of October 25, 1926, Schenker's 15-page first
draft states his preference for a meeting with Hindemith in Vienna. Schenker thinks differently
from Hindemith: the notion of a "good musician" is a delusion; artistic property is comparable
with material property; the music of today is quite different from that of the past, the rules
of the masterworks do not govern it, hence it is not art at all. Schenker reserves the right to
speak his own mind.
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OC 54/134 Typed letter from Otto Vrieslander to Schenker, dated February 20, 1927
Vrieslander, at pains to ensure that the music illustrations in the second
Meisterwerk Yearbook are accurately and elegantly printed, reports that the engravers are
having difficulty interpreting Schenker’s music examples. He is putting his own work to one
side in order to work exclusively on creating clear and elegant graphs; he proposes to come
to Vienna in mid-March to go through all his work with Schenker.
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OJ 9/34, [8] Handwritten letter from Cube to Schenker, dated May 28, 1927
Cube reports on the state teaching examination, on which he was graded
"satisfactory," deploring the way it was conducted.
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OJ 5/7a, [14] (formerly vC 14) Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cube, dated April 29, 1928
Schenker sympathizes with Cube over the hostilities he faces; contrasts his own theory to the
approach of Riemann. Has arranged for Hammer portraits to be sent to Cube [for bookshop exhibits], and directs him
to biographical information about himself. Describes the trials of his 20s, which were surpassed by the difficulties
he faced later with publishers and organizations. Upholds Joachim and Messchaert as models of performance art, and
speaks of his contact with Brahms. Asks whether Cube will be joining him in Galtür in the summer.
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OJ 89/2, [6] Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hoboken, dated June 22, 1928
With thanks for birthday greetings, Schenker expresses how highly he values the
Photogrammarchiv while endorsing van Hoboken's turning down of an "honor" that he was offered. —
Schenker has, at Einstein's request, updated his entry in Riemann's Musiklexikon. — With the
success of the Urlinie through Der Tonwille, he no longer considers himself isolated.
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WSLB-Hds 191.563 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Deutsch, dated June 22, 1928
Schenker thanks Deutsch for his birthday greetings, explaining that,
although he feels alienated from the musical world of the present day, he is
convinced that his work will have a lasting effect on future
generations.
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OJ 14/45, [71] Handwritten letter from Moriz Violin to Schenker, dated July 18, 1928
Owing to a "complete breakdown," Violin is recovering at a sanatorium in
Schierke, from where he writes. In response to Schenker's previous postcard, Violin had
written more than once to Prof. [Fritz?] Stein for the return of the manuscript of a Handel
arrangement by Schenker, and he will chase him up in August. A pupil of his, Harry Hahn, has
taken upon himself to lecture on Schenker's theories at the local society of composers; for
this he has prepared classroom-size enlargements of voice-leading graphs of a Bach prelude
and a Schubert waltz, and has proved a surprisingly competent and persuasive
speaker.
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OJ 5/7a, [21] (formerly vC 21) Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cube, dated November 20, 1928
Sends best wishes for Cologne lecture-series; is planning to issue a folder of
Urlinien for use by teachers, and may deposit his handwritten Urlinien in the Photogrammarchiv,
which will be officially opened on November [25]. The "counter-examples" should be taken
slowly.
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OJ 5/7a, [28] (formerly vC 28) Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cube, dated January 12, 1930
Acknowledges OJ 9/34, [20], and gives detailed critique of Cube's analysis of
the C major Prelude from WTC I, including graphs; advises on additional reading and Cube's
plans to publish the analysis.
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WSLB-Hds 191.565 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Deutsch, dated July 20, 1930
In this 16-page response to a letter from Deutsch, Schenker thanks his
correspondent for his unstinting assistance (in relation to the third Meisterwerk
yearbook) and underlines the importance of a collected edition of the works of C. P.
E. Bach. — He then launches a long and detailed denunciation of Anthony van
Hoboken’s character, referring in particular to his treatment of Otto Vrieslander,
his ambivalence towards projects associated with the Photogram Archive, and his
absconding to Berlin to study the piano with Rudolf Breithaupt; Hoboken is
thoroughly undeserving of a high honor conferred by the Austrian
state.
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OJ 6/8, [1] Handwritten letter from Schenker to Violin, dated January 9, 1931
In this long and wide-ranging two-part letter, which includes a graphic
analysis of J. S. Bach’s Two-part Invention in E-flat major, Schenker praises the work of
Hans Weisse, who has recently returned from lecturing in Berlin and may be offered a post
there (on Furtwängler’s recommendation), emigrate to America (with the help of Gerald
Warburg), or even found an institute that would give employment to Felix Salzer and other
Schenkerian disciples under one roof. — A letter from Violin, which has just arrived in the
morning post, speaks of Violin’s own intention to establish a Schenker Institute in Hamburg.
For this, Schenker recommends Felix-Eberhard von Cube (in preference to Reinhard Oppel) and
Otto Vrieslander as possible theory teachers, if not Weisse himself. — The letter concludes
with a tirade against those who have caused him financial misery (including his brother
Mozio), culminating in a cynical passage in which Schenker advises his friend to look after
himself and engage some dull pedagog to teach conventional theory. In the end, he wishes
Violin luck with the enterprise, and thanks him for having helped rescue him from Hertzka’s
clutches.
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OJ 8/5, [11] Handwritten postcard from Schenker to Violin, dated September 1, 1932
Schenker reports that Der freie Satz is finished, apart from the final draft
of the manuscript.
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OJ 12/6, [16] Handwritten letter from Jonas to Schenker, dated October 1, 1932
Further on Hoboken and the number of subscriptions; Jonas thanks Schenker for
approving an article about the Photogrammarchiv that he hopes will be published in Die
Musik.
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OJ 89/7, [5] Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hoboken, dated February 25, 1934
Schenker comments on Eva van Hoboken's visit [of February 18]; — Encloses a
collection of articles, praises Hoboken's opposition to Ganche, and comments sardonically about
Schering, Kretzschmar, and Riemann.