German conductor, composer, and writer on music.

Career Summary

Beyschlag worked as a conductor in Trier and Cologne 1868–80, and as concert director in Mainz and Frankfurt. He then moved to Belfast as conductor of the Philharmonic Society there, followed briefly by work as Charles Hallé’s assistant in Manchester, then in 1895 moved to Leeds in charge of the subscription concerts of its Philharmonic Society. In 1902 he moved to Berlin. In 1908 he published his major book, Die Ornamentik der Musik (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel), to which Ernst Rudorff wrote the Preface.

Beyschlag and Schenker

Schenker published his Beitrag zur Ornamentik in 1903, enlarging it in 1908. It concerned primarily the rendering of ornamentation in the keyboard works of C. P. E. Bach, but included a considerable amount of material on that of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. He became aware of Beyschlag’s work through his friend Ernst Rudorff, who arranged for a copy to be sent to him in September 1908, just a few weeks after the 1908 edition of his Beitrag had been released. In reaction, he described it as “all-encompassing” and “encyclopedic,” but at first sight took issue with some of Beyschlag’s interpretations (OJ 5/35, [3], September 28, 1908). Schenker understandably saw Beyschlag’s work as a rival to his own, but nevertheless did refer to it in his lessons.

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