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Sonja Davydoff

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Russian concert pianist, occasional pupil of Schenker's.

Wife of the Ukrainian lyric tenor Israel Levenson (stage name Alexandr Davidoff, 1872–1944), Sonja Davydoff seems to have been an occasional pupil of Schenker’s in the mid-1900s. In 1908–10 she was living in St. Petersburg. She is listed as recipient of a free copy of his Beitrag zur Ornamentik in a 1908 letter from Schenker to Universal Edition (WSLB 14, August 19, 1908), where the description “first-class concert pianist in Russia, who does a lot for me” suggests that he considered her an advocate in Russia for his work, which includes her having performed his unpublished edition of a chamber concerto there – possibly the A minor keyboard concerto by C. P. E. Bach (Helm 403), on which Schenker had worked in 1903–04 and had himself performed in Vienna in 1904. Again in 1910 Schenker ordered a complimentary copy of his edition of J. S. Bach’s Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue to be sent to her (WSLB 66/67, October 19, 1910). Nothing more is known of her, and there is no surviving correspondence between Schenker and her.

Contributor

  • Ian Bent

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Correspondence

  • WSLB 14 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated August 19, 1908

    Schenker gives list of those to receive a copy of Beitrag zur Ornamentik.

  • 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.

  • OC 1 B/15 Handwritten draft letter from Schenker to Carl Colbert, dated September 15, 1912

    Schenker explains why he deprecates strongly giving a student only one lesson a week and positively recommends two or three; he leaves the matter to Colbert, but gives him a difficult choice.

  • 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.

Diaries