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CA 1-2 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated November 8, 1905
This is Schenker's initial approach to Cotta: he asks the firm to consider
publishing volume I of his Neue Musikalische Theorien und Phantasien, explains his
anonymity, points out the book's attacks of certain composers, explains his choice of
preferred publisher.
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CA 31 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated June 30, 1906
Schenker returns proofs, and draws two things to the attention of the
type-setter.
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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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OJ 9/31, [16] Stenographically handwritten letter from Cotta to Schenker, dated September 16,
1907
Cotta hopes for the manuscript of Kontrapunkt [I] soon, and asserts that the
same terms of contract will apply as those for Harmonielehre.
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OJ 5/15, [1] Incomplete handwritten draft letter from Schenker to Grunsky, dated January 21,
1908
Schenker has not responded to Grunsky's invitation because of pressure of work
with Kontrapunkt. — He thanks Grunsky for his review of Harmonielehre; justifies favoring
the piano repertory there; remarks on Strauss and Reger with respect to "good" and "bad." —
He refers to his Formenlehre as vol. III of his Neue musikalische Theorien und
Phantasien.
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OJ 5/35, [1] Handwritten draft letter from Schenker to Ernst Rudorff, dated January 21,
1908
Schenker makes a first approach to Rudorff; it concerns interpretation of a
passage in Chopin's Ballade No. 2, Op. 38; — He asserts his belief in consulting -- and
teaching students to consult -- only original sources, and in the Urtext
principle.
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CA 76 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated April 24, 1908
Schenker asks for a copy of his Harmonielehre to be sent to the Gesellschaft
der Musikfreunde; — He seeks advice regarding Theodor Frimmel and the Beethoven-Jahrbuch,
explaining the delay on Kontrapunkt I.
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OJ 9/31, [18] Stenographically handwritten letter from Cotta to Schenker, dated April 25,
1908
Cotta has sent a copy of Harmonielehre to the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde,
and thinks that pre-publication excerpting of Kontrapunkt would be
advantageous.
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OJ 11/29, [1] Handwritten letter from Grunsky to Schenker, dated May 3, 1908
Grunsky thanks Schenker for revealing his identity as author of Harmonielehre.
— He asks Schenker's views on Bruckner, and on his own views of musical
form.
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OJ 5/15, [2]-[3] Handwritten incomplete draft of a letter from Schenker to Grunsky, undated [?c. June
1, 1908]
Responding to Grunsky's request, Schenker gives his assessment of Bruckner's
music. First exploring common ground between him and Grunsky, he then offers "technical
reasons" why he regards Bruckner as "possessing minimal powers of invention," therefore
cannot call him a "master." In the process, he compares the "Komponisten" (composers) of the
present day unfavorably with the "Tonsetzer" (tonal craftsmen) of the past.
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CA 79 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated June 5, 1908
Schenker gives permission to divulge his name as author of Harmonielehre to
Breithaupt.
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WSLB 9 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated June 23, 1908
Schenker promises a list of people in German to receive complimentary copies of
Ornamentik, and a new proposal.
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CA 80 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated September 13 and 17,
1908
Schenker promises Counterpoint soon and speculates on publication by
Christmas; — Asks for a copy of Harmonielehre to be sent to his sister
Sophie.
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OJ 12/27, [7] Stenographically handwritten letter from Cotta to Schenker, dated September 18,
1908
Cotta looks forward to receiving Kontrapunkt, and has sent copies of
Harmonielehre to Sophie Guttmann and Ernst Rudorff.
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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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CA 85 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated October 8, 1908
Schenker proposed that Kontrapunkt be divided into two
half-volumes.
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OJ 12/27, [9] Stenographically handwritten letter from Cotta to Schenker, dated October 9,
1908
Cotta advises against splitting Kontrapunkt into two
half-volumes.
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OJ 5/6, [2] Draft of handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, undated [October 12?,
1908]
Schenker accepts Cotta's verdict against splitting Kontrapunkt into
two.
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CA 87 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated October 13, 1908
Schenker accepts Cotta's verdict against splitting Kontrapunkt into
two.
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OJ 9/31, [20] Stenographically handwritten letter from Cotta to Schenker, dated October 15,
1908
Cotta states that Kontrapunkt will be produced under the terms of the contract
for Harmonielehre.
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CA 89 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated October 17, 1908
Schenker confirms the terms of the Harmonielehre contract as applying to
Kontrapunkt.
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WSLB 24 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated October 31, 1908
The prospect of an English translation of Beitrag zur Ornamentik pleases
Schenker. — He wants to guide UE toward being a global enterprise. — Proofs of Counterpoint
[I] have started arriving from Cotta.
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OJ 9/31, [21] Stenographically handwritten letter from Cotta to Schenker, dated December 30,
1908
Cotta urge Schenker to return galley-proofs of Kontrapunkt.
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WSLB 33 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), undated [December 31, 1908 or January
1, 1909]
Schenker defends his Introduction to the Instrumentations-Tabelle and the
exclusion of the heckelphone.
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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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CA 96-98 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated May 26, 1909
Schenker raises again the splitting of Kontrapunkt into two half-volumes, or
even four installments. — He reports that his Beitrag zur Ornamentik has been adopted by the
Academy of Music, despite his being in a constant state of feud with all officialdom. — The
Academy's Director is a supporter of his theory. — Schenker outlines how earlier works of
his have become influential. — His Kontrapunkt is "eagerly awaited" and will be the "leading
work" on the subject; he argues the case for splitting the work on "psychological" and
"technical" grounds.
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OJ 9/31, [23] Stenographically handwritten letter from Cotta to Schenker, dated June 1,
1909
Cotta accedes to splitting Kontrapunkt into two half-volumes, and proposes a
publication schedule for the first half-volume.
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CA 102 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated June 3, 1909
Schenker has sent final proofs of gatherings 10 and 12, but has mislaid those
for 11 and asks for another copy.
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WSLB-Hds 94475 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Seligmann, undated [probably early July
1909]
Schenker asks Seligmann to read an essay on Byron’s Manfred and, if he thinks
it worthy of publication, to send a letter of reference to one or other Viennese newspaper.
He also expresses his satisfaction at how his career is shaping: he has requested and
received generous fees for the editions he has prepared for Universal Edition, and his
theoretical writings for Cotta are also moving along.
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WSLB-Hds 94476 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Seligmann, dated July 17, 1909
Schenker thanks Seligmann for helping him to get a friend’s essay on Byron’s
Manfred published in a Viennese newspaper. He then asks whether it would be possible to make
a judgment about painters, and paintings, on purely objective grounds, as he (Schenker) has
been aiming to do with composers and musical works.
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CA 106-107 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated December 2, 1909
Schenker explains the necessity for some late interpolations into Kontrapunkt
I. — He may be able to include the title "Professor of Composition and Theory" against his
name on the title-pages of his works, and debates the advantages of such an appointment at
the Vienna Academy against the loss of independence. — Only anonymity has prevented
Harmonielehre from success so far.
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OJ 9/31, [24] Stenographically handwritten letter from Cotta to Schenker, dated December 8,
1909
Cotta welcomes the recognitions that Schenker has been accorded recently, and
hopes they will affect his work propitiously.
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CA 114 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated June 30, 1910
Schenker promises manuscript of prelims for Kontrapunkt 1.
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CA 127 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Cotta, dated September 20, 1910
Schenker asks for a copy of Kontrapunkt 1 to be sent to Ernst Rudorff and
copies of that and Harmonielehre to be sent to Jenny Kornfeld at her Aussig
address.
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WSLB 81 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated September 14,
1911
Schenker demands to know whether UE is interested in publishing his planned
edition of the last five Beethoven piano sonatas; -- Inquires how the proofs of Beethovens
neunte Sinfonie stand; And draws attention to the favorable sales of Kontrapunkt
1.
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OJ 15/16, [12] Handwritten letter from Weisse to Schenker, dated December 18, 1912
Diatribe by Weisse against Otto Vrieslander's plan to produce a simplified
version of Schenker's Harmonielehre, impugning Vrieslander's motives.
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OJ 9/30, [6] Handwritten letter from Tony Colbert to Schenker, dated November[?] 2[?],
1914
Mrs. Colbert has done no piano practice, and explains her circumstances; but she
asks Schenker to fit her in for a lesson every two weeks.
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OJ 11/35, 5 Handwritten letter from Halm to Schenker, dated July 2, 1917
Halm seeks advice on choice of edition for the Beethoven variations, and offers
advice in negotiating with publishers.
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DLA 69.930/2 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Halm, dated January 17, 1918
Schenker has received Halm's article about him, and expresses his appreciation.
Schenker's mother died in December 1917; he looked after her and his siblings from the time his
father died [1887]. Addresses a reservation on Halm's part—speaking to him as "leader to
leader"—and confirms his concept of the Volk. Schenker has a plan to put to Halm.
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DLA 69.930/8 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Halm, dated October 27, 1919
Schenker writes of the deteriorating intellectual conditions in Germany and
Austria with respect to other nations, and of the devastating political and psychological
consequences. Schenker praises Halm's Klavierübung for its sensitivity to voice leading, and
speaks of it as an antidote to the decline of musical literacy. He hopes to talk with Halm about
these matters when he moves to Germany.
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OJ 10/1, [48] Handwritten letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated December 21, 1919
Dahms thanks Schenker for his advice on the next stage of instruction. He wrote
to Halm, who confirmed what Schenker had said. He congratulates Schenker on the superhuman work
that he is doing under current adverse circumstances.
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DLA 69.930/9 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Halm, dated January 18, 1920
Schenker acknowledges receipt of OJ 11/35, 14 and 15, thanking Halm for the
opportunity to see the two contracts, now enclosed. Schenker has been exploited by UE regarding
EA 101 and the "Little Library," and must now protect himself and extract better working
conditions. —Kontrapunkt 2 will show the world that his "Semper idem" motto applies at every
level from strict counterpoint through to free composition. In a musical garden of Eden of
genius, the rest of the world behaves like Adam and Eve. — Schenker congratulates Halm on his
successes and thanks him for his support.
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OC 52/239-240 Typed letter from Hertzka (UE) to Schenker, dated December 18, 1920
Hertzka and Schenker will discuss the Niloff Instrumentations-Tabelle; Hertzka
offers two alternative solutions to UE's taking over of Kontrapunkt 2.
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OJ 11/35, 19 Handwritten letter from Halm to Schenker, dated July 28, 1921
Halm discusses an "intended gift," and the merits of Matthäus Hentz and K. T. Schmid to
receive it. Halm reports that he has moved from Esslingen to Wickersdorf, and that his Concerto for Large
Orchestra has been performed by Fritz Busch in Stuttgart, and comments on Cotta's hand-over of
Kontrapunkt.
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OJ 6/7, [5] Handwritten letter from Heinrich Schenker to Moriz Violin, dated July 9,
1923
Having settled into country life in the Tyrol, Schenker returns to his work, in
particular to the ongoing battles with Hertzka over the publication of Der Tonwille. He asks
Violin’s opinion about a subscription plan for a periodical that would appear four times a year
(instead of the current two), and hopes that his friend might spare a few days to visit him in
Galtür.
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OJ 15/16, [55] Handwritten letter from Weisse to Schenker, incomplete, written c. August 5,
1925
Weisse apologizes for not having written for a long time. He has seen Furtwängler
and reports that the conductor knows nothing of his writings and has no idea about the Urlinie.
Universal Edition have declined to publish his Sextet. (In the missing portion of the letter,
which is summarized in Schenker's diary, he asks his teacher's help in finding another
publisher, perhaps with Wilhelm Altmann's intervention.)
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OJ 6/7, [32] Handwritten letter from Schenker to Violin, dated February 16, 1927, with postscript
from Fanny Violin
Replying to Violin's previous letter, Schenker expresses surprise about (Egon)
Pollak's enthusiasm for C. P. E. Bach's Double Concerto. He also expresses uncertainty about
whether to accept an honor from the Academy of Arts and Science in Vienna. A translation and
adaptation of part of his Counterpoint, vol. 2, has been prepared; and Herman Roth's book on
counterpoint has also been published. He sends little Karl a picture of himself, and leaves
space for Violin's sister Fanny to add a short greeting.
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OJ 9/34, [9] Handwritten letter from Cube to Schenker, dated October 29, 1927
Cube has had 'flu; reports on his [conservatory] teaching of Schenkerian theory
(though disguised from the authorities), his private teaching, his work in composition; he has
joined the Reichsverband deutscher Tonkünstler und Musiklehrer. Dunn has sent him his
translation [of part of Kontrapunkt], which he thinks may serve classroom use better than that
of Vrieslander. He is enjoying using his radio; sends two Galtür portraits; his father has had a
son.
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OJ 5/44, [1] Handwritten letter from Schenker to Arthur Waldeck, dated September 23, 1929
Schenker encourages Waldeck to spread his (Schenker's) ideas in America, and
apprises him of Dunn's translation of Kontrapunkt and his own recent and forthcoming
publications.
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OJ 10/1, [104] Typewritten letter from Dahms to Schenker, dated February 7, 1931
Dahms is looking forward to reading Meisterwerk III and inquires after Der
freie Satz. — He has cut himself off from Berlin and Germany; his marital situation has
finally been resolved, and he and his wife and child have settled in Paris.
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OJ 6/8, [20] Handwritten letter from Schenker to Violin, dated January 19, 1933
Schenker gives Violin an account of a three-hour meeting he had with Joseph
Marx, who expressed his highest regard for Schenker's theories; he expects that his writings
will be adopted by the Vienna Akademie and that Violin will also profit from Marx’s interest
and goodwill.
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OJ 5/18, 24 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Jonas, dated March 22, 1933
Schenker recounts Joseph Marx's requirements for adapting his Harmonielehre
for teaching purposes, and the involvement of Alfred Kalmus at UE. — Refers to Vrieslander's
adaptation of Kontrapunkt and Jonas's of Harmonielehre. — Reports Hans Weisse's success;
alludes to the Handel-Schenker Saul project.
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OJ 15/16, [94] Handwritten letter from Hans Weisse to Schenker, dated March 15, 1934
Weisse apologizes for long silence, largely on account of depression at the
lack of enrollment at Mannes and of enthusiasm for his recently published Violin Sonata. —
At Mannes he lectures about his own work, because it is important to show how Schenkerian
theory can have a practical application for composers; his pupil Israel Citkowitz is the
only cause for optimism. — At Columbia University, where he "smuggles" Schenkerian theory
into his lectures, enrolment continues to be large. — He sends a copy of his Violin Sonata,
and promises his Variations on a Popular American Song. — He is not coming to Europe this
summer. — Universal Edition is going ahead with a schools' version of Schenker's
Harmonielehre, but he is surprised that Alfred Kalmus expects him to be involved in an
American edition of this.
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OJ 12/6, [40] Handwritten letter from Jonas to Schenker, dated December 19, 1934
Jonas encloses a translation of an English review of his book; comments
despairingly. — Lawsuit against Willi Reich comes to court on December 22. — Jonas hopes to
give lectures in Vienna. —Asks if Schenker knows Carl Johann Perl. —Holiday good
wishes.
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OJ 15/16, [100] Handwritten letter from Hans Weisse to Jeanette Schenker, dated September 18,
1935
Weisse thanks Jeanette for sending a photograph of her late husband’s
death-mask, and other photographs. — He offers her advice about what to do with Heinrich's
library of books, and with his sketches and other unpublished analyses. The bulk of the
letter is a critique of Der freie Satz, about which he has serious misgivings, partly
concerning the title and subtitle, partly concerning its status as a textbook
(Lehrbuch).