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Der Tonwille, Heft 10 (= Jahrgang IV, Heft 4) (Oct 1924)

The Will of the Tone, issue 10 (= Year IV, issue 4) (Oct 1924)

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The tenth and final issue of Schenker's periodical Der Tonwille (1921–24), also the fourth issue of Year IV.

Contents

Issue 10, 42 pages in length, comprises short analyses (as did Tonwille 4) – eight in all, concluding with a repeat of the theoretical article "Elucidations" from issue 8/9. The lead article is the second of a pair about J. S. Bach's St. Matthew Passion, the first of which appeared in issue 7. The essay on the Austrian national anthem (which includes notes on the autograph source) affords Schenker the opportunity to parallel political synthesis with artistic synthesis.

The remaining six are analyses (each with performance notes) of short, relatively easy keyboard pieces (a feature once again reminiscent of Tonwille 4, the "issue for children" [Kinderheft]), by composers whom Schenker regarded as belonging to his roll-call of German master composers, two of whom (Mendelssohn and Schumann) had not yet featured in Tonwille; the other (Schubert) had not so far been represented for his instrumental music. There is a pair of closely related pieces by each of the three composers – a practice perpetuated a year later in the first issue of Das Meisterwerk in der Musik, which includes analyses of two sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti and two etudes by Chopin (thereby extending Schenker's limited number of canonical composers beyond German-speaking borders).

Publication History

[to be completed]

Contents List

  • "J. S. Bach: Matthäuspassion, Einleitungschor (Erste Choral-Fantasie)" [Bach's St. Matthew Passion, Opening Chorus (First Chorale Fantasy)], 3–10 [II, pp. 127–34]
  • "Haydn: Österreichische Volkshymne" [Haydn: Austrian National Anthem], 11–13 [II, pp. 135–36]
  • "Schubert: Quatre Impromptus, op. 90, Nr. 3" [Schubert's Four Impromptus, Op. 90, No. 3], 14–21 [II, pp. 137–42]
  • "Schubert: Impromptu, F-Moll, op. 94, Nr. 3" [Schubert's Impromptu in F minor, Op. 94, No. 3], 22–24 [II, pp. 143–45]
  • "Mendelssohn: Venetianisches Gondellied, op. 30, Nr. 6" [Mendelssohn's Venetian Gondola Song, Op. 30, No. 6], 25–29 [II, pp. 146–49]
  • "Mendelssohn: „Lieder ohne Worte“, op. 67, Nr. 6" [Mendelssohn's Songs without Words, Op. 67, No. 6], 30–33 [II, pp. 150–53]
  • "Schumann: Kinderszenen Nr. 1, Von fremden Ländern und Menschen" [Schumann's Scenes of Childhood, [Op. 15,] No. 1, "Of Foreign Lands and Peoples"], 34–35 [II, pp. 154–55]
  • "Schumann: Kinderszenen, op. 15, Nr. 9 Träumerei" [Schumann's Scenes of Childhood, Op. 15, No. 7, "Dreaming"], 36–39 [II, pp. 156–58]
  • "Erläuterungen" [Elucidations], 40–42 [II, pp. 117–18]

  • Enclosures: two Urlinie sheets, one double-sided (Bach / Schubert), one single-sided (Mendelssohn, Schumann)
  • Advertisement (at back): "Beethoven-Schenker: Klavier-Sonaten" (cover)

Contributor

  • Ian Bent

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Correspondence

  • DLA 69.930/13 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Halm, dated October 6, 1924

    Asks Halm to send some of his chamber music to Rudolf Pollak, with prospect of performance of the A major string quartet. —Deplores current situation over Sofie Deutsch stipends. —Reports difficulties with UE and intention to change publisher.

  • OJ 6/7, [10] Handwritten letter from Schenker to Moriz Violin, dated October 26, 1924

    Schenker names ten universities that should receive complimentary copies of Der Tonwille, explaining that university music departments (Seminare) are more suitable recipients than conservatories and other types of music schools. With 1924 coming to an end, he will resign from UE and shift publication of Der Tonwille to Piper or Drei-Masken Verlag in Munich. The latter have agreed to publish his study of Beethoven's Sonata Op. 106

  • OJ 6/7, [11] Handwritten letter from Schenker to Moriz Violin, dated November 6, 1924

    Schenker has received a photographic reproduction of the opening chorus of Bach's St Matthew Passion. — Gives account of delays to the publication of Tonwille 8/9 and 10, blaming Hertzka for being slow to send work to the engraver, and has written to him with a request to dissolve the Tonwille contract with UE. — Refers to a recent review by (Julius) Korngold, and recounts a long story about his piano dealer, Bernhard Kohn.

  • OC 54/10 Typed letter from Theodor Baumgarten to Schenker, dated January 15, 1925

    Baumgarten expresses his concerns about Schenker’s negotiations with a new publisher, and cautiously advises that his client might instead wish to reach a peaceful agreement with Universal Edition.

  • OC 54/11 Typewritten postcard from Otto Vrieslander to Schenker, dated January 19, 1925

    Vrieslander thanks Schenker for Tonwille 10, remarks about negotiations with Universal Edition and Drei Masken Verlag, and promises to send him an offprint of his recent essay on C. P. E. Bach.

  • OJ 14/45, [41] Handwritten letter from Moriz Violin to Schenker, dated January 19, 1925

    Violin reports on a successful concert in which he performed both as a soloist and with the Klingler String Quartet. He thanks Schenker for Tonwille 10. He has received a copy of Hans Weisse’s recent vocal quartets, and is puzzled by how a limited talent can write such good music. He is going to see Max Temming, and has received four courteous letters of acknowledgement from university music departments for copies of Der Tonwille.

  • OC 54/12 Typed letter from August Demblin and Alfred Einstein (DMV) to Schenker, dated January 20, 1925

    Drei Masken Verlag offer to publish Schenker's future work as a yearbook, entitled "Das Meisterwerk in der Musik," in volumes comprising fifteen gatherings (180 pages). The manuscript would need to be delivered in July in order for the book to be published in time for Christmas.

  • OJ 6/7, [17] Handwritten letter from Schenker to Moriz Violin, dated February 2, 1925

    Schenker, repeating some of the points made in earlier letters, continues to give an account of Hertzka's dishonest dealings with him over Der Tonwille and asks Violin to give him an accurate count of the subscriptions that Max Temming paid for in the distribution of free copies of the journal to university music departments. He asks if Violin suspects that anti-Semitism lurks behind some of the critical notices of his recent concert. Finally, he mentions an article in Die Musik by Paul Bekker that numbers Schenker among the hermeneutists; the same issue contains a review of Der Tonwille, by Max Broesicke-Schon, disputing the supreme genius of the canonic composers.

  • OC 52/644 Handwritten letter from Moriz Violin to Schenker, dated April 21, 1925

    Violin has had the order for nine copies of Tonwille 1 placed in Berlin, and has collected the receipts. He has not heard from Weisse, but attended a performance of his String Sextet and, like Schenker, found the variations and the trio section of the scherzo the most successful.

  • OJ 8/4, [37] Handwritten postcard from Schenker to Moriz Violin, dated June 9, 1925

    Schenker asks Violin to write to one of the German university music departments who received subscriptions to Der Tonwille through the generosity of Max Temming, to find out if, and when, they received Tonwille 10, which was published in January. He reports being on the verge of completing the first Meisterwerk Yearbook.

  • OJ 8/4, [38] Handwritten postcard from Schenker to Moriz Violin, dated June 22, 1925

    Schenker thanks Violin for his most recent efforts concerning the subscriptions to Der Tonwille; he is astonished to learn that Tonwille 10, published in January 1925, did not reach some subscribers until June. He hopes that Violin will be able to visit him in the Tyrol this summer, as he is expecting Vrieslander with his son.

Diaries