Aufnahmedatum: 1949?

Dauer: 11:47
Beschreibung: On the performance of some of Schönberg's works; also generalities. In German and English.
Signatur: 96/R7
Publikationen: keine

Transkription:

Arnold Schönberg interviewed by Rose Bampton

KARL KRITZ: Dear Rose, things sometimes take a long time and I'm ashamed to say that it took me such a long time to get around to rerecording Schoenberg's voice. I'm very happy that I finally can send it to you and I'm sure you will have fun. [To Schoenberg] Will you speak a few words into this [so I can get the] [?]...

SCHOENBERG: Ja, ich weiss.

KRITZ: Irgendwo. Ganz ist klar.

SCHOENBERG: Also, irgendwas ist immer viel schwer als etwas. Irgend was das muss man zuerst wissen. Ich weiss dass noch immer nicht. Ist das genug für Test, das für Test, nicht?

KRITZ: Das ist immer genug.

SCHOENBERG: ...the accompanist of my works, but I was told he is very good. But in no case he can be as familiar with my works than is Steuermann and, of course, even have the time to have so good a singer as Miss Bampton. I wanted also to have a good accompanist. So that's all?

KRITZ: No, just a little more please. I made, at the very first begin, I made a mistake. Sorry.

SCHOENBERG: Oh, was soll ich tun?

KRITZ: Noch einmal.

SCHOENBERG: Noch einmal.

KRITZ: Bitte, bitte.

SCHOENBERG: [Inaudible] ein immer viel schlechter.

KRITZ: Na, na, na, [inaudible],

SCHOENBERG: I suggest that you try to get Mr. Steuermann to accompany Miss Rose Bampton, well, Mrs. Pelletier, as she says she likes more to be called--Mrs. Pelletier--than Miss Bampton. So I... Mr. Steuermann is very familiar with all of my music. He even records now again some of my piano pieces for two companies. But I am glad that he does it because he knows this music since about 1911 or '12, you know. He knows it even before it was written. Yes, now I know Mr....

KRITZ: [Unintelligible].

SCHOENBERG: I know Mr. (what's the name) Kant? Itor Kahn. He's a good pianist. This I know but I never heard him play my music. Maybe he's very good but I don't want to take a chance as I have such an excellent singer as Mrs. Pelletier--Miss Rose Bampton. I would like to have also such a good accompanist as Mr. Steuermann. Now this, no?

KRITZ: Maestro, when did you compose your songs? What year did you write them?

SCHOENBERG: Most, 1908.

KRITZ: 1908?

SCHOENBERG: Yes, das war richtig, 41 years.

KRITZ: Yes, I was just two years old when it was written.

ALL: [laughter]

KRITZ: And where were they performed for the first time?

SCHOENBERG: In Vienna.

KRITZ: In Vienna? And who sang it?

SCHOENBERG: Mrs. Winternitz.

KRITZ: Ah, Winternitz.

SCHOENBERG: Winternitz-Dorda, yeah, yes--the singer which I described before, you know. She was very good, extremely musical.

KRITZ: Did you ever orchestrate those songs?

SCHOENBERG: No, no, they are piano songs.

KRITZ: I know but I think that in Vienna some student of the Academy (I forgot who it was), I think made an attempt. And I think they actually were once tried. Something like that [?] [unintelligible]

SCHOENBERG: So, no, I don't find it necessary. You know the songs with orchestra which I wrote, which I wrote for orchestra, have almost never been performed. I know Scherchen performed once this opus 22 (what is it?) these three, four songs. And he also performed the opus 8, but the rest... I mean, I also performed them once in Berlin and over broadcast, yes, but I... they were very rare, very few performances.

ROSE BAMPTON: Were the poems written for you especially for them?

SCHOENBERG: No, no. These six, four of them are Petra... three of them are Petrarca sonnets and one is Knaben Wunderhorn... two are Knaben Wunderhorn, and one (which is the third?) oh, is a German poet of the name of Hart.

BAMPTON: And these George poems. Did you find them or did he write them for you?

SCHOENBERG: No. I found them in his books. Yes, yes, he was a contemporary.

KRITZ: Would you say a few words for Stiedry, into the mike because I would like him to hear [inaudible].

SCHOENBERG: Yes, then give him my most cordial greetings. I just wrote him the other day. I wrote him a letter. Did I not?

GERTRUD SCHOENBERG [?]: [Inaudible].

ARNOLD SCHOENBERG: Oh, then I have to do it, to tell him that the photographs are excellent. And I would like (oh yes, I have them), I would like to have a few copies of this one of mine which is so good.

KRITZ: I got the copy last year [inaudible] you here, the Metropolitan tour. Remember it?


SCHOENBERG: It's a very good copy.

KRITZ: It's excellent, yeah. I have one...

SCHOENBERG: A very good photo, I mean.

KRITZ: ...[inaudible] I'm going to take a few pictures now if you let me.

SCHOENBERG: Yes.

KRITZ: [Inaudible] crazy [inaudible]. Is it enough?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I would like to have [inaudible] another half hour.

KRITZ: Well, we are very grateful that you did this for us.

SCHOENBERG: I'm already hoarse.

KRITZ: Thanks a lot. We appreciate it very much.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: [Inaudible] ein paar Worte in Deutsch noch.

SCHOENBERG: Ja aber es ist nicht so schön als sie glauben man hört dann [inaudible] wir sprechen [inaudible].

KRITZ: [Inaudible].

SCHOENBERG: Leider. Ich hab' jetzt ein Brief zum dritten Mal diktiert das erst mal war es wirklich ganz konfus, das zweite mal hab ich vergessen das Ding abzudrehen, und das dritte mal [inaudible]. Das ist der Unterschied.

KRITZ: [Inaudible].

SCHOENBERG: Oh, mein lawyer.

ALL: [laughter]

KRITZ: Oy, oy, oy-weh!

SCHOENBERG: I want to write diese Gauner, diese Betrüger, diese Diebe als solche die music publisher. I want to sue them. They contend that they have... die behaupten dass die Rechte haben. Ist aber nicht wahr. Ich bin jetzt drauf gekommen dass das eine elende Lüge ist. Die haben kein Rechte. Die wollen meine recordings verbieten. Aber sie haben kein Recht dazu. Jetzt haben sie beim [inaudible].

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: [Inaudible] ein Österreichischer?

SCHOENBERG: Er ist ein Freund von uns.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Das ist aber schön.

SCHOENBERG: Ja, der wird wir das schon machen.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Na, ich hoffe dass [inaudible] es ist kolossal wichtig, dass ihre Musik weiter verbreitet wird. Das ist natürlich eine Chance.

SCHOENBERG: Na eben. Das wollen dir verkündern nicht das recording. Sie wollen verkündern dass ich etwas davon hab. Sie wollen alles Geld allein haben.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Das ist unglaublich. Also recht recht vielen herzlichen Dank, das haben Sie auch deutlich geredet. Danke sehr.

KRITZ: Gram[inaudible].

SCHOENBERG: Gram[inaudible].

BAMPTON: No, he hopes now to press it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: [Inaudible].

BAMPTON: [Inaudible] he has a whole group of all of these French-Canadian folksongs...

SCHOENBERG: Oh?

BAMPTON: ...that he has arranged.

SCHOENBERG: Aha.

BAMPTON: And they are very charming really.

SCHOENBERG: Perhaps [inaudible].

BAMPTON: No, my brother is now president of Presser.

SCHOENBERG: Oh, Chicago?

BAMPTON: Now they are in Philadelphia, Presser, in church [?] and [inaudible] it's all in one [inaudible].

SCHOENBERG: [Inaudible].

BAMPTON: [Inaudible].

SCHOENBERG: They published a music magazine?

BAMPTON: Etude.

SCHOENBERG: Etude. Aha. This was in Chicago?

BAMPTON: Yeah.

SCHOENBERG: [Inaudible].

BAMPTON: Yeah.

SCHOENBERG: [Inaudible] several times I had articles in it [?].

BAMPTON: Yeah [inaudible] take a good picture and hope maybe [inaudible] use it.

SCHOENBERG: [Inaudible].

BAMPTON: I don't see him yet. He should come. I said come at 3:00.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: [Inaudible] 3:00.

SCHOENBERG: [Inaudible].

BAMPTON: I wanted to explain to him where it was. He said, "No, I know this section is near where I live." So he would not even listen.

SCHOENBERG: [Inaudible].

BAMPTON: I must say [?] I'm [?] [inaudible] my husband. That's the right one [inaudible].

SCHOENBERG: Do you want to run the machine?

KRITZ: Es machts nichts. Yeah, it's okay [unintelligible].

SCHOENBERG: This is not consumed [inaudible] perhaps?

KRITZ: No, no, no.

SCHOENBERG: No? [inaudible] consumed [inaudible].

KRITZ: [Inaudible].

SCHOENBERG: [Inaudible].

KRITZ: [Inaudible].

SCHOENBERG: [Inaudible].

KRITZ: [Inaudible].

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: [Inaudible].

BAMPTON: [Inaudible].

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think that they wear out faster.

SCHOENBERG: No?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think so.

BAMPTON: I'm amazed at how good is this machine.

SCHOENBERG: Very good.

BAMPTON: Because my tape machine...

SCHOENBERG: Your [inaudible].

BAMPTON: I had a tape and it wouldn't work for me.

SCHOENBERG: [Inaudible].

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We got a one good recording. That was the fist one we made. The wind quintet. [Inaudible] took the machine [inaudible].

SCHOENBERG: But I made quite a good recording of the New York broadcast.

UNIDENTIFIED: [Inaudible].

SCHOENBERG: Yes, on Sunday, yes.

BAMPTON: For wire?

SCHOENBERG: Huh?

BAMPTON: On wire?

SCHOENBERG: Yes, now, but we did something very good. I put the microphone on the back of the radio.

BAMPTON: Oh?

SCHOENBERG: So that it was a very short distance to the microphone, yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I see.

BAMPTON: And I understand they read a letter of yours.

SCHOENBERG: Yes, yes, yes, [inaudible] sarcastic remarks.

BAMPTON: Well, they say it was a very brilliant letter.

SCHOENBERG: [Inaudible].

BAMPTON: I had heard it...

SCHOENBERG: [Inaudible].

BAMPTON: I heard it so described.

SCHOENBERG: Hmm.

KRITZ: Well, if you would allow me now to take a few pictures outside.

SCHOENBERG & BAMPTON: [Inaudible].

[music: Giacomo Puccini: La Boheme (excerpt) (0:08)]