THE STEUERMANN COLLECTION

CLARA STEUERMANN
Music examples, carbon copies, 29p.
examples, blueprint copies, 21
pages
Mus:c exa~ples, cardboard sheets, 53p., with examples
on
both sldes of each sheet, enclosed in cardboard covers fastened with metal rings
'
Corrected
139p.
Correspondence with Faber, 68p.
Reviews of the pubHshed book
THE STEUERMANN COLLECTION
Mus~c
JONATHAN
;JU",C'-.U
music examples are all in Schoenberg's
many
vers ions of the text testify to the demands
as weH as
associate.
of a
sort, with which Strang
was;
.
had to do with the recordings of the
Schoenoerg strmg quartets
the
Quartet in December of
~936. Alfred
the film composer, long associated with Unlted Artists
subsidized the recordings as a gift
Schoenand the set of
was a
issue. In 1938, howa special repressing of
and Strang
correspondence involved
of New Music Edition). There are
in the
The
for the
was
a sum which the New York Public
initse.lf unable to afford. 8 Schoenberg presented Strang
set and slgned the
notes on the verso
the
cover in each
This is part of Strang's
to the Institute.
can
seen in the
announcemen ts,
and the
concerned and
The concern did not
with Schoenberg' s
as the
continuing exchange
Strang and Gertrud Schoenberg indicates.
Jonathan
of the Steuermann
8Letter from Carleton Sprague Smith to Gerald Strang, July 28, 1939.
62
M.
DUNSBY
collection of music, books, magazines, articles and typescripts, records and miscellaneous items owned by Edward
Steuermann was donated as a sateHite collection to the Arnold
Schoenberg Archives by his widow, Cl ara Steuermann.
Most of Schoenberg's published music is represented. Steuermann
was not in the habit of annotating scores heavily, but his copies of
the piano works contain fingerings and other markings. Some
these date from his study with Schoenberg. 1 Four
the Webern
scores are inscribed to Steuermann
the composer. Among these is
the Variations, Op. 27, which Webern dedicated to hirn.
Steuermann never performed the Variations, his score
contains various annotations from wh ich it is dear that he studied
the interpretation.
the literature in the collection is by Adorno, who studied
piano
Steuermann in 1925. For over forty years Adorno sent
Steuermann his articles and books, many of them containing inscriptions which testify to the lifelong advice and encouragement
Adorno received. Adorno's obituary essay includes a profound discussion
the significance of Steuermann's pianism and its relationto his musical outlook, teaching and composing. 2
HE
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
Edward Steuermann was born on June 18, 1892, in Sambor, Powhere his father was mayor. He studied piano first with his
then
Vilem Kurz, in Lemburg between 1904 and 1910.
For the next two years he worked in Switze:rland and in Berlin with
3
Busoni, who became aware
Steuermann's gifts as a composer.
IThe changes in the first edition of Schoenberg's Op. 11 mentioned in Gunther
Schuller's "A Conversation with Steuermann" (Perspectives of N<!W Music, Vol. 3, No.
1, 1964,
22-35), p. 33, are recorded in Steuermann's copy: see Works for Piano in
the
catalogue.
2"Nachruf auf einen Pianisten; Zum Tode von Eduard Steuermann" (Süddeutsche
Zeitung, Munich, November 28, 1964).
3 A legacy of this early influence is Steuermann's recording of Busoni's Toccata,
Sonatinas No. 1 and No. 6, and Six Elegies (Contemporary: S8501).
63
JU",ATHAN M. DUNSBY
Busoni
Steuermann
composition
music
now began to
learn, arrange and perform. As is weH
Steuermann
Schoenberg interpreter
his era, both in
music. In 1949 Schoenberg was to pay
him
ambassador at the piano."
In
after serving in the Austrian army
Steuermann resumed his career in
music as one
of the
(performance
Schoenberg' s
and Erwin Stein. He lived in Vienand
in
V'-'-Gl.LU'-
V1ere
ten years
Darmstadt between 1954 and 1960. Numerous nc.~I."r·~,~rC'
in America and
In 1952 Steuermann was awarded the
a trio
and
Variahonoured Steuermann
in 1965 on the first
4The manuscripts of Steuermann's compositions are at the
See Elliott Carter' s account in "Current Chronicle" (The
Ln, No. 1, 1966, pp. 93-101).
5
64
Steuermann
THE STEUERMANN COLLECTION
THE STEUERMANN COLLECTION
MUSIC
Berg
Kammerkonzert: score,
Steuermann annotation
bound
Stücke aus der
. score, bound
Lulu. Lied der Lulu: annotation
Vier Stücke, darinet and piano
Wozzeck: piano-vocal score,
Schoenberg
Steuermann annotation
two copies;
Steuermann
Steuermann annotation
score, violin
score, two
arr. SteuermannS
6 0 !,the ~~lo wor~s, St~uermann is known to have premiered only Op. 25 (Nos. 1
and L;, m Vlenna, 1920. He gave the first performance of the Plano Concerto in New
York,. with Stokowski and the NBC Orchestra in
and played the piano Darts in
preml~res of Pierrot Lun~ire .(Vienna, 1912) and the
to Napoleon Buonaparte (New
york, 1944). Steuennann s plano solo arrangement of the Chamber
NO.l is
bound in with this item: he perfonned the pytr"e,nii
many
years with great success.
7The ~any corrections made
SchoenberO" on the facsimile are initialled "Sch"
_ 8~n. addi.tion t<? making the arrangements
Erwartung, Die
Hand, ami
Verklarte Nacht hsted here, Steuennann arranged the Chamber
No. 1 for
piano solo and made the two-piano reduction of the Piano Concerto. Steuermann also
made a piano-vocal reduction of the Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte; it exists in penci!
rnanuscnpt
;f
66
Erden, Op. 13: negatives of Tischer edition (1912)
1, No. 2
Hand, Op. 18: piano-vocal score
pianos), bound;
arr. Steuermann
Klavierstücke, Op. 23
Gurrelieder: score, bound
Gurrelieder: piano-vocal score
Klavierstück,
11, No. 2, an. Busoni:
33a
2, No. 1
3, Nos.!, 2, and 5
6: photostat copy, reduced size
14
22: particell, bound
Psalmen,
50c
Aron: piano-vocal score
MS facsim.;
Buonaparte, Op. 41: score,
Steuermann annotation
to
Buonaparte, Op. 41: score, UL''-U'U Steuermann annotation
Orchester-Lieder,
8: No. 2, piano-vocal score
Melisande, Op. 5: score, bound
Melisande, Op. 5: piano, four hands
Violin, Op. 47: Steuermann annotation
Violin, Op. 47: Leibowitz holograph, blueprint
21: score, bound; Steuermann annotation
strings, No. 2, Op. 10: piano, four hands
strings, No. 4, Op. 37: study score; bound by Schoenberg
woodwinds & horn, Op. 26: piano, four hands, bound
Serenade,
24: score, bound; Steuermann annotation, Schoenberg inscription
Tot and Mädchenlied: Leonard Stein holograph,
Stücke, mixed voices, Op. 27
Suite,
29: score, bound; Steuermann annotation
Suite,
29: parts for cl.,
and vlc; annotation
Suite
Klavier, Op. 25
strings, Op. 45: MS score, photostat
Variationen
Orchester, Op. 31: score, bound
Verklärte
Op. 4: string orchestra version, score (1943); Cl ara
annotation
67
THE STEUERMANN COLLECTION
THE STEUERMANN COLLECTION
4: an.,
vI. and
parts, MS; annotation
morgen,
32: score,
Fitelberg annotation
Articles, lectures, etc. by Adorno
score,
MS
PRINTED MATTER
Schönberg, 1874-1951"
from Die Neue Rundschau, 64. Jg., Heft 1, 1953
Schönberg"
from Die Grossen Deutschen, four vols. (PropyläenVerlag: Berlin, 1957)
"Aufzeichnung zu Kafka"
Die Neue Rundschau, 64. Jg., Heft 3, 1953
"Bach gegen seine Liebhaber verteidigt"
typescript
des Kontrapunkts in der neuen
"-Ud'n,e" zur Zeit, No. 4, 1957 (Akademie der Künste:
"Die Gegängelte
In Beiträge . .. des Hessischen Rundfunks, 1954
über
und Sprache"
typescript
Sprache und ihr Verhältnis in gegenwärtigen komponieren"
(1957)
"Schoenbergs Werke
(1960)
" Steckbriefe"
typescript
& Social Science,
de
zum 60.
Steuermann's copy, No. 8
68
IX,
No. 3. 1941
,'Verfremdetes
Neue Deutsche Hefte, 1959
die neue
In
VII. Jg., Heft 73 & 74, Jan.-Feb. 1960
"Zum Verhältnis von Soziologie und Psychologie"
nU",cnrwy Beiträge zur Soziologie, Vol. 1, 1955
69
THE STEUERMANN COLLECTION
THE STEUERMANN COLLECTION
RECORDINGS
"Zur Dialektik des Engagements"
from Die Neue Rundschau, 73. Jg., Vol. 1, 1962
"Zur Musikpädagogik"
In Junge
No. 6, 1957
Schoenberg 9
nn~-n'OTO
Artides, lectures, etc.
Heinrich:
memoriam
Bera"
b
_
copy
typescript for lecture at Kenyon
Krenek, Ernst:
not to appreciate music"
copy of typescript
Ernst:
Schoenberg at ",,,,,,,on,",
interpreter"
Mountain College
3, No. 1,
Rene: "Musiques d'Amerique"
Les
two copies
1945
piano music, Steuermann: Columbia ML5216, two copies
for Violin, Op. 47, Koldofsky, Steuermann. Klavierstücke,
19 and 23, Steuermann: Dial 14
Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21, Schoenberg, Stiedry-Wagner, Kolisch, Auber,
Steuermann, Posella, Bloch: Columbia Masterworks M461, 78
r.p.m. 4-disc set, three copies; Columbia ML 4471, two copies
Pierrot
Op. 21, Winograd etc.: MGM E3202
composer
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS
1944
lecture at
Vienna Ak'oa'PrI/f1P
November 15, 1954
H.: "Schoenberg in America"
T~e Musical
Vol.
No. 4, 1951
ArnoId: "Herz und Verstand in der Musik"
Presentation document: Certificate of the Arnold Schoenberg MedaL
presented to Steuermann by the Salzburg I.S.C.M., June 1952
Portrait: Heinrich J alowetz, 15" x 18"
Program: Steuermann-Kolisch concert, January 13, 1927
Program: Verein für Neue Musik (Aus tri an I.S.C.M.), March
1936.
program included Steuermann's Vier Klavierstücke, played
the composer
Roger: "Europe comes to America"
copy
typescript
Sessions, Roger: "Schoenberg in
United States"
copy
typescript
Edward: "A great mind
a great
Vol. 3, No. 2, 1949
V";:>:>lUIJ.:>.
9S ome performances by Steuermann survive on tape, with music by, among others,
Mozart, Weber, Chopin, Scriabin, and Reger. There also exists a tape of Steuermann's
second performance of Schoenberg's Piano Concerto, conducted by Hermann Scherchen for the Hessischer Rundfunk in Frankfurt, 1955. These tapes are not included in
the Steuermann collection.
70
71