Catalog Record:
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein.
Gift; Karl Ulrich Schnabel (Artur Schnabel's son); 1981.
No further accruals are expected.
The Artur Schnabel Collection was processed by Kevin LaVine in 2006. The finding aid was coded for EAD format by Nancy Seeger in 2011.
The Library of Congress Music Division also holds the
Materials from the Artur Schnabel Collection are governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.) and other applicable international copyright laws.
The Artur Schnabel Collection is open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Music Division prior to visiting in order to determine whether the desired materials will be available at that time.
Certain restrictions to use or copying of materials may apply.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [item, date, container number], Artur Schnabel Collection, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Artur Schnabel was one of the greatest pianists and pedagogues in the history of musical performance. As a performer, Schnabel eschewed virtuosity in favor of musicianship – indeed, he considered himself a musician foremost, and the piano simply his creative medium – and his sound recordings consistently demonstrate interpretations of sensitivity, commitment, and distinction. He was one of the first pianists to champion new and unfamiliar repertoire (such as the piano sonatas of Franz Schubert), and the first pianist to record the complete sonatas and concerti of Ludwig van Beethoven. As a pedagogue, Schnabel is probably best known for his meticulously annotated performing edition of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, through which countless pianists were introduced to these foundations of the piano repertoire; this edition is in common use even today. Lesser known are Schnabel’s original musical compositions – his uncompromising atonal musical language continues to pose formidable challenges to performers, conductors and listeners – and his contribution to musical scholarship through his autobiography (
The Artur Schnabel Collection primarily consists of music manuscript scores of Schnabel’s compositions. These thirty-seven manuscripts are all, with the exception of a single score in a copyist’s hand (for the song "Dieses ist ein rechter Morgen," op. 11, no. 5), in Schnabel’s hand, and represent his compositional essays in a variety of genres, from solo song (voice and piano) to symphonic works. In addition, the collection contains holograph manuscript scores of each of Schnabel’s three symphonies.
The collection also includes an early published edition (Leipzig: Breitkopf und Härtel; undated) of Ludwig van Beethoven’s sonatas for solo piano, containing copious annotations in Schnabel’s hand, and on which he apparently based his renowned 1935 edition of these works. Over one hundred additional pages of notes relating to these works are also held in this collection.
Kevin LaVine, May 2006
The Artur Schnabel Collection is organized in two series:
Arranged alphabetically by title.
At end: 1902.
German lyrics.
Dated between “3.IX.1901” (end of movement II) and “5.VII.01” (end of movement I).
German lyrics.
Cover page also carries the title “Danse macabre,” as well as the inscription “Jugendschven. Jugendirreu.”
Dated “April 1949” at end.
German lyrics.
Dated “July 29, 1950” (end of movement II) and “August 9, 1950” (end of movement III).
Accompanying note dates this work to 1899.
Cover page carries the indication “Ein Clavierstück in es-moll,” and as an epigraph, a five-line verse of Dehmel.
German lyrics.
Dated “18. August 1902” at end.
Version in E major.
German lyrics.
Version in D major.
German lyrics.
Dated “16.IX.03” at end.
German lyrics.
Dated between “2.Sept.1936” and “17.VIII.1937.”
Also known as “Piece in Seven Movements,” according to accompanying note.
Dated “6.X.1906” (end of movement I), “14.September 1906” (end of movement II) and “22.IX.1906” (end of movement III).
Indicated on cover page: “Printed by Verlag Dreililien Berlin.”
German lyrics.
Dated “24/XII.1901” at end.
German lyrics.
Dated “25.August 1922” at end.
Dated “26.VII 1930” (end of movement II) and “14 Nov. 1930” (end of movement III).
Cover page indicates that “Partitur und Stimmen” are included, although no parts are present.
Dated “July 27. 1940” (end of movement I), “August 3, 1940” (end of movement II), “August 15. 1940” (end of movement III) and “Bear Lake, Colorado, August 27, 1940” (end of movement IV).
German lyrics.
Dated between “17.VI.35” (beginning of movement I) and “18 September 1935” (end of movement IV).
Dated “29 Mai 1931” at end.
Dated “2.IX.1939” (at end of movement I) and “25.IX.1939 New-York” (at end of movement II).
The two pages between numbered pages 1 and 2 have been fastened with adhesive.
Dated “October 19, 1939” (at end of movement III) and “November 24, 1939” (at end of movement IV).
Cover page of included folder reads “1st Symphony / 1st manuscript / Full Score manuscript.”
Dated “22.VII.1942” at end.
Original blue cardboard folder in which the score was held (“First Symphony. / (before orchestration))” is held in Box 4, Folder 2.
Two original folders in which the holograph full score (labeled “First Symphony. / (before orchestration),” Box 4, Folder 1: blue cardboard folder) and the holograph short score (Box 2, Folder 3: thick paper folder) of this work were held.
Dated “April 5th 1943” at end.
Dated “August 17. 1943, Gascon” at end.
Includes one sheet of manuscript paper at end, blank except for the page number indication “6” at top right corner of page.
Dated “Gascon Ranch / August 31. 1942” at end.
Original large envelope in which the score was held (“Independent Music Publishers / New York City”) is included.
Dated “Los Gatos, June 25th 1949 / [Los Gatos] Sept. 11, 1949” at end.
Dated “Los Gatos / July 25th 1949” at end.
Sketches appear on verso of page 72.
Dated “Los Gatos, August 28th 1949” at end.
Dates: “2.Juli 1948, Sils Maria” (at beginning of score); “13.Juli 1948” (at end of movement I); “Sils Maria / 14.Juli 1948” (at beginning of movement II); “July 22 / Sils Maria” (at end of movement II); “July 23rd” (at beginning of movement III); “August 1st 1948, Sils Maria” (at end of movement III).
Sketches appear on unnumbered pages on the verso sides of pages 1 and 4 (movement II) and page 7 (movement III).
German lyrics.
Dated “1/VII.1901” at end.
Includes a paste-over of the last system on the second page.
Dated “Charlottenburg 16.I.21” at end.
German lyrics.
Dated “1899” at end.
German lyrics.
Dated “11.X.1901” at end.
German lyrics.
Unbound printed edition containing extensive performance indications regarding technique (i.e. fingerings, metronome markings) and expression, as well as additional manuscript and text indication in margins throughout, in Schnabel’s hand; in pencil, blue pencil and red ink. Evidently used by Schnabel in the preparation of his edition of Beethoven’s solo piano sonatas.
Contains the following works: Sonata no. 13, op. 27, no. 1 [plate no. A.A.99.] (numbered pages 1-14); Sonata no. 14, op. 27, no. 2 [plate no. A.A.100.] (numbered pages 15-26; one measure of holograph manuscript attached to page 19); Sonata no. 15, op. 28 [plate no. A.A.101.] (numbered pages 27-44); Sonata no. 17, op. 31, no. 2 [plate no. A.A.103.] (numbered pages 69-88); Sonata no. 18, op. 31, no. 3 [plate no. A.A.104.] (numbered pages 89-108); Sonata no. 19, op. 49, no. 1 [plate no. A.A.105.] (numbered pages 109-116); Sonata no. 20, op. 49, no. 2 [plate no. A.A.106.] (numbered pages 117-124).
104 pages of performance notes in Schnabel’s hand, in pencil and red ink; all are written on sheets of manuscript paper of various sizes, and contain text as well as musical examples.
Labeled “Beethoven Sonata / Edition / Manuscript.”