Artur Schnabel Book order

From 1935 until his death in 1951, Artur Schnabel wrote more than 400 letters to Mary Virginia Foreman. Like a diary, they chronicle Schnabel’s career after he had left Germany, the catastrophe of World War II and its bitter consequences, and his ideas about the arts, politics, and the academic research of his time. The issues seem astonishingly relevant to the present-day reader: the survival of the arts in an environment defined almost exclusively by economic considerations; the goals of education; how the individual can define his/her position in a globalized world; the relationship between the individual and the masses in a democratic society; how to stay unique and human in a world that favors predictable, streamlined characters. Artur Schnabel, born in Austria in 1882, was one of the leading pianists of his time, famous for his Beethoven, Schubert, and Mozart programs. He was recently rediscovered as an innovative composer of both chamber and symphonic music. The publication of his collected writings and letters show him as a profound thinker, remarkable political commentator, and severe critic of mass culture.

The twelve lectures held by Artur Schnabel at the University of Chicago in 1945 are generally thought of as his autobiography. This new edition of the book “My Life and Music” is a complete revision of the previously published text, with considerable additions to some sections. The text was revised using the lecture manuscripts stored in the music archives of the Akademie der Künste, Berlin. Schnabel’s “autobiography” can still be read today as a key work of 20th century music history. His dazzling intellect, profound humour and acute insights into music and musical life make his lectures as relevant today as they were at the time. Schnabel was an artist who reflected upon the value of music in modern society like no other practicing musician, and who foresaw developments decades ago that are only now becoming fully apparent. Artur Schnabel was born in 1882, grew up in Vienna, and studied with Theodor Leschetizky. From 1898 to 1933 he lived in Berlin where his international career as a pianist began. Schnabel’s residence from 1933 to 1938 was at Lake Como, Italy; he emigrated to the United States in 1939. Aside from his legendary recordings of Beethoven, Schubert, Mozart, and Brahms, Schnabel’s legacy comprises a number of remarkable compositions of his own.

We consider Schnabel’s thinking so current in its relevance that it is necessary for all his writings to be made accessible to the public. This book, with the programmatic title Music and the Line of Most Resistance, marks the first step. The title represents Schnabel’s conviction that the realization of truly great works demands that we not only overcome, but even actively seek out difficulties. To him, the highest form of music is even characterized by the fact that it can never be performed truly adequately, that every interpretation is merely the approximation of an unattainable ideal. This amounts to nothing less than an explanation of why generations of musicians keep interpreting the same pieces again and again: with the true masterpieces of music, this is a never-ending process. No one before Schnabel had formulated this so succinctly; in his lectures, he sometimes succeeded in condensing an entire philosophy of art into a single aphorism. This new publication of Schnabel’s writings now offers a younger generation an opportunity to engage in depth with an artist who reflected upon the value of music in modern society like no other practicing musician, and who foresaw clearly developments that are only now becoming fully apparent decades ago.