Letter to Karl Kraus

Arnold Schönberg Estate.

Arnold Schönberg repeatedly attended Karl Kraus’s public recitation.

This letter shows that Arnold Schönberg repeatedly attended Karl Kraus’s public recitations and was particularly impressed with his manner of presentation: “I have to say that I have never before heard such perfection in the realization of a text. I wish that I could one day have such a realization of my own work, one that satisfies all demands – no, one that first shows what demands should be set; or yet more: one that pushes aside all demands and gives fulfillment where no demand, even of a poet, could venture.”

The Arnold Schönberg Estate contains the records of Arnold Schönberg (1874-1951), a composer, painter, teacher, theoretician, and innovator who is ranked amongst the prominent artistic figures in the history of western culture. His writings, apart from his compositions, are valuable documents for the musical, intellectual, and cultural history of the first half of the 20th century, as well as for exile studies, and thus for contemporary history. They are evidence of the multifaceted interests of an eminent artistic personality, and also address questions of aesthetics, Jewish affairs, politics, and religion.