From the archive

Collection of letters

The collection comprises around 10,000 letters and various non-musical autographs. Highlights include the well-known letters of great composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Joseph Haydn.

The focus is undoubtedly on German-speaking countries and the Danube Monarchy from the late 18th century onwards. Most of the “great” composers and artists are represented, from A (like Abbado) to Z (like Zemlinsky), but there are also letters from Puccini, Rossini, Verdi …

The collection focuses particularly on Johannes Brahms’s correspondence. The letters addressed to him were part of his estate, which was bequeathed to the Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde. The collection of Brahms´s letters has been significantly enriched by further donations and acquisitions. Another extensive collection is the correspondence of the piano manufacturer Ludwig Bösendorfer (1835-1919). The letters preserved from his estate show an excellent network; all pianists of note, including Franz Liszt, Eugen d’Albert, and Alfred Grünfeld, are represented. The more recent holdings include almost 1,000 letters from Gottfried von Einem.

Of course, not only great artists are represented. Correspondence from music researchers, opera managers, concert agents, publishers, and others is also included.

Not all documents of our collection are letters rich in content. There are also postcards, telegrams, sometimes personal documents, contracts, and receipts. Sometimes the texts provide information about composition processes, there are letters of endorsement, letters of application, works offered for performance, letters from scholars. Some texts give a very personal insight into the private lives of great artists. For example, Johann Strauss (son) invites the piano manufacturer Ludwig Bösendorfer to a “Gulyás” before playing a game of tarot. In a postcard, Ernst Krenek writes about a delicious roast pork he ate in Vienna and complains that he cannot find anything like it in the USA. Arnold Schönberg states in contract negotiations that he doesn’t want to work too much but still wants to earn a lot …