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Eric Sams
The Making of an Essay
Letters on Schumann to and from Alan Walker
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22.
May
9, 1971
My
dear Eric,
Schumann's Songs
I
have read your essay with pleasure and profit. Thank you for
producing such an erudite piece of work. It will make a splendid
contribution to the Symposium and I look forward to seeing it in
print. I have already been in touch with the publishers and I have
asked them to pay you for 12,000 words. You'll get a cheque for
three-quarters of the resulting fee (54 guineas) within the next few
days. The balance will be forwarded on publication. (Your essay
actually runs to about 15,000 words, as opposed to the 8,000
originally commissioned. The decision to pay you for only 12,000
words, in case you're interested, stems partly from-the fact that
Barrie & Jenkins will balk at the prospect of printing, an extra
7,000 words in a book that is already much longer than at first
envisaged, and I can now tell them we've compromised on the excess;
and it stems partly from the hope that between us we may indeed cut
the essay down by two or three thousand words, in. which case you
will have been paid for what is actually printed. I do hope you think
that this arrangement is fair.)
May I now make one or two editorial suggestions? They are not
mandatory. If you feel you can't comply, then I shall expect you
to tell me. My points are based simply on a desire to publish the
finest possible essay on Schumann's songs, an objective we both
share.
1.
All the music examples should be complete as regards dynamics,
phrase-marks, tempo indications, even pedal-marks. Where the example
does not start at the beginning, show the prevailing tempo
indication.
2.
pp. 1-3; Would you consider the possibility of boiling down
this introduction to about 300 words? In the light of the essay as a
whole, the first three pages (first paragraph excluded) spend a long
time 'warming the bed'.
3.
p. 4 '...despite the injury to his right hand, he remained a
pianist of virtuoso status.' Clearly, this statement cannot be
strictly true. Can we reformulate? Schumann himself wrote in
1839: 'An evil fate has deprived me of the full use of my right hand,
so that I am not able to play my compositions as I feel them. The
trouble with my hand is that certain fingers have become so
weak....that I can hardly use them.' (letter to Simonin de Sire).
If I don't raise this contradiction, our reviewers will! Perhaps all
we need say is, that Schumann retained a virtuoso's understanding of
the instrument.
4.
p.10 & p. 18 I should like to see two or three extra music
examples here to illustrate this densely packed text.
5.
p.20 Footnote 3; more information, please.
6.
p.21 I'm bothered by the way you quote a detailed
key-structure, here and elsewhere, and describe it as 'strongly
unified', and even helping 'to create the impression of a world of
nature...moving from winter into spring', when there seems to be
nothing particularly special about such a key-sequence. Would any
piece which moved through a similar sequence of keys sound as if it
was progressing from winter into spring? Obviously not. If that
feeling is aroused on this occasion, may it not be caused by other
factors?
7.
pp.22-23 The key-structure (which you describe as 'expressive'
without saying why) is not, as you say, based strictly on the 'cycle
of fifths'.
8.
p. 23. 'E flat minor, always a deadly key to Schumann'. Can
you substantiate this with one or: two footnote examples, and maybe a
reference to p.43 where you touch on the topic again? Also, would
'deathly' be better than 'deadly', a word which carries a critical
connotation? (e.g. Alan Walker is a deadly editor).
9.
pp.44ff
A topic we've discussed once or twice: namely, Schumann's 'creative
decline'. It's no part of my role as editor, even as s deathly
editor, to persuade you to modify a position you've arrived at after
many years, thought. But I'd like to suggest that whatever evidence
of mental disturbance the late songs present, is outweighed by such
works as the Manfred Overture (1848), the Introduction and
Allegro Appassionato (1849) and the Cello Concerto (1850), which show
that Schumann was still capable of reaching masterly heights, and
that the late 'degenerate' songs do not permit you to draw a general
conclusion about a 'falling off' in quality.
Finally, two general points. Would you consider breaking up the essay
wit sub-headings? We followed this practice in the Liszt Symposium.
It gives one an 'easy read'. All we require is something like:
Antecedents, Words and Music, Piano and Voice,
Liederkreis, Dichterliebe etc. ending with Schumann's
Influence – anything, in fact, which pinpoints the contents of
the subsequent paragraphs.
The other point is simply to give the text a going-over with an eye
to weeding out those clichés which creep in to the liveliest styles
('it is hardly possible to exaggerate the impact...', 'Critics have
said that..'). Actually, I find the writing excellent, and if we can
pare down the essay to an irreducible 12,000 words I shall be
completely satisfied.
How nice to be able to hand the whole thing back you. A pleasant
change from some of my other contributors!
In a week or two, my head will be on the chopping-block, and
you will be holding the axe. I'd like you to glance at my
essay and preserve me from the consequences of my worst excesses.
All good wishes, Sincerely,
Alan
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