Letters Details
| Date from letter: | 1950.07.12 Filing Element: 1950.07.12 ID: 5491 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| URN: | https://repo.schoenberg.at/urn:nbn:at:at-asc-B054910 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| First Line: | I affirm receipt of your check of $200. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language: | E, English | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Transcribed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Version: | Final version | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Text: | 49 July 12, 1950 Mr. Walter Hinrichsen, President C.F. Peters Corporation 1209 Carnegie Hall 881 Seventh Ave. New York 19, N.Y. Dear Mr. Hinrichsen: I affirm receipt of your check of $200. As much as I remember, I had not yet to expect this advance, and I appreciate it very much that you do this voluntarily, before [ilg.]. Thank you. I am glad I hear that you are back in New York, because, for quite a time, I wanted to suggest to you the following matter. Universal-Edition is not in the position to deliver scores and parts of all the music of mine they have published in about 30 years. It seems, that all had been destroyed during the Hitler time, and only one copy of every work has been preserved. On account of this, I lose very many performances and sales of my works. I am extremely much damaged by this. Besides, I can also not receive the little money which they could pay me. For this reason I have sent them a letter of cancelation of my contract, which, as I expected, they refused to recognize as legal. I knew beforehand, that even if I would have been free, it would not have been of any advantage to me, because I had to find somebody who takes over republication of all the works--about thirty, among them many which were very successful. My plan was to suggest to you, whether you could not acquire the contracts between U-E and myself, and republish all these works within a certain time. I believe that the demands of U-E will be rather modest. If not in the beginning so later, because they will never again have the money to rebuild their business. I also do not know, whether you want to spend all this money on me, though I think it would be again a good investment, as it was before the war. It seems that the demands for my music have increased enormously after this war, not only in Germany, but also in all the other countries. All my works have always been remunerative, with only a few exceptions. From all of them, I received royalties, during all these years, royalties from what they earned for the publisher. As much as I remember, very vaguely, I had about 15 years ago asked on behalf of a publisher, for which sum they would sell my copyrights. I think they asked $50,000, which seemed reasonable to me after Hertzka's death, and the catastrophal[!] situation of U-E at this time. Nevertheless it seemed too much to the publisher in question. I am sure U-E will be more modest this time and will be satisfied with half of it, because they again need it. But, in case you would not consider a deal on this basis perhaps a new idea which I have might offer a solution. You pay them a modest cash price as an advance on future earnings, of which they will receive a percentage. To work out the details is not possible for me. But I think a good lawyer could do it. My third suggestion is: could you not apply the procedure of U-E when they took over works of other publishers in their catalogue, under the title "In die U-E augenommen[!]". Mr. Hertzka once explained me this procedure as that he had obtained from such firms a "Plattenbenützungsrecht", which probably also included distribution and production of parts. I am anxious to hear your opinion about this subject and shall I say that I would be very pleased to have you as publisher of at leats[!] most of my works and perhaps sometimes[!] later, all of them. Looking forward to your letter, I greet you most cordially. Yours, P.S. I forgot to mention. Would you be interested to publish my Fantasy for Violin (written in 1949) and pay me an advance on it? The piece has been played in America and Europe with great success and is much in demand. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||