Woodrow Wilson

born Staunton, VA, Dec 28, 1856; died Washington, DC, Feb 3, 1924

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Idealist President of the United States 1913-21, who brought America into the war against the Central Powers in 1917, issuing his "Fourteen Points" on January 8, 1918 to give assurances to the world regarding the aims of the war, and which formed the basis of the German surrender. Wilson played a major role in the Versailles Treaty as a member of the "Council of Four" (with George Clémenceau, David Lloyd George, and Emanuele Orlando), and was the primary instigator in 1919 of the League of Nations.

Schenker's Attitude toward Wilson

Schenker, in his lead article to Der Tonwille, Heft 1, "Von der Sendung des deutschen Genies" (The Mission of German Genius), spoke of "that living incarnation of mendacity Woodrow Wilson," declaring "he must surely be named for all time as third alongside Ephialtes and Judas" (p. 6; Eng. trans., vol. I, p. 7), and characterizing the Versailles and St. Germain Treaties as "synonymous with ultimate moral depravity, filthy mendaciousness, unparalleled incompetence, crassest ignorance, betrayal of human rights, trickery by blackmail, and theft of private property, not to mention loutish personal behavior" (pp. 6-7/7). He asked rhetorically: "Is a manicured Wilson any bit worthier that an unmanicured German man of honor?" (p. 11/11). The "Fourteen Points," he said, are "designed solely to sway opinion in the army and in the Russian and German hinterland, and in no sense for the greater good of man kind" (p.15/15), denouncing them as " full of imperialist ideas in the guise of democracy-speak" (OJ 2/10, p. 827, January 10, 1918).

Contributor:

  • Marko Deisinger

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Correspondence

  • OJ 8/3, [58] Handwritten postcard from Schenker to Moriz Violin, dated April 13, 1918

    Schenker reports on Kufferath's article in the Gazette de Lausanne discussing the polemical materials in Die letzten fünf Sonaten ... op. 111, and on the treasonous stance of the Arbeiterzeitung.

  • OC 1 B/35-40 Handwritten draft letter, in Jeanette Kornfeld/Schenker's hand, from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), undated [June 10, 1919]

    Schenker promises to send Hans Weisse to see Hertzka. In reacting unfavorably to Hertzka's suggestions that the Foreword to Die letzten fünf Sonaten von Beethoven ... op. 111 be discarded for its second edition, Schenker puts up a stout defense of his use of polemic in his writings, contending that art and all manifestations of human life are inextricably interconnected. He claims that his pronouncements on politics now will prove correct in the long run. His sole concern is with the truth; he is not interested in pandering to his readers.

  • WSLB 303 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Hertzka (UE), dated June 12, 1919

    Schenker promises to send Hans Weisse to see Hertzka. In reacting unfavorably to Hertzka's suggestions that the Foreword to Die letzten fünf Sonaten von Beethoven, Op. 111 be discarded for its second edition, Schenker puts up a stout defense of his use of polemic in his writings, contending that art, life, and politics are inextricably interconnected. He claims that his pronouncements on politics now will prove correct in the long run. His sole concern is with the truth; he is not interested in pandering to his readers.

  • OJ 6/6, [9] Handwritten triple-letter from Jeanette Kornfeld and Heinrich Schenker to Valerie and Moriz Violin, dated July 15, 1919

    (1) Jeanette to Valerie: offers sympathy and reassurance about her illness; describes the Tantalier Castle and its romantic associations; (2) Heinrich to Valerie: recommends eating large quantities; (3) Heinrich to Moriz: supports food theory by reference to his own proneness to nervous depression; suggests that Valerie recuperate in Zell am See.

  • DLA 69.930/10 Handwritten letter from Schenker to Halm, dated September 25, 1922

    Acknowledges OJ 11/35, 20 and composition; expects to be able to comment on Halm's Klavierübung in Tonwille 4; reports Leipzig University's decision not to appoint him; speculates on the impact of Kontrapunkt 2 and Der freie Satz; public difficulty in accepting Urgesetze. — Aristide Briand: The importance of being well-read on a topic before commenting in public: Schoenberg and Reger; newspapers. — Maximilian Harden: although faithful to Schenker, Harden had not mastered the topics on which he wrote. — National Govenment: Schenker's publishing plans, including "The Future of Humanity": man's anthropomorphic thinking is a delusion, he needs to adapt to nature, to return to a primitive state, to abandon "development" and "progress" and return to primordial laws; inferior man wants to "govern" (bowel wants to become brain); Schenker deplores "artifice" (French) as against nature (German). — Things French: praises German superiority over French in its joy of work. — Higher Plane: the German should not abase himself before the Frenchman.

Diaries