Director of the Neue Schule für Musik und Bühnenkunst, located at Vienna I, Hegelgasse 3. In the 1930s he himself lived at Vienna XVII/2, Eckpergasse 31. In Lehmann’s Vienna Street Directory for 1933 his profession is given as “managing director” (Geschäftsführer). In the School's prospectus, he is not listed as teaching subjects or courses. His wife, Marianne Munk-Weissberger was the administrator of the School, and taught piano.

Alfred Weissberger and Schenker

Weissberger first contacted Schenker by letter in late October 1932, and again in person the next day, asking Schenker to act as intermediary with Anthony van Hoboken to obtain large-scale financing (Schenker’s diary, October 29 and 30, 1932). Schenker declined. The Neue Schule approached Schenker on August 3, 1933 (OJ 13/2, [1]) with an invitation to teach a year-long course on Beethoven. Schenker declined, explaining that such a course was unviable in Vienna (diary, August 5, 8, and 20; OJ 13/2, [2]).

In September 1933, Moriz Violin asked Schenker to recommend him to the Neue Schule. Schenker did so, Violin was called for interview, and subsequently described what he encountered as “Weissberger fraud” (diary, September 25, 26, October 5 and 10, 1933).

Correspondence

Two letters from the School and Weissberger to Schenker, and one prospectus of the School, are preserved as OJ 13/2, [1], [2], and [3] respectively.

Contributor