Schenker at the Piano

Drawing on letters, diaries, lesson-books and contemporary accounts, this article highlights the importance of piano playing in Schenker's daily life. He was active as a pianist on the concert stage early in his career (in 1899 he toured with the baritone Johannes Messchaert), but after the first decade of the twentieth century he played mainly alone or in the company of his family, friends and pupils. At social gatherings in Vienna and during summer vacations he quite frequently performed for and with his friends. He made music with members of his family, playing duets with his wife, Jeanette, and accompanying his nephew Georg, a cellist. When teaching, he gave demonstrations at the piano for his pupils and also often played duets with them. His pianism gave rise to the valuable sections on performance in his analytic essays and influenced his choice of examples for Free Composition.