Arnold Schönberg and summer retreat antisemitism in the Salzkammergut
Online memorial exhibition
Shaken awake
Object #49
Shaken awake
Arnold Schönberg to Stephen S. Wise
12 May 1934
The Library of Congress, Washington, DC
“In 1916, after enlisting in the army as an enthusiastic soldier, I suddenly became aware that the war was being fought not only against outside enemies, but at least as fiercely against internal ones.
And apart from all those who appeared interested in liberalism and socialism, the internal ones included the Jews. Some years later, I had a nice adventure in the Salzkammergut, near Salzburg; I was perhaps one of the first Jews in Europe who was obliged to experience an expulsion.
“Those two experiences shook me awake and made me recognize the madness of internationalism (which, however, had always been alien to me), like the impossibility of all theories proceeding from liberalism: pacifism, democracy (against which I had turned long ago) and particularly the untenability of attempts at assimilation. From there, it was easy for me to define assimilation as undesirable and to press forward to healthy – and severe - Jewish nationalism based on our national and religious belief in our chosenness. I made the decision at that time to devote myself to Jewish propaganda.”
Cf. Therese Muxeneder: Arnold Schönbergs Konfrontationen mit Antisemitismus (III), in: Journal of the Arnold Schönberg Center 16/2019. Edited by Eike Feß and Therese Muxeneder. Wien 2019, p. 165–254
Introduction
This year’s tourist season in Mattsee
Object #1
Heinrich Schönberg with his wife Berta and his daughter Margit
Object #2
Come visit me
Object #3
Villa Nora
Object #4
It’s lovely here
Object #5
Harmonielehre
Object #6
A popular vacation destination
Object #7
Arrogance and Oriental Allures
Object #8
Row-boating
Object #9
Summer retreat free of Jews
Object #10
He is in good humor
Object #11
Heil Salzburg! Salzburg wants the Anschluss!
Object #12
How are you and yours in Mattsee?
Object #13
You will be pleased with me
Object #14
Kaiser-Elisabeth-Bahn
Object #15
Convivial gatherings
Object #16
Antisemitic scandals
Object #17
For rent to Aryans
Object #18
Disharmony
Object #19
Away with the Jews!
Object #20
They are doing well there
Object #21
Arnold Schönberg: Felix Greissle
Object #22
Arnold Schönberg: Harmonielehre
Object #23
Arnold Schönberg: the theory of coherence
Object #24
It must be splendid there
Object #25
I am not staying a day longer
Object #26
Threat in his own house
Object #27
Anti-Jewish proclamations
Object #28
The composer’s baptismal certificate
Object #29
Arnold Schönberg: on Zemlinsky
Object #30
The Jewish colony in Mattsee
Object #31
That outrageous, incredible thing
Object #32
The community physician
Object #33
An Aryan summer vacationer
Object #34
A summer retreat free of Jews
Object #35
Einstein’s propaganda speech
Object #36
The revolting press notice
Object #37
Sedition
Object #38
Antisemitic racial attitude
Object #39
All is calm within me
Object #40
Imaginary and material damage
Object #41
Guests of Max Ott
Object #42a
Guests of Max Ott
Object #42b
Arrival in Traunkirchen
Object #43
Departure
Object #44
Very ugly at the end
Object #45
Domestic and foreign newspapers
Object #46
Villa Josef
Object #47
Arnold and Mathilde Schönberg
Object #48
Shaken awake
Object #49
Such circumstances
Object #50
Arnold Schönberg: Baroness Löwenthal
Object #51
Traunkirchen
Object #52
Arnold Schönberg: Prelude
Object #53
A ridiculous matter
Object #54
Hegemony in the sphere of music
Object #55