Henry Schoenefeld

[Ken P]

I have been searching for more than three years for the Henry Schoenefeld (1857-1936) piano trio.  I know a great deal about the gentleman and his family, I know where he lived, where he taught and nearly all of the comings and goings of various relatives within his home.  Unfortunately, none of this information has helped me located his unpublished manuscripts (I believe this is the case with his piano trio).  If any good soul out there can aid me in this quest I would be very appreciative. 

[edurban]

I was also intrigued by Schoenefeld's works, in my case particularly the cello concerto, first performed by the Chicago Symphony under Frederick Stock (March 30, 1928) with a cadenza by Stock himself.  Alas, in the 80s I could find no clues, but then I was on the wrong coast to do much spadework in the LA area where Henry and his son George were active (George into the 40s)...Hope you have more success than I did!

David

[Ken P]

David,

Thank you for your kind, quick and encouraging reply.  Unfortunately....I too am on the "wrong" coast; the coast of Maine to be precise.  I have contacted UCLA...nothing.  I have gone the OAC route...nothing.  I then re-contacted UCLA for uncatalogued manuscripts/archives/papers etc....nothing.   I then redid everything thinking his son George W. would have inherited the estate...nothing.  Then I tried Elsa Breidt (I believe she was Henry's niece or possibly half sister-in-law via his wife Ida).  Elsa appears to have moved into Henry's household at some point.  George dies in 1961.  Ida is still a mystery.  It also appears (according to the census) that George was somehow disabled.  Whether this means he wore glasses or confined to a wheelchair I couldn't say.  He was obviously healthy enough to get to and from Europe several times.  I know George taught from a studio but I have no idea if he was affiliated with a college/university/school.

I can't even discover where Henry, Ida, George and Elsa are buried.  They seem to have been an unusually close-knit (dare I say eccentric if not a bit strange) family.  I also wonder if (and this is a very big IF) they might have been Jewish and left everything to some establishment of that persuasion.  Finally, did the piano trio even leave Milwaukee (he wrote it before leaving WI and going to Europe for studies).  Also, Frederick (his father) and/or his brother (Theodore) might enter the picture.

The reason I want this trio is I am the founder and pianist for the Brinkler Trio.  Also, I refuse to accept defeat.  I even took several PhD level classes on Library research technique while in college.

The other possibility that it (the trio) is lost along with his other manuscripts does exist.

Now, the cello concerto.  If the Chicago Symphony is anything close to the Bangor, ME symphony (I live in the southern tip of Maine but have dealt with Bangor Symphony on several occasions) they may have kept a copy of the conductor's score for their archives.  Also, I believe Mr. Stock's papers to be housed in Newberry Library...at least that is where his piano trio is.  The piano trio is only a set of fragments.  This is unfortunate since he had several interesting musical ideas churning about on paper.  The cadenza you speak of might also be housed there (if that is where his papers are stored). 

In any event, thank you once again for your time and consideration.

Ken

[Mark Thomas]

A few years ago I visited the archives of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The archivist there at the time (I know that she no longer works for them) couldn't have been more helpful by email before my visit, and was extremely helpful and hospitable for the whole day I was there. They have a very large collection, and I'd have thought that the chances were good that they have retained at least something. I'm sure that they'll be very happy to help if they can.

[eschiss1]

I see the Free Library of Philadelphia has rental materials for one published work of his, his suite for strings (and percussion)... (all I think I've seen - if that - is the violin/piano reduction of his violin concerto, over @ IMSLP.)

[kschoenefeld]

I am a relative of Henry Schoenefeld. I knew George Schoenefeld and Elsa Breidt when I was a child. I last saw George in 1958 when we met in Yosemite National Park. I last saw Elsa in the mid- to late-70's at her dwelling in Santa Monica. I am not a musician, so I did not appreciate their accomplishments at the time.

My parents are deceased, but verbal family history indicated that George Schoenefeld played in one of the large movie studio orchestras, and that one of his harpsichords ended up in the Liberace collection/museum. Elsa was a delight when I visited her. I do not recall if there was a piano in her home. Shame on me. I was about 25 at the time. I do not know if she had a music collection or what might have been its disposition upon her death. If I had known then what I do now, I would have requested all such historical data. Perhaps she left it (if it existed) to a local library or museum or university in Santa Monica. I believe she passed about 1980.

I believe that Henry Schoenefeld was my great-grandfather if he lived in Saint Louis around the end of the 19th century. We had a sterling silver laurel wreath presented to Henry Schoenefeld by his (German) choral group in Saint Louis. Each leaf on the wreath was engraved with the name of a choral member, and included some historical names from Saint Louis. My parents donated the wreath to the Missouri Historical Society around 1970 to 1990.

Karl Schoenefeld III

[semloh]

Karl,
A sincere welcome to Unsung Composers, and thank you for responding to this thread, with its very personal connection. I hope more will come to light as this thread proceeds.

[kolaboy]

According to Bomberger's MacDowell biography Dvorak was impressed with Schoenefeld's "Rural Symphony". It seems to have been one of several pieces singled out in a nationwide "composition competition" (1892/93).

[semloh]

Your post has highlighted the fact that the thread didn't proceed as I had hoped. Unfortunately, it seems that Henry Schoenefeld is truly unsung.