Ernst von Dohnányi: A Song of Life

Three: 1905-1919

Dohnányi started his work at the Königliche Preussische Hochschule für Musik in Berlin in October 1905. Although he was the youngest teacher, he was paid the highest salary at the Hochschule. After just three years, he would receive the prestigious title “Professor.” Upon swearing an oath as a State employee, Dohnányi was told that he had also automatically become a Prussian citizen. This came as a surprise to Dohnányi; in Hungary one could be employed by the State without being a citizen. His teacher Koessler, for example, had remained a German citizen. Nevertheless , Dohnányi refused to give up his own nationality and maintained his citizenship in Hungary as well. Dohnányi was very happy in Berlin because he was able to find everything he wanted: comfort, art, culture, and civilization. He could also find privacy whenever he wanted to be alone. The Dohnányis rented an apartment , for which they paid 5,000 marks a year. It was a spacious house in the fashionable suburb of Grunewald. When their furniture arrived from Vienna, they decorated their comfortable new home together. Although the music life at the Hochschule was rather conservative, the opera featured a repertoire influenced by the newer style of Richard Strauss, who had become its conductor in 1898. Dohnányi’s workload was relatively small. In addition to receiving an annual vacation of three months, he taught just six students, dedicating one hour a week to each. He refused to teach more pupils, so that he could dedicate himself to composing and performing, as well as teaching, without neglecting any of his endeavors. Of the three, teaching interested him least, but he did enjoy several distinguished pupils, including Mischa Levitzki, Max Trapp, Astrid Berwald, Imre Stefaniai, and Erwin Nyiregyházi. Once, when Dohnányi was asked how he defined “teaching music,” he shook his head and replied, This term generally does not cover its real meaning, because the teacher who only “teaches” music does not fulfill his calling. Teaching signifies much more; it means THREE 1905–1919  the exploitation of the possibilities that are lurking within a pupil, with the object of eventually allowing him to stand on his own two feet. Of course, there are various means and methods of teaching, but the aim is the same. A teacher is surely to be condemned who requires a talented pupil to imitate exactly what he is telling or demonstrating. Such a method is acceptable only for pupils who have no individuality at all and should therefore not even be in the music profession. To the question of how much a student can gain from his teacher, Dohnányi said, “This varies with the individual. Sometimes he gains even more than he is given. After all, Liszt, Mozart, Haydn, and the other greats were also once pupils.” As for how long a pupil should study, Dohnányi believed that “There comes a time when a gifted pupil has to be dismissed. If the pedagogue does not honor this moment and instead continues to pester his student, he might hinder his artistic development. On the other hand, it would be wrong to send the student away too early, for then he would be helpless and uncertain, and would lack the foundation upon which to build.” When asked how one can recognize when the appropriate time has come, Dohnányi responded, “One must have the right senses to feel it. It is like painting a portrait, when an artist has to know when to stop. Often one extra stroke of the brush can spoil the picture.” Once he was asked how his pupils, who were surely under the influence of his great art and personality, were able to free themselves afterwards from this influence and become individuals. “In the beginning, every pupil tries to imitate his teacher, and is under his influence,” Dohnányi would answer. “But I do my best to develop their personality and make them stand on their own feet as quickly as possible.” In October, Dohnányi’s work at the Hochschule was interrupted by a trip to Denmark, where he performed in sonata recitals with Lady Hallé in Copenhagen and other cities. Lady Hallé’s age did not hamper her art; she was in splendid form. During one visit to Copenhagen, Dohnányi stayed in the same hotel as Edvard Grieg and his wife, with whom he often dined. During one of these meetings Grieg recommended that Dohnányi hear...