A Dictionary of Music and Musicians/Schlesinger

by George Grove

SCHLESINGER. A well-known musical-publishing house in Berlin. It was founded in 1795 by Martin Adolph Schlesinger, a man of very original character and great ability. Among the principal works issued by him is his edition of the Great Passion music (Matthew) of J. S. Bach, one of the fruits of Mendelssohn's revival^[1] of it, and an astonishingly bold undertaking for those days—which Schlesinger brought out, according to his favourite expression, 'for the honour of the house.' It was announced in Sept. 1829, and published soon afterwards both in Full and PF. score. He also founded the Berliner Allg. mus. Zeitung, which under the editorship of A. B. Marx had for 7 years (1824–30) much influence for good in Germany. [See vol. ii. 430.] He died in 1839.

His second son, Heinrich (born 1807), carried on the business till his death in 1879 [App. p.785 "Dec. 14."]. He founded the 'Echo' in 1851, a periodical which remained in his hands till 1865.

The eldest son, Moritz Adolph, left Berlin, and in 1819 entered the bookselling house of Bossange père at Paris. In 1823 he endeavoured to found a similar business for himself. Police difficulties prevented him from carrying out his intention, and he founded a music business instead, which for many years has had the lead among French publishers, and is now nearly as famous as Paris itself. He brought his German tastes with him, and an unusual degree of enterprise. His first serious effort was an edition of Mozart's operas in PF. score, for which Horace Vernet designed the titlepage. This was followed by editions of the complete works of Beethoven, Weber, Hummel, etc., and a 'Collection de chefs d'œuvre' in 24 vols. He published also the full scores of Meyerbeer's 'Robert,' and 'Les Huguenots'; Halévy's 'L'Eclair,' 'La Juive,' 'Les Mousquetaires,' 'La Reine de Chypre,' 'Guido et Ginevra,' 'Charles VI'; Donizetti's 'La Favorite'; Berlioz's 'Symphonie fantastique,' and overture to the 'Carnaval Romain'; the arrangements of Wagner; the chamber-music of Onslow, Reissiger, and a host of other pieces of all descriptions, for which the reader must be referred to the catalogue of the firm. Amongst the educational works the 'Méthode des Méthodes' is conspicuous. On Jan. 5, 1843, he issued the first number of the 'Gazette Musicale,' which in a few months was united to the 'Revue Musicale,' and ran a useful and successful course till its expiry in 1881. [See vol. iii. 121b.] In 1846 M. Schlesinger sold the business to MM. Brandus and Dufour, and retired to Baden Baden, where he died in Feb. 1871.

[ G. ]

1. March 11, 1829. See Marx's 'Erinnerungen.' ii. pp. 50, 87.