Explore physical and online archives housing the legacy of the Schnabel Family
The Archives of the Akademie der Künste have established separate comprehensive collections for each of the Schnabel family musicians: Artur Schnabel, Therese Behr Schnabel, Helen Schnabel, and Karl Ulrich Schnabel.
The Artur Schnabel Archive houses nearly the entire estate of the renowned pianist, composer, editor, and teacher Artur Schnabel (1882–1951). He moved from Vienna to Berlin in 1900 and lived there until the rise of the Nazis in 1933, was instrumental in making Berlin a major musical hub during the early 20th century. His recordings, editions, and generations of students have ensured that the Schnabel tradition remains alive across the globe.
In 2001, on the fiftieth anniversary of Artur Schnabel’s death, a significant selection of his archival material was made available to the public in an exhibition held in Berlin from September to mid-October.
As part of the Berlin Festival 2001, a series of fifteen concerts featuring Schnabel’s compositions was also scheduled.
In addition, the Archiv der Akademie der Künste, in collaboration with the State Institute for Music Research, Preussischer Kulturbesitz, organized an International Schnabel Symposium at the Museum of Musical Instruments from September 7 to 9. Scholars, former students of Schnabel, and members of the Schnabel family presented papers on his contributions as an interpreter, composer, editor, and teacher, as well as the work of other artists in the Schnabel family.
A key focus of the symposium was also the piano teaching of Karl Ulrich Schnabel, the son of Artur Schnabel. The event concluded with the world premiere of the documentary film Con Brio – KARL ULRICH SCHNABEL – Master Teacher of Piano.
The Library of Congress holds a substantial collection of Artur Schnabel’s documents and recordings in its Music Division in Washington, D.C.
Artur Schnabel moved to the United States in 1939, where he became a naturalized citizen in 1944.
The collection chiefly consists of music manuscript scores of Schnabel’s compositions. These manuscripts, all in Schnabel’s own handwriting—except for one copyist’s score—showcase his work across a variety of genres, ranging from solo songs (voice and piano) to symphonic pieces. The collection also includes an early published edition of Ludwig van Beethoven’s sonatas for solo piano, heavily annotated by Schnabel. These annotations likely formed the basis for his edition of the Beethoven sonatas in the 1920’s.
The Library of Congress also houses the Mary Virginia Foreman Le Garrec Collection on Artur Schnabel (1893-1996). Mary Virginia Foreman Le Garrec was a student and confidante of Schnabel. This collection includes holograph manuscripts and published music scores by Schnabel, as well as scores by other composers, some of which are annotated by Schnabel, Le Garrec, and others. The collection also features correspondence, writings by both Schnabel and Le Garrec, concert programs featuring Schnabel as pianist and composer, biographical material, press clippings, published articles, and monographs related to Schnabel and his circle, along with books, photographs, and other iconography.
Additionally, the Library of Congress has included the Schnabel Music Foundation’s website in its Web Archiving program. This initiative manages, preserves, and provides access to archived web content selected by subject experts across the Library, ensuring that it remains available to researchers now and in the future. As websites are ephemeral and often considered at-risk born-digital content, this inclusion guarantees the long-term preservation of important digital resources related to Artur Schnabel and his legacy.
