2002 Articles

The Role of Adele T. Katz in the Early Expansion of the New York "Schenker School"

Berry, David Carson

In 1927, Heinrich Schenker named New York as the first North American city in which his ideas were spreading, though he was not specific as to the means of transmission. Four years later, however, the chief point of contact would be clear, as Schenkerism found an institutional home at the David Mannes Music School (now Mannes College of Music) . However, the precise role of one important participant in the emergence and development of New York's "Schenker School" has remained largely unknown, and without an understanding of her diverse activities, one has an incomplete picture of the true nature and extent of that School. This person is Adele T. Katz. Although there is no Katz estate-whatever personal materials remained upon her death were not preserved-through institutional archive research and consultations with those who knew or worked with her, I have documented her endeavors in an effort to rescue them from their present obscurity. Following a biographical overview, the largest component of this article will be devoted to Katz's teaching activities; a consideration of her publications will follow. In a brief conclusion I will then summarize the primary focus of her work as a Schenkerian, and address a more general topic that will have emerged through this narrative: the roles of women in the transmission of Schenker's ideas.