Schoenberg to Busoni

Source Reading in Music History Oliver Strunk (ed. copy right 1978):

Morgan Robert (Revised edition) (1998) Volume 7 The twentieth Century

Leo Treitler (General ed.) W. W. Norton & Company: New York.

Arnold Schoenberg: Two Letters to Ferruccio Busoni

p.16 -17
.....I particularly agree with your thesis that all notation is transcription. I argued similarly some years ago when Mahler was publicly attacked for changing Beethoven's orchestration. But again: whether one improves upon Beethoven's undoubtedly old-fashioned treatment of instruments and orchestration on account of undoubtedly superior newer instrumental techniques, or whether one improves upon my piano style with older techniques or, at any rate, techniques whose greater appropriateness has today not yet been established, there is no doubt at all that these are two different matters.

.....
Do you really set such infinite store by perfection? Do you really consider it attainable? DO you really think that works of art are, or should be, perfect?

I do not think so. I find even God's works of art, those of nature, highly imperfect.
.....
And if
Notation = Transcription = Imperfection
Then also
Transcription = Notation = Imperfection
For if a = b and b = c then also
a = c
Why then replace on imperfection with another?
Why eliminate that which perhaps contributes to the appeal of a work and substitute something added by a foreign hand?

Can't help smiling when reading this.

Schoenberg no doubt is one of the most influential composer/educator in the 20th century music history. From the resource of people's talk about his theory classes, it sounds most interesting and attractive to me. He's writing in music theory together with Hindemith's contributes greatly to my understanding of music theory. A majority of my concept of theory and harmony are absorbed from theirs. It is not hard to understood why Schoenberg decided to break down the tonal system if one follows his philosophy, in fact, it might be the only logical path f him who carries such grand Vienna school of music traditions.

Hence he broke away from the tonality. The answer given from a composer from German Austria tradition. Nonetheless, around the same time, there are other answers be presented by different composers. How lucky can one be to stand at this point of time and see all these different break through from the masters?