ABSTRACT
On 9 May 1932 Emil Hertzka, Vice-President and Managing Director of Universal Edition, died in Vienna of a heart attack. Between the performance of the quintet and the songs, Alban Berg delivered a brief address in Hertzka's memory. Berg's omission in the Gedenkrede, however, complements developments in his late music. In the Gedenkrede Berg tells us that the Idea can thrive even as one comes quietly to terms with material demands. After his opera's publication, Berg became a good soldier in its promotion. In 1911 Berg prepared the bulk of the piano reduction of Franz Schreker's opera Der feme Klang, a huge success upon its premiere the following year. When he wrote the Gedenkrede, then, Berg knew as well as anyone that economic realities could hinder Hertzka's spreading of the true faith; as the letter to Adorno shows, he had known so for a long time.
