From 1925 the “Hörstunden”: classical music for primary school children from the first year, explained and played live. From a trial at one school in Dornbach to some seventeen Viennese schools — unpaid, against the resistance of those who would have preferred folk music.
I must now go back to the year 1925 . Already several years earlier, the desire had awakened in me to do something useful for people — naturally through music — and the idea came to me: if we could educate children from their earliest years to know and live with good music, it must surely have a great and refining influence on their character. Chance — if one wishes to call it that — brought me into contact with the school inspector Steyskal , and I had the opportunity to explain my plan to him. He showed interest and thought it might well be feasible. The elementary schools seemed to me the right place for such an idea, beginning with the first grade, for children at that age are most impressionable, and their ears not yet spoiled by bad music — jazz and popular songs .
I took the trouble to draft the programs as I imagined them: at first only Haydn , Mozart , Schubert , and Beethoven , but each session devoted to only one composer. With these programs and a recommendation from Inspector Steyskal, I boldly made my way to the city school board. I was led into a room with a green table, and six or seven gentlemen received me very kindly. I explained my plan; they listened attentively and asked questions. Finally one of the gentlemen asked: “And what do you gain from this?” To which I replied: “I gain the joy of the children.” A skeptical smile followed. That ended the meeting.
But shortly afterwards I received an official letter granting me permission to conduct the experiment at the elementary school in Knollgasse , Dornbach , outside regular class hours but attached to the school day. The very sympathetic teacher Rudolf Hörmann had agreed to take on the lessons with me, once every two weeks. I found a small group of idealistic musicians willing to give their time and energy to the cause.
I asked only for the first and second grades, boys and girls, and when the day came, my highest hopes were fulfilled, for the children listened with enthusiasm, with shining eyes and open ears. I had discussed the program thoroughly with Teacher Hörmann: first a story from Haydn ’s childhood, then short pieces of easy music, each explained before being played. It was a complete success from the beginning, and the children eagerly awaited the next session.
At the next one, the children were first asked questions about what they had heard previously, and it was immediately apparent that they had understood what they had listened to. Then the same procedure continued with Mozart . After some time we found that the school lacked a piano. So we decided to give a concert, the entire proceeds of which would go toward purchasing one. Thus the pianist Berta Jahn‑Beer , the cellist Wilhelm Winkler , and I formed a trio and gave a trio evening in a pleasant hall in Dornbach . It was a success in every respect; the audience was numerous, appreciative, and attentive — and most attentive of all were the children from the Knollgasse school — and we earned enough for a piano. After that, the “listening lessons,” as we called them, proceeded much more smoothly.
After about a year, we invited the gentlemen from the city school board to come hear the lessons for themselves, and it was very satisfying to see their astonishment at the understanding — and above all, the knowledge — about music that the children had gained. We received much praise and encouragement, and most importantly, permission to work on a larger scale and to introduce the same program in other elementary schools.
And that is where my difficulties began. I could not find enough musicians willing or able to participate without pay, and payment was out of the question at first. So we managed to reach only about 17 schools up until 1938. But the effort had been worthwhile.
In the third or fourth year, I asked the conductor Anton Konrath to perform Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony with his orchestra at a Society concert and to invite the fourth grade from the school in Dornbach . He agreed, and the committee invited the class from the Knollgasse .
We prepared the children by explaining the structure of the work and demonstrating the main themes at the piano. When we were ready, I informed Prof. Konrath, and the committee kindly invited the children. The gentlemen were a bit anxious as to whether the boys would sit quietly for so long, but the children did us great credit — they were absolutely still and attentive and even asked to remain after the symphony until the end of the concert.
Of course, there were opponents of this endeavor, mainly among teachers who wished to include folk music in the programs, bringing in guitar or accordion. I was strongly opposed, insisting that folk music does not necessarily form a bridge to classical music, but rather distracts from it. In a few cases I could not prevent it, but in the schools where I worked, I stayed firmly on my own path.
Very encouraging was the interest shown by Section Chief Padrus of the Ministry of Education. He organized a demonstration of the listening lessons with the first grade of an elementary school and invited 60 teachers. All were convinced of the effectiveness of these lessons and willing to support them.
Sometimes very amusing episodes occurred. In a second‑grade class, the teacher showed a portrait of Beethoven. The children thought he looked very troubled. “Why?” asked the teacher. A little girl eagerly answered: “Please, teacher, because he lost a penny!” The piano piece “Rage Over a Lost Penny” had evidently made an impression.
In these years, I twice received letters of recognition from City School Board President Glöckl , and what pleased me especially was that teacher Rudolf Hörmann received an increase in his future pension in recognition of his 13 years of devoted cooperation.
A girls’ class in Gallileigasse , with a very supportive headmistress, had especially endeared itself to me. We had worked with them through all four elementary grades and then through the third year of middle school. The programs had expanded to include Bach , Brahms , Reger , and other composers; the final year was to bring modern music as well. The last concert, in February 1938, was attended by several gentlemen from the city school board, and they could hardly believe their ears as they listened to the girls discussing and explaining the music.
A month later, the German troops entered Vienna, and this work entered an entirely different phase.
From “Mein Musikleben” by Mary Dickenson-Auner, 3 October 1963. The text follows the manuscript; the chapter numbering is that of the original.