Music in the Schools (Second Period)

We had proven that it was possible to introduce children to classical music from their earliest years. In March 1938 , this beautiful and rewarding work came to an end — at least from my perspective. Or so it seemed. But things turned out differently.

Of course, from that moment on, the listening lessons were discontinued. The schools fell silent. But my spirit of initiative did not rest. I had met the conductor Peter Rabe years earlier in Munich . He was now head of the Reichsmusikkammer . I wrote to him and told him about our listening lessons in Vienna . He replied that he was aware of them and that the work should be continued. He assigned Oskar Fritz , who had often collaborated with me, to restart the program — and this time it was to be introduced in all schools in Vienna, in the two upper classes of elementary school, the middle schools, and the high schools. The musicians were also to be paid.

I was not particularly happy about this, for the two lowest elementary grades were by far the best material, and I was certain the middle schools would fail, because the ears of those children had already been spoiled by inferior music. This later proved to be entirely correct.

The musicians were called upon to volunteer for the project, and they came in droves, for now the work would be paid. A considerable number of string quartets applied, as most schools had no piano. I also registered with my own string quartet, consisting of my daughter, a friendly violist, and my son as cellist. I received permission to participate despite my British citizenship .

And now the schools became a hive of activity. We received a proper timetable that sent us into all districts of Vienna — I had never gotten to know the city so thoroughly — and during the winter of 1938–39 we often had to leave at 7:00 in the morning to teach listening lessons from 8:00 until 13:00.

In the elementary schools, everything went smoothly, and most teachers were willing to help. But the middle schools were a disaster. With the boys, it was entirely impossible to get through to them with our “good” music. They made noise, shouted, demanded jazz and popular songs. On several occasions we simply got up and left.

It was different in the high schools. There the students were reasonable and attentive, and they really made an effort to understand what was offered to them.

There I also met the excellent pedagogue and musician Prof. Mousé , who put tremendous effort into awakening the students’ understanding. Once, during a demonstration in a first‑year class, I noticed that the students knew all the answers, and I expressed my amazement. A boy raised his hand and said: “Yes, we already had all this in elementary school!” That was a great satisfaction to me.

Soon afterwards, I lost my good second violin: my daughter married and went to the U.S.A. , and I had to content myself with something less fine.

My own “final hour” soon came as well. A teacher, who bore me ill will, reported me to the highest authority, claiming that when entering the classroom I did not greet with “Heil Hitler.” I was told to either conform to the practice or withdraw. As an Englishwoman, I chose the latter — and that was the end of my “adventure” in the schools.

In 1934 , we had left Neuwaldegg and moved to Rathausstraße , into a large apartment where we were able to host many wonderful music — especially quartet — evenings. But this did not last long. In the same year my husband and I divorced amicably, as Dr. Auner wished to marry again. I then moved to Reisnerstraße in the third district, where I still live today.

As a foreigner, I was forbidden to perform publicly. I was also prohibited from giving private lessons, so I suddenly lost all avenues of activity.