Friday 20 May: Vienna in its European Context

I did not sleep very well. I woke up in the middle of the night for about an hour before I was able to fall back asleep. Much of this was really from text messages and notifications on my phone from people in the United States. Around 6:30 I woke up for the day and began my planning for things that needed to be accomplished: write in my journal/ blog, breakfast at 8:45, and class at 9:30.

Writing in the loby of the hostel is much better than writing in my room. Since there is not a desk or a place to set up my computer where I can sit and write, it is a challenge. My plan is to journal the night and morning after each day and try to recall as much information. Alonya and I decided we were going to get breakfast together on the first day to figure out if there were any issues so we could inform everyone else. We followed the instructions we were given the day before during check in. In the breakfast room we ascended the stairs to the breakfast/ kitchen area and showed our keycard to the hostess who was making the breakfast trays informing her we were part of the group. She told us we would have to have a red ticket for her to give us our breakfast. Alonya and I both thought it was strange, but we complied. Upon arrival back in the breakfast area, we approached the hostess once again to hand her the tickets. She asked us if we were part of the group, which we had informed her earlier that we were, and we once again replied yes. To this we were informed we did not need the red ticket! At least we got in a couple flights of stairs before we ate!

If you purchase breakfast here, it comes in two types: classic or vegan. The classic and vegan breakfasts both come with a kaiser roll, two slices of bread, and jam while only the classic includes ham and butter. You are able to add additions to your tray such as cheese, fruit, porridge, or yoghurt. Coffee (kaffee), tea (tee), water (wasser) and hot chocolate are all unlimited.

After breakfast we met at 9:30 for our first day of class. We left the hostel and took the U-Ban to Stadtpark – a park located on the outside of the Ringstraße – where we began our first class. After the period of the demolition of the Ringstraße, the Stadtpark was created from the military action zone that was located between the wall and the suburbs of the city. The park is filled with walking/ running paths that weave their way through heavily manicured flora. There are benches along the pathways where you can sit, or you can easily sit or play in the grassy areas.

Statue of Johann Strauss in the Stadtpark.

Statue of Franz Schubert in the Stadtpark.

Our first class was on the class and society of Vienna under the reign of Maria Theresia through Franz Joseph. Much of what we discussed resonated with me as a musicologist. Why do we study history? Why do we study politics? Why do we need to learn from the past? It’s simple, all of society’s issues have mostly happened before in history and we can learn the effects of a simple policy just by looking to see how it affected the people that lived under it before. For example, censorship was a topic of discussion as Vienna after the Vienna Convention of 1815 became extremely censored, and citizens were often targeted for not only their public speech, but their private speech. This censorship allowed composers such as Schubert and Beethoven to embed many political ideas into their music.

After the morning class, we were dismissed on our own for lunch. I decided to eat at a Biergarten (Beer Garden) within the park for delight views and to live as a temporary local. My lunch consisted of Sacherwürstel served with mustard, fresh grated horseradish, and a kaiser roll with a Schneider Wiesse tap 1. The sacherwürstel cost 7, 30 euros while the beer cost 5 euros. Most beer here is severed in either .3 liter or .5 liter. Prices are cheap for the quantity you receive.

Lunch in the Stadtpark

After lunch we met back at the hostel to continue our class, this time to the Kunsthistorisches Museum for the collection of historical musical instruments, armor and firearms of the Hapsburgs.

A clavichord in the collection. Clavichords use an action similar to that of a fortepiano or harpsichord. Once the key is struck a metal hammer on the arm strikes the string. Wiggling the key can add vibrato to the notes.

After our class ended at the museum and we were dismissed, I began to walk around the Ringstraße to take in a few more sights we had seen earlier in the day. There is an area not far from the museum which includes two statues of Romantic poets: Friedrich Schiller and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's most famous work is "Faust."

Friedrich Schiller wrote the text which Beethoven set in the finale of the Ninth Symphony.

Later in the evening I went to a concert by Steven Scheschareg, an American-Austrian baritone. Steven was the first baritone in over a hundred years to sing the role of Marco in Chadwick and Barnet’s Tabasco. The was extremely magical. Steven’s baritone voice filled the room and offered me a chance to decompress from the adventures of the day. I could go on and on but take a listen to Steven in Tabasco! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUwoUda9mxk)

After the concert, Steven invited me to a local restaurant (Rochus https://www.rochus.at) for after concert socialization. Once again, prices were not outrageous and on par for many of the places I have visited so far!

I then headed back to the hostel to rest for the next day.