Alma Mahler: The Beauty of Vienna By: Hannah Butterfield, Rachel Patel, and Ricardo Martinez Contribution: Hannah Butterfield secessionist members at her house. This was how 17-year-old Alma met and fell in love with Alma – the Beauty of Vienna Klimt. What made Alma so beautiful? The answer is “I still love him as much as ever. I felt it when quite simple. “Beauty is in the eye of the he came in, felt it as my heart began to pound, beholder”. All of the men who loved Alma as my joy overflowed. He’s he one appointed were products of Viennese cultural society, for me…. My soul thrills to him, I desire him bewitched by her magic. Whether artists, with every fiber of my body. I long for him as sculptors, writers, or architects, all saw in Alma for a savior, a deliverer, my only redeemer! the embodiment of the society that they strove Were I to have met him alone – today – I could to fully belong to. Alma was beautiful to them, vouch for nothing.” (Alma’s Diary, 243-44) because she was the female embodiment of the lustful, intelligent, and artistic society of Klimt was Alma’s first love and first kiss. Yet, their day. whether they went farther than just a kiss is unclear. Alma was also the embodiment of the paradox of Vienna. Able to simultaneously convince As Alma recorded in her diary, “We both knew herself of her love for one man and one man that such an opportunity would never arise only, while also knowing that there were again, both knew we’d never belong together. several others that she could, and would, direct The tacit agreement was: live for the moment. her love at in the next instant. Strong, … Wonderful memories, to cherish for the rest independent, and musically talented as she of my life.” (Alma’s Diary, p. 152) was, she made only a small contribution to the world of music, as she gave it up young for the When Moll found out about 17 year old Alma’s world of men. affair, he swiftly ended the relationship. Part I, Alma’s Youth: Part II, Nietzsche and Max Burckhard: Alma was born in 1879 to Emil Jakob Schindler Max Burckhard, director of the Viennese and Anna Sofie Bergen. Alma’s mother had Burgtheater, was another of Alma’s admirers several affairs during Alma’s childhood. Alma during her youth. Together they followed adored her father, who was an artist. Her Nietzsche, a philosopher and strong anti-Semite father encouraged her interests in music and of the day. literature. Alma was devoted to music, despite Nietsche taught that strong people should the fact that she was deaf in one ear. break free from the chains of traditional Alma’s father died in 1892, when Alma was 13, morality tying them down, and exert their and her mother immediately remarried the power over the weak, promoting themselves man she was currently having an affair with – no matter the cost to others. This strongly Carl Moll. Alma blamed many of her relational influenced who Alma was, as she trod upon her failures on her mother’s example. Alma’s half- many unsuccessful lovers without remorse. sister, Grete, was born from Julius Victor Berger, yet another of her mother’s lovers. “What is the meaning of morality, what is Alma’s stepfather Moll was a Secessionist, and morality? Tradition. A felling handed down there were many meetings of prominent from one generation to the next. Surely everyone should strive to imitate Nature, to “How far will it go!? I drank from a man’s abandon themselves to those they love (of the mouth, kissed him all over his hands, his head. opposite sex). A woman must subordinate I love him! – He kept repeating softly: I’m going herself. A man must rule. I don’t give a damn crazy, Alma. We both quivered with boundless for morality. It simply doesn’t exist – it’s longing. I long to bear him a child. I want to be something with which you are brought up, an a wife to him, as never a woman has ever been illusion drummed into you. I loathe all before. To marry for money – what does that sermonizers – and all morality. For I love mean? You only live once - and you have to Nature. And morality is unnatural. Freedom – enjoy life while you can. And I can get more that’s what I long for and can never attain. O out of life in simple, modest style with my spirit of complete freedom, O Ubermensch, you beloved husband than in luxury with some don’t yet exist, your day is still to come. Let smug, boring Jew-boy (man). “ (Alma’s Diary, p. that day dawn! O day of great wisdom, O day 442) of freedom, of complete freedom: even if I never live to see you, I greet you at least fro Yet, the fact that Zemlinsky was a Jew troubled afar – as a champion of spiritual freedom – of Alma. the great future.” (Alma’s Diary, p. 244) “I would love him even more – freer, less The intelligent Alma would go to bed with a inhibitedly – if that ominous word ‘marriage’ book on Nietzsche or Darwin when most upset were not beckoning from afar. For the idea of about men. marrying him, of bearing his children – little, degenerate Jew-kids… On the other hand, I would be perpetuating his name. I love the word ‘Zemlinsky’.” (Alma’s Diary, p. 421) Part III, Alexander von Zemlinsky: Alma feelings were quickly shifted one day at Despite Alma’s anti-Semitism, Alma had mostly Berta Zekerkandl’s salon, where she met Jewish lovers, or as she referred to them, “little Mahler in 1901. Jews”. One of these was Alexander von Zemlinsky, whom Alma met when she was 20. He was Part IV, Gustav Mahler: young, and considered to be one of the most promising young Viennese musicians. Gustav Mahler had a difficult childhood. He was raised by a self-educated father of “fierce Alma wrote in her diary : “A caricature – vitality”, and a delicate mother from a high chinless, small, with bulging eyes and a social standing. His father came to resent the maniacal way of conducting, yet he pleased me social status of his mother, and mistreated and exceptionally.” abused her. This caused Mahler to dislike his father, and adore his mother. Mahler had a Alma, a proficient pianist and composer, began slight limp, an “unconscious imitation” of his to take composition lessons from him. Soon, mother’s lameness, as well as a weak heart that she was madly in love with Zemlinsky, and he he inherited from her, which ultimately caused returned her passion. They had an extremely his death. Many of his 11 brothers and sisters intense relationship, and Alma would allow became sick and died. Zemlinsky everything but that one thing he wanted most, which drove Zemlinsky nearly Mahler’s father was a Jewish freethinker, and insane. thus Mahler inherited the Jewish ethnicity, but not the Jewish faith. He converted to Catholicism and was baptized in 1897, which became the conductor of the Philadelphia made it easier for him to be appointed to his Society of New York. Yet he still returned to future Viennese Opera Director position. Vienna each summer to compose, where he died in 1911. “This unsettling early background may explain the nervous tension, the irony and skepticism, “In terms of the personal content of his art, it the obsession with death, and the unremitting can be said of Mahler, more than of any other quest to discover some meaning in life that was composer, that he lived out the spiritual to pervade Mahler’s life and music. But it does torment of disinherited modern man in his art, not explain the prodigious energy, intellectual and that the man is the music.” power, and inflexibility of purpose that carried him to the heights as both a master conductor http://www.britannica.com/biography/Gustav- and a composer. The positive elements in his Mahler makeup stemmed no doubt from his father’s side of the family, as did his great physical vitality. Despite his inherited heart trouble, he Part V, The Decision: was an extremely active man—a ruthless musical director, a tireless swimmer, and an The choice between Zemlinsky and Mahler was indefatigable mountain walker.” a very hard decision for Alma. http://www.britannica.com/biography/Gustav- “I’m on the horns of a terrible dilemma. I keep Mahler repeating the words ‘my beloved’ and follow them with ‘Alex’. Can I really love Mahler as he Mahler began composing at the age of four, deserves and as I am really able? Shall I ever and made his debut at age ten. He was understand his art, and he mine!? With Alex accepted to the Vienna Conservatory at fifteen, the sympathy is mutual. He loves every note of where he obtained his degree. He was an me. Mahler just said: This is really serious. incredible and acclaimed conductor, and This I didn’t expect!” (Alma’s Diary, p. 448) became artistic director of the Vienna Court Opera in 1897, at age 37. This was one of the Alma’s feelings had the ability to sway like the most powerful music positions at the time. wind, based on her current mood, and which Despite this, his compositions were not lover she had seen most recently. This caused accepted by the public. Mahler composed ten her life, and her romantic decisions, to be a main symphonies, as well as other romantic roller coaster of emotion.