Genuine Music

The young Austrians growing up in the 1920’s wanted genuine music again. They went up and down the countryside, collecting real folk songs and folk tunes, delved into archives and libraries and copied unpublished music of the old masters, the great unknown ones. In mimeographed and hand-copied sheets this music went from town to town……

The Nativity Scene

When Holy Mass was over, we went with the children to the side altar. There, in a little wood of spruce trees, was the whole town of Bethlehem spread out before our eyes. The shepherds were already out in the field with their flock. Mary and Joseph had arrived at the cave. They were kneeling……

Johanna’s Baptism

The day after Johanna’s birth she was baptized in the Chapel of Our Lady’s Assumption, her chubby pink face almost lost in the lace and silk of the family’s christening robe. During the ceremony she behaved so well that her brothers actually began to grow proud of her. She never cried or even whimpered as……

Evenings Spent Together

Everyone was anxious to have all his homework done before supper, because then came the most beautiful time of the day, the evenings spent together. A fire was lit in the fireplace. The older girls brought their knitting, the younger ones, their dolls or dwarfies; the boys and their father usually worked on wood, carving……

An Austrian Christmas

The next day was the big day, Holy Eve, as it is called in Austria. Snow had fallen overnight. We went to church with the older children. The church was filled as on Sunday. Everybody goes to confession on Holy Eve, so one had to wait in line. It was quite early and pitch-dark outside.……