Grethl with her beloved grandfather Josef Breuer. Anybody who knew Gretl would recognize the cheerful, lively expression she displays in this childhood photo.
Josef Breuer (1842-1925) developed the so-called cathartic cure or talking cure in the 1880s. His talented student Sigmund Freund (1856-1939) used Breuer's discovery as the basis for psychoanalysis. After a heated conflict with his former teacher, Sigmund demanded full credit for his teacher's work. This caused a lasting resentment between the two men.
In the 1920’s , Grethl was immersed in the artistic and social whirl of Viennese musical life. She met Édouard de Reszke, Enrico Caruso, Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter and many other renowned artists. She even met the composer Alban Berg (1885-1935) at a party. I remember her words about Berg to this very day.
She said , “ Alban Berg war solch ein netter Mann mit einem netten Gesicht ! Aber er komponierte solche häßliche Musik “
I gave her a skeptical look as I am an admirer of Berg’s music.
She revised her comment slightly, adding “ Ich meine, die Libretti waren einfach furchtbar! “
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator