Day 17 (Tues.) Batons and spectacles.

After class today we went to a satellite office of the U.S. Embassy. We listened to a woman who was employed in the Public Affairs department. She gave us an overview of what the Embassy does in Vienna and Austria as a whole. The UN is stationed in Vienna, and many international organizations are centered here because of its centralized location in Europe.  Our speaker was an accomplished Foreign Affairs employee who served in a similar capacity in Iraq and Saudi Arabia. She had the task of ordering vehicles and armored tanks in the Middle East. She also was one of the people who kept the US government informed of situations in Iraq. In Vienna she acts like a cultural liaison between Austria and the US, researching connections in the arts and public concerns. The talk was interesting, yet somewhat sterile. I could tell it was a rehearsed presentation, which it should be, but a lot of her answers to our questions were pretty general. You could also hear someone typing, recording everything that was said. I'm sure she was well-trained in how to speak to the public, and what to say and how to say it. Government jobs fascinate me, especially the ones who work with "classified" information or the Secret Service, as it seems oddly alluring and dramatic, although probably very stressful!
After the presentation, our group met with about 20 Austrian teachers. We had many conversations going regarding education. I spoke with a small group of high school students who were there to meet with us and learn about the US Embassy. They were great. Most of them knew a good amount of English. Some of them were musicians! They had visited California this past year for a week and said they enjoyed it. One of their teachers we spoke to actually lived in Providence for a while! Another teacher we spoke to explained that not many schools offer music and art classes, especially in the secondary schools. There isn't much in terms of extracurricular opportunities in music and theatre. It's really up to each family to put their children into music lessons. However, there are some "focus" schools similar to NYC where students can focus in on a subject. A few of the students I spoke to were at an arts school, so they were able to study music more in-depth. I think Americans sometimes have this notion that the Viennese are born with a violin in their hands, but it's actually an old art (classical music). Even though the area is steeped in this musical history, they may not be so into it. It's similar to teens in the US wanting to listen to rock and pop on their ipods rather than classical music. I think when students are exposed to it and educated in what to listen for, they will then develop an interest. We also don't hear yodeling and traditional Austrian music on every corner. In fact we would have to search for music like that, probably out in the country side. Just like in the US there isn't country and banjos on every corner. The only place, other than NYC or New Orleans-jazz, where traditional music is literally on every corner is Ireland.
After the meet and greet, a few of us went to The Haus der Musik, a very modern interactive museum on the physics of sound and musical instruments. It was fun! There were a few rooms on the Vienna Philharmonic (which, by the way still does not include women into their elite top ensemble in order to "be as historically accurate as possible") and some composers, mostly from the late romantic and early 20th century. 

Arturo Toscanini's baton!

Richard Strauss' baton!

Glasses worn by Brahms!

Leonard Bernstein's tailcoat

Otto Nicolai's room, the founder of the Vienna Philharmonic

Glad I don't have to carry this in a parade!

Glasses of Schubert!

The Sator-Arepo (Sator Arepo Tenet Opera Rotas) formula. It's a palinrome: it reads in all directions. The Latin means: "The sower Arepo strives to hold the wheels." It is an old concept, with the earliest known version from Pompeii. Anton Webern used this method to write some of his 20th century music, as it is related to 12-tone-row modern music.