Oh The Places You'll Go - August
During the month of June, I had the wonderful opportunity to study abroad in Salzburg, Austria. This location provided me with so many incredible learning opportunities and options to immerse myself in Austrian culture, and as the birthplace of Mozart, was the perfect place to study classical music. Nearly every day my class went to a concert, and we got to hear everything from professional operas to baroque music played on period instruments. My favorite concerts, in particular, were a violin and cello duo known as BartolomeyBittmann, and a university production of Joseph Haydn’s opera, Il Mondo Della Luna; both performances took place at the Mozarteum, a music university in Salzburg.
One weekend, my class took a trip to Vienna, one of the most important cities in the world for classical music. I had always heard about musicians who visited the graves of all the great classical composers in Vienna, but little did I know that that was our first stop in the city, and suddenly I was at the Wiener Zentralfriedhof (Vienna Central Cemetery), and my dream of paying homage to the composers came true. The majority of the famous composers who had died in/near Vienna had been moved to this cemetery to be buried in the Composers’ Circle, including Ludwig Van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Johann Strauss, Franz Schubert, Arnold Schoenberg, among others. In the center of the circle, of course, sat a monument dedicated to Mozart, since the exact location of his burial is unknown. Standing in the presence of the very people who composed the most highly regarded music was absolutely phenomenal, and greatly helped to inspire my career.
Another weekend, some of my friends and I travelled to Prague, Czechia, to learn about the history and culture of the city. While there, we visited the Czech Museum of Music, which contained possibly the largest collection of old musical instruments I have ever seen. I loved going through each room and learning what each instrument sounded like and how they differ from all of the various instruments we have now. My favorite instruments in the museum were the giraffe piano, fairground organ, and the random brass instruments with two bells instead of one, none of which I had previously seen in person. The whole museum provided a completely immersive way of learning about the history and developments of each instrument we use today, which I feel is crucial knowledge for the modern musician.
The end of my time in Austria brought so many more new experiences that I could have only ever dreamed of having. We visited the filming locations of The Sound of Music, and had a fascinating discussion with our tour guide about the impact of World War II politics on Austria, both as individuals and as a country. All of this helped us to complete our course and discuss more thoroughly what “classic” really means and why. I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity to study what I’m most passionate about, and I will carry this new knowledge throughout my career.
Ashley