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SPEAKER_02: This August on Womanaca, we're taking a trip through history to discover the stories of Muses. Women whose lives inspired work that's shaped our culture in small ways and large. Special thanks to this month's sponsor, Mercedes-Benz, whose own famous namesake was inspired by a young muse named Mercedes. Join us all month long for fascinating stories of women who are drivers of creativity, inspiration, and artistic expression. Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanaca. This month we're talking about Muses, women who've captivated artists with their charisma, wit, and talent. Today's Womanacan was a composer, sculptor, and writer. But for those who've heard her name, chances are it was through a famous song performed by the satirist Tom Lehrer in 1965. Please welcome the most beautiful girl in Vienna, Alma Mahler.
SPEAKER_02: Alma Margarita Maria Schindler was born on August 31st, 1879 in Vienna, Austria. Her father was the famous landscape painter, Emil Schindler. Growing up, Alma didn't attend school. She was educated at home by a tutor, and as part of her lessons, she learned piano. After her father fell ill and died in 1892, Alma focused on the piano and developed her musical skills. From the start, Alma had a litany of prestigious lovers.
SPEAKER_07: The loveliest girl in Vienna Was Alma the smartest as well Once you picked her up on your antenna You'd never be free of her spell Her lovers were many and varied From the day she began her bigine There were three famous ones whom she married And God knows how many between
SPEAKER_02: Her early admirers included the painter Gustav Klimt and the composer Alexander Zemlinsky, with whom she took composition classes. Alma considered marrying Alexander until Gustav Mahler entered her life. An established musical figure in Vienna, Mahler was a composer, conductor, and director of the court opera house. Alma decided to marry him instead. So Mahler penned a long letter detailing the terms of their marriage as a sort of ultimatum. He wrote, Before we speak again, we must have clarified everything. You must know what I demand and expect of you and what I can give in return. He asked that she abandon her musical studies and give herself to him wholly. He continued, Before we speak again, you must know what I demand and expect of you and what I can give in return. What you must be for me. You must renounce your word, everything superficial and conventional, all vanity and outward show concerning your individuality and your work. You must surrender yourself to me unconditionally. In return, you must wish for nothing except my love. But let me tell you just this, for someone I love the way I would love you if you were to become my wife, I can forfeit all my life and all my happiness. Alma married him. They moved, had two children, and led a quiet life regulated by the routine of Mahler's work. Alma, used to a glittering social life, became bored and isolated. She wrote, I sit down at the piano dying to play, but musical notation no longer means anything to me. My eyes have forgotten how to read it. I have been firmly taken by the arm and led away from myself. And I long to return to where I was. Years into their marriage, the couple reached a crisis of three blows, as Mahler put it. Alma had an affair with the architect Walter Gropius. Their five-year-old daughter Maria died, and Mahler was diagnosed with a heart defect. During this time, Mahler was advised by Sigmund Freud to encourage his wife to return to music. Alma took up the task, and Mahler edited the songs. Only 14 of her compositions were published, but she composed many more. After Gustav Mahler died in 1911, Alma never returned to composing. She went on to marry Walter Gropius. During that marriage, she lost another child and had another affair, this time with the writer Franz Werfel. Alma married him after she separated from Walter. They too had a child who did not survive to adulthood. While Alma had many admirers, in a discussion for the London Review of Books, writer B. Wilson explained that Alma was known to be a difficult woman and one who liked to preside over her husbands. B. suggested that Alma actively chose the route of being amused because she felt it was a greater form of power. B. said she often used her affection as a cruel tool, saying things like, "'The more you achieve, the more I will love you.'" Alma was also known to be antisemitic and spoke openly about a preference for Aryan features and supposed characteristics. These were things she even said to demean her many Jewish husbands and held over her children. During World War II, Franz and Alma moved several times, seeking refuge from antisemitic violence. In 1940, they began a journey that would lead them to California, where Franz would die of a heart attack a few years later. In 1952, Alma moved to New York City, where she remained a cultural figure. She died on December 11, 1964. She was 85 years old. All month, we're talking about muses. For more information, check us out on Facebook and Instagram at Wamanica Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow.
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