36yearsago.com

Vienna 1971—A Student Journal
A year of music, study, travel, sightseeing & friends.

Day 234 — Studienbuch
23-March-1972 (Donnerstag–Thur.)


TRANSCRIPT

So-so day. Not too much done. But a good day of practice on horn and piano.


REFLECTIONS

A good practice day.

Studienbuch. A long while ago, I had found other items in the attic relating to my year in Vienna. One of those items was my student book—studienbuch (photo right). Holding it in my hands that first time, I realized the thrill that archaeologists experienced when first holding the remains of a fossilized Tyrannosaurus Rex in their hands, from over 60 million years ago—well, from 36 years ago. Here are some photos and discoveries on what my studienbuch reveals.

Nice and neat. My picture in the studienbuch (above) shows that I am clean cut with moderate-length hair. Glasses, yes I have always worn them, sport coat and tie. A well-represented example of a clean-cut American youth. Compare that to my Austrian student-pass ID from slightly later (photo below) that you’ve already seen. That’s what NOT living at home does.

I’m also very skinny. Today, my wife calls me “homiak,” which I believe is a reference to “hamster cheeks.”

Ich bin ein Ausländer. (Photo below.) I’m a foreign student. A non-degree student at the (Akademie) Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Wien. I love the name of the school. Being a foreign student, you do pay more for tuition. And you learn my name—John Maryn. No, I’m not famous.

My courses. (Photo below.) As you know, I studied mostly horn and composition (electronic music) with Professors Friederich Gabler and Dieter Kaufmann. According to my journal, I was also constantly involved in piano lessons, and mention a traditional composition class as well. When I first attended classes, I remember having to drop out of Music Theory because I just could not understand German well enough. The end result was that as a non-degree foreign graduate student, the school was letting me study with a great deal of flexibility. We also see how much school costs—about 746s and 690s (Austrian schillings) for the winter and summer semesters (includes fall and spring).

Wonderful school. The school and the teachers of the Hochschule fur Musik und Darstellende Kunst were great. In addition to my music-going experiences in Vienna, going to school here brought me to a higher level of musicianship, both in horn and in composition.

Enjoy.

John

- - - -

Tags: studienbuch, student ID, John's picture, Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, Professor Gabler, Dieter Kaufmann, money