Letter 29

By Now I was aware of dismissals from other branches of the University as well as from the Hochschule. I saw the last of Hindemith as he walked across the hall and out through the main entrance.

7th May 1933

On Friday 5th we had chamber music at 8 o’clock and I must say I have quite lost my heart to Prof. Flemming. He is fat, bald and humorous. We were a splendid quintet – flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn – and I the solitary lady. But I’m getting used to that now. Orchestra is in a muddle though rumour declares that Prof. Pruwer has been recalled. The Seminar is closed because all the principal Professors in it have been dismissed. What a country! Would you believe it? They are introducing a German church and a German god. So that was what Luther worked for!

I bumped into Werner outside the Kunstschule and he invited me to go to Wilhems Tell (Schiller) with him, and I accepted. He said that he, along with several other people, has had his scholarship money held back until he can see his way to identifying himself with the National Revolution! Well, I ask you! Werner is really not much more than a child, and if they are going to begin penalizing students – well, I know for a fact that several people from the University – pacifists etc. – have committed suicide, because they were turned out. I’m fed up with this dust heap of Nazi lumber!

Later

Well! This has been a day! How can I go to bed when I am feeling so pumped full of electricity? We’ve just got back from Wilhalm Tell. But I’ll begin at the beginning. Punctually at 4.30 our little local thunderstorm stalked majestically over the town. Suddenly the sky clouded and the horizon supported a bank of inky mountains In two minutes a wild wind leapt up, burled open every door and crashed every window in the house. In three minutes the sky had fallen black on to the tree tops, and in four it began to rain – Crash! A cloud burst – a vivid flash of purple lightning – the whole world reverberated – and everything was blotted out, sound and sight, by the hail. It was HUGE! And all the time the whole white mass shot through with lightning. I got wildly excited. Nothing to be done, I had to don coat and hat, close my eyes to the elements and sally forth. It still lightened, but the hail had given way to rain, so that I might have arrived at the bus in a more or less civilized state, only in my enthusiasm I dashed into a lake in the road that rose over my ankles, whereupon, in order to make sure I suppose that I got really wet, I skipped like a cow in pain and darted for the pavement. It turned out that the road further on was about a foot underwater, and as each car arrived at the brink it paused, shut its eyes so to speak and dashed, leaving a wake behind like the Mauretania. It was grand, only I was afraid that I should be late. But as it was I waited for Werner.