Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • Spring 2024 25 questions were a bonus. Several displays encouraged participation. In a video, I watched four violin players — beginning to advanced — play the same piece. Close by, two violins (along with bows and rosin) proved tempting. Another display was an interactive puzzle: eight composing blocks for arranging by kids of all ages. Once "my" composition was complete, I pressed an oversized red button to hear how it sounded. Displayed in a glass case, is a first edition of e Art of the Violin, Leopold Mozart's celebrated treatise on violin instruction, published in 1756. From six-by-eight inch tablets hanging around the room, I tore off various reproductions of book pages—some with illustrations depicting how to hold a violin or bow. On display were wigs (crasmen didn't wear them) and clothing from the eighteenth century. I could touch the fabrics of garments worn by different classes. Leopold did not wear wigs or elegant clothes until advancing in society, which, of course, he eventually did! I donned earphones and listened to seven short recordings of his music. Unfortunately, most of his compositions have been lost; others apparently were recycled by Wolfgang when he needed money to heat his living quarters. Across from this listening area was a baroque piano by the maker Johann Andreas Stein and an exhibit demonstrating the contrasting sounds produced by different keyboard mechanisms. Entering a dark room, recorded applause greeted me: I was standing on a small baroque stage where Wednesday with Mozart, a monthly concert series, is held between March and December for an audience of about thirty. On the top floor, were two exhibits about Leopold's travels. In the first, seven buttons activated a white line that traced a different Mozart European tour on a large wall map. In the second, I was in a carriage that simulated a ride while listening to recordings of Leopold's letters, enabling one to imagine traveling with the Mozart family. Another informative film about Leopold's later life described the complicated relationship with his son. ere was a unique experience in the final, darkened room. Illuminating it in changing, bright colors — jade green, turquoise blue, magenta, orange, and red — were long, wooden bars (with reflective white paint) hanging from the ceiling. Standing on a circular platform in their midst, I could feel the music's vibration. As an orchestral musician, I have the same feeling when playing onstage. is acoustic "Room Full of Music" is an exhibit designed for prosumers — and this means everyone! Leopold-Mozart-Haus is a comfortable place for novices and experts alike—indeed, for anyone who wants to learn about Leopold Mozart—and have fun in the process. In the downstairs museum shop, I purchased two large kitchen towels — one green and one purple — with a Jacquard design reminiscent of Leopold's time. I also purchased a magnet with Leopold's — not Wolfgang's — image, exclusive to the shop. I went back upstairs to listen to additional recordings. Returning to the front desk, I inquired about other Leopold connections in town and learned of the Fuggerei and the Golden Hall. Because Katarzyna's shi was over, she kindly offered to "put on" her tourist guide hat and accompany me. Founded in the sixteenth century, the Fuggerei, an endowed foundation, still only charges needy residents eighty-eight cents annually. She translated the plaque that identified the residence of Leopold's grandfather: "e bricklayer Franz Mozart lived in this house from 1681 to 1695. With his great- grandson W. A. Mozart, this citizen of the Fuggerei gave mankind the greatest musician of Swabian descent." e Golden Hall is a magnificent, ornate room upstairs in the Town Hall, which Leopold had visited and later took his son. Downstairs, a bronze relief figure of Leopold, considered Augsburg's most prominent citizen, was part of an exhibit devoted to the city's historical highlights. Along our way, we went inside the beautiful Cathedral of Augsburg and downstairs to its 10th-century Romanesque crypt. To warm up on the cold, windy January day, we stopped for a hot cup of tea — and a delicious cherry pastry! All together, aer my museum visit, my new friend and I enjoyed three-and-a-half hours touring the city together. Toward evening, she escorted me to the train station platform to catch a train back to Munich. A Wld of Music Left, an example of clothing from the eighteenth Left, an example of clothing from the eighteenth century. Below, the Mozart-Haus placard. century. Below, the Mozart-Haus placard. Katarzyna Lehner, photos Katarzyna Lehner, photos

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