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Soldier Seeks Cello Lessons in Wartime Innsbruck
In the heart of the Austrian Alps, amidst the chaos of World War II, a young American soldier named David Baumgartner, a member of G Company, 409th Regiment of the Cactus Division, sought an unusual pursuit - cello lessons.
On May 3rd, 1945, G Company took quarters at the Aldranserhof in Aldrans, and it was here that Baumgartner, with a little knowledge of German due to his grandfather being from Germany, approached Innsbruck cellist Max Becke. After a concert at the Innsbruck city theater, Baumgartner, whose comrade had a camera and had recently had a portrait taken, asked Becke for lessons.
Intrigued, Becke agreed, and Baumgartner promised to get cello strings from the USA for him in exchange. On Victory in Europe Day, May 8th, Baumgartner sent the developed film of his portrait to his parents in Ohio and also requested his parents to send him money back to Aldrans to cover the costs of his lessons and the cello strings.
Despite the passage of time, there appears to be limited publicly available information specifically about Baumgartner's cello lessons with Becke during World War II. Major historical music archives and common biographical sources on cellists or music teachers from that era do not mention detailed accounts of such lessons.
To uncover more about this unique student-teacher relationship, one might consider consulting archives in Innsbruck, such as local music conservatories, city archives, or libraries. Wartime correspondence, diaries, or newspaper articles from the region could also provide valuable insights. Published memoirs or interviews with either Baumgartner or Becke, if they exist, could shed light on this intriguing story.
Reaching out to music historians specializing in Austrian musicians of the WWII era could also prove fruitful. If you have access to specific genealogical or regional historical resources, they could potentially shed more light on this specific teacher-student relationship.
As we remember the sacrifices and stories of those who lived through World War II, the tale of David Baumgartner and Max Becke serves as a poignant reminder of the human spirit's resilience and the power of art to bring people together, even in the midst of war.
In the amidst of World War II's chaos, David Baumgartner, a soldier with a passion for music, sought cello lessons from Innsbruck cellist Max Becke, even as they found themselves in an unusual student-teacher relationship in the heart of the Austrian Alps. Despite limited publicly available information on this unique story, exploring archives in Innsbruck, such as local music conservatories, city archives, or libraries, might uncover more about their cello lessons during the war.
