Damon Mcknight
Alma Mahler-Werfel, born Alma Margaretha Maria Schindler, was an Austrian composer, author, editor, and socialite. She was married to composer Gustav Mahler until his death in 1911. After his death, she had an affair with Oskar Kokoschka and later married Walter Gropius in 1915. Throughout her marriage to Gropius, she had an affair with Franz Werfel, whom she eventually married in 1929. In 1938, after Nazi Germany annexed Austria, Alma and Werfel, who was Jewish, fled to France. They settled in Sanary-sur-Mer on the French Riviera, but with the German invasion of France during World War II, they were forced to seek refuge once again. They fled to Spain and Portugal before finally settling in Los Angeles, where they spent the remainder of the war years.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year of leaving Austria | 1938 |
| Reason for leaving Austria | Nazi Germany annexed Austria |
| First exile after leaving Austria | Switzerland |
| Other exiles | England, France |
| Final exile | United States |
| Year of reaching final exile | 1940 |
| Husband at the time of leaving Austria | Franz Werfel |
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What You'll Learn
Alma Mahler fled Austria in 1938 due to Nazi annexation
Alma Mahler-Werfel, born Alma Margaretha Maria Schindler, was an Austrian composer, author, editor, and socialite. She was married to composer Gustav Mahler until his death in 1911. After Mahler's death, she married Walter Gropius in 1915. Throughout her marriage to Gropius, Alma engaged in an affair with Franz Werfel, whom she eventually married in 1929.
In 1938, due to Nazi Germany's annexation of Austria, Alma Mahler fled Austria with her husband, Franz Werfel, who was Jewish. They first sought refuge in Switzerland and England before settling in France, where they maintained a household in Sanary-sur-Mer on the French Riviera. However, with the outbreak of World War II and the Nazi invasion of France, the couple's safety was once again compromised, as Werfel was a likely victim of Hitler's anti-Semitism.
Facing danger in France, Alma and Werfel desperately sought to secure their emigration from Europe to the United States. With the help of Varian Fry, an American journalist and emissary of the Emergency Rescue Committee, they were able to flee to Spain and Portugal before finally arriving in the United States in November 1940. They spent the remainder of World War II in the safety and comfort of their new home.
Alma Mahler's flight from Austria in 1938 due to Nazi annexation was part of a broader exodus of German Jews and intellectuals fleeing Nazi persecution during this period. The couple's experience demonstrates the impact of the tumultuous historical events of the time on the lives of individuals, particularly those with Jewish heritage or associations.
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She and her husband, Franz Werfel, first escaped to Switzerland and England
Alma Mahler-Werfel, born Alma Margaretha Maria Schindler, was an Austrian composer, author, editor, and socialite. She was married to composer Gustav Mahler until his death in 1911. Following his death, she had a passionate affair with Oskar Kokoschka and married Walter Gropius in 1915. Throughout her marriage to Gropius, Alma engaged in an affair with Franz Werfel, whom she eventually married in 1929.
In 1938, after Nazi Germany annexed Austria, Alma and her husband, Franz Werfel, fled the country as it was unsafe for the Jewish Werfel. They first escaped to Switzerland and England, and then France, where they maintained a household in Sanary-sur-Mer on the French Riviera. However, with the German invasion and occupation of France during World War II, the couple were once again forced to flee. They sought to secure their emigration to the United States, and with the help of American journalist Varian Fry, they were able to leave Europe via Spain and Portugal.
They arrived in the United States in November 1940 and settled in Los Angeles. During their time in Southern California, they joined a community of exiled German-speaking intellectuals, including other writers and artists who had fled Nazi Germany and Austria. Despite being in exile, Werfel continued his creative pursuits, writing poetry, plays, and novels.
Alma Mahler-Werfel's life and relationships provided both stimulus and emotional shelter to several leading figures in the European world of arts and intellect. She counted among her friends and associates many celebrated artists, including the painter Gustav Klimt, composer Arnold Schoenberg, writer Gerhart Hauptmann, and singer Enrico Caruso.
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They eventually settled in Los Angeles, California
Alma Mahler-Werfel, born Alma Margaretha Maria Schindler, was an Austrian composer, author, editor, and socialite. She was married to composer Gustav Mahler, and after his death in 1911, she married Walter Gropius in 1915. During her marriage to Gropius, Alma engaged in an affair with Franz Werfel, whom she eventually married in 1929.
In 1938, after Nazi Germany annexed Austria, Alma and her then-husband, Werfel, were forced to flee to France. They maintained a household in Sanary-sur-Mer on the French Riviera from 1938 until the spring of 1940. However, with the German invasion of France and the deportation of Jews to Nazi concentration camps, the couple were no longer safe. They sought to secure their emigration to the United States and were aided by Varian Fry, an American journalist with the Emergency Rescue Committee.
They fled Europe via Spain and Portugal, enduring difficult months in southern France before their escape. They finally arrived in the United States in November 1940, where they settled in Los Angeles, California. They were greeted by friends upon their arrival and spent the remaining war years in the comfort and security of their new home.
Alma Mahler-Werfel's life and work have been the subject of much interest and scrutiny. She was known for her tumultuous love life and associations with celebrated artists and intellectuals. She was also a talented composer in her own right, although her career was often suppressed or overshadowed by her husbands' achievements.
After Werfel's death, Alma travelled to Europe and later moved to New York, hoping to leave behind painful memories of Los Angeles. Despite her complex legacy, she remains a significant figure in the history of art and music.
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She was the widow of composer Gustav Mahler
Alma Mahler, born Alma Margaretha Maria Schindler, was an Austrian composer, author, editor, and socialite. She was married to composer Gustav Mahler from 1902 until his death in 1911.
Alma was a talented musician from a young age. She was mentored by Max Burckhard at the age of 15 and later studied composing with Alexander von Zemlinsky as her teacher. She composed nearly fifty songs for voice and piano, as well as works in other genres. Fourteen of her songs are known to have survived, including seven that were performed by the London Symphony Orchestra in 2010.
Alma's marriage to Gustav Mahler was not without its challenges. Gustav did not support Alma's musical career and even insisted that she stop composing. Despite this, he immortalised her in the first movement of his Symphony No. 6 and dedicated Symphony No. 8 to her. Their relationship was also marked by infidelity, with Alma having several affairs during their marriage. After Gustav's death, Alma had a brief relationship with the artist Oskar Kokoschka before marrying Walter Gropius in 1915.
Alma Mahler fled Austria in 1938 after Nazi Germany annexed the country. She and her third husband, Franz Werfel, first sought refuge in Switzerland and England before settling in France. However, with the German invasion of France during World War II, the couple was no longer safe due to Werfel's Jewish background. They fled to Spain and Portugal before finally settling in the United States in November 1940.
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She was a composer herself
Alma Mahler was a composer, author, editor, and socialite. She was born in Vienna, Austria, on 31 August 1879, and died in New York on 11 December 1964. She was the daughter of the painter Emil Schindler and grew up surrounded by artists and musicians. She studied art and became friends with the painter Gustav Klimt, who created several portraits of her. However, her primary interest was music. She was a gifted pianist and studied musical composition with Alexander von Zemlinsky.
Mahler began composing her own songs and even aspired to write an opera, but she never realised this ambition. She faced challenges as a female composer during a time when women's capabilities in the arts were often questioned. Despite her talent, she internalised misogynistic beliefs and doubted her ability to create meaningful art. She also struggled with the expectation that she support her husband, composer Gustav Mahler, and put her own career on hold. Mahler discouraged her from composing, and she eventually gave in to his wishes, suppressing her creative ambitions.
Mahler's relationship with her husband was complex. They had a turbulent marriage marked by affairs and power struggles. Despite their differences, Mahler assisted in publishing some of her compositions, and she published 14 songs during her lifetime. After Mahler's death in 1911, she continued her romantic involvements with other leading figures in the arts, including Walter Gropius and Franz Werfel, both of whom she married.
In addition to her compositions, Mahler published two collections of her husband's letters, as well as her memoirs, titled "And the Bridge Is Love" in 1958. She was also known for her beauty and her strong personality, which garnered both worship and hatred. In 1938, she and Werfel were forced to flee Austria due to the Nazi annexation and eventually settled in Los Angeles. Despite the challenges she faced, Alma Mahler left a lasting legacy as a composer and a muse to many celebrated artists.
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Frequently asked questions
Alma Mahler and her husband, Franz Werfel, fled Austria for France in 1938 after the country fell to the German army.
After Nazi Germany annexed Austria, the couple were forced to leave as it was unsafe for the Jewish Werfel.
After leaving Austria, the couple settled in Sanary-sur-Mer on the French Riviera.
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